Flying High, Falling Hard

by Soundslikeponies

Chapters

Chapter 2: Burning Out
Chapter 3: Drive
Chapter 4: Flying Blind
Chapter 5: Coming in to Land
Chapter 6: Rainbow Crash
Chapter 7: Amidst the Wreckage
Chapter 8: Feeling Grounded
Chapter 9: Fliers from Near and Far
Chapter 10: Despondence
Chapter 11: Contender
Chapter 12: Crepuscular Rays
Chapter 13: The Peer Response
Chapter 15: A New Bridge
Chapter 16: The Rain Will Wash Away the Sun
Chapter 17: Sunshine Trickling Down
Chapter 18: And When the Trickling Stops
Chapter 19: Out Comes the Start of it All
Chapter 20: Setting Sail in the Dark
Chapter 21: The Express
Chapter 22: Definitely Not According To Plan
Chapter 24: What We Keep From One Another
Chapter 25: The Train Ride Home
Chapter 26: Return to the Everyday
Chapter 27: A Date
Chapter 28: Book Worm, Party Animal, Adventurer
Chapter 29: Apples and Amends
Chapter 30: The Day of the Party
Chapter 31: Uncertainty
Chapter 32: End
Chapter 33: Epilogue
Chapter 1: Helping Hooves
Chapter 14: After the Heat Dies Down
Chapter 23: A Split in the Sky

Chapter 2: Burning Out

Burning Out

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

“Dash,” Twilight’s voice called, followed by a nudge to her shoulder.

Dash stirred, lazily opening her eyes to find herself in the library, lying on a bed of pillows.

“Dash, come on!” Twilight urged, her voice filtering through Dash’s sleepy conscience.

Dash rolled onto her back and wearily opened her eyes to see Twilight standing directly over her with a piece of metal hanging around her neck, glinting in the sunlight.

Dash shifted uncomfortably beneath her. “Huh?” she asked intelligibly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

A sharp whistle cut through the library, shattering Dash’s ear drums. Wide awake, she scrambled out from under Twilight to a sitting position, scattering the pillows she had been lying on. She stared at Twilight, panting and trying to calm her racing heart.

Twilight let the whistle drop from her mouth, falling back to its spot around her neck. “Good, you’re awake.”

“What gives?” Dash asked.

“We need to get training! I’m going to go prepare breakfast for you, and then we’re going to get started! I have everything planned out, and it’s all written down!” A clipboard bathed in a luminescent pink glow floated to Twilight’s side, holding a piece of paper with a bunch of scribbles on it that Dash couldn’t make out. “I’ll be right back!” Twilight said cheerfully, turning and disappearing into the kitchen.

She can be so strange sometimes. Dash stretched, yawning and holding out her wings. Sleeping for twelve hours had made her exhausted instead of well rested.

Twilight came out of the kitchen, levitating a cup, an apple, and a blender full of sawdust colored sludge. Twilight tipped the contents of the blender into the cup, the sludge pouring out slowly, its surface like unhardened cement.

“What’s... that?” Dash asked, pointing at it.

“A mixture of proteins, carbohydrates, and fiber,” Twilight answered, knocking the blender against the edge of the cup to get every last glob of it in the glass.

Dash leaned back, keeping her distance. “None of those things sound like food.”

“Quit being such a baby,” Twilight said, holding the glass in front of her. “Look, it’s chocolate flavored!”

Dash frowned as she was offered the glass, but took it. She looked down at it, then back up at Twilight, who was smiling and looking at her expectantly.

Dash idly wondered how far she would make it if she ran.

Gulping and closing her eyes, she tipped the glass to her lips. It took a moment for the sludge to start moving. The thick gooey substance stuck to the roof of her mouth like peanut butter, and it tasted of dirt, oats, and wheat grass. Biting back her gag reflex, she swallowed it, giving Twilight a very fake grin. “That’s the only time I’m going to have to drink that stuff, right?”

Twilight handed her the apple, and Dash hungrily took a bite out of it, eager to get rid of the taste in her mouth. Twilight hummed as she walked outside, stopping in the doorway. “Nope! One of those and a piece of fresh fruit every morning!”

The fake smile fell from Dash’s lips, and her ears drooped. “You’re kidding, right?” Dash asked. Twilight wasn’t laughing. “Every morning as in, every morning? Not every other morning, or every other week?”

“Come on!” Twilight said, motioning out the door with her head. “Let’s get started!”

Dash let out a sigh and hung her head, trotting to the door. She grumbled under her breath, “Why do I feel like a guinea pig in one of her experiments?”

“Eighteen,” Twilight announced, looking down at her watch as Dash finished a push-up.

Beads of sweat ran down Dash's muzzle, and her mane fell in her face, clumped and messy. She lowered herself until she was just inches above the grass, her legs quivering and screaming in pain. Clenching her teeth, she pushed herself back up.

“Nineteen,” Twilight counted from beside her, never once tearing her eyes away from the watch she wore

Just one more and she would be free. She almost flopped onto the grass as she lowered herself one final time, but she couldn’t give up now. Not while victory was so close. Her front legs trembled as she pushed against the ground. They felt like lead. She clenched her eyes shut and pushed, her legs locking in a complete pushup.

“Twenty!” Twilight said cheerfully.

Dash collapsed onto the grass, forgetting grace as she panted with her tongue hanging out. The grass was soft and welcoming, and at that moment it felt comfier than any bed she had slept on for the past month.

She rolled onto her back and closed her eyes. The sun’s warmth spread across her coat and a large self-satisfied grin split her face.

Twilight walked over to her and took up her clipboard and a pen. “That was another minute of plank position, another thirty sit-ups, and another twenty push-ups.” Her pen scratched like sandpaper as she spoke.

Twilight floated a water bottle over to Dash’s side. Dash popped open the lid and drank.

Twilight set her clipboard down and gave her a merciful smile. “Take a ten minute break, and then we can move onto set nine and ten!”

Dash choked on her water and spat it out. She coughed, thumping her chest with a hoof. “You can’t be serious,” she wheezed in between coughs. “I can’t do two more of those! I’ll die!”

“No, you won’t,” Twilight said dismissively, still scribbling on her clipboard.

“Yes I will!”

Twilight stopped writing, and lowered her clipboard and pen. She looked at Dash thoughtfully for a moment, pursing her lips. “But...” She glanced down at her notes. “I had a few more things planned...” Tearing her gaze away from the clipboard, she looked at Dash, contemplating. “If you really need to take a break, I guess we could stop here.”

Dash let out a huge sigh of relief.

Twilight gave her a disarming smile. “How about winding down with a small twenty minute jog?”

Dash frowned, giving her an unamused look. “No.”

“Fine, fine.” Twilight’s eyes drifted to her wing. “How does it feel?”

“It’s alright,” Dash replied, moving it slightly. “It should be good for some basic flying. I don’t think I should fly on it too much, and it’ll probably be a couple more days before I should be pulling off any tricks.”

Twilight tenderly stroked the base of Dash’s injured wing with her hoof. “I hope it feels better soon.”

A shiver ran from the base of the wing to its tips. Dash tensed, paralyzed by Twilight’s touch, and looked away. “Uh, yeah. Me too.”

“You did well.”

Dash blinked. “Huh?”

Twilight continued rubbing the base of Dash’s wing as she spoke. “You did well with the exercises. I thought you were at your limit a couple times, but you kept going.” She smiled warmly. “Much longer than I would have.”

An embarrassed blush crept upon Dash’s cheeks. “Heh, pushing limits is what it’s all about, right?” she asked, receiving a nod in reply from Twilight as she continued to work on her wing.

A soft, rolling breeze blew over the field they were in. Grass rustled softly beneath Dash, and the wind cooled the sweat on her body. With her hooves lying to either side of her, she let the grass swaying back and forth in the breeze tickle them. She stretched her wings as wide as she could, catching the sun with every feather it would reach.

Just as Dash was beginning to get comfortable, Twilight stopped massaging her wing.

Broken from her reverie, Dash opened her eyes and sat up, looking at Twilight.

“Would you like to come inside and have a drink?” Twilight asked, smiling and tilting her head.

“Oh,” Dash folded her wings away, the feeling dissipating. “I guess.” She stood up, flashing Twilight a half-hearted smile as she walked back to the library with her. “You know, Twilight, it hasn’t been half bad having you around.”

“Half bad?” Twilight asked with an amused smile.

Dash huffed, and shot her a playful smile. “Okay, it’s been pretty fun.” Dash continued to walk, looking towards the library as she spoke. “The company is cool. Having somepony to talk to makes the boring parts go by quicker.” A small smirk tugged at Dash’s lips. “I could do without the muck, though.”

Twilight scoffed, but the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. “Would you like to stay around while I do some studying?”

“Only if—”

“I know,” Twilight interrupted as they approached the library door. “I won’t try convincing you to read anything.”

Dash stepped inside, shaking off loose bits of grass that had gotten in her coat and curling up in a ball on the carpet near the base of Twilight’s desk.

Twilight sat at her desk and slid a drawer open, taking out a thin black quill and inkwell and setting them by the top corner of the desk.

Resting her chin on her hoof, Dash looked up at her. “So what are you working on this time?”

“I thought I would give that spell from yesterday another shot,” Twilight replied, taking one of her books and flipping it open to a marked page.

“I thought you said it wasn’t worth how difficult it is?”

Twilight was silent for a moment. “It probably won’t be.” She turned to Dash with a smile. “But pushing limits is what it’s all about, right?”

Dash scratched her cheek. “Heh, I guess so.”

Dash usually didn’t like the quiet. But hearing the soft scratching of Twilight’s quill on parchment, the faint singing of birds outside, and the subtler still sound of the evening’s first crickets coming out, Dash found she didn’t mind the quiet for a change. She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

It was so quiet she almost wanted to take out a book and read. Something had to be done.

“So,” Dash said, breaking the silence. “What’s the spell you’re working on? You never did tell me.”

Twilight’s quill, which had been ceaselessly moving for the past fifteen minutes, froze. “It’s umm...” Twilight faced Dash, stealing glances back at the scroll and book that were open on her desk. “It’s just an idea that’s always been sitting in the back of my head. But then again, so are at least half a dozen others, so it’s not really anything special.”

“Well, what is it?” Dash said impatiently.

“It’s...” Twilight looked at her papers, and then back at Dash. “It’s nothing.” She stole one more quick glance at her desk. “I don’t think it’s going anywhere. I’ve had five dead-end projects in the past month. It happens all the time.”

“What about that whole ‘not giving up’ thing?”

“There’s a difference between perseverance and futility,” Twilight said with a small sigh, looking at her work.

Dash scratched her nose. “Well I wouldn’t know what it is.”

Despite her woes, a giggle escaped Twilight’s lips. “No,” she said, smiling. “I suppose you wouldn’t.” Twilight lifted her quill, a spark of confidence returning to her eyes. “I’ll give it my best shot and see where I can get by tonight.”

Dash watched Twilight go back to work with a look of determination that hadn’t been there before. She watched her friend work diligently, in what most who knew her would call an uncharacteristic silence, only speaking one or two times, usually trying to help Twilight when she seemed to be stuck on something, although she didn’t wind up being much help.

The birds singing went quiet, the sound of crickets replacing them. Dash glanced out the window; only a bit of dying light remained before night time.

Dash yawned. “I guess it’s getting pretty late, huh?” she said, still looking out the window.

Twilight was focused on her work, staring at her papers and biting the tip of her quill.

Dash rolled onto her back and lay sprawled out on the pillows. “Shouldn’t you take a break or something? You’ve been at it for a while.”

If Twilight heard her, she didn’t act like it. She continued to chew on the tip of her quill, puzzling. She had been like a statue for the past half hour. The only part of her that had even moved during that time were her eyes, and her eyes were starting to become bloodshot, tired from hours of reading.

“Twilight?” Dash tried again, sitting up slightly and looking at her friend in concern.

Finally, Twilight let out a sigh and hung her head. “Sorry,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “I thought I was onto something, but it was probably nothing.” She sighed, putting her notes and books away.

Dash stood up, treading silently off of the pillows to Twilight’s side. “Are you alright?” she asked, peering around to see her face.

Twilight turned to Dash, smiling. “I’m fine,” she said with a reassuring tone.

Dash looked skeptically at her. “You sure?”

“Positive,” Twilight replied, humming as she tucked her inkwell and quill back in their drawer.

“If you say so.” Dash glanced out the window over Twilight’s desk. “Listen, it’s getting late... and I should probably head home.”

“Oh, of course!” Twilight trotted back and forth across the library, scanning through books and making herself look busy. “Stop by tomorrow morning before nine. I’ll prepare a new schedule based on the data from today’s training.”

“Right,” Dash called over her shoulder as she walked to the door. “I’ll set my alarm clock or something.” Stopping in the doorway and turning to look at Twilight, she gave her a slightly awkward smile. “So, see you tomorrow then?”

“Yep,” Twilight replied, shelving a book she had been looking at.

Dash turned to leave, but a voice halted her as she placed her hoof out the door.

“Good night, Rainbow Dash.”

Dash turned to see Twilight standing in the middle of the room, not a book near her, her full attention on Dash for what felt like the first time that night. A sheepish smile overtook Dash’s features. “See ya, Twilight.”

She walked outside and let the door fall shut. Turning back to look at the library, her eyes lingering on the knotted, old tree.

She snapped out of her thoughts with a violent shake of her head. Spreading her wings, she turned away. “What’s gotten into me?”

Leaping into the air, she flew home. It was slower than usual, her wing still a little sore and dinged up, but she was flying for the first time since yesterday. A day and a half out of the sky was like a day and a half without water. It was as much a part of her as the wings she rode through it with.

The sky was caught in the middle of night and day, a few stars beaconing the night’s arrival. Lit by the afterglow of the sun, the sky was a color between midnight and cerulean. Lanterns hanging from doorposts and candlelight from windows surrounded Ponyville with a faint golden glow. She might have even stopped to look at it for a while if she hadn’t been freezing her tail off.

After lying on a warm bed of pillows, the night air seemed cold and unwelcoming. She rushed to get home, as fast as her injured wing would take her, the wind chill biting.

Her house was dark by the time she got home, but she was grateful to get out of the cold and inside once more. Treading to her bedroom, she set her alarm and fell sideways onto her bed, burying herself under its thick covers.

As she lay on her back, she looked up at the stars through the skylight over her bed, legs fidgeting restlessly under the blanket.

It sometimes seemed like she barely knew Twilight. She hadn't expected a bookworm to become such a close friend. Then again, each of her friends were very different from her.

But Twilight was the only of her friends who had the same ambition to become something great. It brought out a competitive drive in her that she hadn’t felt since racing at flightschool.

Her mind drifting, Dash’s eyes slid shut.

Chapter 3: Drive

Drive

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Her alarm clock rang, shattering her ears. She scrambled to turn it off, succeeding in knocking it on the floor. Dash groaned and threw her blanket at it, the quilt smothering the alarm and filling the bedroom with blissful silence once more.

Her injured wing twinged in protest at the way she slept on it. Glancing at the clock, it was ten till nine, and she realized she forgot to give herself extra time for her injured wing. She slapped a hoof over her face, grumbling under her breath.

Undoing the latch on her bedroom window, Dash took a few steps back and then ran at it, jumping into the sky with her wings spread.

A throbbing pain flared in her right wing, but a gentle current of wind swept her up and carried her towards Ponyville, easing the pressure on it.

Once the library was in sight, she tipped her wings and glided down towards it. She hit the ground at a trot, folding her wings away and circling around to the library door. Raising her hoof, she knocked twice.

Twilight answered the door. She looked at Dash, and then down at the watch around her hoof. “You’re five minutes late,” she noted.

“Sorry, it’s just that I didn’t take think about how much longer than normal it would take to fly over because of my wing, and when I woke up it was—”

“It’s alright,” Twilight said. “Just try to leave five minutes earlier next time, okay?”

“Uh... right. I’ll do that.” Dash blinked, taking a second to form words. “So are we going to get started?”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Yes, of course!” She dashed towards the kitchen, leaving Dash with an unofficial invitation to come inside.

Dash stepped inside, and was greeted by the loud whirring of a blender coming from the kitchen. She barely had a moment to sit down at the table before Twilight rushed back into the room floating a glass.

“Drink,” Twilight ordered, placing a glass of the thick, beige slop in front of her. “And eat,” she said placing an apple beside it, before disappearing again.

Dash rolled her eyes. She picked up the glass of muck and closed her eyes, putting pressure on her nose with one hoof, and tipping it to her lips with the other, trying not to think about the taste.

Twilight walked back into the room with a clipboard floating nearby, just as Dash was about to take a bite out of the apple.

“I finished adjusting the schedule,” she said, looking down at the clipboard. “It’s not perfect, but it will have to do.”

“Great!” Dash said, talking around a mouthful of apple. “Let’s get started!”

Dash and Twilight were out training at the same place they had the day before. Dash was busy bucking back and forth, jumping from her front to her rear legs and back again. Panting, her heart pounded, trying to keep up, as she gave it all the oxygen she could. “How—” She paused to breathe “—much longer?”

“Twenty seconds,” Twilight replied.

The land exercises Twilight gave her were exhausting, and completely out of her comfort zone. She already learned that she wasn’t the greatest when it came to strength on land back when she challenged Applejack to an iron pony competition, but now that she had a reason not to cheat, she realized how difficult land training was.

“Time!” Twilight announced.

Dash fell back down on all fours, mouth open and panting. Twilight handed her a water bottle, and she took a long drink of the refreshing spring water.

“Okay, ten minute break and then at three-twelve we start doing some light jogging to wind down,” Twilight read from her clipboard.

Dash groaned and toppled over sideways like a tipped cow onto the grass.

“You know,” Twilight said with a lecturing tone. “You wouldn’t still be so sore from yesterday if you had properly cooled down.”

Dash huffed and crossed her hooves in front of her chest.

“It must be hard flying up to your house with an injured wing,” Twilight said, sitting on the grass next to Dash and looked down at her with a smile. “Would you like to sleepover at the library tonight?”

“Oh!” Rainbow Dash blew her mane out of her eyes, looking at the library in the distance. "I'd love to!" she blurted out. "I-I mean, yeah. That’d be cool."

“Excellent!” Twilight said, her smile growing a little wider. A light breeze blew through her mane, and she glanced down at her watch. “Ack! We’re two minutes late!” She stood up, jogging on the spot. “Come on Dash!”

Dash smiled and stood. “You’re coming running with me?”

Twilight shot a smile over her shoulder. “Somepony has to make sure you don’t slack off!” she teased.

Dash smirked. Even if her legs ached a little, she finally had a chance to pay Twilight back for running her into the ground. “Try to keep up!” Dash shouted, sprinting past Twilight.

“Not bad,” Dash said, walking into the library. “You actually managed to keep up the entire time.”

Twilight crawled in through the door after Dash, dragging herself over the threshold. “I don’t think I’m cut out for this,” she said, pulling herself up off the floor. “I thought you would be a bit more tired after everything else.”

“So,” Dash said, looking around the library. “What’s the plan for the sleepover?”

Twilight glanced around. “We could read a story.”

Dash stuck her tongue out. “Bleh! There’s no way we’re doing that. Books are lame.” She lit up with an idea. “What about telling me what life in Canterlot was like? You probably have some pretty cool stories about the Princess, right?”

“Well, yeah, one or two...”

Dash grabbed a pillow from a nearby chair, laying down on it and propping her head up on her hooves. “Did you do lots of partying? Oh! Did you get to see tons of places, or meet really cool ponies?” Dash paused upon seeing Twilight's amused smile. She decided to settle on one question at a time. “What was being taught by the princess like?”

“I was invited to a few things, but I usually tried to get out of them somehow. Learning from Princess Celestia was...” Twilight lifted a hoof to her chin as she trailed off. “Princess Celestia is the wisest pony I’ve ever met. And sometimes it feels like she holds the answer to everything—and she constantly has to remind me that she doesn’t. She’s my mentor, but she’s also more to me than just that. When I left home to study under her, she took over as a mother figure for me.” Twilight grabbed a pillow and lay down opposite Dash. “I love my parents, both of them. They were understanding and supportive of me leaving to study under the Princess, and I will always be thankful for that. But we’re very distant now. The couple times I visited them, they were like complete strangers.”

“There weren’t any parties you went to? Not even the fancy-schmancy ones?” Dash asked.

Twilight shook her head, laying her head on her pillow and looking down at its cover.

“Oh...” Dash frowned, looking at Twilight, who had a far off look in her eyes.

Trying to change subject to something less gloomy, Dash grinned at her. “Hey, hey! How about you ask me something?”

Twilight raised her head. “Well...” Her mouth turned up slightly in a smile. “I’m curious about how you and Applejack met. I get the impression you two have some history together.”

Dash shuffled to a more comfortable position. “Well, I was taking a break after doing some tricks, resting in a tree and eating an apple or two from it, and Applejack came over and bucked the tree I was lying in. It sorta took me by surprise, so I fell. When I hit the ground, she pinned me down and accused me of being an apple thief.”

“I tried to tell her I had no idea those apples belonged to anypony, but she wouldn’t listen.” “Anyway, I wound up having to help her do farm work to pay for the apples I’d eaten.” Dash’s ears drooped and she looked away. “And you know... maybe it wasn’t the first time they had found munched up apple cores at the base of one of their trees.”

Twilight wiped a mirthful tear from the corner of her eye. “So what happened next?”

“I spent a couple days working at her farm, and we sorta became friends as I paid off my debt.”

“It sounds like even when you met you two were always barking at each other,” Twilight said, her eyes smiling.

The two of them sat by the fireplace and talked to one another until the fire cast long shadows on the walls. Dash lost count of how many logs had been added to it while they’d been talking. They told each other stories about the places they had been, the ponies they had met, and the trouble they had gotten themselves into, their laughs filling the homely tree.

Twilight glanced over at the clock, the hands reading just past eleven. “I can’t believe we stayed up this late!”

“It’s not that late,” Dash said, waving a hoof dismissively. “Besides, I learned a lot of cool stuff about you.”

Twilight smiled with a modest blush. “You had some pretty entertaining stories too.” she said, rolling onto her back and stretching. “I still think we should get to sleep now. Although, I have to say this went much better than the last sleepover I had.”

“Well,” Dash said, examining the back of her hooves with a smug expression. “The last sleepover didn’t have me.”

Twilight let out a small giggle and closed her eyes, lying on her back and facing the ceiling with a smile on her face.

There was a warm sensation in Dash’s chest. A pleasant haze overtook her mind, and she was struck by a thought while looking at Twilight.

“Have you ever gone out with anypony?”

Twilight opened her eyes and glanced over. “No, I can’t really say that I have.” She looked back up at the ceiling. “What about you?”

“Well, growing up I hung out with a bunch of guys. Most of the good fliers were guys, since girls didn’t tend to be interested in that sorta stuff. I was more like one of the crew, you know? I was asked out once, but it was by some shy colt. I think his name was Gust. Something-Gust. And he had no confidence at all. He barely even had the guts to ask me.”

“I was always absorbed in my books.” Twilight turned to her side, facing Dash. “So I wasn’t interested in stallions asking me out. It seemed like a waste of time.” Twilight put her hoof to her chin, thinking. “I don’t even remember any of their faces, but I think I had about ten different ponies ask me out.”

Dash’s mouth hung open in shock. “But you turned them all down?”

“Yeah,” Twilight said, and Dash to let out a silent sigh of relief. “I think it was mostly the idea of me that they were after. I never socialized and I never did anything that would get their attention. They probably just thought it would be some sort of accomplishment to date the student of the princess. I didn’t even bother to remember their names.” Twilight frowned and tapped her chin. “Come to think of it, I was quite rude to most of them.” She yawned, covering her mouth.

She’s kinda cute when she yawns, Dash thought with a smile, a small blush on her cheeks.

Twilight stood up and placed her pillow back on its chair. She turned back to Dash, motioning for her to follow. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”

A tingle traveled down Dash’s spine from hearing those words—even if Twilight didn’t mean it that way. Dash dropped her pillow back on its chair, and followed Twilight up to the loft.

Twilight stopped in front of them and Dash looked around her shoulder to see one of the beds was only a skeletal wooden frame, devoid of mattress, sheets, or blanket. Twilight turned back to her, looking down at the wood floor.

“Um, sorry... I just remembered I don’t have a mattress for the guest bed. I forgot to wash it when a tree fell in the window during a storm and got everything wet. I had to throw it out because of the mildew...” Twilight trailed off, looking at the single bed with uncertainty. “My bed should have enough room for the two of us though.”

Dash’s face heated up.

We’re friends. And two friends sleeping in the same bed isn’t abnormal or anything... right? Dash reasoned, trying to make her blush die down before Twilight noticed it.

Twilight climbed in under the covers, moving over to make room for Dash, who froze, looking at her like a deer caught in the headlights. Twilight patted the mattress next to her and Dash tried her best not to read too much into the innocent gesture.

“Come on, Dash! There’s plenty of room!” Twilight said, looking over her shoulder at the edge of the bed and scooting closer to it. “See?”

Dash gingerly stepped toward the bed, one hoof in front of the other, all the while staring into Twilight’s sparkling eyes.

Climbing onto the bed, she crawled under the covers. The bed was barely designed to fit two ponies on it. Their hooves brushed against each other under the covers, sending a shiver down Dash's spine that made her hair stand on end.

She turned to Twilight and gave her a nervous smile. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Twilight replied, rolling over and facing away from her. “Good night,” Twilight mumbled, burying her face into her pillow.

“Good night,” Dash echoed, her voice cracking slightly. If Twilight heard it, Dash was thankful she didn’t comment on it.

Turning away from Twilight and closing her eyes, Dash waited to fall asleep.

And she waited, and waited. But sleep did not claim her. She tossed and turned restlessly, remaining careful not to wake her friend, whose gentle snores filled the room. She tried sleeping on her side, her stomach, and her back, but none of them worked. Her body was too excited, too alert, too wound up. She turned to look jealously at the back of the peacefully sleeping mare who caused it all, who had managed to fall asleep the second her head hit the pillow.

Dash briefly wondered whether Twilight had cast a spell on her when she wasn’t looking.

Shaking her head, she looked at the back of her sleeping friend and flicked her tail in irritation. She hesitantly reached out, tracing the pink highlight running through Twilight’s mane.

Careful not to wake the other mare, Dash scooted closer to her, tracing the highlight with a bored sigh. She looked at the sleeping pony, chewing her lip. Cautiously, and moving very slowly, she wrapped her hooves around the smaller pony.

Twilight moved slightly in her sleep, adjusting to the hooves wrapped around her.

The thrum of Dash’s own heartbeat boomed in her ears and a deep scarlet blush heated her face. The slightly shorter pony’s back fit perfectly against her chest, as though she had been tailored to be held by her.

This is bad. I shouldn’t be doing this! What if she wakes up? Dash thought frantically, her heart leaping out of her throat as Twilight mumbled in her sleep.

Dash adjusted her position slightly, to something more relaxing that might make her blush die down. Twilight’s mane fell to one side and sprawled over the sheets, and her exposed ear twitched to the sound of her shifting.

Throwing caution to the wind, she squeezed Twilight closer to her. She needed to feel their bodies touching—needed to feel Twilight’s back pressed against her chest.

The other mare stirred for a moment, before relaxing in her grip, moving her hooves in her sleep down to rest on the ones Dash had wrapped around her saddle. Her coat radiated heat and held a subtle fragrance of some flower Dash couldn’t quite put her hoof on.

Dash’s eyes closed on their own accord, a content smile on her lips.

Twilight let out a content sigh as she woke, cozy and warm.

But something warm wrapped around her back gave her pause, and she opened her eyes.

Dash’s face was only a few inches from her own, and a pair of cyan hooves were wrapped around her sides. She felt her face heat up as she realized how close their muzzles were, Dash’s slightly parted lips a hair’s-breadth away.

Dash’s face twitched, followed by her eyes opening, and she looked at Twilight with sleep-drunk smile, not yet fully awake.

The gears in Dash’s head turned, working to realize the position they were in. When she did, her eyes went wide and she blushed furiously.

Snapping her hooves back to her sides, she shuffled backwards, falling off the side of the bed in her haste to create distance between them. Twilight might have laughed if she wasn’t busy mirroring Dash’s blush.

“Sorry!” Dash shouted, her head poking back up from her spot on the floor. “I... uh... I tend to move around in my sleep a lot!” she stammered.

Twilight watched with a bit of amusement as Dash scrambled to a normal sitting position at the side of the bed.

“I-I used to take lots of energy shakes back in flight school, because of all the flying I did, and the extra energy made me move around in my sleep, and I probably should have only taken the amount you were supposed to—but I mean, who listens to those things anyways? And so now when I sleep I—”

“It’s okay.” Twilight cut her off, giving her a nervous smile. “I’m sure it was just an accident!”

“Uh, yeah... right,” Dash said, looking at the ground sheepishly.

“I’m going to go downstairs and make some breakfast. Feel free to come down whenever you like.” Twilight climbed out of bed and walked away, hoping that she would be able to get rid of the blush on her face by the time Dash came downstairs.

Dash climbed back onto the bed once Twilight was gone, rolling over to the middle of it. The sheets were still warm, Twilight’s scent, that flower she couldn’t place, still clinging to them.

Idly tracing the wooden patterns at the top of the bed with a hoof, she sighed, something she had been doing an increasing amount of over the past two days.

She thought about Twilight more than normal. The unicorn invaded her thoughts during every waking moment since they had started practicing together. Around Twilight she didn’t feel like she had to constantly watch what she said, or maintain her image.

She told Twilight things about flightschool she had never told anypony, stories about herself so uncool that it made her cringe. Yet, the stories made Twilight laugh, so she couldn’t bring herself to regret telling them. She yearned to hear her laugh more than she yearned to pull off a new trick, or meet the Wonderbolts. To Dash, hearing Twilight laugh was the greatest sound in the world, but it hadn’t been like that when they first met.

She wondered when it changed.

She rolled over to look at the ceiling, her interest in the bed’s wooden patterns lost. She took a deep breath and relaxed, a faint smell of lilacs lingering on Twilight’s pillow. It felt so inexplicably perfect to hold her and fall asleep to the sound of her breathing. It made her hot, tense, and nervous—in a good way—for reasons she didn’t understand.

Chapter 4: Flying Blind

Flying Blind

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Rainbow Dash flopped down on Twilight’s bed, her thoughts a mess.

The only time Dash had ever been attracted to any mare before Twilight was a brief and confusing period in her adolescence. She felt the same confusion as back then. It made her feel like she was the little filly going to flight school again, the one who made all the wrong choices.

Back then it wasn’t Twilight, but Cloudy Skies. She was a pretty ash-gray mare a year above her. She’d had long straight hair as white as chalk, and stormy blue eyes. In class she was perfect, well-behaved, every teacher’s dream when dealing with young, rambunctious colts and fillies at that age.

Outside of class she was someone entirely different.

When the teachers weren’t looking, she was wild and dangerous. She would always go out and fly in storm clouds, which the teachers had told them never to do. Cloudy broke almost all the rules the school had in just the one year Dash had known her. Naturally, Dash liked her.

When her family moved and she left school, Dash was devastated.

She had never gotten a chance to tell Cloudy Skies how she felt. It was a regret that lingered in the back of her mind whenever she thought back to flightschool. She quickly filled the hole left by her when she met a griffon named Gilda, but she never felt the same way about her as she had felt about Cloudy Skies.

Twilight wasn’t going away anytime soon, not for a while at the very least. But it had occurred to her that there might be a day when she’s suddenly called back to Canterlot by the Princess.

It had been a long time since Dash felt so lost.

It’s just a silly crush, right? she thought, burying her face into a pillow. Those come and go all the time, maybe I can just wait and it’ll go away. She closed her eyes and imagined Twilight, smiling at her. A chill traveled down her back, frightening and exciting her.

Dash was brought out of her thoughts by her stomach growling.

She rolled off the bed and headed down the stairs. Twilight appeared at the bottom when she was halfway down.

“Dash! Breakfast is—” Twilight stopped mid-shout, spotting Dash. “Oh, I was going to call you down. I made some sandwiches. I know it’s not really a proper breakfast, but...”

“It’s no problem. I’m not a picky eater or anything,” Dash said, giving her friend a reassuring smile.

Twilight led Dash to the kitchen, where two sets of food and drink sat on a table. Dash looked at her glass of apple juice and her sandwich, lifting up a corner of the bread to see peanut butter and jam.

She glanced up to see Twilight looking uncertainly at her.

“It looks good,” Dash said, and took a bite out of the sandwich.

Twilight relaxed. “Spike made me promise not to use the oven while he was gone. I’m a natural disaster when it comes to cooking.” She laughed nervously.

Twilight sat quietly, her mouth upturned in a content smile, while watching Dash eat her sandwich.

A knock at the door broke the silence. Twilight got up to answer it, leaving Dash to finish her sandwich. The door creaked open.

“Oh! Hello, Twilight.” Fluttershy greeted Twilight with a shy smile. I was just wondering, if you’re not busy, if I could get a...” Fluttershy paused as she spotted Dash over Twilight’s shoulder. “Oh, hi, Rainbow Dash. I didn’t expect to see you here.” Fluttershy looked around shuffling her hooves. “Well, I should just come back later then. You’re probably busy.”

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy. I’m sure Dash won’t judge,” Twilight said, glancing over her shoulder at Dash.

Dash raised an eyebrow. “Won’t judge what?”

“Fluttershy just comes by every once in a while to pick up a new romance novel to read,” Twilight answered.

Fluttershy blushed.

“Oh, those sappy books?” Dash asked.

Fluttershy squeaked in embarrassment and mumbled something to the ground, backing away from the door. Dash spotted Twilight glaring over her shoulder at her.

“Uh, I mean,” Dash stumbled to correct herself, “That’s kind of cool. I think I read one or two of those back in flight school.”

Twilight motioned for Fluttershy to come inside, and after a brief moment of hesitation, she stepped forward. Her hoof caught on the doorstep, and she let out a squeak, stumbling through the door. Dash noticed her throw a nervous glance her way, before looking at Twilight with a blush and apologizing.

Twilight waved her concerns off with a warm smile, and shut the door behind her. “How did your visit to the mountains go?”

“Oh, the mountain lions were pretty scary at first, but once I earned their trust, they were really just like big kittens,” Fluttershy answered, smiling fondly. “Thank you for sending Spike to keep me safe. He enjoyed all the gems they had up in the mountains.”

“Is he staying at the magic university now?” Twilight asked, a bit of concern leaking into her voice.

Fluttershy nodded. “I left him with the professor you told me about. He seemed kind and gentle. I’m sure he’ll take good care of Spike.”

“Oh, I know he will.” Twilight shook her head with an amused look in her eyes. “I just hope he hasn’t put on too much weight by the time he comes back.” She glanced at her food on the table. “I’m going back to finishing breakfast. Give me a shout once you want to check something out.”

Fluttershy nodded, cantering up to the bookshelves, looking for a book to read.

Dash watched the other pegasus browse. She had known Fluttershy since flight school, but never would have thought the shy filly was a romantic. Considering her earlier reaction, she had probably been too embarrassed to ever bring it up around somepony like Dash.

Wait, that’s it! Dash watched with renewed interest as Fluttershy continued to browse. Having read all those sappy books, Fluttershy had to have answers about the emotions she was feeling. Finishing up her apple juice with a big gulp, Dash got up and walked over to her friends.

“So I should probably get going,” she said, drawing their attention. “I had a blast though. We should definitely do it again sometime.”

“Maybe we could go to your place next time,” Twilight suggested with a smile, placing her quill back in its holder.

“We should probably keep it at your place. I live in a cloud house and well...” Dash trailed off, ruffling her wings.

“Oh... right, no wings,” Twilight said, a sheepish blush on her face. “I wouldn’t mind having you come over here again sometime. I had a lot of fun. Maybe we could even invite somepony else over too!”

“Yeah...” She’d rather it was just them again. “Hey Fluttershy, you heading back to your cottage?”

“Oh, why yes.”

“I want to tell you about the tricks I’ve been working on.” Dash turned, walking to the door of the library.

Fluttershy followed her with the book tucked under-wing, briefly stopping in the doorway to wave goodbye to Twilight. The yellow pegasus looked over at her friend curiously. “So what trick did you want to tell me about?”

Dash glanced over her shoulder at the library. Satisfied that it was far enough away, she turned back to Fluttershy.

“Actually, I had a couple of questions about those books you’re reading.” Dash chewed on her lip, looking around to see if they were alone.

“Oh.” Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Well, I could suggest one or two books I thought were good.” Fluttershy looked at her. “—If you’re interested in reading one, that is.”

“No, it’s nothing like that,” Dash said, shaking her head. “I was wondering... well...” Fluttershy looked at her with large, questioning eyes. “Nevermind.” Dash laughed and shrugged her shoulders. “I guess I forgot what I was going to say!”

Fluttershy tilted her head and smiled. “That’s okay. Hopefully you’ll remember it.”

“Yeah, Maybe.”

Fluttershy looked away, and Dash hung her head, letting out a sigh. It was Fluttershy for pete’s sake. They had been friends since they were fillies. But talking about feelings just wasn’t something she did. It made her tongue feel swollen and her legs wobble. “So...” Dash trailed off, looking at the ground and kicking a rock she walked by. “Romance books, huh?”

Fluttershy reddened. “W-well, yes.” She seemed to avoid looking at Dash. “I enjoy them, I guess.”

“Huh.” Dash paused, trying to think of how to be tactful. “So what do you enjoy about them?”

Fluttershy’s blush stayed on her face, but a smile accompanied it. “Well,” she began, looking up at the sky. “I guess it’s because I like to dream.”

“Dream?” Dash asked, tilting her head.

“One day I think I would like having somepony special to be there for me.” Fluttershy glanced at her for the first time since Dash brought the topic up. “I know you and the girls will always be there too, but with somepony you love it’s...” she trailed off, looking down.

“Different?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy said, looking at her. “It’s much, much more special with somepony you like.” Fluttershy shifted. “At least, I think it would be.”

Another question popped into Dash’s head. “So who do you imagine that special somepony being?”

“Well,” Fluttershy stopped, twisting her hoof into the dirt. “I like the stallions in my books who are really confident and outgoing—oh, and funny!”

Dash’s smirked. “I would have figured you to like the gentle types.”

“Yes, well,” Fluttershy said, taking her hoof out of the small hole she had made in the dirt. “Sometimes the best relationships are when you balance each other out.” She began walking again, Dash falling in step. “We’ve been friends for a long time, even though we’re quite different.”

Dash mused. “I guess a bit of difference could be a good thing.”

The two of them walked toward Fluttershy’s cottage. Dash mulled over her thoughts while Fluttershy simply trotted at her side, content with the silence between them.

Having had a small taste of what it was like to like somepony, Dash found herself yearning for more. It was an insatiable desire and it only grew the more she thought about it. She hadn’t even been thinking about her upcoming contest. She hadn’t been yearning to hold a trophy, and hear a crowd chant her name. She had been yearning for that rush, that quickening of her heart, and that sensation like someone lit a fire under her cheeks. The haze that overtook her mind like she was on a drunk. The shakes in her legs and wings and the shivers that traveled down her spine.

“Rainbow Dash?”

She snapped out of her thoughts, looking over to see Fluttershy giving her a worried look.

“Are you alright? I called your name three times.”

“Uh...” Dash realized she was breathing heavily. She let out a nervous laugh and gave Fluttershy what she hoped was a reassuring grin. “Just daydreaming a little.”

“Alright then.” Fluttershy smiled and went back to walking down the street, a feathery bounce in her step.

Dash sighed. “Anyway, I’m going to head home,” she said, grabbing her friend’s attention.

“Oh, okay.”

Dash spread her wings and ran past her.

“Take care!” Fluttershy called, as she took to the sky.

Dash ached to get home. She needed time to think. Badly.

The sky was her place of solitude. Cool winds and warm sun, each day the sky was a different place. Each breeze was unique, each cloud, each storm, each ray of sun catching and warming her feathers. It was a place where she could get lost in an endless sea of wind and clouds.

Her injured wing was holding up alright, but she wasn’t keen on flying for longer than she had to. The leading edge of her wing felt like it would break if she went any faster than she was going. She looked forward to being able to practice again, but she knew better than to rush it.

And then there was Twilight. She liked Twilight. And not in the way friends were supposed to like each other. She could only wonder how the others would react finding out that she liked other mares, but she shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind. Right now she wanted to be worrying about Twilight, not them.

She didn’t know how Twilight would react if she told her. It was hard to tell with her. She could be surprisingly hot headed—another thing Dash liked about her. Unfortunately she was also smart and perceptive. Dash didn’t think she would be able to hide her feelings from her, not for very long anyways.

As her mind drifted to her holding Twilight as she fell asleep last night, she wasn’t sure if she even wanted to hide her feelings.

It was just a question of how to tell Twilight how she felt. Dozens of ideas came to mind, none of them good. Her first instinct was to just go up and talk to her about it, but that would never work. It would be awkward, and considering how little Twilight seemed to be interested in romance, the feelings would be one sided, and the idea of rejection gave Dash a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

But she didn’t want to back down. She wasn’t good at subtlety, but she needed to make Twilight start to see her in a romantic light without fully revealing her feelings and scaring Twilight off.

But she didn’t have a clue how to do that.

Dash hung her head and let out a sigh, looking down at the thatched rooftops scattered along the cobblestone roads.

She brightened up as an idea struck her: She could ask Twilight out on a date – only not call it a date. She would just ask her if she wanted to go do something, something that had a vaguely romantic vibe.

The sun peaked around a cloud, shining in her eyes and making her squint. Although it was much colder, night flying didn’t have a bright sphere of light that hurt your eyes to fly against. It only had the moon and stars.

Stars! Dash thought excitedly. We could go stargazing!

Any annoyance at the sun was forgotten. It was perfect. She remembered seeing a whole row of astronomy books in Twilight’s personal bookshelf next to her desk.

Dropping below the air current she had been soaring on, Dash swerved around, heading back to the library.

Twilight sat on the floor, poring over her books. The book she read was detailing somepony she had briefly studied back in Canterlot named Starswirl the Bearded. He was a doctor and magical scholar, who had made significant contributions to the medicinal magic of his time. However, what she was reading wasn’t academy curriculum, and it detailed some of his spells she had never even heard about.

The pinnacle of his research was something called amniomorphic magic. In theory it could alter a foal still growing in its mother. Once it came to light that Starswirl’s magic could be used to create an alicorn, his research on the matter was proscribed, and sealed away in the Canterlot Library’s archives.

A knock at the door brought Twilight out of her studies. She walked over and opened the door, her eyes widened seeing Dash back at her doorstep.

“Hi, Rainbow Dash! Did you forget something?”

“Sort of.” Dash rubbed her neck, grinning nervously. “I remembered while flying home, that tonight’s supposed to be a really clear night.” Dash leaned against the door frame. “So I got this idea that we should go and look at stars or something, since I remembered you’re into that sorta stuff.”

“That’s a great idea!” Twilight exclaimed, beaming at the pegasus.

“Really?” Dash asked, a smile splitting her face. She heard the eagerness in her own voice and added in a more controlled tone, “Uh, I mean—of course!”

Twilight lifted a hoof to stifle a giggle. “Did you have a plan?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Dash answered, nodding. “I was going to pick up some blankets and swing by here before it gets dark... Does that sound good?”

Twilight nodded. “Absolutely.”

“Alright, I’ll go get to it.” Dash looked around with a pink blush on her face. “So I’ll... see you later, I guess.” Dash lingered on her doorstep for a moment, staring at her with a lopsided smile on her face.

She suddenly blushed and looked away. “Uh, right.” Dash turned and walked out of the entrance, spreading her wings and looking back over her shoulder at Twilight with pink still tinting her cheeks. “Bye!” she quickly shouted, galloping away and taking off into the sky.

“Bye!” Twilight shouted after her, watching her go.

Closing the door, Twilight returned to her desk, opening her book to the page she had left off at. The library became quiet once more as she sat down on the floor.

She stared at the words without reading them, thinking about Dash. The pegasus had been acting different the past few days. She was acting nervous, blushing constantly, and tripping over her words when she spoke.

Twilight wondered if something was bothering her.

Maybe I’ll ask her about it tonight.

Chapter 5: Coming in to Land

Coming in to Land

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Dash’s stage fright swelled as she glanced at the clock, the time ticking closer to when she would have to leave for her date that wasn’t a date. She nervously paced back and forth while staring down at her hooves, the clock ticking in rhythm with her steps.

She kept glancing to the body length mirror in the corner of her bedroom and watching her reflection. She stopped, taking a few steps back, and stood in the middle of the room, looking at herself in the mirror. Her coat shone and danced in the dim light, the shampoos and conditioners she’d decided to try making it feel like silk. It felt weird to touch. It felt like Rarity’s coat, not her own. Twilight probably wouldn’t even notice. She felt silly for using it in the first place.

Her mane was still messy. It was soft, like her coat, but messy. And that was something it didn’t seem she could change no matter how much time she spent in front of a mirror.

Dash walked closer to the mirror and tilted her face side to side. She smiled, but in her reflection the smile came out shy and nervous. She didn’t even recognize herself with such a shy and meek expression on her face. She was hardly ever nervous about anything. We’ve spent the past few days together, she thought. We’ve been friends for a while, it’s not like I have anything I should be nervous about.

She looked at the mirror, and cleared her throat.

“Twilight, I wanted to tell you that I—” Her words died in her throat and she froze with her mouth open, looking at herself. Closing her mouth and clearing her throat, she tried again. “Hey, listen, Twilight, I wanted to—ugh!” She stamped her muzzle with a hoof. “Way too casual. It has to be serious.” Her eyes furrowed, and she shouted at the mirror, “Darn it, Twilight! Why is it so hard to tell you how I feel!”

A loud bang came from her side. She leaped into the air like a startled cat, backing to the wall opposite where the noise had come from, clutching her racing heart.

The gentle knocking of her window against a cabinet came from the other side of the room, the wind having blown it open. Dash sighed, her heart winding down. She walked to the other side of the room and closed the window, making sure it was properly latched as she looked out of it.

The sun was about to set, and she looked at the clock again. There wasn’t a specific time she was supposed to be at the library by, but it was very close to being dark. She put on a confident smirk and looked herself in the mirror. “Okay, Dash. You can do this.”

She walked out her front door, kicking it closed behind her. Wind whipped through her mane as she stood at the cloud’s edge.

Jumping forward, she spread her wings, catching the wind beneath them. The action only caused a minor soreness in her injured wing; she would probably be able to start practicing again soon.

The trip to the library was short, and angling herself down, she landed at a trot in front of the Library. Inside the tree was dark, aside from one window that glowed with candlelight. Flapping her wings, Dash brought herself up to a branch by the window and peered inside, seeing Twilight in her bedroom. She was reading a book with her mouth settled in a peaceful smile.

Dash took a moment just to watch.

Clearing her throat, she lightly tapped on the window.

Twilight jumped at the knock, but her look of surprise gave way to a smile as she saw Dash at the window. Levitating a red ribbon into her book and closing it, Twilight stood and walked over to the window. A glow from her magic surrounded the windows and they swung open, bringing Dash and her face to face.

“You could have simply used the front door,” Twilight said.

“Sounds lame,” Dash replied, flapping her wings in two quick bursts and jumping onto the window sill. “What’re you reading?”

“Oh.” Twilight looked back at her closed book. “It’s just a book on astronomy, since we’re going stargazing tonight.” She glanced outside at the setting sun. “Although, it’s going to be a while until then.”

Dash followed her eyes, before snapping her head back to Twilight with a look of nervous panic. “Is it too soon? I can come back later if you—”

“Relax,” Twilight said, cutting her off and giving her a reassuring smile. “It’s fine. We can find something else to do until it gets dark.”

“Right...” Dash glanced around the room.

If Twilight noticed how nervous Dash was, she made no outward signs of it. “Your coat looks nice. Did Rarity talk you into letting her have her way with it?”

Dash blinked. A slightly giddy feel rose in her chest and heated her cheeks. “Yeah, something like that.” She looked Twilight up and down. “You look nice too.” she said, tensing soon after the words slipped out of her mouth.

“Thank you,” Twilight said. Her smile broadened and her ears perked up with the compliment.

Dash wandered over and looked at the book Twilight had been reading, Myths and Legends of Constellations. “So is this like a storybook or something?” she asked, flipping it open with the tip of her nose.

“They’re myths.” Twilight walked over to her side. “It’s not just a storybook. These stories have been around for more than a millennium.”

Dash flipped through the pages, looking at the illustrations and charts detailing the position of the stars. “I don’t get it. I mean, what’s so interesting about watching a bunch of stars? Comets I get, but stars don’t move or anything.”

“I guess it’s not for everyone.” Twilight snapped the book shut in front of Dash’s nose, and set it back on a shelf.

“Hey! That had some cool pictures!” Dash cried. “I’m actually reading a book and you close it on my face, sheesh.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Skimming through and looking at the pictures is not reading.”

“Well it’s the most you’re going to get out of me.”

Twilight closed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at Dash, who chuckled at the childish act.

Twilight glanced outside. “Any plans for where we’re going to go?”

“I was thinking some place out in the fields behind the library,” Dash said, rubbing the back of her neck. “Unless you know a better place.”

“Nope, that sounds perfect,” Twilight replied, turning to walk downstairs.

Dash caught up to her with a light trot, following her down the steps. “Huh, I thought you might have done this sort of thing before.”

Twilight shook her head. “I haven’t gotten to go stargazing since I came here. It was somewhere down there on my to do list, along with at least a million other things.” She looked at Dash and her lips curled in a smile. “I’m glad you gave me an excuse to go try it. Ponyville has such crisp, clear nights. The stars are so bright out here, compared to in Canterlot.”

“Yeah,” Dash replied, thinking back to her night flight home. “I think I know what you mean.”

Twilight stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “Did you bring blankets, or should I go grab something?”

“Oh!” Dash looked back up the stairs. “Right, I put them down on the branch outside your window.”

Twilight walked to the front door and opened it. Dash followed her outside and flew up to the branch, grabbing her blankets.

They walked to a hill not far behind the library. Dash half listened as Twilight rambled on about constellations and comets, the blankets in her mouth thankfully keeping the conversation one sided, since she couldn’t follow anything Twilight was saying.

A gibbous moon hung overhead, crystal clear night sky was blanketed by stars, bleeding black as the sun set. Twilight spotted her friend’s gaze. Her rambling trailed off as she followed it to the sky.

“You were right about it being a good night for stargazing,” Twilight said, smiling. “I don’t think it’s been this clear for a while.”

Dash tore her gaze away from the sky and set the blankets down, deciding the spot they were at was as good as any. Taking the largest one, she spread it out on the grass, only to freeze and glance up at Twilight.

“I could only find one blanket at my house,” Dash said, sitting down on the blanket with her ears pressed flat against her head. “So I guess we’ll have to share.”

“That’s alright. I don’t mind,” Twilight said.

Dash lay down on the blanket and blushed.

She pulled the smaller blanket over as Twilight lay down next to her. With a flick of her head, she draped it over them, laying down next to Twilight and looking up at the sky with her.

Twilight scooted closer to Dash, their coats brushing as she settled against Dash’s side, her coat warm and soft. Twilight looked over at her, and Dash looked back. Their noses nearly touched, and Dash could feel heat behind her ears.

Twilight turned back to looking up at the sky. “Pretty cold night.”

“Yeah,” Dash said, although she couldn’t have been warmer. She tried looking to the sky to calm her racing heart.

Stars began to pierce the veil. Like diamonds with their own light, they gleamed in the dark. Some were bright, others were dim, but even the dimmest ones, so faint they could barely be seen, were unique, and no two stars were exactly alike. She lost track of time looking up at them. Where once a few gems sparkled, a sea of them overtook the sky. She hadn’t looked at the night sky so clearly before. It was hard to believe it was the same night she had flown under so many times before.

She spoke.

“I didn’t really get why you liked looking at stars so much. But now, I think I kind of get it. You stare at the sky, and you constantly notice more and more stars that you overlooked before. Sometimes, if you just look at everything at once you feel like you’re gazing into infinity. It gives a strange, but nice, feeling of being meaningless. Like nothing really matters.”

“Wow, Rainbow Dash...” Twilight said, a smirk on her face. “That was pretty poetic, for you.”

Dash huffed, crossing her hooves in front of her.

“You’re right though,” Twilight continued, undeterred by her pouting. “The way more stars appear the closer you look, makes the whole sky seem like it’s sparkling.”

“Would it be cheesy if I said it’s a twilight sparkle?” Dash asked with a wicked grin.

Twilight giggled, covering her mouth with a hoof. “Yes. But I would forgive you for it.”

Dash chuckled, lifting her head up and laying it back down on her hooves. “Don’t tell the others about this. I don’t want them thinking I’ve gone all sappy.”

“Don’t worry,” Twilight said, smiling at her. “It’ll be our secret.”

Dash smiled and snuggled into the blankets even more. “So...” She looked up at the stars behind her mane, and pointed at one of them. “What’s that really bright one up there?”

“Oh?” Twilight followed her hoof. “You mean the northern star?”

“Yeah, the really bright one.”

“Sailors and explorers used to use it to guide them. When ponies first came to Equestria, the earth ponies had a map, and the pegasi could fly, but the unicorns had neither, so they used the north star to guide them.”

“Huh. So unicorns would still be stuck in the north if it weren’t for that?”

“Precisely.” Twilight nodded. “That was a long, long time ago. Since then we’ve invented compasses, and figured out other ways to tell which way is north.”

“Well, I’m glad you guys made it,” Dash said, staring at the star.

“Me too.”

They didn’t look at each other, just at the sky. Twilight brushed up against her, moving closer for more warmth. They were alone in their world. Nothing else existed beyond that hill and the night sky. Every strand of grass stood upright in the still wind. The cool air hung around them, kept away by their warmth. And the sky was a swirl of black, white, and blue.

“Dash, I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Twilight said, drawing her attention. “Ever since a few days ago when you came by, you’ve been acting a bit... different.”

Cold air caught in Dash’s throat.

“You’ve been a great friend lately, and I just wanted to let you know that you can talk to me about anything that might be bothering you.” Twilight’s gaze was soft, and Dash could see genuine concern in her eyes.

Dash blushed, their faces only a few inches apart. Her resolve strengthened as she looked in Twilight’s eyes and saw warmth in them.

She closed her eyes and leaned in, pressing her lips to Twilight's.

Twilight stiffened. She abruptly pulled away and scrambled to the other side of the picnic blanket, panting and holding her chest.

She looked at Dash, her eyes wide and cheeks blushing. “What was that!”

Dash shrunk, her confidence vanishing. There was stinging pain in her chest, and she looked down.

“That’s uh... sort of why I was acting funny I guess,” Dash answered lamely. “I didn’t know what it was for a bit, but then it started to build up. I tried to ignore it for a bit, but it wouldn’t go away.” Dash looked up into Twilight’s eyes.

“I needed to tell you somehow, and I just—” Dash wanted to look away, but she looked into Twilight’s eyes even as anger grew in them. “I really like you Twilight... a lot.”

Twilight broke eye contact. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

“I thought...” Dash trailed off, the words she had rehearsed fleeing her mind.

Twilight let out a frustrated growl and stood up, letting the blanket fall from her side. Dash’s ears dropped when she caught the moonlight made Twilight’s look of disappointment clear.

“This is crazy. And I really think I need to go now,” Twilight said coldly, turning and walking back towards the library.

Dash just sat there, watching Twilight go. She disappeared around the library, but Dash continued to stare at where she had been.

She lay back down and wrapped the blanket the two of them had shared tightly around herself. It still had Twilight’s scent faintly on it. Dash stayed there on her back for a while, gazing up at the stars, feeling meaningless.

Chapter 6: Rainbow Crash

Rainbow Crash

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Twilight went inside the library and slammed the door shut behind her, throwing her pink scarf on the floor, not caring where it landed. She paced back and forth restlessly, letting out a frustrated shout.

“I can’t believe Dash just did that! You don’t just kiss somepony out of the blue and expect them to be fine with it!” She let out a grunt and collapsed on the floor, grabbing a pillow with her magic and burying her face in it to let out a long, muffled moan.

Her first kiss. It was her first kiss, and it was with Rainbow Dash. She had no doubt it would stick with her forever, and the way Dash just went and kissed her without any sort of permission or prompting was inappropriate.

A part of her knew she had been too harsh on her friend, but the kiss had left her confused about everything. She had no idea something like that had been what was bothering her friend. She didn’t understand why though, and she hated not understanding things.

She didn’t understand why Dash grew to have those kind of feelings for her; she had never done anything to even hint at being a fillyfooler, nor had she ever hinted at being interested in any kind of romance for that matter.

Shifting through her memories of the last few days, she thought about how strange Dash had been. She wanted to kick herself for not noticing her friend’s feelings sooner, but she never would have thought another mare would crush on her, and she certainly didn’t think one of her friends would for that matter.

A shooting star flew by, leaving a speckled star dust trail behind it that lingered across the sky briefly before fading away. Dash couldn’t bring herself to appreciate the sight. She was too busy feeling sorry for herself, and cursing her childish naivete. She should have seen the rejection coming, but an optimistic part of her wouldn’t stop saying, “What if?”

Dash let out a small whimper.

But she had blown it. Now Twilight probably never wanted to see her again, and Dash didn’t know why she had ever thought it was a good idea to tell her in the first place. She could have at least tried to ignore it, but now it was too late. Kissing Twilight, she completely opened up, something she had never done to anypony before, and she got hurt in a way she had never experienced before.

Dash stood up and fixed her watery eyes on the library.

She wouldn’t just let Twilight walk away. She wouldn’t accept leaving things between them like this, tucking her tail between her legs, and going home. And she knew Twilight didn’t want to talk to her right now, but she’d be damned if she didn’t try her hardest to get her friend back.

Steeling herself and blinking away the tears that lurked in the corner of her eyes, she marched towards the library as it began to rain.

Twilight stood at a round window, with her hooves rested upon its sill, resting her chin on them and looking out at the grassy hills surrounding the library. A lone tree stood atop one of the hills, some filly or colt’s kite stuck firmly in its branches and being tugged at by the wind. She tried to forget about what had just happened with Dash, but her mind kept wandering back to it.

A knocking at the door tore her gaze away from the window. Letting out a weary sigh, Twilight went to answer it, knowing very well who it would be. She swung the door open to see Dash standing there with a grim look of determination on her face.

“I thought it was obvious I didn’t want to talk to you.”

Dash swallowed the lump in her throat. “It was, and I’m sorry, but I want to apologize. I didn’t think enough about how you might take it.” Dash looked at the ground in shame. “I was selfish to go about it like that, but I don’t want to lose our friendship.”

Twilight clenched her eyes shut, feeling a bitter taste in her mouth.

“I don’t like other mares Dash,” Twilight replied. “Not only that, but it was also my first kiss, which now, I will always remember was with another mare!” She shook her head, letting out a disappointed sigh. “I’d have to lie to say I’m not mad at you right now. I’m sorry. Like I said, I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

A frown spread across Dash’s face as Twilight went back inside, closing the door behind her.

“I’m not leaving here until I fix what I did wrong you know!” Dash’s muffled shout came through the door.

Twilight stopped, turning around to the door and opening it once more.

“What?” she asked in flat tone, Dash staring defiantly back at her.

“I won’t leave Twilight. Not until I fix this,” Dash asserted, stomping the ground.

“You’re going to stay out here? By yourself? In the cold? Yeah right,” Twilight scoffed. “Go home, Dash.” She shut the door, with a bang, deciding to head to the loft and get some sleep.

Climbing in under the bed covers, she closed her eyes and listened to the raindrops striking the roof, just wanting the day to be over.

Twilight woke up and let out a long yawn. Getting out of bed and stretching her hooves, she arching her back to work a kink out of it, resulting in a small pop. The morning sun filtered in through her bedroom window, and the fields outside glistened with dew.

She fumbled down the steps to the kitchen, still half asleep, and opened the fridge, trying to decide what to have for breakfast.

Her ears twitched as she heard a faint noise briefly. She swiveled her ears to where she thought it came from, trying to figure out what had made the sound.

"Achoo!"

The sound came from the library door, and she slowly turned around to look at it.

"Achoo!"

No way.

Her mind on full alert, Twilight rushed from the table, knocking over her glass of carrot juice in her haste, and slammed the front door open.

Dash sat soaking wet and curled up in a ball at her doorstep. The pegasus’ mane, which had been well groomed the night before, was a mess, and clung to her coat with water. Her coat was pale and wet, and she was shaking like a leaf, and she had darkened lines under her eyes as she looked up at Twilight standing in the doorway.

“Twilight, I...”

Twilight stared at Dash, her mouth hanging slightly open. “Are you out of your mind!?” she screamed at the top of her lungs, looking over the pegasus with worry.

“I just w-want you t-to stop b-being mad at me,” Dash stuttered, her teeth clacking together.

Any anger Twilight had for her was pushed aside, replaced with overwhelming concern for her friend’s health. She lifted Dash with her magic and brought her inside, taking her upstairs to her bed and tucking her under the covers. She didn’t care if the pegasus got them dirty or wet.

Twilight ran back downstairs, grabbing a towel and running it under warm water in the sink. Taking the towel out from under the tap and pouring a glass of water, she rushed back upstairs.

Dash’s eyes were closed, breathing in short, labored bursts through her mouth. Twilight walked to her bedside, placing the warm towel on her forehead and tipping the glass of water to her mouth so she could drink.

Dash swallowed the water and let out a refreshed sigh, opening her eyes and giving Twilight a weak smile of gratitude. “T-t-thanks.”

Twilight blushed and looked away. “You’re dumb as a mule, you know that?”

Dash tried to chuckle, but the action turned into a small coughing fit. “Yeah,” she said, closing her eyes as her coughing died down. “I know.”

Twilight stayed at her bedside while she slept, replacing the damp towel on her forehead every half hour. She knew sleep was what Dash needed more then anything right then, so she simply watched with worry as the sickly mare slept, watching her chest rise and lower from shivering breaths.

Twilight let out a long sigh.

I’ve been doing that far too much since last night.

She had been certain that Dash would just give up and leave if she had ignored her. Her loyalty was an admirable trait. Even if she didn’t return Dash’s feelings, the gesture was touching, and it also served to make her feel like a jerk for how she had acted last night. She still couldn’t agree with how Dash went about showing her feelings for her, but it must have meant more than Twilight realized for Dash to risk their friendship over it. All Twilight could think about was one thing Dash had said last night while looking up at her with a broken heart.

“I really like you, Twilight.”

The way Dash’s ears had been drooping, her mouth quivering as she sat there on the verge of tears, was stuck in her head. And the more she thought about how she had reacted, the more she began to regret it.

The sick pegasus coughed in her sleep, her towel slipping off the side of her forehead. Twilight glanced up, reaching a hoof over to slide her towel back in place.

She really has it bad for me, doesn’t she? she thought with a frown.

It still baffled her that without even trying she had gotten somepony, one of her best friends no less, to fall head over hooves for her. She always thought she was far too boring and plain for anypony to like her in that sort of way. Sure, she was the Princess’ student, but she was also a shut-in and a bookworm. She couldn't think of a single reason that would make Dash like her in the way that she did.

I just don't feel the same way about her, and I don't know if we'll be able to put this behind us, and be friends the way we were before. What if every time we talk I feel as tense and nervous as I do right now, just from sitting next to her?

Twilight sat down, and laid her head on the bed next to the sleeping pegasus. She hadn’t managed to fall asleep until quite late the night before; she had too many emotions swimming around in her head.

Crawling up onto the bed and crossing her hooves on it to use as a pillow, she gave one last look at Dash, before falling asleep herself.

Groaning as she woke up from her nap, Twilight opened her eyes, feeling of déjà vu as she saw Dash’s face inches away from her own.

“Gah!” Twilight shouted in alarm, tumbling off the side of the bed and falling onto the floor. Lying on her back, she moaned, rubbing her sore backside, which had taken a brunt of the crash.

“Twilight?” Dash asked, poking her head out over the edge of the bed. “What happened?”

Twilight blushed, remembering that she climbed up on the bed while not really thinking and fallen asleep.

“Nothing, just um...” Twilight looked around nervously, trying to think of something. “Here, let me change your towel,” Twilight said, grabbing the cold towel off of Dash’s forehead, running away to go change it.

Twilight slowed to a walk as she entered the kitchen, feeling her blush die down. Twisting the faucet, she waited until the water grew warm before running it over the towel.

A knock at the door made her jump. “Coming!” she shouted, turning off the tap, setting the towel down, and opening the door to see Fluttershy standing outside with a cheerful smile.

“Hello, Twilight. I was just wondering if I could check something out if you aren’t too busy.”

Twilight bit her lip, glancing towards the sink. “Sure. What do you need?”

“I have a bee hive over at my place, and wanted to find out which flowers’ pollen would make the best honey for the bees,” Fluttershy answered, stepping inside the library.

“You’re probably looking for the Botany Encyclopedia then,” Twilight said, scanning the bookshelves for it. “Here it is! This should have exactly what you’re looking for.” Twilight handed Fluttershy the book, who took it and placed it under her wing, nodding thankfully.

“Thank you,” Fluttershy said, turning to leave.

“Wait! Fluttershy!” Twilight called, making the other mare pause and turn back to face her. “You sort of have some veterinary knowledge from all the animals you take care of... right?”

Fluttershy pawed the ground nervously. “I’m not as knowledgeable as a real vet by any means, but I do know some things. Is there something you need to know?”

“Well, if somepony slept outside during a cold and rainy night and got sick, how do you help them get better?”

Fluttershy let out a gasp, darting in close to Twilight’s face with a serious expression. “Did something happen? Is somepony sick?”

“It’s just for a research project I’m doing,” Twilight fibbed. “It has to do with this spell they use in this book I read, and it all seemed sort of unrealistic, so I was just a little skeptical of it!”

“Oh.” Fluttershy suddenly realized how much she had gotten in her friend’s face, and backed up a little bit. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “If they’re running a fever you’re supposed to get them under some warm blankets if you can.”

Check.

“They’ll need water, and a warm towel for their forehead to reduce the fever, if you can get one.”

Check.

“Also, if they look pale, and are shivering a lot you should get under the blanket with them and stay close to them so that your body heat warms them up.”

Twilight blanked. You have got to be kidding me.

She didn’t feel at all comfortable with the idea of getting under the blankets next to a mare who had just last night kissed her, and told her she had feelings for her.

“Was that helpful?” Fluttershy asked, turning around in the doorway to look at her friend.

“Yeah, I just don’t...” Twilight paused, letting out a sigh and facing Fluttershy with a smile. “Yes, it was helpful. Thank you, Fluttershy.”

Happy her advice had been at least somewhat useful, Fluttershy nodded and left, leaving Twilight to shut the door and head back inside.

Picking up the towel again, Twilight turned the tap back on with a sigh, wetting the towel and watching the water run over it, before taking it back upstairs. The stairs creaked, the wood groaning under her hoofsteps.

Dash was in bed fast asleep. Twilight gently placed the warm towel on her forehead, noticing how Dash was shivering in her sleep. The sleeping mare relaxed slightly as the warm towel was placed on her forehead, but it didn’t get rid of the shivering altogether. Taking a look at her cyan coat, Twilight cringed at how pale she was.

Twilight looked at her for a while, biting her lip, before finally letting out a sigh of resignation. I’ll try the last suggestion. For Rainbow’s sake.

Lifting the covers, she slid into the bed next to Dash, trying not to disturb her. She hesitantly, and with great reservation, put her hooves around the pegasus, instantly noticing how frigid she her body was. Closed her eyes, Twilight tried to ignore the feeling of Dash’s frigid back pressed against her chest, and slowly slipped asleep.

The first thing Dash noticed waking up, was that she felt incredibly warm. The second was that there was a sleeping Twilight hugging her side. She didn’t know why Twilight was hugging her, but deciding not to think on it too much, Dash turned to face her, wrapping her hooves around the other mare.

Twilight’s eyes snapped open. Seeing Dash hugging her, she quickly broke the embrace and climbed off the bed, much to Dash’s dismay. Twilight was quiet, a bright blush on her face.

“You’re kind of sending mixed signals, you know,” Dash said with a slight frown.

“What?” Twilight said, blinking. “No! It wasn’t anything like that! You were pale and shivering, so I used my body heat to help keep you warm!”

“Oh,” Dash said. It did make a lot of sense. Her frown disappeared quickly though, realizing what her friend had said. “Well, thank you for doing that.” She rubbed the back of her neck, trying to think of what to say. “And I never got to say it, but I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable last night. I acted stupidly and invaded your...”

“Privacy?” Twilight supplied.

“Yeah, that.” Dash turned to her back, reaching a hoof up to touch the towel on her forehead. “Anyways, I understand if you don’t feel the same way about me and everything, but I would still like to be your friend.”

Twilight was silent.

Dash looked over at her, wondering why she wasn’t saying anything. “Twilight?”

“I don’t like things I don’t understand,” Twilight finally said. “I don’t like surprises either. I didn’t understand where that kiss was coming from, and it also surprised me.” Twilight looked up, seeing Dash silently hanging on every word she spoke. “I was freaked out, and I overreacted. I do want to stay friends. You just never gave me any time to cool off.”

Dash looked away sheepishly.

“I’m not going to lie though, things won’t go back to normal right away,” Twilight added.

“I don’t doubt that. I mean... I guess I screwed up big time. But I’d like to try and have things go back to normal.”

Twilight nodded and smiled at her. Dash felt a tug at the sides of her lips, and soon she was returning the smile.

Chapter 7: Amidst the Wreckage

Amidst the Wreckage

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Twilight closed the library door behind her, holding a cold remedy she had gotten from Nurse Redheart at the clinic in town. Even though Dash’s fever had gone down, it was still high and her coughing hadn’t died down.

She felt nervous being back at the library with Dash just upstairs. A small voice in the back of her head had been bugging her the whole time she had walked through town.

Why did you turn her down?

Several reasons came to mind. ‘Because she’s a mare,’ ‘I’m not interested in a romantic relationship,’ and ‘it would be awkward around our friends’ all answered the voice, but none of those answers seemed to satisfy it. Instead, it would move onto another question:

What would it be like?

The curiosity that question caused filled her with mixed feelings. She didn’t have an objection to two mares dating each other; after all, love is love. But she had never thought about dating another mare herself. She walked to the sink and filled a glass with water, remembering that Nurse Redheart had warned her that the remedy didn’t have an appealing taste, and walked upstairs, floating the medicine and water in front of her.

Dash lay on the bed, snoring loudly, her tongue lolled out of the side of her mouth. Twilight tried waking her, prodding Dash’s side with a hoof.

Dash let out a grunt from being poked, and incoherently mumbled as she woke up and rubbed her eyes. She looked at Twilight, and then to what she was holding. “Iszat medisin?” she slurred, pointing a hoof at the bottle Twilight was levitating.

“Yes, and you are going to be drinking it.”

The pegasus let out a groan, and rolled over, pulling the blankets up over her head.

“I dun need it, Ah’ll get better evenshually,” Dash mumbled, burying her face in her pillow.

Twilight narrowed her eyes as the pegasus tried to drift back to sleep. Not willing to let her get away so easily, Twilight gave her a hard prod in the side with her horn.

“Ow! What the hay Twilight? I said I don’t need it!” Dash whined, rubbing her abused flank.

“Yes you do. Doctor’s orders,” Twilight replied, as she read the instructions on the side of the medicine bottle. Opening the bottle, she poured the cold syrup into a smaller cup she had brought up with the medicine and handed it to Dash.

Dash swallowed the medicine, before breaking into a fit of coughing. Twilight handed her the water, which she took, chugging it down in large gulps. She took the glass away from her lips, wiping them with a hoof.

“Ugh, you sure they didn’t accidentally give you mashed up slugs instead of a cold syrup?” she asked, retching. “Bleh! That was putrid! I hope you don’t expect me to have any more of that stuff.”

Twilight set the bottle of medicine and the empty glass down on the night stand. “We’ll have to wait and see,” she answered in a sing-song voice. “It all depends on if you stay in bed and rest like a good pegasus.”

Dash groaned and sank under the blanket, her rainbow mane poking out the top of it.

Twilight sat down on the carpet at the side of the bed, reading a book and checking on Dash’s fever every other hour. The light outside the bedroom window faded, and the sky dimmed to dusk, the soft sound of Dash’s snores filling the room.

Noticing Dash had fallen asleep, Twilight closed her book and stood up, walking over to check her temperature. The pegasus’ fever had died down a little and she didn’t look as pale anymore, but she was still sweating and shaking. Twilight stood there for a while, looking at the sick mare and thinking about everything that had happened between them. Then that nagging voice in the back of her head spoke up again.

Why does she like me?

When the two of them had talked until the sun went down, she had felt a type of bond with her that she had never felt with anyone before. Dash had made her smile, and laugh. It didn’t feel like Dash was just waiting for her turn to speak. It was as though, for the first time in her life, somepony really listened to her.

And when Twilight woke up that morning after the sleepover, Dash’s sleeping face had been mere inches from hers, her lips parted as she softly snored. A red hue crept onto Twilight’s cheeks just from thinking about it.

After an awkward breakfast, Dash had left. She followed Fluttershy into town, and that was the last time she saw Dash before she showed up with the idea to go stargazing.

Maybe I should just go out and talk to Fluttershy about all this. She’s known Dash practically all her life. Besides, Dash’s fever is dropping, and she’s sleeping soundly right now. I can probably slip away for a few minutes and get back before it gets dark.

Her mind made up, Twilight levitated a scroll over to the nightstand, took a quill she had left lying on the table, and wrote out a note for Dash saying she was at Fluttershy’s in case the pegasus woke up while she was gone. Leaving the scroll facing the bed, she glanced at the sleeping pegasus one last time, before heading downstairs and out the door.

Fluttershy let out a small huff as she dumped a bag of chicken feed into a large bucket. Chickens scrambled over one another to get at it first, swarming beneath her hooves. Fluttershy simply stepped out of the way, smiling lovingly at them as they dug in, and giving a satisfied smile at a job well done, she turned to walk back to the cottage, only to see Twilight standing at the door.

“Oh! Twilight, over here!” Fluttershy tried to shout, but her faint voice didn’t carry far enough for the unicorn to hear.

Twilight lifted a hoof and knocked on the door, waiting for her to answer it.

Fluttershy took a deep breath. “Twilight!” she tried louder, getting her attention.

Twilight walked over to the chicken pen, and smiled in greeting at her.

“Hi, Fluttershy. Feeding the animals?”

“Yes, I just finished giving the last of them their food,” Fluttershy replied with a smile.

“Great!” Twilight answered. “How have you been?”

“Oh, good,” Fluttershy said, “and you?”

Twilight rubbed the back of her head, staring at the dirt. "I've been better." She dropped her hoof, staring at Fluttershy. "But I came here to ask about Rainbow."

"Oh?" Fluttershy asked, walking back inside the cottage as Twilight followed alongside her. "What about her?”

“I was wondering if Rainbow Dash seemed a bit odd when you two left the library a few days ago.” Twilight looked around, as though searching for how to phrase it. “She's been acting different.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh,” she answered, thinking. “I don’t know Twilight. I don’t really think I’m supposed to talk about it. It seemed sort of private.”

“Please, Fluttershy?” Twilight begged, biting her lower lip. “It’s really important.”

“Well...” Fluttershy said hesitantly. “I suppose Dash didn’t say not to tell anyone...” Fluttershy watched the begging look on Twilight's face give way to excitement. “She asked me about my books.”

“Your books?” Twilight asked, her excited look quickly falling to a confused one. “You mean those romance novels? Why would Dash be interested in those? She hates books!”

“Well, she didn’t want to read them or anything like that," Fluttershy said. "She just asked me what I liked about them.”

Twilight's eyebrows shot up. “She did?” she asked, as though testing how the word sounded on her lips. “What did you say?”

“Well...” Fluttershy said, lifting a hoof to her chin and trying to recall. “I told her...” Fluttershy looked up, blushing. “I’m sorry, it’s sort of embarrassing,” she began to say, but Twilight looked up at her with a wide-eyed, desperate look. “I told her that having somepony you love is very, very, special.”

Twilight was quiet for a moment, then she spoke up in an almost frightened voice, “How can you know for sure?”

Fluttershy blinked at the curious tone of Twilight’s voice. “Oh, well, I don’t know for sure, but it’s what everypony says about it, right?”

Twilight’s voice grew quiet. “Was there anything else you two talked about after that?” she asked, staring at the ground with a look of hard thought.

“No, not really. Rainbow just stayed quiet for the rest of the walk.” Fluttershy paused, looking uncertainly at Twilight out of the corner of her eye. “Did something happen?”

Twilight snapped out of her thoughts, looking up at Fluttershy and giving her a weak smile. “I guess you could say that,” she said with a nervous laugh.

Fluttershy tilted her head at her, giving her a confused look.

“Well, it’s getting dark, and I should probably get going now,” Twilight said, turning and walking to the door of the cottage. She stopped just in front of it and turned to Fluttershy. “Thank you for answering my question. I think it gave me some things to think about.”

“Take care!” Fluttershy called out as Twilight closed the door behind her. A part of her was worried something had happened between Twilight and Dash, but it might have been nosy of her to ask, so she didn’t.

Twilight stepped inside the library, heading to the loft. What Fluttershy said had struck some chord deep within her, but she wasn’t quite sure what. She reached the top of the stairs and saw, ironically enough, Dash lying in bed, reading a book.

“Finally you’re back. Do you know how lame this is?” Dash said, tossing the book onto a small pile of others. “Honestly, I don’t know why you like these things so much Twilight.”

“You just have to find the right one to read, that’s all.”

“Yeah, right. So what did you need over at Fluttershy’s anyways? Because if you brought back some sort of animal medicine let me just tell you right now there’s no way I’m taking it,” Dash said sternly.

“No, nothing like that,” Twilight said. “It was just a personal errand. I wanted to ask her about something.”

“About what?”

“The morning you and her left the library,” Twilight replied, noticing the way Dash’s wings tensed ever so slightly.

“And what did she say?”

“Just that you talked about her books.’” Twilight recited, causing the pegasus to roll her eyes and groan, wrapping her pillow over her ears.

“I didn’t peg Fluttershy for being a loudmouth.”

“I pressured her into talking about it,” Twilight said, taking a seat at the side of the bed. “And you never said she shouldn’t tell anyone about it.”

“I know.” Dash sighed, slumping against the bed. “But it was strongly hinted at.”

“Listen, Dash, it’s been bugging me since you told me, and I just really have to know.” Twilight moved close to the bed, drawing eye contact from the pegasus. “Why do you like me?”

Dash simply looked at her for a moment, thinking of what to say.

“I might be just as bad and awkward with romance as you, Twilight. I’ve never been good with touchy feely stuff. I don’t even know if I’d be able to tell you why I like you, when I barely know myself. But, I can tell you what I have figured out.” Dash looked away from her, having trouble thinking while staring into Twilight’s eyes. “At some point I started to feel... different when I was hanging out with you. I didn’t have any clue what it was, but it wasn’t the same as being with my other friends. Then that night, during the sleepover, I couldn’t get any sleep with you lying right next to me for some reason. Then, I just felt this urge to wrap my hooves around you. It felt nice to lie there like that with you. I fell asleep quickly after that, but in my defense when I fell asleep you were on your back, so you must have rolled over to face me at some point for us to wake up how we did.”

“I guess I did,” Twilight answered, not really caring. “Go back to the story.”

“Well, when you woke up, and we both had a bit of a scare, I made up some lie about moving around in my sleep.” Dash glanced up at her, her ears and wings drooping. “After that morning I realized I had a crush on you. I wasn’t sure what to do about it though, so when Fluttershy came in to get a romance novel I figured she would be a good pony to talk to.”

“So what happened that night with the stargazing, was that planned?”

“I thought that maybe if I set the mood or something, that you might... that we might...” Dash paused, and let out a short laugh. “Honestly? I don’t know. I don’t think things through, Twilight. It’s just never been something I’m good at. With how I felt being with you, I thought maybe you’d feel the same way.”

Dash fell back onto the bed with her wings spread out, stretching to either end of the bed. “Sorry,” she said, her mouth cracking to a thin smile. “We were supposed to stop talking about this stuff.”

“No, it’s... it’s alright,” Twilight said, staring at the carpet with a light blush on her face.

“I mean,” Dash said, “when Fluttershy talked about what it’s like having somepony special to you, I guess I let myself get carried away with the idea.”

Twilight blurted out the question that had been bugging her. “Just what is it like?”

Dash opened and closed her mouth a few times. “Well... it’s...” She let out a sigh, staring at the ceiling. “I don’t know, actually. I was hoping to find out.”

Twilight bit her lip and looked around the room. She felt hot, even though it was a cool evening and the bedroom window was cracked slightly open. She stood and began backing up away from the bed while laughing nervously. “Uh, I’ll be right back. I need to go... grab something from downstairs!” Dash gave her a questioning look, right as she turned and bolted to the door, slamming it shut behind her.

Twilight paced back and forth frantically in the main room of the library, a feeling of gnawing uncertainty growing in her stomach. What if, what if? She tried closing her eyes, thinking of other things, but the thought wouldn’t get out of her head.

What if I did date Rainbow?

The fact that she was even asking herself the question seemed ridiculous.

The nagging doubts that she had, the stray thoughts, and the feeling that there was something she was missing, finally made sense now. She had feelings for Dash. But with everything that had happened, she wasn’t sure what to do about them.

She was still curious. She wanted to take back everything she had said to Dash that night. She wanted to say yes.

“Twilight?”

Twilight spun around, seeing that Dash had come downstairs and was standing across the room from her, her eyes beginning to water and her bottom lip quivering. It suddenly occurred to Twilight how it must have looked when she ran out of the room.

“I just don’t get why...” Dash choked, “why you had to ask me about that, if it only made you angry. I want to be friends Twilight, but if you keep toying with my emotions like this I’m not sure if I can!” Dash clenched her eyes shut, tears appearing in the corners of them.

Twilight took half a step towards her. “Dash...”

“I tried to explain things, just like you asked.” Dash held her head high, but Twilight could still see the look of pain in her eyes.

“I understood your explanation, Dash. I’m just not sure anymore why I turned you down that night under the stars.”

“Wait, what?” Dash asked, her mouth hanging open.

“Ever since that night you kissed me, I’ve been thinking about it. About us.” Twilight walked up to Dash with a serious expression on her face, remaining steadfast as she confessed. “When you were sick, and I was taking care of you, I started to think about why I turned you down. I didn’t understand your feelings, and didn’t know how to respond to them. As I thought about it more, I started to realize that I care about you. I’m not sure yet if it’s in the same way, but I think I would like to find out.” Twilight saw the way that Dash was looking at her in awe, and looked away, blushing. “You’re a great friend. I... I haven’t ever been in a relationship, but I think I would like to try it.”

“With me?” Dash asked, still trying to wrap her head around everything.

Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes. “I don’t see anypony else in this room,” she said, though her voice was full of mirth.

“Oh, right,” Dash said, letting out a nervous chuckle.

“I still don’t really understand how I feel towards you, but I’ve heard that you have to give feelings time to grow.” Twilight nervously took a step closer to Dash. “I think I want to learn about them with you.”

“Are you sure about this?” Dash asked, uncertainly. “Just the other day you were giving me the cold shoulder, and refusing to let me inside. Are you really sure about this?”

“Yes, I’m sure, Dash,” Twilight answered, “and I feel really badly about the way I treated you that night. Can you forgive me? Are you still willing to try this?”

“You’re a stressful pony to be around, Twilight,” Dash said, shaking her head and sighing. “But I still want to be around you anyways, and I want this too.”

Dash smiled at her, and Twilight moved forward and wrapped her hooves around Dash, who tensed for a moment, before wrapping her hooves around Twilight and returning the embrace. The two of them stayed like that for a few moments, neither of them saying anything.

Dash broke the hug to let out a string of coughs. Twilight placed a hoof on her back as she cleared her throat and looked up at Twilight, giving her a sheepish grin.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Twilight patted her back. “Come on, let’s get some rest.”

The two walked side by side upstairs to the loft. Climbing under the covers with Twilight, Dash hesitated briefly before laying her hooves around Twilight, exactly like she had the night of the sleepover.

Chapter 8: Feeling Grounded

Feeling Grounded

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Twilight woke up with Dash’s hooves wrapped around her front and her steady breathing tickling her ear. She sighed, leaning back into the embrace and enjoying how warm Dash’s chest felt.

She opened her eyes, only to be blinded by rays of sunlight glaring in through the window. It was much later than when she usually got up. She wiggled out of Dash’s hold, careful not to disturb the sleeping mare, and got out of bed. A loud yawn came from her lips, but she quickly covered it, glancing back to see that Dash hadn’t stirred.

She walked downstairs to the kitchen, her hoofs making a soft click-clack against the tiles as she walked to the fridge. She reached into the fridge and grabbed a carrot, sticking it in her mouth before turning and walking back to the main room. The bookshelves stood several body lengths tall embedded in the walls around the room. Twilight looked around, her eyes lingered on a section she had never had much interest in before.

‘Romance Novels’...

She walked up to the section for a closer look, reading the spines and backs of a few books, and pulling them off the shelf for a closer look. Every single one had a handsome stallion and a beautiful mare on the cover, or the names of ones on the back print. Her shoulders slumped as she looked through them, trying to find one about two mares, but it seemed there wasn’t enough of an audience to warrant one being published.

“Morning Twi,” Dash greeted behind a yawn as she walked down the steps leading to the loft. “Whatcha reading?”

“Nothing yet.” Twilight turned away from the shelf. “There’s waffles and syrup on the top shelf of the fridge if you would like to help yourself.”

Dash walked over to the fridge and opened it, pulling the waffles and syrup out of the fridge, setting them on the counter. “Have you had anything?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at Twilight.

“No thank you. I’m not hungry.”

Dash placed a pair of waffles in the toaster, and walked over to join Twilight by the Romance section.

Twilight noticed a small spring in Dash’s step as she walked over. “You look like you’re feeling better.”

“Yeah, I slept like a log last night. I think I’m even good to start practicing again.” Dash flapped her wings a couple times, testing them. “Romance novels?”

“There isn’t anything like us,” Twilight said, looking at the shelves as though hoping to catch something she’d missed. “The one time I’ve actually been interested in reading the genre, and they don’t have what I want.”

“It’s no real loss if you ask me.”

Twilight shook her head with an amused smile. “I’ve seen books written about stranger things. It’s just weird that something so obvious isn’t here.”

“Well, I should probably get going. I need to make sure everything back at my place is still in one piece, you know? Also, now that my wings feel better I’m really itching to do a bit of free flying.” Dash fidgeted, scratching the back of her neck. “But... I was thinking maybe after that, or maybe tomorrow, we could go on a date.”

“A date?” Twilight asked, turning to look at her in surprise. “Sure. What do you have in mind?”

“Oh... uh, we could go out to a restaurant?”

Twilight shook her head. “I want to keep it private, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Private as in...” Dash blushed red and rubbed the back of her neck with a silly grin on her face.

Twilight’s flushed once she figured out why Dash was blushing. “Dash! Get your head out of the gutter! I didn’t mean it like that!” Twilight’s blush faded as she got it under control. “I just meant I want to keep the fact that we’re dating private for now.”

Dash nodded, but the trace of a cheesy grin still remained on her face. “Okay, so we go to your place and...” she trailed off, fishing for suggestions.

“There’s a bunch of things we can do here. We’ll think of something.”

“I don’t know, Twilight,” Dash said, looking around at the library. “Hanging out at the library is okay and everything, but it’s not exactly a date.”

“If we can’t go out to someplace fancy, then I at least want to pick up something more than waffles or hayfries to eat here. How about I drop by Applejack’s and pick up a home cooked dinner to bring back here?”

“That sounds great,” Twilight said. “I’ll see you back here around... five then?”

“Five sounds good.” Dash stood up and gave her a hug. “I’ll catch you later then, Twi.”

Twilight turned pink at the show of affection as Dash walked out the door and took off, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake. Twilight watched her fly off into the distance, wishing she could fly with her.

Dash soared through the skies and busted through the clouds. She greeted the sky like an old friend, and reunited, they danced. She laughed as she corkscrewed through a cloud, wishing that Twilight could be up there with her.

She lost track of time up in the clouds, spending hours simply flying, but as it started to get late she had to stop. Her date with Twilight was soon, and she wanted to do a couple of things before her date with Twilight. Angling her wings, she turned for home, trying to think of something special to do for Twilight later that evening. She still felt like she had to pinch herself to make sure everything from the last couple days was really happening.

Twilight wasn’t making it easy for her by not wanting to go out in public, and Dash couldn’t think of anything exciting to do in a library. Stargazing had been a good idea, too bad she’d already used it, and going stargazing again would probably just remind them both of that night, something she doubted Twilight, or her, wanted to do. Dash’s house came into view, and she landed on the cloud it was on, folding her wings and opening the front door.

She stepped inside. The place was a mess. Stuffing from ripped couch pillows lay strewn across the floor, and a dresser on one side of the room had all its drawers open, their contents scattered around the foot of the dresser. It looked as though a couple of thieves had broken in and clawed through everything, looking for something worth stealing.

Exactly how I left it.

Dash walked to her bathroom, which was tidier than the rest of the house, turning the bathtub taps and easing into the water once it was full. The hot water hazed her mind as she closed her eyes, drifting asleep in the water.

Seeing Dash fly away had given Twilight a spark of inspiration. Her spell she had been working on, the one she had hit a brick wall with, could work if she was right. While the other spells she had based her work off were temporary, there was a way to change that. It just needed a different approach.

She could create a spell that would give her wings. A permanent pair of wings.

Only in theory though. There were still details that needed sorting out, and the magic she was thinking of using that would make permanent flight possible was dangerous and difficult. It involved altering bones, hollowing out certain ones to imitate a pegasus’ skeletal structure and weight.

She’d pulled out an old deer skeleton she had put away in the basement, having gotten some time ago during her studies in Canterlot. She shuddered as she looked at its hollow eyes. They seemed to stare back at her.

Not enough to keep her from doing what she had gotten it out for. A pink aura surrounded her horn, the same hue glowing around the deer skeleton. She concentrated on making her magic seep into the bones, her horn buzzing with a high pitch whine as she imbued the skeleton with magic. She could feel the bone rearranging itself from the inside with her magic, compacting and hollowing. It was a slow process, and could only be done one part at a time, and she began to feel her magic dwindle as time wore on.

The pink glow around the skeleton faded, leaving the skeleton brittle and the changes incomplete. Twilight frowned, trying to call on her magic once more, but managing nothing more than calling on a small spark that fizzled out of her horn. She sighed, deciding to take the deer back downstairs to the basement.

She would have to come back to the experiment later. For the time being, she had a date to prepare for.

Dash woke up, the feeling of soapy bath water around her, and a warm weight on her chest. She opened her eyes to see Twilight on top of her, her hooves pinning Dash beneath her. Her mane was wet, the small blush on her face, and the look in her eyes immediately made Dash feel uncomfortable. Dash opened her mouth to speak, but the words died in her mouth as Twilight slowly began to lean down. Dash blushed, and as Twilight leaned down she closed her eyes, and leaned up slightly to meet the kiss.

Dash’s eyes snapped open. She splashed in the tub as she looked around wildly for some sign of the lavender mare, her heart racing. When she saw she was alone, her frantically beating heart began to calm down as she relaxed and sank back into the tub.

It was just a dream...

She frowned, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. The water in the tub had gotten cold, and she whipped her head around to look at a clock on the wall.

It was ten past five.

She jumped out of the tub, spraying water everywhere. A grimace marred her face as she realized she still had to go pick up food for the date.

She bolted out of the bathroom, leaving a trail of water on the floor behind her as she galloped out the front door. With how fast she would be flying, the wind would get her coat dry by the time she arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. She could only hope that she wouldn’t take too long once she was there.

She sprinted through the air straight towards the farm, orchards of apple trees lining the ground beneath her

Dash landed at Applejack’s doorstep, panting. She knocked frantically on the door, hopping up and down as she waited for it to be answered.

Applejack swung the door open. “Didn’t somepony ever tell you it’s rude to... What in the hay? Rainbow? Why’re you bangin’ on my door like—”

“Applejack! Quick, you gotta help me! I need a dinner big enough for two ponies, and I’m late!” Dash put her hooves on Applejack’s shoulders and gave her a pleading look.

“Well, Ah was just doing some cooking to put in the fridge for later, but Ah guess Ah could let you have some of it.”

Dash tackled Applejack to the ground in a hug, nuzzling her cheek. “Thanks, Applejack, you’re a life saver!”

“Sure,” Applejack said, squirming and trying to push Dash off of her. “Now would you just get off me already so I can go get your food?”

Dash gave her a sheepish grin and got off her. Shaking her head, Applejack grabbed a basket and went over to the kitchen, taking a small stack of bowls and plates and placing them in the basket.

“You know,” she said, setting the basket down in front of Dash. “Ah’ll be expectin’ some sorta explanation for all this sometime—”

“Yeah, totally, I’ll tell you all about it later, but right now I gotta get going.” Dash picked up the basket in her mouth, spreading her wings. “Bye, Applejack!” she shouted around the basket handle in her teeth. With a burst of wind, Dash took off back into the sky, leaving a rainbow blur and a confused Applejack behind her.

The dinner basket swung in Dash’s mouth as she sped through the sky towards the library, her freshly healed wings beating rigorously as the wind made her eyes water. She could see the library come into view, and she increased her speed even more.

Arriving at the front door, she set her basket down and raised a hoof to knock on the door, but hesitated. Her mane was a disheveled mess, and she was still panting from the flight over. She fussed with her wind-whipped mane, taming it to a point she could be content with, cleared her throat, and knocked on the door.

Shuffling came from behind the door, and Twilight opened it.

“Hey, Twilight, sorry I’m a little late..” From the doorway, Dash could see the clock hanging on the wall, and she cringed upon seeing it was half an hour past when she was supposed to show up. “Maybe more than a little...”

Twilight followed her eyes and looked back at the clock. “Oh,” she said, turning back to Dash. “It’s no problem. I lost track of time while reading a book anyways.”

Dash let out a not-so-subtle sigh of relief. “I guess that makes two of us... two of us losing track of time, I mean.”

Twilight giggled. “It’s no problem. Would you like to come inside?”

“Actually, I got this idea on the way over, and I was thinking for our first date that I could take you flying.”

“Really?” The corners of Twilight’s mouth turned up in an excited smile. “You can do that?”

“Absolutely. I can fly all day! It’ll be no sweat flying another pony around for a while.” Dash smirked, sticking her chin up in the air. “So, I take it you’re interested?” she asked, receiving an emphatic nod in reply.

Twilight took the basket Dash had brought inside and set it on a table before going back to the door. The two looked at each other wordlessly with matching nervous smiles.

Dash turned and snapped her wings open, motioning for Twilight to hop on her back.

Twilight’s blushed as she climbed on, wrapping her hooves around Dash’s neck and giving her a small squeeze. Dash stared at the ground as Twilight climbed on, feeling the Twilight’s breath on her neck. She swallowed, shaking her head and taking off into the sky with a few strong flaps, the hooves around her neck tightening.

The clouds around them were painted a pale orange by the setting sun, and Dash only wished she could see the look on Twilight’s face as they flew towards the sunset.

Spotting a small cloud, Dash landed on it and looked over her shoulder. Twilight had a wide-eyed look as she gazed at the horizon, the reflection of the sun shining in her eyes. She closed her eyes and her horn flared with magic for a moment, before she took a hesitant step off Dash’s back and stood on the cloud.

“It’s a spell that lets you walk on clouds,” Twilight said. “I read about it recently as part of a spell I was working on.”

“I didn’t know unicorns could do that.” Dash laid down on the cloud, resting her head on her hooves. “You know, sometimes I wish I had a unicorn’s magic. I mean, I’d still rather be a pegasus. I don’t think I can picture a life without flying.” Twilight smiled, and lay down on the cloud next to Dash, their bodies touching.

Dash turned to look at her in surprise, seeing her looking back nervously with a blush on her face. She smiled slightly and turned back to look at the view from atop the cloud. The buildings cast long shadows in the fading light, and the sky was lit with brilliant hues.

Dash noticed she was being stared at out of the corner of her eye. She turned to Twilight, who blushed, but didn’t look away. Instead, she let out a happy sigh and leaned her head against Dash.

“You know,” Dash said. “I’ve sat up in the clouds watching the sunset a few times before. I don't think I've ever enjoyed it as much as I have tonight.” Dash turned and smiled. “Maybe it’s the company.”

Twilight smiled and leaned against Dash’s shoulder. “Maybe,” she said, looking at the clouds. “This was a great idea, Rainbow. It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, it is,” Dash replied, leaning her head to rest atop Twilight’s. The two stayed afloat on the cloud, until the last of the sun’s rays disappeared below the horizon, and the first stars began to come out.

Dash stood and looked down at Twilight. “Come on, it’s getting cold out.”

Twilight stood reluctantly, looking at the sky. “It’s so tempting to just stay up here.” She looked at Dash. “Will you take me flying again sometime?”

“Of course.”

Twilight climbed on her back, wrapping her hooves around Dash’s neck once more as she took them through the dimmed sky. It was freezing out, and Dash felt her wings growing numb as they landed in front of the library, her wings hanging limply at her sides. Twilight slid off Dash’s back, careful to avoid her wings, and looked at Dash with concern.

“Are you alright?”

Dash shrugged, giving her a weak smile as they walked inside. “Yeah, I guess I’m still recovering a bit.”

Twilight lifted one of her wings gently, looking at it. “You probably shouldn’t do any more flying tonight.” She looked at Dash before looking away, a faint blush on her cheeks. “You can stay here tonight, until your wing gets better.”

“Sure.”

They both smiled, light blushes on their faces. Twilight darted in, lightly pecking Dash on the lips. Dash’s eyes widened as she stood there, staring dumbly at Twilight.

“I just wanted to say that I’m glad I gave this a try,” Twilight said.

“I’m glad you gave this a try too,” Dash replied. Twilight leaned forward once more and Dash was there to meet her. Despite the chilly evening, warmth spread through their bodies as they kissed.

Chapter 9: Fliers from Near and Far

Fliers from Near and Far

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Dash’s nose twitched. She awoke to see her new marefriend asleep next to her, face to face with her muzzle just inches away her own, her breath tickling Dash’s nose. Gently pulling Twilight closer, Dash rested her chin atop Twilight’s head, causing the sleeping mare to let out a happy sigh and snuggle against Dash’s coat. A genuine smile graced Dash’s lips. Lying there, with Twilight resting against her chest, Dash promised herself to never forget how lucky she was to be with her.

“Good morning,” Twilight mumbled as she woke.

“Morning,” Dash replied gruffly, drawing a giggle from Twilight. Planting a kiss in Twilight’s mane, Dash climbed out of bed.

“Do we have to get up?” Twilight whined, letting out a moan as Dash got out of bed.

Dash rolled her eyes even as a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Yes, Twilight. We can’t stay in bed all day.”

“Why not?”

Dash smirked and entertained the idea, but wound up shaking her head. “I can’t. I have to go practice. The competition’s tomorrow and I need to be ready for it.”

“I’ll come help you practice then. I’m still your coach, after all.” Twilight climbed groggily out of bed. “I’ll go make breakfast.”

Dash stretched her legs, glancing over her shoulder to see Twilight heading downstairs and humming to herself with a glowing smile. It looked like the happiest she’d ever seen her friend.

Dash’s stomach growled, and she decided to follow her marefriend downstairs, the wooden steps down out of Twilight’s room creaking as she walked to the kitchen.

She walked in to see Twilight levitating a large glass jar of light brown dust from one of the cabinets onto the counter, filling a large glass halfway to the top with it.

“Is that...” Dash trailed off as Twilight filled the second half with water and stirred, the mix becoming a familiar pale brown sludge.

Twilight turned and levitated the glass in front of her. “Come on, Dash,” she said, giving Dash a reassuring smile. “It isn’t that bad!”

“Easy for you to say,” Dash mumbled, taking the floating glass.

“So... how do we tell our friends that we’re together?”

As Twilight was walking over, she froze. “Why would we do that?” she asked, sitting down at the table and placing a glass of milk in front of Dash.

“What? What do you mean? They’re our friends and they deserve to know! We shouldn’t keep a secret this big from them.” Dash’s eyes narrowed. “Are you just embarrassed you’re with me or something?”

“What? No! Nothing like that! I just don’t want to tell them about us yet.” Twilight gave her a pleading look. “Please?”

Dash groaned, placing her hoof on her forehead. “Alright, I won’t tell anyone for now.” Dash glanced at her glass of sludge, downing it all at once before slamming the glass back down on the table with a harsh bang. “I’m going to get going. We’ll talk about this later.”

“Oh... alright.” Twilight’s ears drooped as Dash headed towards the door. “What about...”

Dash stopped and turned to look back at her. “What?” she snapped.

Twilight flinched. “N-nothing. Sorry. Never-mind,” she mumbled, looking down at the apple fritter in her hooves. “I guess we’ll talk later.”

Dash shook her head and left the library, bucking the door shut behind her.

“What have we learned?”

“Loss of control.”

“Good.”

“Screaming and hollering.”

“Yes, and most importantly?”

“Passion!”

“Right!” Dash landed on the ground in front of Fluttershy. “So now that you know the elements of a good cheer, let’s hear one!” Dash watched eagerly as Fluttershy took a deep breath.

“Yay!” Fluttershy cheered, barely louder than a whisper.

“Really? Are you serious?” Dash asked, causing Fluttershy to shrink under her scrutiny. “That cheer was completely missing any screaming, hollering, or passion! How can you expect to...” Dash pinched the bridge of her snout. “Nevermind, you can just go home now. It’s okay, I’ll just get motivation from knowing you’re watching... or something.”

“O-okay,” Fluttershy said, hanging her head and turning to walk away. “Sorry I wasn’t able to help.”

Dash glanced at Fluttershy’s retreating back, shaking her head and sighing. I shouldn’t be getting so worked up over Twilight not wanting to tell anyone, but... why does she hate the idea of being seen in public with me? She glanced back at the library, her ears drooping.

She flew up and landed on a cloud overlooking the fields she was practicing in.

I’ll just have to become somepony she wouldn’t be afraid to be seen with, she thought, diving off the cloud and beginning her routine.

Twilight sorted Floating Biology of Flight, and Avian Anatomy onto the top corner of a shelf, she sat back and looked at the freshly organized library with a smile. She missed having Spike around to help out; it made running the library much easier.

“Look out!”

Twilight turned just in time to see a cyan blur fly in through an open window, barreling into her and sending her crashing into the bookshelf she had just finished organizing. The books tumbled off the shelf on top of her in an avalanche of paper and hard leather covers.

Dash sat beside the bookshelf Twilight had been buried under, rubbing the back of her neck. “Heh, sorry about that. Accidents happen and stuff.”

Twilight surfaced with a book impaled on her horn. “I don’t know which is more impressive, that you managed to crash through a window barely big enough to fly through, or the fact that you manage to find a way to crash into the library at least once a week.”

“Look, I said I was sorry.” Dash offered a hoof to help Twilight get up, which she took with a bit of grumbling.

“Well that’s great, but you can’t keep making such a big scene every time you visit me like this.”

“Oh well geez, I’m so sorry, Twilight,” Dash said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Heaven forbid somepony sees us together and assumes we’re filly foolers!”

Twilight ran over to the window Dash had barged in through, slamming it shut so hard that the glass rattled. “Would you mind not shouting that?” she hissed, “and that isn’t what I meant at all! Listen, do you want to talk about this now? I don’t think we properly settled it earlier this morning.”

“No I get it. It would look bad on your image. I totally get why you wouldn’t want anyone to think you’re dating another mare, it would be so—oh what’s that one word Rarity uses? Uncouth?”

“It’s nothing like that!” Twilight insisted.

Dash snorted. “Then what is it like?”

“I just want to wait and figure out how our friends will react before we do anything crazy!”

Dash sat on the floor and crossed her forehooves. “Why do we have to do that?”

Twilight sighed and walked up to Dash, reaching down and giving her a small kiss on the cheek. “We can do an announcement of some kind, but until I’m ready can it please just wait a little while?”

Dash looked up at her with a small blush and a pout. “Fine,” she relented. “I understand why you want to wait, I guess. I don’t agree. But I understand.” Dash reached up and removed the book that was stuck on Twilight’s horn. “And sorry about the books,” she mumbled, scratching the back of her head.

“It’s no problem.” Twilight sighed, looking at the mess. “Were you practicing the sonic rainboom?”

“Yeah.”

“Has it gotten any better?”

“Well, I’ve gotten a little closer to pulling one off. I think. It’s kind of hard to tell.” Dash’s ear flicked, and she lifted a hoof to scratch it. “I’m really close though. At least it feels like I am.”

“I can help you with practice, if you just give me a moment to clean up these books.”

“Sure,” Dash said, standing up and stretching her back. “I don’t know how much of a difference it’ll make, though. The competition is tomorrow, and it doesn’t feel like I’ve been making any progress today.” Dash frowned and let out a sigh. “I just wish you could come and cheer me on. Fluttershy’s going to be there, but she’s... lacking in that department.”

“Can’t I come?” Twilight asked, tilting her head to the side.

Dash opened her mouth to reply, but froze. An excited look entered her eyes. She zipped over and swooped Twilight up in a hug, lifting her hooves off the ground as she nuzzled her cheek. “Oh my gosh! I completely forgot about your magic!” Dash set her back on the ground and gave her a wide eyed look. “You can come to Cloudsdale using that spell you have, right?”

Twilight cleared her throat, still blushing slightly from the hug. “Well, yes. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work—”

“You gotta come cheer me on, Twi! It would mean a lot if you could come.” Dash wrapped a hoof around Twilight’s shoulder. “Besides, you’re my coach. Maybe they’ll even let you stand on the podium with me!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll go.” Twilight found a grin slipping onto her face, Dash’s contagious excitement getting to her.

“We’re going to have to leave today if I’m going to be taking you there. Probably find some place to crash up in Cloudsdale for the night.”

“Okay, so what time do we leave then?”

Dash walked over to the coat rack by the door and pulled a white and pink scarf down with her mouth, bringing it back to Twilight and draping it around her neck. “There’s no time like the present, right?” she asked with a grin. “It might get a little chilly higher up, where we’re going. So you might need that.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll keep me warm,” Twilight said, as she leaned in and kissed Dash’s lips.

Dash’s lips were warm, and she felt the pegasus freeze as they first made contact. Dash’s eyes widened, her wings twitching and fluttering as their lips made contact, and she melted into the kiss.

Twilight pulled away, smiling at Dash with a faint blush on her cheeks.

“Wha-what was that for?” Rainbow Dash asked with a silly love-struck grin plastered on her face.

“I don’t need a reason to want to kiss you, Dash.” Twilight lead Dash outside, looking over her shoulder at her, and stopping just outside to turn and look at her with a warm, effortless smile.

Dash’s mouth was hanging open slightly, a bright blush on her cheeks. “I, uh... like kissing you too,” she said, walking to Twilight’s side. “I mean...” Dash let out a sigh as the words failed to come to her.

Twilight kissed her cheek, giggling. “I think I know what you mean.”

“Sorry,” Dash said, giving her a weak smile. “I guess I’m a little nervous about this competition.”

“You? Nervous? Well now I’ve seen everything.”

Dash spread her wings and nodded towards her back. Twilight climbed on, the hairs of Dash’s coat tickling her chest as Dash adjusted to her weight.

Dash crouched down, and glanced back over her shoulder at the mare on her back with a cocky grin. “Hold on tight. It’s going to be a long trip.”

Twilight gripped Dash’s neck and nodded. Dash leaped into the sky with a flap of her wings, and took off for Cloudsdale.

Dash touched down on a long winding cloud road in Cloudsdale, panting with her tongue hanging out of her mouth. Twilight looked around the floating cloud city in awe, casting her spell and sliding off Dash’s back.

The entire city was lit with an orange hue with the setting sun. She spun around with a giddy laugh, watching as ponies flew all around it, their coats glowing with the colors of the sun. The city was celestial. It was easy to see why most pegasi chose to remain in their cloud cities.

A groan came from behind her, and she turned to see Dash lying on the clouds, wings twitching and quivering as she took heavy breaths. Twilight walked over to Dash and gently lifted her onto her back.

“Huh?” Dash looked around as she was picked up. “What’re you doing?”

Twilight adjusted the pegasus on her back, making sure she was properly on. “You carried me all the way here. The least I can do is carry you to someplace to stay.”

“I should be fine,” Dash said, panting in Twilight’s ear. “Just give me a few minutes.”

“It’s going to be dark soon, quit being so stubborn and just let me carry you.”

Dash scoffed, her body going lax as she relaxed against Twilight’s back, too tired to put up a fight. Taking it as resignation, Twilight walked along the cloud road, keeping her eyes peeled for anything that looked like an inn or hotel. The buildings looked vastly different than the ones in Ponyville or Canterlot. Long ribbed pillars supported huge, thick roofs, and all the buildings competed with one another in size.

The sound of gentle snoring reached Twilight’s ears, and she looked back to see Dash had quickly fallen asleep on her back, her chin resting between Twilight’s shoulders.

Ponies flying by would pause to look at her with confusion. At first Twilight had thought it was because of the unconscious pegasus on her back, but she realized they were looking at her, not Dash. As a unicorn, she stuck out like a sore hoof in Cloudsdale.

Twilight adjusted the exhausted mare on her back, her pace quickening as she glanced nervously around at the ponies flying overhead.

Spotting a hotel, darting up the steps and bursting through the doors. Behind the main desk, a gray stallion briefly looked at them with an arched eyebrow, before returning to his books.

Dash slid off Twilight’s back, swaying on her hooves. “Hey, Twilight, you okay?” Dash asked and reached out a hoof to touch her shoulder.

Twilight shrugged her away from the hoof. “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Dash gave her a look that Twilight couldn’t quite decipher, but dropped the subject, looking around the hotel lobby instead. “You sure we should stay here, Twilight? I’m good to walk again. We can keep going if you want to find someplace cheaper.”

“Yes I’m sure. This place looks nice.”

“Don’t you think it might be a little too nice? Maybe we could go find somewhere that won’t rob you of all your bits?” Dash asked, eying the large, glittering chandelier hanging in the center of the lobby.

“Don’t worry about the costs. It’s no real issue, I swear!” Twilight insisted, walking to the counter.

Twilight turned to the stallion behind the desk, who was busy scrawling away on a piece of paper with a quill and ignoring her presence. “Ahem!”

The stallion looked up from his books at her.

“Hi! I’d like a room for my friend and I for the night if it wouldn’t be too much trouble.”

“There are a pair of two bedroom rooms available,” the receptionist said, looking through his papers. “Room 304 is a two bedroom, two bathroom suite, while 210 is two bedroom, one bath. The rate for—”

“Oh, we only need one bed!” Dash piped up from behind Twilight.

The stallion slowly looked up from his books at the two with a raised eyebrow, and Twilight blushed furiously.

“In that case,” the grey stallion said, looking back down at his papers. “Room 207 is open. I think you’ll enjoy your stay there.”

Twilight nodded, her face still beet-red. Hastily placing her bits on the counter and grabbing the key, she galloped to the stairs, eager to get behind a closed door.

Dash followed after her, barely keeping up. “Hey, Twilight... you sure you’re okay? You seemed a little flustered back there.”

“Don’t worry, Dash. I’m fine.” Twilight’s voice seemed unsure even to her own ears. Dash gave her a scrutinizing look, but didn’t push the issue.

They walked down the hall, stopping at an unassuming door with their room number. Twilight fumbled to put the key in the lock, bursting in through the door once she heard the small metallic click of it opening.

Her blush that had just subsided returned full force.

The bed had a light pink duvet with red lace hearts all over it. A glass nightstand stood next to the bed. On it, a black vase with a pair of white and pink roses sticking out its top at beside two complimentary bottles of red wine and apple cider.

Dash fell to the ground beside her, roaring with laughter. “Oh man, I can’t believe they gave us a lame room like this! Talk about drawing conclusions, huh, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash glanced up at Twilight from the floor, spotting the way she looked at the room nervously. “Huh? Twilight? What’s the deal?”

Twilight shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Nothing! The room’s great! Why wouldn’t it be great?” She skipped past Dash and levitated the bottle of apple cider in front of her to read the label. “They even gave us drinks!” Twilight’s forced smile faded as Dash walked up beside her.

“You know,” Dash whispered in her ear, her hot breath sending shivers down Twilight’s spine.

Twilight hit the side of the bed with her rear as she tried to back up.

Dash glanced at the bed, then back at her and said in a sultry voice, “I think I feel like going to bed.”

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, well if you’re tired, then—”

“I’m not tired.”

“Oh...” Twilight blushed.

Dash sauntered up to Twilight with a faint blush on her cheeks and a hungry look in her eyes. “I’m actually... very awake,” Dash said, leaning in and capturing her lips.

Twilight squeaked as their lips met, melting into the kiss as her eyes fluttered shut. Slowly, she returned the kiss with fervor. Lips still locked, Rainbow pushed Twilight onto the bed, crawling on top of her and kissing her, her rainbow mane tickling Twilight’s neck.

Dash ran a hoof down Twilight’s side, causing her to shift uneasily under her touch. Twilight pushed up on Dash’s chest with her hooves, breaking the kiss.

Dash looked down at her with confusion. “What’s wrong? Why’d we stop?”

Twilight let out a fake yawn, covering it with a hoof. She apologetically smiled at Dash. “Sorry, I’m sort of tired. I think I might turn in right now as a matter of fact! You should probably get to sleep too, since there’s that big contest tomorrow and everything and you should probably be well rested for it!”

“I don’t have to be there until noon.”

“Well, you know, you can never be too rested!” Twilight quipped, squirming against Dash’s hooves that were still planted on either side of her.

Dash rolled off Twilight onto her back, laying next to her. “Was it something I did?” Dash asked, looking over at her. “If it is, just tell me. I wasn’t trying to make you uncomfortable or anything.”

Twilight waved a hoof in the air. “No, no, it’s nothing like that! I’m just tired, Honest!”

Dash turned to Twilight, propping her head up on her hoof. Twilight shuffled nervously as Dash simply looked at her, as though trying to figure something out. After a moment, Dash closed her eyes and sighed.

“Okay... if you say so.” Dash opened her eyes and reached a hoof over, gently touching Twilight’s cheek. “Hey, Twi? Are we... okay?”

She leaned over and kissed Dash, but didn’t get a response. “Of course we are,” Twilight said. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

Dash turned to her, smiling weakly. “Yeah, sorry. I was probably just overthinking things.” Dash wrapped her hooves around the slightly smaller pony, drawing her close. She took a deep breath in Twilight’s mane.

Twilight shifted uncomfortably for a moment, but slowly relaxed, into Dash’s warm body.

“I was lucky we met,” Dash mumbled against her coat, wrapping her wings around Twilight.

“I was lucky we met too,” Twilight whispered, resting her head against Dash’s chest. “Goodnight, Rainbow.”

“Goodnight, Twilight.”

Chapter 10: Despondence

Despondence

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Hot water sputtered out of the shower head with a hiss and splashed against Rainbow Dash as she stood in the shower adjoining the hotel room, the water washing away the tension in her muscles.

The Best Young Flier competition is only a few hours away, she thought, closing her eyes and letting the water flow over her back. And me, its future winner, is inside a fancy hotel taking a shower, before the big day. The stage is set. This is going to be the moment I get to strut my stuff in front of the Wonderbolts. Everything is perfect.

She glanced at the bathroom door and let out a sigh, running her mane under the shower head, her ears twitching as the water poured over them.

“Everything is perfect,” Dash repeated out loud.

Ever since they had gotten to Cloudsdale, Twilight had been acting distant. From the moment they had touched down, she’d been looking over her shoulder and acting skittish around everypony they bumped into.

Dash turned off the water and draped a towel over her back as she stepped out onto the impeccably clean, white bathroom tiles of the hotel, watching the water drip from her mane. Grabbing a towel from the shelf, Dash fluffed out her mane and dried her coat, staring dully at the fogged up bathroom mirror. Her mane sat flat against her head, wrapping around her ears and winding down the back of her neck. It made her look appropriately deflated.

Dash opened the bathroom and walked out with the towel hanging loosely around her neck. Twilight sat awake on the side of the bed, fidgeting with her hooves, but as soon as she saw Rainbow, she perked up.

“Morning!” Twilight said cheerfully, giving her a kiss on the cheek and darting past her into the shower.

The door clicked shut behind Dash, followed by the sound of running water coming from inside. Dash reached up to touch where Twilight had kissed her.

I should be focusing on the competition, not thinking about this right now! she thought, a low growl escaping her.

Dash flopped down on the bed, taking a deep breath and staring at the ceiling.

The water running in the bathroom stopped. Dash heard the bathroom door open and sat back up to look at it. Twilight walked out, water still dripping off her onto the floor. Her normally flat mane lay loose around her shoulders, the dark purple and bright pink in it giving her an exotic, spellbinding look.

“Hey, I think you took the only towel,” Twilight said. “What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me weird?”

“Uh... it’s nothing.” Dash picked the towel up under wing, carrying it over to Twilight with a blush on her face.

Twilight took the towel from Dash and dried herself off. Rubbing her mane until it was dry and fluffy, Twilight put the towel down on her shoulders and caught Dash staring at her.

“What’s so interesting?” Twilight asked, cocking her head to the side.

Lifting a hoof up to Twilight’s cheek, Dash leaned in close. “You,” she said, waiting for Twilight to meet her halfway. Twilight hesitated for a moment before leaning in to kiss her. Dash closed her eyes as their lips met. Twilight softly pushed her lips against Dash’s, but the kiss was brief. Twilight pulled back, keeping it short.

The feeling lingered on Dash’s lips, but it was missing something. It felt distant and forced. Opening her eyes, Dash saw Twilight smiling at her.

“That’s it, huh?” Dash said, turning away.

“What did I do?” Twilight asked.

Dash let out a disappointed sigh and walked over to the door. “Nothing. Just forget about it.” She opened the door, stopping to glance over her shoulder at Twilight. “I’m going to go out for a bit before the contest, just to get a bit of air.”

Twilight reached out a hoof towards the door. “But, Dash—”

Dash shut the door, not waiting to hear what she had to say, and marched down the hall, wondering if it had been a good idea to bring Twilight up there in the first place.

Dash had gotten out of the hotel room and flown to the market. Her stomach growled as she walked past all the stalls full of fruits and vegetables, reminding her that she had missed breakfast.

“Well if it isn’t Rainbow Crash!”

Dash froze. Turning around, she saw somepony she hadn’t seen since flight school. Personally, she would have liked to keep it that way.

“Get kicked out of any flight schools lately?” The dark-brown stallion with a dumbbell cutie mark poked her in the shoulder. His two friends on either side of him guffawed, following him around like a flock of sheep.

“For the record, I didn’t get kicked out,” Dash growled, receiving another mocking laugh in reply. The three larger ponies circled her like a pack of sharks.

“Yeah, only because you left before they could kick you out! Face it Dash, flight school had too many rules for you.” The jock’s eyes widened. “Don’t tell me... you’re in Cloudsdale for that flying contest, aren’t you?”

Dash gave him a flat look as he burst out laughing. “Oh man, you totally are! Ha!” His two goons laughed behind him, and he smirked at her. “There’s no way you’re going to win.”

Dash growled. “You wait and see! I’m going to pull off another sonic rainboom and win the competition hooves down.”

“The sonic rainboom is nothing but an old mare’s tale. You don’t have the skill to pull something like that off.”

Dash marched up to him and got in his face. “I can too! I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again! You’ll see!”

Dumbbell laughed at her. “Oh, we’ll see alright. We’ll be at the contest, watching, along with an entire stadium of impatient sports fan ponies... no pressure, right, Dash?”

The fire in Dash’s eyes flickered with doubt, and she looked down at the ground with her ears drooping, eliciting another round of laughs from the jocks.

“Later, Rainbow Crash.” Dumbbell turned and walked away, his cronies in tow.

Dash fell down on her haunches, burying her face into the clouds and groaning, drawing glances from passersby.

“You shouldn’t worry about what those guys say too much.”

Dash took her head out of the clouds and looked up at the voice. She instantly recognized just who was talking to her, and her eyes lit up with stars. “Spitfire?” she asked, excitement creeping into her voice. The mare opposite her was recognizable from the posters Dash had hanging in her room, somepony she had dreamed of getting a chance to meet in person.

“Heh, a fan I’m guessing?” Spitfire offered her a hoof to help her get back on her hooves.

Dash took the hoof, standing up and shaking it enthusiastically. “I’m probably one of your biggest fans! I’ve been to just about every show you guys have done!” She stifled the urge to giggle like a school-filly, not wanting to do anything uncool in front of Spitfire. “You’re a major part of the reason I got into flying in the first place!”

“I’m always honored to hear about how much ponies look up to me.” Spitfire gave her a nervous smile. “Think I can have my hoof back?”

Dash looked down to Spitfire’s hoof and let it go with a small blush. “Err, sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Spitfire cleared her throat. “Anyway, I overheard you’re going to be in the Best Young Flier competition today.”

“Yeah...” Dash answered.

“You shouldn’t sweat the little things so much. What those guys said... they don’t know what they’re talking about. You just have to go up there like you’re invincible.”

“Like I’m invincible?” Dash repeated.

“Mindset is a very important part of any performance. If you go up on stage like nothing can touch you, and nothing can stop you, then nothing will.”

Dash put a hoof to her chin as Spitfire walked past her.

“Just some advice from somepony who’s been doing this for a long time,” Spitfire called over her shoulder, trotting away.

Dash’s head snapped up as she realized Spitfire had walked away. “Wait!” she called, raising a hoof after her, but Spitfire had already disappeared into the crowd.

Dash thought of all the times she had seen the Wonderbolts perform with a stadium full of eyes on them.

“Go up there like nothing can stop you, and nothing will, huh?” Dash figured it was worth a shot. The advice was from Spitfire herself after all.

As she was walking around the marketplace looking for somewhere to grab a bite to eat, Dash realized she had forgotten something important.

Shoot! I didn’t ask her for an autograph!

Twilight paced nervously in the hotel room, stealing glances at the door. The ticking of the clock on the wall was deafening in the silent room. Twilight stared at it, watching the second hand rotate, and the longer she stared, the slower it seemed to move. She let out a sigh and crawled onto the bed, laying her chin on a pillow.

Rainbow Dash, we need to talk... Rainbow Dash, is there something bothering you lately?... Hey, Rainbow Dash! Is everything alright? she practiced in her head, as she stared at the door, waiting.

Twilight shifted, lifting the pillow and putting it at the foot of the bed so that she could lay facing the door. Listen, Dash, about last night, things were just a little out of my comfort zone, alright? I know we’ve known each other for a while, but we only just started dating. I don’t want to move too fast.

Twilight buried her face in the pillow and let out a muffled scream of frustration. She screamed until her throat was sore and she was red in the face, and then rolled onto her back, taking deep breaths.

Maybe I’ll think of the right thing to say when I see her. Twilight thought, looking at the clock.

A minute had passed.

A groan escaped her lips as she went back to the only thing to do by herself in the hotel room: stare at the ceiling. There was a slowly creeping doubt in her mind that Dash might not even come back before the competition started.

“She can’t stay mad at me forever... right?”

Silence answered her. Still lying on her back, Twilight grabbed the pillow and put it on her face, and between her options of staring at the ceiling or sleeping, she chose to close her eyes and drift off.

The door opened.

Twilight bolted upright, the pillow falling onto the bed next to her as she looked at the doorway to see Dash walk into the room.

Twilight got off the bed and took a tentative step towards Dash. “Listen, Dash, I think we need to talk.” The pegasus froze, and Twilight could see the way her whole body tensed at her words. “Ever since last night you’ve been acting frustrated and angry. If something is bothering you just tell me.”

Dash let out a long breath and turned to face her with a determined look in her eyes, marching right up to her, until they were nose to nose. “You want to know what’s bothering me ever since last night?” she asked, cutting right to the chase. “It’s the fact that ever since we got to Cloudsdale you’ve been acting afraid of everything!”

Twilight’s mouth opened and closed, unable to come up with a reply. She looked down at the floor, avoiding Dash’s stare.

“See?” Dash said, poking her in the chest with a hoof. “You’re doing it right now!”

“I-I had every right to stop you when I felt uncomfortable with what—”

“But it’s the reason that you’re uncomfortable that bugs me,” Dash interrupted, lowering the hoof she had pointed at Twilight. “You’re uncomfortable because you’re scared of being with me, being seen with me...” Dash finished, taking a step back.

“I...” Twilight stopped, considering her words. She sighed and hung her head, looking up at Dash. “I’m still a little unsure about dating another mare.”

Dash let out a loud groan and walked to the edge of the bed, flopping down on it next to Twilight and twitching her tail in agitation.

“I really need to think carefully about this.”

Dash sat up. “That’s your problem, Twilight! You rely so much on your head for answers that you don’t listen to your feelings.” Dash got off the bed and walked up to her. “Do you have feelings for me?” Dash searched Twilight’s eyes for some kind of sign, but all she saw was hesitation.

Dash let out a sigh. “Do you truly want this relationship, and every aspect that comes with it?”

Twilight looked away, unable to answer her.

“You should try listening to your heart some time, Twilight,” Dash said, shaking her head and giving Twilight a disappointed look. She walked to the door and opened it, looking back over her shoulder. “I need to be focusing on the competition right now, but after it, come and find me if you have some kind of answer.”

With that, Dash left. Twilight barely even registered the sound of the door closing. There was a hollow ache that she couldn’t describe.

Was it her heart?

Dash had gotten her number for the competition. She had done a quick number swap with the pony going last when no one was looking. Maybe that could be considered some small form of cheating, but the more time she had to try to sort through the mess of what happened back at the hotel, the better.

Storming out of the hotel saying she needed to focus on the competition, what a joke. All she could think about was Twilight, and the question she had left her with back at the hotel.

“Hey... why so glum? Those jerks bothering you again?”

Dash looked up to see Spitfire. “No, it’s nothing like that,” Dash answered, kicking the ground with a hoof.

Spitfire nodded her head slowly. “I know that tone. Having some romance issues?”

Dash’s eyes widened, recieving a knowing wink from the Wonderbolt. “How could you tell?”

“It was written all over your face.” Spitfire took a seat next to Dash. “So what happened between you and him?”

“She still isn’t sure whether she wants to go through with dating another mare.”

Spitfire’s eyebrows rose. “Oh...” She scratched the back of her neck, giving a sidelong glance at Dash. “Well, it’s pretty much up to her then.”

Dash let out a wistful sigh. “Yeah.”

A moment of silence passed, before Spitfire spoke again. “How did you two meet?”

There was a far off look in Dash’s eye, a small smile playing on her lips. “Well,” she began. “We were friends for a while. Then I told her that I had a crush on her.” Dash looked up at the sky with a grin on her face. “It was a picnic under the stars. Just me and her, lying on our backs and looking up at the night sky.”

Spitfire found herself with a smile on her face just listening to the story. “That sounds romantic.”

“Really? I was actually trying to be subtle...” Dash stopped, clearing her throat. “Well, as I was saying, we were having that picnic. We talked about the stars, and it was great. But then Twilight asked me if something had been bugging me. We were lying next to each other on the picnic blanket, and it just seemed like a good time to kiss her.”

“... And?”

The smile fell from Dash’s face. “She didn’t take it so well. She shouted at me, then got up and left.” Dash looked at Spitfire out of the corner of her eye. “She eventually talked to me again. I managed to get our friendship back and she wasn’t so mad at me anymore. Then, the next day she tells me she changed her mind, and wants to give a relationship a shot.”

“She’s been on the ropes about it from the start?”

“Yeah. But after the first date things were going great. By the end of the date I got her to fall for me too.” Dash propped her head up on an elbow. “At least, I thought I did. She’s having second thoughts about it now.”

“Maybe she just needs a little time to overcome whatever apprehensions she still has of being with you.” The first contestant was called to the stadium to perform, and Spitfire stood. “Sorry Dash, I need to get back to the others, competition to judge and all.” Spitfire spread her wings and gave Dash a half-hearted smile. “For what it’s worth, I hope everything turns out alright between you two,” she said, turning to fly back to the judges’ booth

“Wait!” Dash called out, causing Spitfire to stop and turn to look at her. “Why do you keep helping me like this?”

“Not quite sure. I guess something about you caught my curiosity.” Spitfire smirked at her and winked, taking to a hover in front of her. “Good luck with the competition!” she said, giving a mock salute and flying away to the stands, leaving Dash alone with all the other contestants.

Twilight slammed the hotel door open and sprinted down the hall, hearing an indignant shout from a hotel worker as she ran past.

“Sorry!” Twilight called over her shoulder. There wasn’t time to stop, not when she had to find Dash.

She rushed down the stairs and out the front door of the hotel, her frantic sprinting catching more than a few looks as she ran across the cloud roads to the stadium.

The Cloudiseum’s towering entrance came into view. Her legs burned, her mouth felt dry, and it hurt her lungs just to breath, but the entrance was so close. Twilight rushed up the flight of stairs and burst into the lobby, spotting a blue colt who looked like he worked there.

Twilight dashed up to him. “Where’s the contestants’ waiting lobby!?” she asked, shaking him by the shoulders.

“D-Down that hallway, second d-door on the right.”

Twilight let go of him and ran down the hallway, her legs burning as she ran down the final stretch. She came to the second door on the right and kicked it open, revealing a room full of pegasi, who whipped their heads around to the sound of the door being slammed open. Twilight spotted Dash at the back of the room and ran towards her.

“Twilight!? What the—”

Dash was cut off as Twilight’s lips crashed into hers in front of everypony. Wrapping her hooves around Dash, Twilight squeezed her close, as though she were afraid to lose her.

Dash’s eyes closed and she began to return the kiss, spreading her wings and leaning into it. Her lips were warm, and trembling, and Twilight did her best to comfort them.

Twilight pulled back, having the decency to blush after kissing Dash so passionately in front of a room full of ponies. “I wanted to get here before the contest to tell you that I made up my mind.” Twilight threw her hooves around Dash, who was still stiff as a board. “I want to be with you.” A hoof brushed against Twilight’s cheek, and she looked up to see Dash with a heartfelt smile on her face.

“I’m glad you chose me.” Dash brought her hooves up and wrapped them around Twilight, returning the embrace.

Twilight rest her head on Dash’s shoulder and closed her eyes. It was amazing how warm and safe a simple hug could make her feel. The hollow ache in her chest was gone, and Twilight wanted nothing more than to never let go of Dash, with a whole room of ponies watching them or not.

“Contestant number sixteen!” a nasally-voiced mare shouted, causing Dash to look up.

Twilight looked down at Dash’s flank, seeing that her number had just been called. The hooves around Twilight squeezed, reluctant to let go of her. Twilight moved back, Dash’s hooves falling back to her side as she moved out of the hug.

“Go,” Twilight said, reaching up and touching Dash’s cheek. “You’ll be fantastic.”

Dash raised a hoof and placed it on hers. Twilight could see a desire to linger there with her and forget about the competition. Smiling, Dash spread her wings and gave her one last cocky grin before she took off.

“Knowing you’ll be there with me, I’ll be untouchable.” Dash flew away to the middle of the stadium, and took a deep breath as she looked at the rows of cloud seats, full of ponies watching her.

“Show time,” Dash muttered under her breath, diving to begin her routine.

Chapter 11: Contender

Contender

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

The ponies in the stands seemed to be moving slowly as Dash dove through the air. The crowd waved and cheered, jumping up and down in their seats for her. She had been waiting for a moment like this all her life, everypony’s eyes on her, watching her with excitement.

She planned to exceed their expectations.

The wind rushed past with heart-pumping speed, and its roar drowned out the dull noise of the crowd, sharpening her focus. Air bent and curved around her wings as they pushed against it, and it spurned her to beat them even faster. Leveling out, she sped towards a series of cloud pillars. Her first act.

White passed on either side of her in a blur, the tips of her wings brushing up against the pillars as she sped past. Each weave through them required her to angle her wings perfectly and change direction with flawless timing or she’d end up crashing head first into a cloud pillar. Clouds are soft, and it probably wouldn’t be the most painful thing ever, but then again she had never crashed into one of them at the speed she was going. She felt a grin forcing its way onto her face as she approached the last pillar, but it faded as her wing clipped the cloud pillar. Already tilting, she thought fast to cover her mistake. Sharply angling her wings up, she continued rolling into the tilt and turned it into part of an immelmann roll, pulling up in a half loop and changing direction.

She came to a stop and glanced at the pillars and allowed herself a toothy grin, but quickly schooled her features. She wasn’t done yet. And with two more tricks to go, she couldn’t afford to get caught up in the moment.

Climbing high above the stadium, she spotted three clouds perfect for the next part. Speeding to the closest one, she circled it in an almost lazy fashion as she made it turn. All she had to do was fly in a tight circle with her wings tilted towards the center of the loop around. Still, she tried her best to do the trick as fastly and cleanly as possible. She darted to the second cloud, and then the third, glancing back at the clouds she’d visited previous to make sure they were spinning in sync. The audience’s cheers built up as she made each cloud spin, reaching a fever pitch as she left the third cloud.

Heartbeat pounding in her ears, she looked down at the stadium full of ponies below. They looked like ants from how high up she was.

Dash angled into a dive with her hooves stretched out in front of her as she let gravity do its work to speed her up. The wind battered her, and wind-stung tears began to leak out of the corners of her eyes as a familiar wall of resistance formed in front of her to slow her acceleration. She tried pushing it to its limits, but the harder she struggled against it, the more resistant it became. It was practice all over again, and it was impossible to beat. She had tried—and failed—to break through it time and time again.

As Dash passed by the stadium, she opened her eyes, gaining a single moment of clarity as she plummeted past the crowd. It was only a split second as she bombed through the air, but the world around her froze.

She opened her wind-stung eyes, and she saw Twilight, watching her.

Then the moment passed. The wind tugged at her wings and pushed at her hooves, bringing her back to what she was doing. With a renewed effort, Dash fought to punch a hole through the barrier that was keeping her from finishing her routine.

The wall of resistance bent more than it ever had before. Feeling it falter, Dash used all the strength she had left to fight it. The air bent around her and pressed in on her from all sides. It felt for a moment as though she was swimming, like water pressed down all around her.

Then, the pressure vanished. The force trying to halt her in her tracks disappeared in an instant with a deafening clap and her speed doubled almost instantly.

Dash glanced over her shoulder. A shockwave of rainbow light rippling across the sky, and trailed behind her as she rocketed down towards the ground.

The ground! Dash pulled up sharply, avoiding becoming a crater by less than a second. She soared back up to the cloudiseum and glided over the stadium in an arc, painting a rainbow over it.

A smile spread across her face, and even from how high above the stadium she was, she could still hear the excited cheers from the ponies down below. Closing her eyes, Dash took a moment to relish in the sound. She could barely believe that after all the failed practices she had actually managed to pull it off.

She had done a sonic rainboom. The second one in her life, and the world.

Dash didn’t think the cheering could get any louder, but when she descended down to the arena, the cheering became deafening. Ponies were screaming themselves hoarse over her performance as she landed in front of the contestants’ waiting area.

Everypony in the waiting lobby eyed her nervously. A smirk crept upon her lips. She had created an intimidating act to follow.

“You managed to do it after all.”

Dash’s head spun around at the sweet sound of Twilight’s voice. Twilight was smiling at her with a mix of pride and adoration.

The noise of the stadium faded away, as Dash walked up to her marefriend and leaned her forehead to rest against Twilight’s. “Yeah. I think all I needed was a bit of motivation,” Dash said.

Twilight closed her eyes, and stood there with their foreheads resting against one another, a content smile on her lips. Dash’s eyelids fell shut, the two in their own world, as though no one was watching. Dash wasn’t sure how long the two of them just stood there like that, nor was she inclined to care. At that moment, everything was perfect.

“Rainbow Dash! Twilight!” a quiet voice barely managed to speak up over the crowded stadium.

The spell over her broke. She was jarred back to reality and the dull roar of the ponies around them. The quiet voice belonged to Fluttershy, who flew over to her.

“Congratulations, Dash!” Fluttershy landed on the cloud next to them. “That sonic rainboom was even bigger and more amazing than the one you did back in flight school!”

“Heh, you really think so?” Dash scratched the back of her neck. “Listen, sorry about the way I was before. It means a lot that you showed up to cheer me on.”

Twilight stepped beside Fluttershy throwing a hoof around her shoulders. “You should have heard her, Dash. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her shout as loudly as she did when you performed that final trick.”

Fluttershy blushed and looked down at her hooves. “I was really excited and happy for you, and—um, sort of lost myself for a bit.”

“Don’t sweat it, Fluttershy. That’s what these type of events are for in the first place!” Dash turned to Twilight. “Hey, Twi, can I talk to you about something over there really quickly?”

Twilight nodded, and followed Dash over to a more secluded corner of the room. “What’s this about?” she asked in a low voice.

“Did Fluttershy see before... you know... when we kissed?”

Twilight glanced back at their friend. Fluttershy was smiling without a care in the world, and she waved politely at a stallion as he walked past her.

“I don’t think she noticed anything,” Twilight said as she turned back to Dash. “She would have said something if she did.”

“Well, should I go tell her?” Dash spotted a frown tugging at Twilight’s lips, and one tugged at hers. “You said you wanted this right? We can’t keep hiding this from our friends!”

Twilight winced at the accusatory tone Dash used. “I know, I know.” She looked over her shoulder at Fluttershy one more time briefly. The yellow pegasus was waiting patiently for them to finish talking. “Can’t we tell them all at once though? I think it would be better if we made an announcement at the library, and invite all the girls over.”

“Alright,” Dash said. “But it better be soon after we get back.” She began walking over to Fluttershy.

“It’ll be the day after we get back, promise,” Twilight said, following Dash back to their friend.

“Hey, sorry about that, Fluttershy. I just had something to ask Twilight about real quick.”

“Oh, it’s alright, I don’t mind,” Fluttershy replied.

The booming voice of the announcer rang out in the stadium, “The award for Best Young Flier this year will go to contestant number sixteen, Rainbow Dash!”

Dash’s eyes lit up. Even though it was hardly a surprise after how well she performed, it still felt amazing to hear those words spoken. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!”

Celestia, her entourage, and the Wonderbolts landed on their cloud. Twilight and Fluttershy looked at each other and smiled, backing up and letting their friend have the spotlight. Princess Celestia approached Dash, and the pegasus remembered to bow in respect, although the gesture felt awkward and foreign to her.

“Rainbow Dash,” Celestia said, addressing her. “You’re friends with my student, are you not?”

“Uh...” Dash rose and glanced off to where Twilight was standing. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.”

“It’s so nice to see Twilight has such talented friends.” Celestia glanced back at the crowd, and her guard, who had an ornamental pillow on his head, carrying a thin golden crown. The crown was ornamented with a lightning bolt in its center and two wings on either side.

Celestia turned to the crowd and spoke loudly and clearly. “I’m pleased to announce the winner of this year’s Best Young Flier competition, is Rainbow Dash!”

The crowd erupted in cheers as Celestia placed the crown atop Dash’s head. Rainbow Dash was grinning like a madmare and waving at the crowd. As somepony who loved the spotlight, it was a dream come true. Princess Celestia leaned in close to whisper in her ear.

“It’s also nice to see Twilight learning about more than just friendship.” Celestia’s insinuation made Dash freeze, her eyes widening. Celestia continued. “Just make sure she’s happy, and do get her to write me a letter about what she has learned from being with you. It would be an interesting lesson to read about, I’m sure.”

Dash swallowed a lump in her throat as Celestia pulled back and smiled at her. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding.

“Hey, Rainbow Crash!”

Dash turned to see the three jocks standing in front of her. She recognized the voice as belonging to the dark brown pegasus on the left. His friend nudged him with an elbow.

“It’s Dash!” he hissed out of the corner of his mouth.

“Uh, Oh! Right. Sorry—Rainbow Dash—we just wanted to congratulate you on winning the competition,” the pony with the dumbbell cutie mark said.

Dash felt a smirk creep onto her lips. So they had shown up to watch after all.

“That sonic rainboom was awesome!” the lighter pony exclaimed.

“We’re sorry we gave you such a hard time earlier, we were just fooling around, you know?”

Dash waved a hoof dismissively. “That’s ok, don’t worry about it.”

“So, listen,” he said, not skipping a beat. “Do you want to hang out later? Maybe you can show us how you did that incredible trick!”

Dash saw, with a grin, the Wonderbolts making their way over to her. Dash turned to Fluttershy and Twilight and nodded, before turning back to the jocks. “Sorry, boys,” Dash said, walking over to stand by the Wonderbolts. “But I’ve got plans.”

Dash flew away with the Wonderbolts, leaving the three jocks to watch her leave.

“I wish I could be that cool,” one said, the other two nodding in agreement.

After a brief tour of where the Wonderbolts were staying in Cloudsdale as well as meeting some of the supporting staff who helped arrange the Wonderbolts’ events, they had taken Dash to one of Cloudsdale’s nicer restaurants, Sea Salt’s Bistro, where the dinner was on them. It was all a part of the ‘day with the Wonderbolts’ package that the winner of the competition got to go on.

It had been awesome to spend a bunch of time with her idols. They were all really cool and fun, and they talked and joked with each other like a group of friends who had known each other for a long time. It was easy for Dash to picture herself doing this each and every day in the future, once she became a Wonderbolt, that is.

“And after I let that slip to the press, it was all over every newspaper in and out of Canterlot by the next day!” Soarin’ took a sip of the sparkling pear juice he had ordered, bubbles racing to the top as he tipped the glass. “Spitfire didn’t let me live that down for months!”

The table broke out in laughter, aside from Spitfire who gave Soarin’ a playful glare. “That was a PR disaster! You know how many events and reservations we had to reschedule because of that?” Spitfire asked as she lifted her a glass of lemonade to her snout. “So how about you Dash, have there been any other competitions you’ve been in besides this one?”

“Not really,” Dash answered, stirring the ice cubes sitting at the bottom of her glass with a straw. “Ponyville’s an earth pony town. Most of the pegasi that are in it aren’t all that into flying.” Dash noticed the mood at the table die down a little. “But, I mean, this one was totally awesome. And winning my first competition ever? Doubly awesome! I don’t think I’d have it any other way.”

Fleetfoot nodded at her. “You put on a great show, but that last stunt you pulled off, well... after that I’m pretty sure we were all unanimous about who the winner of the contest was! You totally earned it!”

“Thanks.” Dash smiled back at the Fleetfoot, a small giggle escaping.

A black stallion with with a red bowtie walked up to their table, silently leaving a receipt in the center of the table.

“I’m stuffed!” Soarin’ said as he stood up, grabbing the slip of paper and looking over the orders. “I gotta say, Dash, I really thought this spending a day with a fan thing would turn out kinda lame, but you’re pretty cool.”

“Soarin!” Spitfire hissed, nudging him with an elbow. She shook her head and turned to Dash. “You wouldn’t believe how much effort it takes to keep his mouth in check.”

“We all need to get going,” Fleetfoot said, standing up next to Spitfire and Soarin’ with the other three Wonderbolts following suit. “Heading back to Canterlot first thing in the morning! Not exactly looking forward to getting up early.”

“You never look forward to getting up early,” Spitfire mumbled under her breath, and Soarin’ snickered.

“Anyways, it was great meeting you, Dash!” Fleetfoot continued. If she heard them, she didn’t act like it. “Maybe if you come to one of our events sometime we could all hang out again.”

“That would be really cool,” Dash agreed. Getting invited to hang out backstage with the Wonderbolts at one of their shows? Dash felt like pinching herself, but at the same time if this was a dream, she never wanted to wake up from it.

Spitfire was the only one who was still sitting at the table, just across from Dash. “You guys go ahead, I’ll get the tab and catch up with you later,” Spitfire said, receiving nods from the rest of the Wonderbolts as she dropped a small pouch of bits on the table, before walking toward the restaurants balcony.

Spitfire stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Well, are you coming, or not?”

Dash stood up. “Oh! Yeah, sure!” Trotting to catch up to Spitfire, Dash glanced back over her shoulder at the other Wonderbolts as they left the restaurant. “So what are we doing?”

Spitfire spread her wings. “I was wondering if you’d be up for a bit of late night flying. I want to see a bit more of you in action.”

Spitfire’s words made Dash break into an wide smile, and her wings twitched with anticipation. “Are you kidding? I’m always down for a bit of flying!”

A slightly sinister smirk spread across Spitfire’s face. “Alright.” Spitfire stepped onto the balcony railing, giving her wings an experimental flap. “Try and keep up!”

Spitfire leaned to the side and fell off the railing. Dash raced up to the edge of it, only to see the Wonderbolt burst through a cloud as she came back up in front of her. A smile found its way on Dash’s face. Climbing onto the railing, Dash wobbled, almost falling forwards off of it. Once she found her balance, she crouched down on the railing, and jumped off the edge of the balcony. As she flew towards Spitfire, the other mare turned and began to dart away from her.

Dash followed her. She let Spitfire set the pace, and tumbled through clouds after her. They flew under a rainbow arcing over the Cloudsdale weather factory. All its colors were dim and subdued, but sparkled under the star and moon light like millions of gemstones on display.

As they flew over another building, Dash decided it was her turn. Accelerating ahead, Dash passed by Spitfire, letting out a holler. “Try to keep up!” Dash called back to her, taking the lead as she snickered at the surprised look on Spitfire’s face.

Spitfire’s eyes narrowed and a grin split across her face as she chased after Dash’s chromatic trail. They jostled back and forth, switching between leading and following, and soared all over Cloudsdale, laughing like a pair of fillies at play.

After some time, Spitfire stopped atop a cloud on the edge of the floating city. Dash landed beside her. The whole city was a royal blue, the young night sky reflected by the water vapour that made up the buildings and seldom-used walkways of Cloudsdale.

“It’s getting pretty late,” Spitfire stated, “and the others are probably wondering why I’m not back yet.” Spitfire held out her hoof. “I haven’t had that much fun flying in a while, thanks for that.”

Dash grinned. “Anytime,” she said as she bumped Spitfire’s hoof. “It was a blast. I can’t even begin to tell you how cool it was to hang out with you guys.” Dash turned away from Spitfire, kicking a corner of the cloud they stood on. “And what you said back at the market, it really helped. So, uh, thanks for that.”

“No problem,” Spitfire replied.

A comfortable silence passed between them, broken by the occasional howl of the wind. They stood on that cloud, both having said their goodbyes, yet reluctant to leave just yet.

“You know...” Spitfire finally said.

“Yeah?” Dash asked, failing to veil her enthusiasm.

“If I ever find myself in the same skies as you again, I wouldn’t mind going for another flight like this.” Spitfire chuckled and looked up at the sky. “Maybe when it’s not so dark out.”

“Yeah,” Dash agreed, “That’d be great.”

“I’ll check our schedule and see when the next time we go near Ponyville is.” Spitfire took to a hover in front of Dash. “Catch you later, Dash!”

Spitfire turned and flew away, leaving Dash standing on the cloud and looking at the night sky. Up in Cloudsdale, above the clouds, the stars were pristine and beautiful. They seemed bigger and brighter than any other time Dash had looked upon them. She had to resist the urge to raise a hoof up and try to touch them.

The stars reminded her of Twilight, and the night they had spent beneath them, laying on a field of grass side by side, watching them. The cloud she stood on suddenly seemed lonesome, and the night air more frigid than she remembered.

Dash spread her wings and flew back to the hotel.

Twilight was lying in bed half asleep, waiting for her marefriend to get back. It was much later than when Dash said she’d be back, but Twilight couldn’t begrudge her for wanting to spend more time with the Wonderbolts, knowing how much it meant to her.

The sound of a door closing reached Twilight’s ears, and she sat up in the bed to see Dash. She looked slightly worn out, but she also had a huge smile on her face.

"Did you have fun?" Twilight asked in a sleepy voice.

"Yeah." Dash walked up to Twilight, a soft smile on her lips, and wrapped her hooves around Twilight.

"So back to Ponyville then?" Twilight asked as they parted, looking back at her marefriend.

"Yeah," Dash answered. "As much fun as I had up here, I miss our friends."

Twilight nodded. She turned and looked out the window with concern. "Yeah... me too." Twilight felt a wing wrap around her, and turned to see Dash standing beside her looking out the window with her.

"We'll tell them together. There's nothing to worry about," Dash reassured her. Her wing gently stroking Twilight’s coat.

"I hope you're right."

Chapter 12: Crepuscular Rays

Crepuscular Rays

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Rainbow Dash landed on the ground in front of the library, panting heavily. It was late, the sky had faded to cerulean blue, and stars were beginning to appear. Twilight carefully avoided knocking over Dash's saddlebags as she slid off her back. The second she was off, Dash's legs gave out and she collapsed on the ground, face planting into the dirt.

"You were tired enough after the trip there, what in Equestria made you think it would be a good idea to go back with a saddle bag stuffed with Wonderbolts paraphernalia?" Twilight asked, shaking her head.

"It was... worth it!" Dash wheezed in between gasps for air. The purple glow of Twilight’s magic picked her up, and her body hung limply in its grip. Twilight draped Rainbow Dash over her back, struggling under the combined weight of Dash and her stuffed saddlebags.

"I really hope that me dragging you home after you overwork yourself doesn’t become a regular occurrence," Twilight ground out. She could only take tiny steps as she hauled the dead-weight mare around.

"I kind of like riding you," Dash joked in between deep breaths. "You're comfy."

Twilight blushed, sputtering out a reply, "D-Dash! Watch how you word things!"

"That was sort of the whole point." Dash snickered, and wrapped her hooves loosely around Twilight's neck.

"If I had a couch, you would be sleeping on it tonight," Twilight said with a huff, opening the door and bringing the exhausted mare inside.

"A couch would actually be really nice right now," Dash mumbled with her face buried in Twilight’s mane.

Sighing in relief, Twilight allowed herself a small smile as she walked to the loft, aching to get a good night’s sleep. She looked back at Dash and saw the pegasus smiling as well.

“It’s nice to be back, isn’t it?” Dash commented.

Twilight placed Dash’s bags by the door, and replied, “It is.”

“It’s great to be back! Woo!” Dash hollered, laughing and squeezing her.

Twilight’s smile grew, and she found herself laughing with Dash as she carried the pegasus upstairs to the loft. Twilight gently floated her into bed, before joining her. Even though her bed wasn’t as nice as the one at the hotel, at that moment it was the most comfortable thing she had ever lain down on.

She turned to Dash. "So how did the award ceremony go for the competition? Did you talk to Princess Celestia at all?"

Dash's hooves fidgeted under the blankets. "Yeah, I guess you could say she spoke to me," she answered, while avoiding the other mare's gaze. "She may have caught on that we're dating."

The color drained from Twilight’s face. "Princess Celestia knows!?" she screamed, sitting up.

Dash placed a hoof on her chest, pushing her to lie back down. "Whoa, calm down," Dash said, trying to halt Twilight's panic attack. "She seemed to be alright with it. She said she was happy you were learning about 'more than just friendship.'"

Twilight calmed down slightly, her heart no longer racing. “But how did she figure it out so easily? What does she think of us dating?” she asked. “Are you sure she was happy with it?”

“Of course,” Dash replied. "She seemed really happy about it. In fact, she wanted you to write to her sometime about it."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "About... us?" she asked, hesitantly.

"Yeah. About what you've learned from being with me."

Twilight closed her eyes and let out a long whine. “This is way too much to think about right now! I have enough to worry about with us telling our friends about our relationship tomorrow!” Twilight opened her eyes and looked over at Dash. “Can we tell them some other time?”

“Come on, Twilight. It won’t be that bad and it won’t even take very long.” Dash reached across the bed and touched her shoulder, giving it a comforting rub. “Just put this letter thing out of your head for now. You can write it any time.”

Twilight looked into Dash’s eyes, seeing nothing but honesty and warmth. Twilight scooted closer to Dash and wrapped her hooves around her, resting her head against Dash’s chest, but she was clinging to the pegasus as though she were hanging on for her life.

"Just promise when we tell them tomorrow," Twilight said, rubbing her cheek against Dash's chest. "Whatever happens won't change what we have right now."

Dash's eyes softened as she looked down at Twilight burying her head against her chest. She wrapped her hooves around the mare, squeezing back.

"Nothing can change what we have," Dash reassured her, rubbing Twilight's back in small circles.

Twilight held Dash, and despite her worries, a small content smile crept onto her lips. Every time she imagined telling their friends about them, all she could imagine was them leaving her, and her having to be forced to choose between them, or Dash. Worse yet, she sometimes imagined Dash having to choose between her or them, and she’d imagine the pegasus walking away with the rest of her friends, leaving her alone again. She didn’t really think it would happen, but it didn't stop her pessimistic side from imagining it.

Dash’s chest rose and fell rhythmically. Twilight could hear the sound of her even breathing, and with her ear against Dash’s chest, she could hear the sound of her heart beating. Twilight’s eyes drooped as she listened to the calm, steady noises.

She held onto Dash as she slept that night.

Spitfire let out a frustrated sigh. She was in the Cloudiseum with the Wonderbolts, practicing, and she had been sloppy on her turns all practice long. It was obvious the rest of the team were wondering why she was flying so poorly, but thankfully none of them had brought it up with her yet.

And then Soarin’ landed next to her.

"Man, you weren’t lookin’ good up there. What gives?" Soarin’ knew her well enough that he wasn't afraid to be blunt with her, unfortunately. "I swear at the end of that blunderbuss I thought you were going to collide with me for a sec!"

"It's nothing. I've just been distracted lately." Spitfire couldn't help but picture a sky blue pegasus with dark pink eyes. She shook her head, trying to get the picture out of her mind.

"I'm just a little worried, you know? I mean, if it's starting to affect practice you're going to have to do something about it." Soarin' tapped a hoof to his chin for a moment, and paused, sniffing the air. "Hey, do you smell pie? 'Cause I swear I smell some apple pie."

"I think they have some in the cafeteria," Spitfire mentioned with a faint smile, as Soarin's head snapped towards that direction. "As for practice today, I'll get it under control and be back to top form in no time. Don't worry about it."

She followed alongside her eager friend as he dashed to the cafeteria. Although she had said she would get it under control, she didn't have a clue how. For the past day, the amazing mare who had performed a sonic rainboom at the Best Young Flier competition was all she could think about.

Twilight stood over her desk, staring at the same three words that she had been looking at for the past half hour.

Dear Princess Celestia,

She never had an issue with writer’s block before. She had always been able to force her way through it, or avoid it, but when it came to writing a letter to the princess about the time spent with her marefriend, she didn't have a clue what to write about, or even how to start the letter. Taking a deep breath and collecting her thoughts, she tried to think of an appropriate way to start the first sentence.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Since being with Rainbow Dash I have learned

Her mind drew another blank. She stared at the letter for another ten minutes, agonizing over the few words she had written. Would it be better to start with a metaphor of some kind? she thought, wondering if she should start with something more powerful. She abruptly threw her hooves up, let out a scream of frustration, and marched away from the writing desk. Rainbow Dash was lying down on a carpet nearby, watching with an amused expression.

"So how's that letter going?"

"Terrible! I've barely written anything!" Twilight shouted, pouring herself a glass of water. "I was hoping to finish it before our friends came over."

The pegasus on the carpet rolled over to look at the clock. She had gone out and asked all their friends to come over to the library, and they were due to arrive in just a few moments.

"Don't sweat it too much, Twi. I told you you should just wait until later. I'm sure the Princess would want you to take your time and write something good."

Taking a gulp of cool water as she listened to Dash, Twilight let out a sigh and set her cup down.

"You're right,” Twilight said. “Besides, it was silly of me to think I would be able to concentrate on writing with this... announcement coming up." She spoke the word with dread, finishing the rest of her water in one big gulp.

“You just need to relax, Twi. Things are going to be fine, you’ll see.”

The moment Dash finished talking, a knock came from the door. Twilight whipped her head around to look at it, freezing in fear. Her mind raced a mile a minute, wondering which one it would be. Dash got up and walked over to answer the door, seeing as Twilight was frozen stiff. An orange pony with her signature hat greeted her.

"Howdy!" Applejack said, taking a step inside and looking around the library. "Am Ah the first one here?"

"Yeah, the others should be showing up soon though," Dash replied, as Applejack shut the door behind her.

"Don't suppose y'all could clue me in on what this here's about?"

Dash glanced over at Twilight. Applejack followed her gaze, noticing Twilight for the first time. She was easy to miss, considering she was practically hiding in a corner by the kitchen. She had a nervous smile plastered on her face as she gave Applejack a meek wave.

“She okay?” Applejack whispered to Dash, jabbing in Twilight’s direction.

"Yeah, she’s fine! Me and Twilight—" Dash began, but was interrupted by a knocking at the door. "Hold on, let me get that," she said, trotting back over to the door.

It opened to reveal Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. "Awesome! Everypony's here!” Dash flew to the center of the library, hovering just a few feet off the ground. “Anyway, what Twilight and I gathered you here to tell you..." Dash trailed off, seeing Pinkie with her hoof up in the air like some school filly waiting to ask a question. Dash let out a frustrated sigh at being interrupted for a second time now. "Yes, Pinkie?"

"Where is Twilight anyway?"

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash blinked and looked around the small library, unable to spot the mare in question.

Spitfire walked through the market, trying to figure out a way to deal with the distraction her crush on Rainbow Dash was causing. Maybe if she met with Dash again, she would get a better idea of what her feelings were towards her, and she could go back to having normal practices. She was brought out of her musings as she accidentally bumped into somepony, and realized it was one of the three jocks that had been bullying Dash. The jock had ignored bumping into her, simply continuing to walk and chat with his two buddies through the market.

"Hey!" Spitfire said, turning to catch up to the jocks.

They stopped and looked back at her. She hated to go to them for help, considering how they had been mean to Dash, but she needed information.

"Do you guys know where I can find Rainbow Dash?"

"No way! Are you Spitfire?" the tall, light colored pony asked, gawking at her.

"The one and only," she replied curtly. Thankfully the pony with the dumbbell cutie mark seemed to notice the urgency in her voice, and answered her.

"She lives down in Ponyville. I think she’s a weatherpony there, or something."

Spitfire turned to leave, but the jock called out after her, "wait, why did you want to know?"

Spitfire opened her mouth to answer. "I...” She hesitated for a moment. “...I don't know," she answered before turning to walk away.

"I can't believe her!" Rainbow Dash flew back and forth in the library, restlessly. "After all this, she ditches at the last second!?"

Her friends watched her pacing from the sideline, sharing confused looks.

"Well, are we... supposed to go after her?" Rarity asked, cautious not to have the storming mare’s anger directed at her.

"Of course we're supposed to go after her!" Rainbow Dash snapped at Rarity, making the mare flinch. Dash realized she was getting too worked up, and yelling at her friends who had done nothing wrong.

"I'm sorry Rarity, it isn't you I'm mad at." She landed on the ground and turned to address all of her friends. "The mare I am mad at is missing. And we need to go find her so I can give her a piece of my mind!" Dash began to pace back and forth in front of them, giving out instructions.

"First, let’s look for her in town. Fluttershy and I will fly above to get a birds eye view. Meanwhile, you three look for her in shops and ask around to see if anyone’s seen her." Her instructions rang out like a drill sergeant's. Her friends were all lined up in front of her, standing at attention, and giving her a mock salute.

Dash narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing each of them. “We’re going to be fast, and be back her with Twilight’s sorry rear before sundown. Is that understood?”

They gave her a stern nod in reply.

"Then move out!" Dash ordered. The five of them charged out of the library to begin searching.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash took to the sky overhead, searching the alleyways, streets, and fields. Applejack stopped ponies on the street to ask if they had seen Twilight, while Rarity and Pinkie Pie ran into various shops and buildings looking for her.

It didn't take long for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to sweep all of Ponyville, only to find no trace of their friend. Dash took to flying in the sky above the earthbound search party, watching them question ponies on the street and look inside buildings. It was looking more and more like Twilight had run away from Ponyville.

As the search dragged on, and the sun became lower and lower, Rainbow Dash's anger turned to worry. There was no questioning Twilight's magical prowess. If Twilight didn't want to be found, then there was probably no way they would be able to find her.

Dash hovered in the sky, racking her brain to try and think of where the mare had gone. She glanced to the Everfree Forest with concern. It was sundown, and she wasn’t willing to drag her friends to venture into the forest so close to night time just on the off chance that Twilight was in there.

Fluttershy flew up beside her. "I'm sorry Dash. I looked and looked, but I couldn't find her anywhere.”

Rainbow Dash looked up at the sky fading to night, and Fluttershy, who was watching her, followed her gaze.

"I'm glad there's a full moon tonight," Dash commented, as the two ponies stared up at the sky. "I hope wherever she is the light from it keeps her safe."

Fluttershy glanced at her friend, and saw silent tears trickling out of the corner of Dash's eyes as she gazed up at the moon. Dash noticed her staring, and wiped her tears away with a hoof.

Meanwhile on the ground, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie were gathered around talking to one another, and it seemed they were done with their search.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew down and landed next to them.

"Anything?" Dash asked hopefully.

Her friends looked at her sadly, and simply shook their heads. Dash looked up to the sky. The sun was gone, and stars were appearing all over the navy blue canvas above. Dash let out a sigh and looked at the grass beneath her dissapointedly.

Grass.

Dash's eyes lit up as she gasped, and all her friends whipped around to look at her in question.

"I think I know where she is!" Dash turned and began running on the ground—there was no time to explain. Her friends all ran after her, following her to wherever it was she was going.

Twilight looked at the stars, searching for answers, but finding none. She had lain on the grassy field looking at the sky for hours, wishing the Princesses’ sky would give her some guidance. Her life had been so simple before. She spent all day poring over books and dusty old tomes, accruing knowledge and learning magic. Things weren't nearly as chaotic, things didn't move as fast, and things didn't nearly make her feel so much emotion.

Maybe this was just what living life is about. She had always been told she should go live life more by other unicorns and scholars she had met while studying. Now that she was, all the uncertainty and confusion frightened her, and with how fast everything had been moving recently she had just needed to get away from it all.

So she ran away, leaving all of her friends and her marefriend with no explanation. She felt bad about that; no doubt Rainbow Dash would be upset, worried, and probably mad at her.

She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of hoofsteps near her. She got up and turned to see all four of her friends—and Dash—standing in front of her and panting, looking at her with worry. A lump formed in her throat.

"I'm sorry I..." Twilight began, but she paused. What was there that she could she say to them? "I don't know what to say..." she finished, hanging her head in shame.

"Wow Dashie," Pinkie Pie interjected. "How did you know she would be in this big ol' empty field?"

"Well I—"

"Because this is where we had our first kiss," Twilight interrupted, causing all their friends to look at the two in shock.

The sun was disappearing at the end of a long day of practice, and Spitfire had botched yet another day of practice with her wandering thoughts. She sighed with disappointment in herself as Soarin' approached her. She already knew exactly what it was he was going to say.

"Listen Spitfire, this is really starting to—"

"I know," Spitfire said, cutting him off. "I need to take a break and go do something before I can get back to flying."

Soarin' backed up in surprise. "Whoa, hey, you don't have to—"

"Tell Fleetfoot she's in charge while I'm gone," she said, cutting him off once again. "I'm going to come back in top form. I just need to do something first." Soarin' looked sadly at Spitfire; he could tell from how his longtime friend was speaking that she would be gone for a while. Spitfire turned to walk away. She didn't want the rest of the Wonderbolts to see her like this.

"What do you need to do?" Soarin' asked with a hint of sadness in his voice. Spitfire stopped, and turned to look over her shoulder.

"I don't know... but I think I'll figure it out in Ponyville." With that final answer, she turned and flew away.

Chapter 13: The Peer Response

The Peer Response

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Crickets chirped in the night, and, for a moment, that was the only sound in the grassy field that the six ponies stood in. Twilight looked around at her friends, anxiously waiting for one of them to speak. They were silent, their mouths hanging open in shock, as Dash walked to stand by Twilight’s side.

“Erm, did Ah hear you right?” Applejack asked, adjusting her hat. "This here isn’t one of Dash's pranks, is it?"

"No, it's not." Dash huffed in annoyance. She turned and kissed Twilight on the cheek as a show of proof to their friends.

Twilight blushed in embarrassment, but didn’t made any move to stop her.

"Twilight and I are dating," Dash said slowly, making eye contact with each of them.

Rarity stepped forward with a broad smile on her face. "That's wonderful news darling! Oh, I'm so happy for you two!"

Twilight blinked in surprise as Rarity walked up to her and gave her a warm hug. “You are?”

Rarity ignored her and cupped her cheek. “Of course.” She paused and glanced at Rainbow Dash. "Oh and you two are so adorable together as well!" Rarity said, breaking the embrace and giving Twilight a sincere smile.

Pinkie Pie bounded up to Dash and threw a hoof around her shoulders. "Congrats Dash!” she shouted right next to the pegasus’ ear. “You know, I always secretly thought you batted for the other team!"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing! I think it's super fantastic you and Twilight are together. I mean, it makes sense since you're already such good friends! You know, I never thought about dating another mare. What's it like?"

Dash gave Pinkie Pie a queer look, but she was saved from having to answer by Twilight.

"Fluttershy?... Applejack?" Twilight asked hesitantly, seeing how the two of them had stayed quiet throughout the whole thing.

“So you two together, huh?” Applejack adjusted her hat down over her eyes. “That’s, erm... definitely somethin’ there.”

Fluttershy looked at the ground, avoiding Twilight's gaze. "I'm happy for you two, I guess. It's just sort of strange." Fluttershy gave Twilight a sidelong glance, winced from the hurt expression Twilight had. "I'm sorry, Twilight. I just find filly-foolers weird."

Rarity turned to Fluttershy and her eyes narrowed. "Fluttershy, that is a completely inappropriate way to describe two mares in a relationship! I never would have thought you of all ponies would be so—"

"That's enough, Rarity!" Twilight shouted, halting her friend. "Listen, I don't want this to cause any divides in our friendship. I was so worried about breaking up our friendship when we told you all about this—in fact, that's why I ran away in the first place! I was so worried about losing my friends over this, that I just ran away." Twilight gave all her friends a pleading look. "Can we please not let whatever differences we have come between us?"

"Ah'll try to Twilight,” Applejack said, taking off her hat and placing it over her heart. “It's just that two mares together ain't natural. The biology doesn't add up and whatnot." She reached out to rest a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. "It don't bother me enough for us to stop being friends," she said, and Fluttershy nodded in agreement beside her.

"Yeah, well it bothers me that you think it's wrong!" Rainbow Dash interjected. She gave Applejack and Fluttershy a dirty look. "I can't believe you two! Out of everypony, I was so sure you two would be accepting of us! I've known you both longer than anyone else in Ponyville!"

Twilight placed a hoof on Dash’s chest. "Dash, please—"

“Listen, Rainbow, it’s not like we’re gonna object to you two being together,” Applejack said as she fixed Dash with a stern look. “We’re just doin’ the honest thing, and that’s voicin’ the fact that this is a lot to take in, and that it sits us a bit on the edge of our saddles.”

“Edge of what saddle?” Dash barked, pushing against the hoof Twilight had on her chest. “What kind of a friend wouldn’t be happy for us?”

Applejack recoiled as though struck. “I...”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. You’re supposed to be honest.” Dash crossed her hooves in front of her chest, and looked at Applejack in disappointment. “But what about being loyal. I thought you were that, too.”

Applejack opened and closed her mouth several times, but no words came out so she simply closed her mouth and swallowed.

"I'm sorry Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said, her voice and gaze softening. “I just don't think I can accept this." She turned back to Fluttershy and Applejack, and her eyes narrowed. "I need to leave before I say or do something I'll regret later." Dash took off before Twilight could say anything, and flew to the library to cool off.

The five of them stood there, a silent void filling the air after Dash left, and they all glanced at each other, none of them exactly sure what to say.

Fluttershy hesitantly broke the silence. "I'm sorry," she said, her eyes still glued to the same patch of grass on the ground. "I'll... I’ll try to get used to the idea of you two being together, but I might struggle with it for a little while."

“Ah guess Ah know now who that apple dinner I made Rainbow was for,” Applejack said. “Ah still hope you two enjoyed it, regardless.”

“We did,” Twilight said, trying to give her friend a reassuring smile. “Thank you.”

"Ah think we should just go, Fluttershy,” Applejack said somberly as she stepped up beside the pegasus. “Twilight should probably get goin’ after Dash."

“Listen, I’m really sorry about the way she acted,” Twilight said.

“No need to apologize, hun. I know how she can be sometimes.” Applejack gave Twilight a weak smile. “You two take care now,” she said, turning and walking away.

Fluttershy gave one last apologetic glance at Twilight, before leaving with Applejack.

Rarity walked over to Twilight’s side. "I'm dreadfully sorry things turned out the way they did,” she said sincerely, “but know that you and Rainbow have my support."

Twilight sighed. "It's alright Rarity. I prepared myself for the worst." She looked up at the night sky. "I'm sorry I made you all chase me around, but it's late now, and we should all probably just head home."

Rarity nodded in agreement. She and Pinkie bid Twilight farewell and walked home, leaving the Unicorn in the grassy field with only the moon and stars to accompany her.

Although she knew it was far from over, she was glad the night was coming to a close. The backs of her friends disappeared over the hills back towards town, and Twilight sighed as she tried to think of what to do about Dash.

With the day not getting any younger, Twilight glanced back down the hill to the Library; Dash was still waiting for her, and Twilight had no doubts that the pegasus would still be upset by the time she got there. Letting out a sigh, she began trotting back to the library, hoping Dash would be alright after the whole catastrophe.

Spitfire sat in a pegasus-drawn carriage on the way to Ponyville. A few suitcases full of luggage and a saddlebag sat opposite her. It was a bit foolish doing all this for a crush, but the title 'Captain of the Wonderbolts' came with more bits than she knew what to do with, so a vacation wasn't exactly burning a hole in her pocket. If nothing else, she might learn something about flying from the mare she came here to find.

The worst part about chasing the crush, aside from the Wonderbolts practices she ruined and the spontaneous leave she took, was that Twilight was already with Rainbow Dash. There wasn’t room for her, and she didn’t know what she was thinking. When Rainbow Dash had been with Twilight after the competition, she had seen the way the two were together. She honestly wanted to see the two of them happy together, and it left her conflicted.

The carriage jolted, bringing Spitfire out of her thoughts. Glancing out the window, she saw the cottage she would be staying in. She grabbed the lantern next to her on the seat, and opened the door to the carriage to take a better look at the house. It was built in the same style the rest of the Ponyville houses were, with straw thatched roofing stretching over its two story tall white-washed walls.

The two pegasi who were pulling the carriage grabbed her things from the back trunk and brought them to the door of the house. Spitfire nodded her thanks as they placed her things on the doorstep.

Tentatively, she opened the front door and stepped inside. The door opened right up to the living room, which had an open kitchen off to the right. The house wasn't as big or great as she was used to, but it was good in its own quaint way. Walking over to the living room fireplace, she placed a few logs on it and struck a match to light it.

She was already beginning to like her stay in Ponyville.

Twilight opened the library door to see that the place had grown dark and cold in her absence. She could faintly see Rainbow Dash across the room lying on a couch with her hooves crossed, glaring daggers at an arbitrarily chosen spot on the wall.

"I'm starting to think you were right, that we shouldn't have told them." Rainbow Dash didn't look at Twilight. Her hairs bristled, and her stare was fixed on the bookshelf in front of her.

Twilight trotted over to the fireplace and levitated a pair of logs into it. Her horn glowed with magic, illuminating the room for a moment and setting the logs ablaze. She stood in front of the fireplace, letting out a relaxed sigh as the warmth spread through her. "You were right originally, Dash." She stared at the flames as she spoke.

Dash was turned away from her, and Twilight could tell she was trying to avoid directing any of her anger at her.

Twilight’s horn glowed as she lit a few candles around the room, trying to usher the dark out. "Not telling them wasn't really an option if we wanted to still be their friends and still continue to be together."

"I know, but I just can't believe that Fluttershy and Applejack of all ponies! I trusted those two the most!" Dash's voice lost some of its bite, replaced by sadness. "I thought they were my friends. And I thought they would be accepting of us being together."

"They’re still your friends, Rainbow. They're just a little weirded out at the moment by our confession. How would you feel if you suddenly found out Rarity and Pinkie Pie were together?"

“Rarity and Pinkie Pie?” Dash asked, and snorted. “Now that would be weird.”

Twilight left the fireplace, and went to the couch where Dash was on her back, looking up at the ceiling. She lay down next to her and wrapped her hooves around Dash's side as she closed her eyes and rested her head on Dash's shoulder. "Fluttershy and Applejack both said it wasn't going to stop them from being our friends."

"I know, but that doesn't mean their reaction won't stop me from not being their friends."

Twilight's eyes opened, and she sat up to look at Dash. "Dash, you can't possibly mean that!"

Dash's ears flattened against her head and she looked away from the other pony. "Maybe, maybe not," she replied. "I can tell you one thing for sure: if I do decide to forgive them, it won't be any time soon."

"Just please promise me you'll try," Twilight asked, giving Dash a pleading look.

Dash let out a reluctant sigh. "Fine."

Twilight beamed at her, gave her a kiss on the cheek thanking her, and cuddled against her side. The two watched the fireplace from the couch, listening to the sounds of the firewood crackling as it burned.

"Hey, Twilight?"

"Yes, Dash?"

"I thought you said you didn't have a couch?"

Twilight's eyes opened, and she blinked at Dash. "Oh. Well, yesterday got me thinking, and I decided to get one," she answered, nuzzling back into Dash's shoulder and closing her eyes again.

"I'm glad you did. It's comfy." Dash prodded the cushions, testing just how much her hoof sank into them. She let out a relaxed sigh, sinking into the couch as she wrapped a hoof around the mare clinging to her side. "In fact, let's just spend tonight right here. Like this."

Twilight nodded as she closed her eyes once more, nuzzling her cheek against Dash’s shoulder.

Spitfire lay awake in her bed despite having spent hours trying to sleep. She kept on replaying the memory she had of Rainbow Dash blowing away the Best Young Flier competition. The mare had seemed cool enough when they had talked. Spitfire had given her a small confidence boosting speech she gave reporters each time she was asked if she got nervous while performing.

She couldn't help but feel that Wonderbolts practice was hollow and empty after that show. As though the flight team was stuck at a ceiling, unable to advance any further. A gut instinct she had told her Rainbow Dash would be the answer to breaking through that ceiling.

The fact that Rainbow Dash was downright hot helped her attraction to the mare, too.

Spitfire closed her eyes again, trying to get at least some sleep. She had to go find Dash tomorrow, after all.

Chapter 15: A New Bridge

A New Bridge

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Rainbow Dash landed outside the Ponyville Weather Center with time to spare, brushing off the last of the crumbs from her lunch with Twilight and running a hoof through her mane.

Ditzy Doo landed on the ground beside her with a small, cheerful smile on her lips. “So why was that pony from earlier trying to find you? I don’t think I’ve seen her around Ponyville before,” she asked, bouncing back and forth on her hooves.

Dash felt a smirk creep onto her lips as they walked at a steady trot to the Weather Center. “Oh, her? Her name’s Spitfire. You might have heard about her.”

Ditzy gasped and leaned in close, briefly floating with her wings. “The Spitfire? You know the captain of the Wonderbolts?” she hissed.

Dash wore a smug grin. “Yeah, only for a little while now,” she said with false modesty. “I met her at the Best Young Flier competition.”

“Isn’t the Wonderbolts stadium in Canterlot? What’s she doing in Ponyville?” Ditzy asked as they passed through the weather building doors.

Rainbow Dash held her head high as she stepped inside. "Oh, why, just to learn a trick from me of course!"

Reaching a hoof up, Ditzy Doo scratched the top of her head. “Why would she do that alone?”

“Huh, what do you mean?” Dash asked, her grin fading.

“Well,” Ditzy began, walking down the hall to the changing room. “Don’t you think they’d ask you to go to canterlot so you can teach all of them? Or all of them would take a trip here to ask?” Ditzy Doo shrugged. “I mean, they do all their tricks together, so it just seems weird that she’s out here by herself.”

“Uh, well, my final trick really wowed the audience at the Best Young Flier competition. So it makes sense she’d be willing to come out to Ponyville to try and convince me to teach it to her.” Dash shuffled her wings and her brow furrowed as they walked over to the Weather Center. “And it would make sense for the captain to do this sort of stuff, right? The others are probably just back in Canterlot, training while she, like, manages stuff.”

They went inside the changing room and Ditzy tilted her head to the side with a small frown. “Should you really be teaching her your trick then?”

“Huh?” Dash blinked, stepping up to her locker. “Why wouldn’t I? It’s a chance to impress the captain of the Wonderbolts,” she said, stressing her words.

“Well...” Ditzy said, wriggling into her weather pegasi outfit. “If your trick was good enough to impress Spitfire, maybe you should just keep it for yourself.”

“Ugh,” Dash said, letting out a groan, her wings sagging. “Not you too! That’s the same thing Twilight said when I told her about it!”

Ditzy hopped down the corridor away from Dash with a giggle. “Well, if two ponies give you the same advice, maybe you should take it!”

Rainbow Dash turned back to her locker and put on her weather vest, stepping back out into the hallway as ponies ran past her to work. She arched her back and stretched, tilting her head side to side and mumbling to herself as she walked out the door, “Clouds don’t move themselves.”

Twilight trudged through the library and collapsed on the couch with a sigh. Sitting down and talking to Dash over lunch had only been a temporary getaway from boredom, and she already missed having the other mare’s wing wrapped around her, comforting her. She had been alone at the library many times before, poring through books and comparing different works, but ever since Dash started showing up, the Library had begun to seem boring when she wasn’t around.

She needed something to do, since Dash spent a lot of her days working with the weather ponies, or flying.

Flying. The word lingered in Twilight’s head and her eyes drifted to the door leading to the basement. Standing up, she walked towards the basement door in a trance-like state and gave it a gentle push.

The door creaked as it opened, the smell of stale air wafting towards her as she levitated the lantern next to the door off its hook. It flared brightly as she lit it with her magic, its brass cage dusty, and the oil in it old.

Twilight walked down the steps, holding the lantern out in front of her and taking note of the cobwebs gathering on the lab equipment and on the twisted branches that wove around the edges of the room.

Reaching the bottom of the steps, Twilight lifted her lantern, shining it on the deer skeleton she’d left down there. It seemed to stare back at her through its hollow eye sockets.

Her eyes drifted to a nearby shelf lined with scrolls. She pulled two of them off the shelf, remembering exactly which one held her notes, and walked back upstairs, leaving the skeleton for now. Seeing as her last attempt had been such a failure, she decided she’d have to study more before attempting the spell again.

Rainbow Dash let out a grunt and pushed the last cloud into place, finishing up for the day. She flew down to the weather center, eager to clock out, take off her vest, and head back to the library. As Dash was walking to the lockers, Ditzy popped up beside her and fell in step with her.

“Hey, Dash! Are you going to go meet up with Spitfire now?” Ditzy asked as Dash turned and stepped into the changing room.

“Nah, we aren’t supposed to meet up until later. I’m going over to Twilight’s first.” Dash wriggled out of her vest and hung it up on a hook, giving her body a good shake to get rid of the stuffy feeling the weather vest had left.

Beside Dash, Ditzy took her vest off and paused with it in her mouth, her eyes drifting apart as she put a hoof to her chin. “Izn’t that the librarian?” she asked, her voice muffled by the fabric in her mouth.

Yeah,” Dash answered. She rubbed the back of her neck, chewing on her lip. “She’s kinda my marefriend.”

Ditzy was hanging up her vest when she stopped and it fell from her mouth. “Oh, I had no idea!” she said, flashing Dash a warm smile.

“Wait, you’re happy for me?” Dash asked, blinking. She returned the smile Ditzy was giving her, her lips tugging up in a sincere smile. “Uh, I mean, thanks,” she rubbed the back of her head with a small blush on her cheeks and chuckled. “I don’t know why that surprises me.”

Ditzy tilted her head and gave Dash a confused look. “I’d be a pretty lousy friend if I wasn’t.”

“Uh, yeah...” Dash said, her smile fading slightly. “I guess so.”

“Well, I really need to get to my other job,” Ditzy said, picking up the vest she dropped and hanging it up. She turned and waved back at Dash as she trotted to the door. “I’ll talk to you later!”

Dash closed her locker for a moment and glanced around the empty locker room, her eyes resting on the door. A part of her was tempted to stop by Sweet Apple Acres and see if Applejack was busy, but in the end, she shot the idea down; she didn’t have much time until she was supposed to meet Spitfire, and Twilight was waiting for her at home. Dash chuckled to herself, wondering when she’d started thinking of the old library tree as home.

She walked out of the empty locker room and down the hallway to the front door, hesitating in the archway, before spreading her wings and taking off towards the library.

Her mind drifted to the meeting coming up between her and the Wonderbolts’ captain. She wanted to impress Spitfire, but a nagging voice in the back of her head kept saying she should listen to Twilight.

As the library came into sight, Dash put thoughts of her upcoming appointment out of her mind, deciding she’d cross that bridge when she came to it. She liked to think she was pretty good at winging things, anyways.

Dash opened the library’s front door, and was greeted by the sight of Twilight sitting at her desk, her quill writing furiously onto a parchment more than eight feet long that was covered in writing. Walking up behind her, Dash leaned down and looked at the stack of books reaching up to her chest that were lying on the floor by the desk

“‘Wing Aerodynamics, A Compendium of Flight?’” Dash said, reading the titles aloud.

Twilight jerked from her writing, noticing the pegasus for the first time. “Oh, it’s you, Dash! I didn’t hear you come in.”

“What are you reading up on flying so much for?” Dash asked, as she continued to move down the pile of books, reading the titles on their spines.

Twilight scribbled a few more words before placing her quill back in its holder and rolling the parchment up, sealing it with a ribbon and placing it next to two others like it on the desk. “I wanted to take more of an interest in your flying!”

Dash snorted and raised an eyebrow, her lips forming a thin line.

Seeing she wasn’t buying it, Twilight continued. “And there’s this incomplete spell I found that has details on how to grow wings and change the bones of a non-pegasus pony to allow flight. The original creator of the spell never could get the magic to work, but I think I might be able to.”

“Wait, wait, hold on.” Dash held her hoof out. “Magic that changes bones? Wouldn’t that sort of stuff be really dangerous?” she asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

Twilight looked away, biting her lip.

“Listen, Twilight, I don’t care if you’re a pegasus or not. You don’t have to do this for me—”

“I’m not,” Twilight said, cutting her off. “I know that flying is a big part of who you are, and I want to be able to experience that alongside you.”

But, Twilight,” Dash said, her voice slipping into a desperate tone. “You can just ride on my back! I don’t mind doing that at all! In fact, I kind of enjoyed it.” Twilight lifted the stack of books by the desk with her magic and let out a sigh as she placed each book back onto their respective shelves. “You know that’s just not the same. I promise I will be careful in how I go about doing this, but please...” Twilight clasped her hooves together and held her ears pressed against her head in a pleading look.

Dash felt her resolve crumbling and turned away, biting her lip.

“Please let me do this. When it comes to magic, I know what I’m doing.”

Dash peaked at her out of the corner of her eye and felt her resolve shatter. She let out a sigh. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid,” she said, pointing a hoof at Twilight, her voice firm. “Yeah, yeah, yeah—'you of all people telling me that Dash?'—still, I want you to promise me you won't do anything stupid.”

“I promise,” Twilight said almost immediately.

“Pinkie Pie swear?”

“Oh come on, that’s—” Twilight saw the glare Dash was giving her and cut herself off. She moaned, raising a hoof to go through the motions. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Seeing Dash nod, she put her hoof down and turned back to all the papers out on her desk that still needed to be put away.

Dash frowned, but got an idea as she crawled down under Twilight’s stomach.

“Dash! What are you doing?” Twilight asked in alarm as Dash stood, lifting Twilight’s hooves off the floor and carrying her on her back. “Wait! I still have papers to put away!” Twilight squeaked in alarm, laughing as Dash carried her to the couch.

"Nuh-uh. I've only got an hour before I have to go see Spitfire, and I want you to spend it with me, not your dusty old books." Dash leaned, letting Twilight slide off her back and fall onto the couch.

Twilight giggled as Dash hopped on the couch next to her and looked into her eyes, her rainbow mane cascading down the side of her neck, forming a curtain around them.

Dash leaned down and locked lips with Twilight. Her heart thumped in her chest and every hair on her body stood on end as Twilight’s hooves wrapped around her back, hugging Dash to her and arching her back.

Dash broke the kiss, resting her forehead against Twilight’s. She stared down into Twilight’s eyes, her hooves planted on either side of her head as they looked at each other breathlessly, trying to get their wind back after the kiss. Dash bent back down, spreading light kisses along the nape of Twilight’s neck, burying her nose in Twilight’s mane, which smelled of an odd mix of ink, papyrus, and field flowers. Twilight giggled at her ministrations and nuzzled a spot just behind Dash’s right ear.

Twilight closed her eyes and let out a relaxed sigh as she sunk into the couch. “I hope that never changes.”

Spitfire stood in front of the Ponyville Weather Center with her Wonderbolts flight suit on—minus the hood. The Weather Center had closed down for the night and everypony who worked there had left a while ago, aside from the occasional pony walking home past the center.

Hearing the sound of wing beats behind her, Spitfire turned to see Rainbow Dash touch down on the ground, looking at her with a sheepish grin.

“Sorry if I’m a bit late,” Dash said, smiling apologetically at her. “So... where do you want to start?”

“We could start with some stuff about you,” Spitfire said, gesturing to Dash.

“Stuff about me?” Dash asked, pointing to herself and glancing around. “Uh, sure... like what?”

“Well...” Spitfire trailed off, having not thought that far ahead. “I’m curious about what makes you like flying, and how you got to be so good at it.”

“I’m not that good at flying,” Dash said, grinning with a small blush on her face.

Spitfire snorted. “Modesty doesn’t suit you.”

“Yeah, but I’m supposed to at least try, right?”

“I suppose,” Spitfire chuckled. “When I saw you perform in Cloudsdale, you had an air of confidence I’ve never seen anypony fly with before. It was so...” Spitfire brought her hooves together, trying to put her tongue on the right word. “It was so natural and free, not rigid like all the other fliers I’ve seen.”

“I guess,” Dash said, shrugging. “I dunno, I’ve always sort of done my own thing when I’m flying.”

“Well...” Spitfire rubbed the back of her head, a small blush creeping onto her cheeks. “Could you show me?”

Dash’s smile grew into a wicked smirk, and out of nowhere, she shot up into the sky.

Spitfire stumbled back and stared up at where Dash had taken off like a rocket. Narrowing her eyes, she crouched and then took off into the evening sky.

She followed Dash’s trail up into the clouds and stopped when she saw her level out and begin to really fly. Dash was little more than a cyan blur, spinning and weaving through the clouds. Spitfire slowed to a hover to watch her dart and spin around amongst the clouds, laughing and smiling like a filly, playing without a care in the world.

Dash flew to her side, after one last dip down through a cloud. “Hey!” Dash shouted. “Why aren’t you doing anything?” Her smile glowed and she was still laughing from the natural euphoria she got from flying.

“You fly like this all the time?” Spitfire asked.

“Yeah,” Dash replied, giving her a sidelong look. She began to dive back towards the ground, Spitfire following. “Why?”

“It’s amazing!” Spitfire followed Dash as she dropped down to skim along the ground over a grassy field. “No wonder you flew so naturally at the competition!” Spitfire’s shouted over the wind rushing past them, excitement plainly glowing in her voice.

Dash rubbed the back of her head, wearing an ego stroked grin. “Thanks.”

Heat rose behind Spitfire’s ears. “Can you teach me how to fly like that?” she asked with a blush.

The grass toppled behind them from the gust of their wings as Dash looked back at her and nodded. “Follow me!” Dash shouted, pulling up as the field beneath them ended.

Spitfire followed, the two of them flying directly up into the sky. Once the ground was far below them, Dash pulled up even further. Spitfire imitated her and the two of them performed a sequenced loop—only, Dash spun as she performed hers, surprising Spitfire at the ease with which she pulled it off. Dash abruptly took a sharp turn away from Spitfire and Spitfire followed, trying to keep up, a smile tugging at her lips.

Dash’s wings were beginning to grow tired. The two of them had been flying for a while now and she glanced back at Spitfire, noticing the other mare’s wing beats also seemed to be getting strained. bursting through the cloud cover the weather team had been setting up earlier that day and landed on the clouds. She turned just to see the other pegasus fly through the hole and slow to a hover over the clouds.

Spitfire landed on the clouds in front of her, panting lightly. “I haven’t flown like that in years,” she said, lying down to catch her breath. “And you fly like that every day?”

“Only for a few hours—and not every day,” Dash replied. “Don’t you practice flying every day with the Wonderbolts?”

“Yeah, but it consists of practicing the same routine for hours each day for weeks on end,” Spitfire stood back up. “And you, Dash, you’re one of the best fliers I’ve ever seen!”

Dash barked out a laugh. “Sorry, but you telling me I’m the best flier you’ve ever seen is like something out of one of my dreams—n-not that I dream about the Wonderbolts or anything, just...” Dash flicked her tail and looked off to the side with an embarrassed blush. “But yeah, thanks. That means a lot coming from you.”

“Would you like to become a Wonderbolt?” Spitfire asked. The words fumbled out of her mouth.

Dash’s mouth dropped open, her mind working to process what Spitfire had just said. “Really?!” she asked, a huge smile spreading across her face. “Oh, man! I always dreamed about this day!” She let out a giddy laugh and jumped off the cloud, performing a small flip before landing again. “I’ll get to fly with you, and Soarin’, and Fleetfoot, and...” she trailed off, as she realized the full implications of what Spitfire was asking.

She’d have to leave Ponyville.

Dash frowned, glancing down at the town below through the hole in the clouds. She thought about Twilight, and she thought back to something she had said when she first met her.

“I’d never leave Ponyville hanging!”

Dash turned back to see Spitfire still smiling at her.

“No, thank you.”

“Great, we’ll just...” Spitfire paused, realizing what the pegasus’ reply was. “Wait... no?”

“I mean, it was my dream to become a Wonderbolt—and it still is! But I’m just not done in Ponyville yet.” Dash looked down at the village with a small smile. She gave Spitfire an apologetic look. “I’m grateful for the offer, but I can’t accept it right now.”

Spitfire let out a disappointed sigh. “You must really care about her,” she said, covering her sadness with a small smile.

“Huh?” Dash asked in confusion.

“I can tell from your eyes that you’re thinking about Twilight.”

A small blush graced Dash’s face. “Yeah...”

“Then I’ll wait.”

Dash snapped her head away from the town and looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“I’m on temporary leave from the Wonderbolts.” Spitfire walked up beside Dash an looked down at Ponyville as she spoke. “Lately I feel like I’ve lost track of the reason I started flying in the first place.”

“Lost track of the reason you started flying?” Dash reiterated, her brow knitting together. “How do you lose track of that?”

Spitfire’s shoulders slumped and she let out a deep sigh. “I was slowly beginning to realize I don’t get any joy from what I do. I used love flying, but it just feels like a chore to me now.” She glanced up at Dash, their gazes meeting. “And then I saw you flying, and it reminded me of when I used to be in love with the sky. I took a break from the Wonderbolts. I wanted to come meet you again, and try to rediscover my love for flying.”

Dash was mute, her mouth hanging slightly open, and she stared at Spitfire with wide eyes.

Spitfire shifted, looking away from her. “Would you... like to go flying with me again?” she asked with a small and tentative smile, snapping Dash out of her stupor.

“Well, I mean, of course! That would be awesome!” Dash replied, breaking into a grin, but it faltered. “I, uh, don’t really know how much I’ll be able to help with that problem of yours though. I’ve never really had anything like that happen.”

“You don’t have to do anything, it’s just something I think I have to do,” Spitfire replied with a warm hearted smile.

Dash returned the smile and the two of them stood there like that for a moment, neither of them having to say anything. It wasn’t until a cold breeze snapped Dash out of her thoughts that she spoke up.

“Well,” she said, rubbing the back of her head. “I should probably get going. Sun’s probably going to be down in a little while, and it gets pretty cold flying in the dark...” she trailed off, looking at Spitfire out of the corner of her eye. “So... I’ll catch you later?”

Spitfire nodded, and the two of them flew down through the clouds, saying one last goodbye before they went their separate ways.

Twilight scanned a long scroll full of notes when Dash opened the door. She turned around to see Dash walk in, looking tired, but with a small smile on her lips. Twilight turned away from her notes, smiling at her.

"How did it go?" she asked as the pegasus walked up to her.

Dash leaned in and kissed her forehead, hugging her closely and closing her eyes. "It went great."

Chapter 16: The Rain Will Wash Away the Sun

The Rain Will Wash the Sun Away

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Spitfire flopped down on her bed. For the first time in what felt like years, she had actually flown just for the sake of flying. Her heart still pounded from the moment she had spent together on the dark rain clouds, and she sighed, wishing she could go back to it.

She thought that if she invited Dash to the Wonderbolts—the pegasus certainly had the talent for it—that she could get closer to her, and that Dash would leave Ponyville and maybe eventually forget about Twilight. It left a bad taste knowing she’d essentially made Dash choose between Twilight and her dream. But in that moment up on the clouds, all she had wanted was for Dash to keep flying with her, so that feeling wouldn't go away.

Yet... Dash had declined the offer. As selfish as it had been for her to make the offer, she had been almost certain Dash would say yes. But she hadn’t. It became obvious why once Spitfire had looked in her eyes. It was love.

Whether Dash realized it yet or not, she was in love with Twilight. The memory of how Dash had stared down at Ponyville, and knowing that look was for someone else, made the evening bittersweet. While she had begun to rekindle her love for flying, and gotten closer to Dash, the other pegasus felt further out of reach than ever.

Dash had agreed to go flying with her again though, which gave her hope.

Spitfire closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She decided as long as there was some chance, she would keep trying.

Twilight stood at her desk, studying and scrawling notes on her paper. Her eyes darted rapidly between what she was writing, and the book she was reading. Behind her, Dash paced back and forth restlessly.

“Are you done yet?” Dash asked again.

“No,” Twilight replied, as she had the last time Dash had asked, and the time before that.

“I want to go to bed though!” Dash whined.

“I don’t see why you need me for that,” Twilight replied, her eyes still fixed on her writing.

Dash huffed and walked up to the desk, standing beside her. Twilight turned to her, and when she did, she found her lips captured by Dash's in a passionate kiss.

"Eep!" Twilight squeaked as their lips met. Her quill lost its magical glow and fell on the desk, her concentration broken by Dash's sudden advance on her. She briefly glanced at the quill, hoping it hadn't made a streak of ink through any of her writing, but her mind became hazy as Dash deepened the kiss. She felt her rear legs tremble, and had to sit down before they gave out.

Rainbow Dash was undoubtedly smirking on the inside at Twilight's reaction. Dash broke the kiss, allowing only enough time for each of them to get a gasp of air before their muzzles were locked again, only this time Dash had caught her with her mouth open, and planned to take advantage of it.

Twilight barely let out a startled cry before Dash's tongue invaded her mouth. The cry quickly turned into a moan as Dash's tongue explored. She could feel the hot breath from Dash's snout on her cheek as her tongue continued to roam around inside Twilight's mouth. Deciding to take a shot at being the one in control, Twilight hesitantly darted into Dash's mouth with a quick experimental flick.

Dash paused for a moment, and Twilight pressed her new found advantage, moving into Dash's mouth trying out different things. Dash saw Twilight's forehooves raise off the ground, and felt them stroking her mane, making her moan into the kiss.

Twilight spotted Dash's wings fidgeting out of the corner of her eye and reached a hoof down to give her feathers an experimental touch, making Dash's moan take on a higher pitch. At any other time she probably would have laughed at her making such a noise, but she was far too busy experimenting with how Dash reacted to her touch. Reaching back down to Dash's wing again she gave it a gentle stroke. She felt the wing shoot out, fully extending under her hoof. Twilight broke the kiss in shock, looking at Dash's fully extended wings.

Dash looked away and coughed into her hoof to cover her embarrassment. A blush covered her face, and she sat down, avoiding Twilight's look of curiosity.

"It's uh..." Dash paused, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "It's a pegasus thing."

Twilight giggled, and pecked Dash on the cheek. "It's cute," she reassured Dash, before leaning in to capture her lips once more. This time they battled for dominance, their tongues poking and prodding and playing. Dash felt a shiver of pleasure as Twilight reached up and stroked one of her wings.

The two broke apart for air, gasping and panting. Dash leaned forward and rested her forehead against Twilight's, their eyes mere inches apart, and their breath mingling.

"That... was so awesome." Dash smirked, her magenta eyes staring into Twilight's violet ones. A smile spread on Twilight's face and she started to giggle. Dash found it contagious and began to giggle along with her, and soon the two of them burst out in full-on laughter. Twilight wiped a tear out of the corner of her eye, the two of them finally getting their laughter under control.

"Yeah, Dash... you were pretty awesome," Twilight said with a teasing grin

"Yeah, I was. You were pretty awesome too though," the pegasus said, puffing her chest up.

Twilight smirked and leaned in to nuzzle Dash's cheek. "Come on, let’s go to bed. I can finish what I was doing in the morning,” she said, turning and walking towards the stairs.

Dash didn't follow right away, watching the way Twilight's rump swayed back and forth as she walked. She tore her eyes away from her marefriend's flank for a few seconds, and dashed to catch up with her. Her plans to stay at her own house that night were forgotten as she followed Twilight up the stairs.

Rainbow Dash's eyes blinked open slowly. The warmth from the bed—and from Twilight still clinging to her chest fast asleep—made her extremely reluctant to get up. She felt the sleeping pony stir slightly, burying her face further into Dash's chest and tightening her grip. Dash let out a sigh. She raised a hoof and nudged Twilight’s shoulder.

"Hey... Twi..." she whispered. Twilight mumbled out Dash’s name in her sleep. As touched as Dash was that Twilight was dreaming about her, she was going to be late to the weather center if she didn't pry her off soon.

"Twilight!" she hissed right above the sleeping pony's ear. Twilight’s eyes opened slightly, and Dash let out a sigh of relief; for a second she thought she would have to shout. "Could you let go, Twilight?" Dash asked.

Twilight gave her a confused and sleepy look. She looked at the hooves she had wrapped around Dash, and with a small disappointed sigh, she let go.

"I have to go help out with the storm again today," Dash explained, as she rolled out of bed, her mane messy, having just woken up.

"What time will you be back?" Twilight asked, sitting up on her haunches and letting out a yawn.

"I'm actually going to head back to my place tonight," Dash replied, seeing the disappointment in Twilight’s eyes she knew would be there. "It's been a while since I've stayed at my own place, so I kinda want to spend the night there." Twilight looked down at the bed sheets and frowned. Dash turned to walk down to get some breakfast before she headed out, but was stopped by Twilight speaking again.

"Hey, wait!" Twilight called out.

Dash groaned, and turned back around to face Twilight with a raised eyebrow.

"I've never been to your place... do you think I could come over?" Twilight asked.

Dash cringed at the suggestion, remembering the state her place was in.

"I don't know Twilight... I haven't been home for a while, so I haven't really vacuumed lately and stuff..." Dash stalled, trying to think of a good excuse. She looked at Twilight, who had clasped her hooves together, a begging frown on her face. Dash let out a sigh, a good excuse evading her. "Fine," she reluctantly agreed, as she turned and left the room.

Dash glanced around. Most of the ponies at the weather center were standing around and chatting while they waited for the work day to start. It seemed Ditzy was no different. She trotted up to Dash, ever-optimistic smile on her face, eager to strike up a conversation.

"Hey, Dash! How's Twilight?" Dash frowned at her choice of conversation starter. She was beginning to feel as though everything was about “Twilight this” or “Twilight that.”

"It's none of your business," Dash snapped.

"Sorry..." Ditzy murmured with her head hung low.

Dash let out a sigh, her features softening. "It's alright Ditzy, I'm just a little on edge lately." She turned to walk to the changing room. "It just seems like since me and Twi started going out, all anypony ever wants to talk to me about is our relationship. I miss hanging out with friends and laughing about what happened at Pinkie's last party, or talking about stuff."

Ditzy nodded with a small frown tugging down at her lips. “Sorry,

"But since you asked..." Dash glanced around briefly. "She's been—well... clingy." Dash walked up to her vest, grabbing it with her teeth and taking it down off the peg. "I mean, she wants us to sleep together practically every night!"

Ditzy blushed bright red and looked down at the floor.

Dash groaned and hit herself in the forehead with a hoof, wanting to kick herself. "That's not what I meant! Just sleep-sleep, you know? Like, cuddling and falling asleep."

The other mare's eyes widened in realization, her mouth resembling a small 'o.' "Well, if you want my opinion, it just sounds like you're a new couple." Ditzy grabbed her vest in her mouth and dragged it down off the peg, reminding Dash of her own still lying at her feet. "It's pretty normal that new couples are the topic of conversation for a while, and as far as Twilight goes, I'm sure it's only temporary." Ditzy lifted her vest slightly off the ground with a hoof, sticking her head in through one hole, and then each of her forehooves through the others.

"I guess so." Dash lifted the back of her vest off the ground, poking her head through the middle hole and then each hoof through their respective holes. Trotting outside to get to work, a small confident smirk tugged at her lips.

She had a storm to cause.

Dash took a deep breath and stepped into the library. Twilight all ready with a scarf and a saddlebag with a pair of books tucked into it, sorting books and humming to herself. She stopped what she was doing and turned to Dash.

"So, are you—uh, ready to go?" Dash asked, fidgeting.

Twilight nodded. She followed Dash out the door, climbing atop Dash and wrapping her hooves around Dash’s neck. Unfurling her wings, Dash took off towards her house.

The sky darkened as the sun set and black clouds loomed overhead, threatening to rain at any moment. Dash stayed low to the ground as she flew, avoiding the winds higher up.

Closing in on her house, she ascended, struggling against the winds which battered her wings. Twilight tightened her grip around Dash’s neck to the point that she was almost choking her.

Dash reached the clouded ground in front of her house and landed on it. She gasped for air once Twilight slipped off her back, finally able to breathe freely again. Her house was designed similar to the ones in Cloudsdale and Las Pegasus, made of refined clouds that were hard as rock. Twilight looked at the house as though she had half expected it to be a giant fluffy imitation of a blow-up house. She walked up to it and touched a wall, sliding her hoof down its marble-esque surface.

She suddenly jumped, a loud clap coming from above. The two ponies glanced up at the sky as the clouds rumbled with a telltale signs of coming thunder.

"We should probably get inside. Looks like it's going to start raining any second now," Dash said, opening the door. Twilight nodded, rushing inside to get away from the cold and the ominous rumbling of the clouds above.

Dash closed the door behind them and looked over at Twilight. She was looking at the living room with her mouth hanging open, and Dash blushed. Two of the three pillows from the couch were ripped, their stuffing scattered on the floor around the couch—and what looked like one of her flight suits hanging from the ceiling fan.

"Hadn't vacuumed?" Twilight asked.

Dash looked away from the mess. "And maybe a couple other things," she added, wincing when she peaked to look at it.

"You are so lucky I'm a unicorn," Twilight said, as her horn glowed.

The room lit up with an ethereal pink light. Dash watched with amazement as the entire room came to life. The chip that had been taken out of the wall floated up and melded back into place. Stuffing from her pillows climbed back into the rips and split seams in the pillows, the rips sewing themselves shut soon after. Her clothes—the few that she had—all danced through the air, folding themselves and floating into drawers. Lastly, a couple old plastic food containers grouped up, and deposited themselves in the trash.

It was like they were staring at a completely different house.

"You have no idea how jealous I am that you can do that." Dash walked around the room, looking at how clean everything had become.

"Just don't tell me how that suit got stuck on the ceiling fan. I don't think I want to know." Twilight walked up to the newly refurbished couch and lay down on it.

Dash left the unicorn on the couch, glancing into the other rooms. "Well thanks for doing that. It probably would have taken a lot of time out of my schedule."

"Schedule? What schedule? You're infamous around Ponyville for slacking off and napping all the time!"

"Well yeah. Slacking off and napping are part of my schedule, and now I have more time to do both," Dash explained, grinning, and causing Twilight to groan. Dash walked up to her with a smirk and kissed her. "Relax Twi, I'm only messing with you."

Dash wandered off to the kitchen to grab a glass of carrot juice just as raindrops began to fall on the roof.

"So what time tomorrow should we head back to the library?" Twilight shouted from the living room, watching the ceiling fan spin round.

"Well, I was thinking I would stay here," Dash shouted back.

"Oh, well we could stay here for another day or so, but I do need to get back to the library." Twilight lowered her voice as she saw the pegasus re-enter the room with a full glass tucked in her wing.

"About that..." Dash walked over to a small lamp table nearby, and set her glass down. "I was thinking we should maybe... see less of each other." Dash turned away slightly, avoiding eye contact. She stole a glance at her, and winced downcast look Twilight had, staring at the floor.

"R-really?" Twilight's voice quivered. "I thought we were..." Twilight felt her eyes begin to water, and she was having trouble making words come out of her mouth. "Well... i-if that's what you want. I had thought after what we went through..." She bit back a sob, trying to retain what little of her composure she could.

"Listen Twilight, I just—"

"I'm sorry, Dash—I don't really want to hear it." She was on the verge of tears. "I just want to go home."

"But Twi, it's late, and there's a storm out-"

"I don't care!" Twilight shouted, as she got up and walked to the door. She kept her face turned away from Dash so she wouldn’t see her cry as she stepped outside.

"Twilight?" Dash asked cautiously.

The rain poured down, and the sky was pitch black. Not a single star, nor hint of the moon could be seen through the clouds.

"Take me down, Dash." Twilight looked back at her with a sidelong glance.

Dash was certain Twilight was crying freely, but she couldn't tell her tears from the rain. She didn't know what to do other than obey.

Dash stepped out into the rain, and felt the unicorn get on her back, wrapping her hooves around her neck. It felt different. Twilight wasn't hugging her neck affectionately the way she usually did. Dash took off, carefully descending closer to the ground where there would be less wind, and maybe even some light from the Ponyville houses. She reached the ground and began to skim low along the grass towards the library.

"Put me down here." Twilight’s voice carried no emotion.

Dash was surprised to even hear the pony on her back speak, but it was strange to hear that kind of tone from her. "I can take you to the library," Dash said, continuing to fly towards the hollowed out tree.

"Put. Me. Down!" Twilight shouted.

Dash didn't have a clue how to react. So she did what Twilight wanted. They landed on the ground. Both of them completely soaked as Dash folded her wings, and she allowed Twilight to climb off her back.

"Twilight, what are you—" She was interrupted by Twilight pushing off with her hooves, trying to get off as fast as possible. Dash turned, and met Twilight's eyes. The two stared at each other in silence, even with both of them soaked to the bone it was easy to tell that the unicorn was crying.

Twilight broke away first, galloping into the darkness. Dash just watched her go with a pained expression, completely unsure of what she was supposed to do. Part of her felt she was supposed to go after her, but another part of her thought that Twilight wouldn't want her to.

She sat down and cold rain pelted her coat, but she felt she probably deserved it.

Chapter 17: Sunshine Trickling Down

Sunshine Trickling Down

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Twilight ran through the dark. The tip of her tail was heavy with mud, the rain making it wet and causing it to drag along the ground as she ran. She ran with no real destination in mind. She didn't even really know why she was running anymore. Her legs burned with exertion, distracting her from thinking about other things, if only a little.

She didn’t know how long she’d been running through the storm. The pitch black cloudy night, the deafening sound of the pouring rain, and the ache in her legs made it difficult to tell how much time had passed.

Despite all the water around her, on the ground and falling from the sky, she couldn’t manage to cry anymore. Her eyes felt like they had dried up and run out of tears. Twilight felt herself slowing down. The cold was beginning to numb her body and her limbs had become uncooperative lead weights. She could faintly make out the closest building to her, a flower shop, giving her some idea of where she was.

The library wasn’t far, but the last thing she wanted to do right now was to see Dash. She wouldn’t put it past the pegasus to come looking for her, even if it meant traveling through a storm. Someplace else—anyplace else would be better than home at that moment. Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack were all too far away though, and the rain didn’t seem to be lessening any time soon.

A sign caught the corner of her eye—a realtor sign sitting in front of a house, with a large sticker diagonally across its length saying, SOLD. It was a small town. Twilight only knew of one pony who had moved to Ponyville recently, and she doubted Dash would think of looking for her at their place.

Twilight shuddered involuntarily from the cold as she walked up to the door, banging on it four times, just to make sure the owner would hear over pouring rain.

The door opened was opened by Spitfire, who gave her a surprised look. “Twilight? What are you doing out in the storm?”

Twilight didn’t answer right away, her chest still heaving as she tried to regain her breath and her legs shaking with the effort of standing up.

Spitfire gave Twilight another glance over, noticing how disheveled the mare looked. “Whatever, just come inside. It’s freezing out.”

Twilight nodded gratefully, stepping inside, but stopping on the welcome rug, still dripping wet and not wanting to tread water through Spitfire’s home. “Thank you,” she said.

"You wait right here, I'll be right back with a towel," Spitfire told her, rushing off to the bathroom.

Sitting down on the rug, Twilight sighed in relief at finally being able to rest her legs. Spitfire returned with a large white towel in her mouth. Twilight took it with her magic and began drying out her mane and coat with it. A pair of burning logs flickering in the fireplace was a comforting sight after running through the freezing rain.

Spitfire patiently stood nearby, waiting for her to finish drying off. Twilight looked at her coat to see if there were any spots she missed, before passing the towel back to Spitfire. She noticed it was covered in mud from when she had dried her tail, and looked at the ground sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

"No problem, that's what washing machines are for," Spitfire said, waving it off and grabbing a corner of the towel that was still white to take it to the laundry. Twilight’s teeth chattered, and she eagerly moved closer to the fire. She sat down and placed her hooves in front of the burning logs, relishing in the heat they gave off. She turned to see Spitfire returning from taking the dirty towel away and sit down beside her at the fire.

"You're probably wondering why I was banging on your door this late on a night like this, huh?" Twilight asked, staring at the fire and pulling back her warmed hooves to try and rub some of the heat into the rest of her body.

"Yeah, I'm pretty curious, but it can wait until you're warmed up a bit if you want." Spitfire said, but she kept sending worried glances in Twilight’s direction.

Twilight reached up and patted her mane down, figuring she probably looked like a train wreck. "No, it's fine," she said, trying to be polite. "Dash and I..." Twilight paused, her face falling as she watched the fire. She felt an ache at the corner of her eyes. She probably would have started crying again if she could. "Dash broke up with me," Twilight finished, her voice quivering.

"Really?" Spitfire asked in surprise. She coughed and cleared her throat, frowning and reaching out to touch Twilight’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry. What happened?”

Twilight took a deep breath. "She told me she didn't want to see me anymore."

Spitfire’s eyes widened and she blinked. Her brow furrowed in thought. "That just... doesn’t seem like her. I thought you two were really good together. Did she tell you why?"

"I ran away." Twilight let out a bitter laugh, staring into the fireplace like a statue. "Maybe it's because I'm a coward. I'm always running away from her."

"Listen Twilight, this just doesn't seem like her. You really should try and find Dash and talk to her, there has to be more to it than what she said."

"You're right, as much as I want to hide, I can’t." Twilight gave Spitfire with a pleading look. "Can I stay here for a little bit? I just don't want Dash to come looking for me before I'm ready."

Spitfire glanced thoughtfully around the living room. "Sure I guess, but the guest bedroom isn't really moved into yet. I didn't think I would be needing it so soon."

Twilight gave her a thankful nod, and stood up. The fire had managed to warm her body back to normal, and knowing she had somewhere safe to stay she was already starting to feel a little better.

"I'm probably going to go to sleep right now then," Twilight said, glancing around the living room.

"It's down that hallway and up the stairs on the left," Spitfire supplied, pointing to a doorway. "There’s a bathroom at the end of the hall upstairs if you want to take a shower."

"That sounds like a good idea actually," Twilight said, walking down the hall to the bathroom with a passing glance at the room she would be sleeping in.

Twilight spun the taps to the shower with her magic, putting a hoof under the running water and adjusting the temperature until it was nice and warm. She still had a bit of dried mud in her tail that didn't come out with a simple toweling-off, so she stepped under the stream of water and closed her eyes in bliss as her worries melted away.

Rainbow Dash flew low through the rain. The wind howled in her ears and she beat her wings furiously against it to move. A huge gust of wind hit her, nearly sending her spiraling into the air, and only by a quick downward angle of her wings did she manage to avoid it. The sudden turn made her fall face-first into the grass, but it was a better alternative than having the winds take her up higher in the sky. One of the first things fillies and colts were taught in flight school was that the winds were almost always stronger the higher up you went, and to never, ever fly through a storm. Dash stood back up, keeping her wings tucked away, and deciding to walk on hoof.

She had to find Twilight Sparkle.

Surprisingly, the storm had decided to be helpful: it had turned the fields beneath her home muddy, and there was a trail of hoof prints left in the mud that she had been following. She had taken to flying once she noticed how the trail was a straight line, but the storm wouldn't allow it any more. She bit back a curse as the trail disappeared into a cobblestone walkway. All she could do was hope Twilight had continued to run in a straight line.

Spitfire prepared the sheets in the guest bedroom with her mind in conflict. Twilight was at her house, still in the shower, and she couldn't help but wonder what to do.

A brilliant white flash came from the window, followed shortly by a clap of thunder resounding through the house. Spitfire dropped the sheet from her mouth, going to look outside. The thunder rumbled again, and the rain was still pouring down as hard as ever. A gale of wind battering against the house cut through the rumbling of the thunder, but it was overpowered by a deafening bang as another arc of lightning went off in the distance.

The normal view out the window was disturbed by the outline of a pony trudging outside through the rain. Spitfire continued to stare out the window, unsure if she was merely seeing things or not. The thunder rumbled, and Spitfire waited patiently to see if another bolt of lightning would light up the walkway outside her house.

The storm answered her hopes, sending out another arc of bright light—somewhere out of view of the window—allowing her to confirm that there was in fact a pony outside, pushing on through the rain, her mane and tail drooping from the water.

Rainbow Dash must have gone after Twilight!

Spitfire's heart skipped a beat, and as the concussive sound of thunder followed the lightning, her hooves were already in motion. She dashed to the fireplace, grabbing a piece of kindling near it and sticking its tip in the fire, anxiously hopping from hoof to hoof as she waited for it to light.

C'mon, c'mon...

The stick lit, and Spitfire bolted to her door, quickly bucking it open with her rear legs. She shoved the burning stick into the open shutter of a lantern hung near the door. Its wick set ablaze, she dropped the piece of kindling and took the handle of the lantern in her mouth, running around the side of the house to where she had seen a pony out in the storm. She could see the pony still there, trudging through the rain.

"Rainbow Dash!" Spitfire shouted, seeing if it was her. The name came out as little more than mumbling with the lantern muddling her voice. The pony turned to her, its eyes widening in recognition and surprise.

"Spitfire?"

It was Rainbow Dash’s voice. Setting the lantern down on the ground between her forehooves Spitfire nodded and ran over to her. "We need to get inside!" she shouted over the wind and rain. "It's too dangerous out here!"

Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder into the dark, in the direction she had been walking, with a look of longing. She turned back to face Spitfire and gave her a sad nod, signifying for her to lead the way.

Spitfire grabbed the lantern in her mouth again, and she rushed to get back inside with Dash following closely behind. She slowed to a trot as she walked back into the house through the open door. She watched the water drip off her hair onto the rug; she had barely been out there for a minute and her coat and mane were completely soaked. She turned to look at Dash, who was standing there with her mane covering most of her face while water dripped off it slowly.

"So... what were you doing out in that storm?" Spitfire already knew, but she couldn't very well come out and say it.

"I was... looking for somepony."

"Twilight?" Spitfire supplied.

The sullen mare nodded, walking to a couch by the fireplace and lying down on it. For a moment Spitfire cringed at the sight of the wet and muddy mare lying on her new couch, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything about it. Instead she walked over and sat down on the couch next to her, figuring the damage was already done.

"I screwed up big time Spitfire," Dash said, lying on her back and staring at the ceiling. "I made her cry."

"It's not the end of the world Dash, everybody gets their feelings hurt sometimes," Spitfire said with encouragement.

"I guess," Dash said, moping, and gave a couch cushion a small kick with a rear hoof.

"Was this your first real relationship?" Spitfire asked. She couldn't help but be a little curious, wanting to know a little more about Dash. While she had a strong attraction to the mare, she didn't actually know her that well, only having met her recently.

"Yeah..."

"First relationships are full of tension and high-strung emotion." Spitfire wished she was speaking from experience, but all she could think to do was repeat what she had heard others say. "I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you."

"I guess," Dash said once again, in the same melancholy tone. “I really want to talk to her though, and try to explain things. I didn’t know she’d react so bad when I told her—” Dash cut herself off, sighing. “I just want to get a chance to try and explain things, you know?”

Spitfire glanced around, looking at the soaking wet spot on and around the couch Dash was lying on. “Would you like me to get some tea to warm you up or something? Or I could make hot cocoa if you’d prefer.”

“Either one would be great,” Dash said, laying her head back on the arm of the couch and staring up at the ceiling.

Spitfire stood, her mouth tipped up in a friendly smile. “Okay, wait right here and I’ll be right back.”

“‘Kay,” Dash replied, turning on her side and burying her nose into the arm of the couch.

Spitfire walked towards the kitchen, but froze as she passed the stairs. She glanced up them and then back towards the living room before she began slowly creeping up them. Walking up to the bathroom door, she pressed her ear against it, listening to the sound of running water coming from inside.

Silently, she walked back downstairs to the kitchen, walking up to the kettle and feeling the side of it to check if it was still warm. A warm feeling at her hoof and a faint trail of steam coming from the kettle’s spout told her it was. Taking out two cups, she put two spoonfuls of cocoa powder in each of them, before biting the kettle’s handle with her mouth and tipping it to pour water in the cups.

Placing the cups on a tray, she flew back down the hallway with the tray in hoof, flying over to the coffee table by Dash’s couch and setting them down. Dash sat up, grabbing one of the cups and taking a long and gratuitous slurp.

“Is it good?” Spitfire asked.

“Yeah, thanks,” Dash said, nodding and taking another sip. She looked down for the first time at the couch she’d been lying on and blushed. “Sorry for getting everything all muddy.”

Dash scratched the back of her head with a sheepish smile spreading across her face. “Heh, I feel really bad now about barging in here and making everything messy.”

Spitfire chuckled. “Really, it’s no problem.” She glanced up at Dash from the rim of her cocoa to see her staring down at her cup, her ears drooping and her mouth set in a frown. “Hey, things are going to turn out alright, okay?”

Dash shook her head. “I don’t know if they are this time. I really screwed up. Twilight’s one of the nicest and bestest friends I’ve ever had, and I don’t know if she’ll even ever want to see me again after the way I hurt her feelings.”

"You shouldn’t worry so much. I’m sure there's other mares out there who would love to be with you." Spitfire gained a small blush, and stole a glance at Rainbow Dash, who was still staring down at her cup of cocoa. The wet mane look suited her.

"Hah!" Dash barked out a bitter laugh. "Like who?"

Spitfire paused; it was now or never. She took a deep breath to calm herself and calmly replied, "Like me."

"Uh..." The pegasus sat up, looking at her oddly. "What?" Dash looked confused, like she wasn't sure if it was just a joke.

Spitfire sought to make it clear it wasn't.

She moved around the coffee table and sat down beside Dash, leaning in close. A scarlet blush sprang up on Dash’s cheeks. Spitfire leaned forward and pressed her chest against Dash’s and put a hoof on her chest, pushing her down onto the couch. Spitfire crawling on top of her, placing her hooves on either side of Dash's head, planted in her rainbow mane.

"I mean it." Spitfire felt encouraged at seeing a blush on Dash's face to match her own. "I like you, Rainbow Dash." A smirk came to her lips at the way Dash's blush increased.

Dash opened her mouth, but was in shock, and couldn't make any words come out.

“This, I, uh... You do?" Dash's voice cracked a little and her face flushed.

Spitfire leaned down until Dash could feel her breath on her face. "You need proof?" she asked in a sultry voice, their snouts almost touching. Dash was frozen stiff, unable to do anything but stare up at her.

The sound of the front door slamming shut surprised both of them, shattering the moment. Spitfire tensed, as Dash, who was no longer blushing, asked a question Spitfire didn't want to answer.

"Who was that, Spitfire?"

Chapter 18: And When the Trickling Stops

And When the Trickling Stops

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

"Who was that, Spitfire?" Dash asked with more force.

Spitfire fidgeted, stuck between a rock and a hard place. Dash narrowed her eyes, marching up to Spitfire with a glare. Spitfire could tell by the look on Dash’s face that she already had a good idea who it was, but she wanted to hear the words come from Spitfire's own mouth to confirm her fears.

Back against the wall, Spitfire resigned herself to her fate with a sigh.

"It was Twilight," she said quickly, wincing as the words left her mouth. She expected an explosion of anger, yelling, and Dash to tell her she never wanted to see her again, but what happened somehow seemed far worse in her opinion.

But Dash said nothing. She simply looked at her with loathing and disgust, which hurt her more than any angry words could have.

"I looked up to you," Dash said in a cool and even tone.

Spitfire flinched at her tone. The words carried such regret and contempt.

"Listen, Dash, I didn't mean to—"

"You didn't mean to get caught?" Dash asked with an unnerving calm. "Or maybe you didn't mean to get interrupted—BEFORE YOU FINISHED TRYING TO MAKE ME CHEAT ON MY MAREFRIEND!" Dash's voice exploded, making the house seem unnaturally quiet after her outburst.

"Hey, hold on, Dash! That's not fair! I never made you do anything!"

"I can’t even imagine what you were thinking! That what? Right after I screwed up my relationship, and made my marefriend run away crying. You thought that was the time to come out and say you like me?" Dash panted, her hoof pointed toward the door Twilight ran out. "Of course I didn’t react! I was confused!"

"I thought you broke up with her!" Spitfire defended, giving Dash pause.

"What?"

"That's what she told me when she came in through the door!" Spitfire cried indignantly, pointing a hoof at the entrance to the house.

"I never broke up with her!" Dash said defensively. "She just got really upset when I said I thought we should see less of each other."

Spitfire's mouth hung open in shock at the stupidity of it all.

"Really?"

"Yeah! I don't know why that made her run away crying! I mean, I just wanted more—"

"No you idiot, that's a line ponies say when they're breaking up with someone!" Spitfire shouted, putting a hoof to her face and cringing.

"Wait... really?" Dash asked with a bit of skepticism. "So... she thought I was breaking up with her?"

Spitfire nodded, wishing that Dash was joking and not actually that naive. Dash turned to look at the door, her mouth open and her ears pressed flat against her head.

"I-I need to go after her!" Dash shouted, darting to the door. She stopped in the doorway and turned. "And don't think I've even remotely forgiven you!" She shouted at Spitfire, slamming the door behind her and going into the rain after Twilight.

Twilight walked through the rain with her head hung low. She wasn't running, or crying this time. She didn't have the energy to. So she walked, barely watching where her hoofsteps fell.

The library couldn't be very far now. She wanted to go inside and be warm again. The storm was cold.

She should have seen it coming really: Spitfire and Dash. Spitfire was a Wonderbolt and a pegasus, and there was no way she could compete with that. She was just Twilight, a boring, awkward librarian in a small town that the Princess sent her to.

Some element of magic I am. It’s my special talent, and I can’t even do one stupid spell that would let me fly with Dash. It's not fair! Twilight kicked a stone on the road, sending it skittering off into the dark. She hung her head and sighed. Why can't I do things right?

The library came into view only a couple steps in front of her. The tree was dark and unwelcoming. She opened the door and was greeted by the silence and darkness.

Home, sweet home.

Twilight used her magic to wring as much water out of her mane as possible before stepping inside. Her horn glowed, and a flame sprung to life in the fireplace as she walked through the room.

Levitating a pillow from nearby, she put it down in front of the fire, and lay down on it. Her wet coat soaked its case, as she watched the fire with a dull and uninterested look.

She didn't think she could get to sleep without Dash anymore.

Dash flew onwards through the storm, thunder rumbling above and rain crashing down. Danger be damned, she was going to chase down Twilight and explain everything to her.

The only place the unicorn could have gone to that was close to Spitfire's was the library. She couldn't help but stop and think about the irony; she wanted to spend a night at her own place by herself for a change, and she wound up spending it chasing Twilight back to the library.

A gust of wind tried to throw her to the left. She tilted her wings to fly through it, but a second, larger gust came quickly behind it. She lost control. Her wings refused to cooperate, tired and beaten from flying in the storm. A broad tree came from out of nowhere at her side and was right in her collision course. She slammed into the tree, her left shoulder taking the brunt of the impact. Then, she fell down, wincing and closing her eyes as she crashed into the ground. White-hot pain ran up her left forehoof when she hit the ground.

She looked up at the tree she crashed into with a small amount of sardonic amusement. It had a window, with light coming from it. She had managed to crash into her destination, the library. Standing up and trying to stay off her injured hoof, she noted with some disdain that her right side was completely covered in mud.

She hobbled towards the door on three hooves, her injured hoof sending sharp pain coursing through her leg whenever she had to move it. Thankfully, she didn't have to go far. She sat back on her haunches and gave the door five knocks with her good forehoof.

She waited at the doorstep, but Twilight wasn't answering. Water trickled down, the library tree providing little real shelter from the rain with its leaves and branches.

"Twilight, I know you're in there!" Dash shouted at the door, but she still received no response. "We've done this once before Twilight, you should know I'm not going to leave!"

Almost immediately after she finished shouting, the door opened, Twilight standing in front of her with her ears drawn back. The two just stared at each other for a moment, neither knowing what to say. Dash was so tempted to just run up and hold her, apologize, promise to make everything better, and kiss away the look on her face.

Twilight's eyes softened a little as she looked over Dash's disheveled state. She motioned into the library with a subdued nod.

"You'll catch your death out here in this cold," Twilight said, finally breaking the ice. "Come in. Just make sure you go take a shower and get all that mud off before you sleep on the couch."

"Twilight, about what happened—"

"You'll have to wait until after I'm done taking a bath, I still haven't gotten the mud off my hooves," Twilight continued, ignoring Dash.

"Twilight, you don't understand. When Spitfire was—"

"I understand perfectly well Dash," Twilight spat as she walked to the bathroom. "She's 'Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts.' Who wouldn't want to be with her?"

Dash opened and closed her mouth, wishing there was something she could say.

"I'm just Twilight." Twilight opened the door, and stepped inside the bathroom. She turned around to face Dash, her ears drooping as she cast her eyes downward. "I'm nopony special."

Dash wanted to tell her that wasn't true. She wanted to hold Twilight, and tell her about all the things that made her amazing. It wasn't the first time that night she cursed at how poor she was with words. She wished she knew a way to tell her she was wrong. She leaned in to kiss Twilight, hoping that she could convey her feelings with it, but Twilight took a step back. The unicorn shook her head slowly, the message clear and painful.

"Good night, Rainbow Dash."

Dash watched with a defeated expression as Twilight shut the bathroom door. The sound of the door's latch clicking shut had an odd finality to it, like a gavel striking down. The pegasus sat down in front of it, completely lost on what to do. She just listened to the sound of the rain, taking comfort in the dull pitter-patter of it crashing down.

Twilight closed the bathroom door, feeling her heart fluttering.

What was she thinking trying to kiss me like that?

She felt so confused. She didn't have a clue where they stood anymore. Everything was just one giant convoluted mess. A part of her wanted so badly to let Dash kiss her, to return it with fervor. She didn't know what to do anymore. She didn't know what to think anymore. A million questions were flying through her head, and none of them had answers.

She sank to the floor with a sigh. She wanted to just accept Rainbow Dash back, but some mixture of pride, confusion, and hurt wouldn't allow her to. Would they even manage to ever sort this out? The possibility of this being the end terrified Twilight, but she couldn't see any end in sight, or even a way for it to end.

She felt sick with herself. When Dash had first kissed her, she ran away, not wanting to deal with the problem. As a friend, it was a horrible thing to do. It was sometimes hard to remember that under all the bravado and confidence Dash could be just as easily hurt as anyone. But that was no excuse for how she’d acted.

Twilight turned the bath taps, adding a little more hot water than she normally did. She watched her reflection in the water, as ripples from the water pouring out the tap distorted the sad face of the Twilight looking back at her. She was somewhat grateful for that, she couldn't bear to look at herself at the moment.

In the Cloudsdale hotel room, when things started to get more heated up, Twilight ran away again. The reality of the entire situation only then really seemed to sink in. She avoided Dash, thinking about how uncertain she was if their relationship was really what she wanted. Once again she had been self-centered—only thinking about what she wanted, and all the while she was hurting Dash with the way she distanced herself. She didn't think Dash would notice. She didn't give the pegasus any credibility, and it turned out she was more perceptive than Twilight thought. She thought she had learned her lesson, to always be open about what was bothering her.

She ran away for a third time. She had finally gotten all these wonderful friends, and the idea of estranging them frightened her. Considering how different they all were, she should have put more faith in their tolerance of each others' opinions and differences. By this time she actually knew that she was hurting Rainbow Dash by running away, but she had done it anyway because she was scared and selfish.

Selfish. That word summed up what she had been doing wrong this entire time. Things Dash had said, that she’d forgotten about, bubbled up to the surface.

"I really like you, Twilight... a lot—You’re scared of being with me, being seen with me—You’re a stressful pony to be around, Twilight—Do you have feelings for me? Do you truly want this relationship and every aspect that comes with it?"

Twilight sunk into the tub, welcoming back that feeling of relief from soaking her coat in warm water. Her mind drifted to Cloudsdale, when Dash had shaken her head and given her that bitter look of utter disappointment.

“You should try listening to your heart some time, Twilight.”

She lifted a hoof out of the water, resting it over her heart. All she felt was the steady beat of the organ pumping blood through her veins. She couldn’t hear anything.

I don't deserve Rainbow Dash, and she certainly doesn't deserve somepony like me. She's probably better off with Spitfire.

She sat in the bathtub until the water grew cold, her hoof over her heart, listening for anything.

Dash lay down in front of the bathroom door, with her head resting on her good hoof, and looking at the damaged one. She snapped upright at the sound of the door opening. Out walked Twilight, fresh and without a speck of mud on her anymore. But the main thing Dash noticed was that Twilight was looking at her... differently. Dash couldn't quite place her hoof on what it was.

"It's free now," Twilight said, motioning to the bathroom with a hoof.

"Oh... thanks." Dash stood up and walked past the unicorn with an awkward limp. Her right side was still completely covered in mud, and it would be good to finally get it out.

"Sorry."

The word came from Twilight so quietly Dash almost didn't catch it. Dash turned to her with confusion, but she already disappeared around the corner, down the hallway to her bed.

Sorry? Why did she say that?

Dash sat down on her haunches, raising her good hoof to turn the taps to the bath. She hated being injured; it made her feel weak and incapable. She watched the water rise in the tub, turning it off once there was enough. She climbed in, wincing when she hit her left leg on the edge as she did so. The water turned a murky brown with all the mud from her coat. She emptied the tub, and refilled it to make sure she didn't get any mud on Twilight's couch. She couldn't enjoy the feel of the warm water soaking into her coat. Between her leg stinging and the way she had left things with Twilight, she had too much on her mind to enjoy it.

She climbed out of the bathtub, drying off her mane with a towel. She took limping steps to the bathroom door, opening it and walking out. She stopped in the hallway, looking in the direction Twilight had gone.

"Goodnight Twilight." She felt silly for saying it without the mare there to hear it, but she felt she should since she forgot to when the unicorn had gone off to bed.

She turned and walked downstairs, flopping down on the couch. She stared at the ceiling from her back, trying to think of nothing, and fall asleep. Just like the first night she had spent at the library, she found herself unable to, because she wanted to fall asleep with her hooves wrapped around Twilight.

Chapter 19: Out Comes the Start of it All

Out Comes the Start of it All

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Dash didn't catch a wink of sleep the night before. It wasn't her sleeping arrangement. The couch she was on was comfortable, even more so than her own bed. Still, the areas under her eyes felt as though somepony had attached weights to them. Staying up until it was past midnight hadn't been so bad—after all Dash had been to quite a few parties. But by the time the sun had started to come up, the lack of sleep had begun to kick in.

Hearing hoofsteps above and behind her, Dash jolted up on the couch. She snapped her head up and looked at Twilight’s bedroom door, the mare walking out as she did so.

Twilight turned to Dash, a small smile tugging at her lips. "You didn't get any sleep either?" Twilight said, walking to the open kitchen area and pouring herself a glass of water.

"Not a wink," Dash replied, watching the unicorn take a sip of her drink. She could see the beginning of dark lines under Twilight’s eyes, even with her coat causing them to blend in. No doubt hers were more pronounced than Twilight’s.

Twilight took a large gulp of water. Dash kept stealing glances at Twilight, staring at the couch cushion whenever Twilight caught her looking. Twilight floated a book from the shelf and sat down at a table and began reading it, the only sound in the library the occasional rustle of paper when she turned a page.

Dash watched her carefully, wishing she could know what was going on in her head. Twilight’s face was a blank slate, her eyes tired and lifeless as she darted back and forth across the pages. Abruptly, they froze, and Twilight snapped the book shut, bringing Dash out of her thoughts. Standing, she went back into the kitchen, leaving Dash alone.

Letting out a long yawn, Dash got off the couch. She shifted a bit of weight onto her injured leg, testing its recovery as she gave a sidelong glance towards the door.

Both of them were tired. Neither of them could manage more than a few words to the other, and Dash needed some time to think before trying to talk to Twilight again.

"I know you didn't exactly want me here in the first place," Dash said, scratching the back of her head and glancing out the window. "And I've got work soon, so I should probably just leave."

“Oh...” Twilight walked back into the main room and stared down at her hooves. “Y-yeah you probably should.”

Dash limped out the door. If she had looked back she would have seen the look of longing in Twilight's eyes.

Twilight watched the library door close, her lips quivering.
What am I even doing anymore? She sighed, walking up to the door and resting her head against it. Dash would probably be better off with Spitfire... but I can't help that I still want to be with her.

She turned from the door, pulling a book from the shelf and opening it, her eyes flickering through the pages boringly. She stopped at a random page, staring at it with a frown. Sighing, she set the book back on the shelf and studied the grains in the wood floor. Words seemed dull and monotonous, almost lifeless in the wake of everything. Everything seemed to be made of dull gray hues without Dash around to breathe color into things.

The image of Spitfire on top of Dash with their snouts inches apart flashed through her head every time she thought about Dash. The way Spitfire had stared down at Dash passionately, and Dash had looked back at her in awe with a small blush on her cheeks. Twilight had only looked for a moment before bolting out the door back into the rain. She still didn't know what had happened after she left. She was afraid to ask.

She needed to leave the library. Rarity’s seemed the most logical place to go, Rarity seeming to always know how to lift someone up.

Twilight stepped out of the library and into the fresh air and sunshine, feeling a little bit better. Putting on a half-hearted smile, she walked down the street towards Carousel Boutique. The morning crowd of ponies bustling through the streets were cheerfully heading off to work, and for a moment Twilight pretended she was somepony else. Somepony who didn't have so many problems. Somepony whose life was simple.

Arriving at the boutique, Twilight snapped out of her day dream. Suddenly, as she remembered it was a blatant lie, the smile on her face felt revolting. She Knocked on Rarity's door twice, and waited for her to answer it.

"Why, yes?" Rarity's voice carried a greeting tone as she opened the door. "Oh it's just you Twilight—not that I'm not happy to see you, of course! It's just been a slow day for a change." Rarity turned, leaving the door open as an invitation for Twilight to follow her. "It's this time of year that the fashion business is at its quietest, you see. Business doesn't come back into full swing until Hearts and Hooves Day."

The two of them sat down at the dining table in her kitchen, Rarity absentmindedly using her magic to prepare a kettle of tea for them as she ranted about the spring fashion line up she had planned. Twilight nodded during the pauses while looking out the window, her mind drifting to Dash and wondering if she would be alright at work with her injured leg.

"But enough of me rambling on, how have things been with you and Dash?" Rarity brought the kettle over to the table, a small wisp of steam coming from its spout as the tea steeped.

"Funny you should mention that..." Twilight said with a nervous laugh. "I think we broke up."

Rarity gasped, placing both hooves over her heart.

"You two broke up?" Rarity asked with a high disbelieving pitch. "What happened? You two seemed so good together!" Rarity paused, blinking as she went back over what Twilight said in her mind. "Wait, what do you mean by you think you broke up?"

"I... I don't know. It's complicated." Twilight put her chin down on the table, sulking.

"Well, know that whatever happens, your friends will stand by you." Rarity smiled warmly, and her words caused Twilight to smile a little bit. The fashion designer always seem to know just what to say.

A pair of teacups and saucers flew from the cupboards, surrounded by the opal glow of Rarity's magic. She lifted the kettle and poured the tea into each cup, placing one in front of Twilight on a saucer.

"It's a wonderful chamomile tea imported from Manehatten. I’m sure it will lessen your worrying some." Rarity took a dainty sip of the tea and let out a satisfied sigh.

Twilight took a sip of the tea. And Rarity was right; it was very good tea.

Dash trudged to the weather center, keeping her injured hoof raised off the ground and walking on her other three.

The weather center came into sight, and she could see Ditzy Doo looking at her in the distance with her head tilted to the side. Dash continued to walk as the blonde pegasus flew over to meet her.

"Hey Dash, why're you—woah!" Ditzy cut off what she was going to say, spotting the shadow under her eyes, and a large bruise on the leg she was holding off the ground. "Did something happen to you?"

"Yeah..." Dash said, trying to think of how to explain it. "I was flying out in that storm last night and it slammed me into a tree."

"What were you doing flying out in that storm last night?" Ditzy landed on the ground, falling in step next to Dash. "You're a better flier than me and everything, but isn't that dangerous?"

"I was chasing after Twilight. She ran away after..." Dash trailed off, wincing and averting her eyes.

"After what?" Ditzy asked, going back to hovering around Dash.

"It's... it's complicated."

Ditzy gave her a puzzled look, but seemed to accept her answer.

"Your friend came by looking for you by the way," Ditzy said, landing and cantering in through the weather center doorway, Dash following behind her.

"Wait, who?" Dash asked, as Ditzy held the door open for her.

"Hey, Dash."

Dash stopped in the doorway and turned to see Spitfire walking up to her. Spitfire’s ears were pointed back, and her eyes kept falling down and to the side.

Dash’s features hardened at the sight of the Wonderbolt. "What are you doing here?"

Spitfire flinched, but swallowed the lump in her throat and faced Dash. "Listen, I know you don't want to see me right now, but I want to try and make things better between us. I just want to know if there's anything at all I can do to make it up to you. What I did to you and Twilight was selfish and cruel. If nothing else I just want to be able to fly with you again."

Dash remained unmoved, her bitter glare unwavering. "Some things in life are a one way road Spitfire."

Ditzy watched the exchange with growing confusion and curiosity, still holding the door open for Dash, who stood in the way of it. Dash gave an over-the-shoulder glance at her, and stepped inside so she could let go of the door.

"You should have thought about whether or not you wanted to go down that road in the first place." Dash stomped the ground with her raised hoof for emphasis, wincing when a hot streak of pain shot up it. She let out a grunt, feeling stupid for forgetting about her injured leg. Rounding on Spitfire once more, she turned her anger back at her. "You have no idea how angry I am at you."

"I think I have some idea—"

"No! No you don't! Take whatever notion you have of how angry I am, and make it like... at least twice as angry! That's how angry I am!"

Spitfire winced, taking a step back from Dash—who looked like she was on the verge of charging her.

"Well, there has to be something I could—"

"No Spitfire, just leave." Dash cut her off, not wanting to hear her speak.

Spitfire hung her head low, and walked out the door, glancing back at Dash, who watched her go with a glare.

Ditzy watched the door close behind Spitfire with a frown. “That was a bit harsh...”

"Yeah? Well, she deserves it!" Dash turned away from the door and walked further into the building. For a change, she was looking forward to working. She was keen to focus on anything other than the mess that had been going on around her lately.

"So..." Ditzy trailed off, following Dash past the reception area. "It's complicated?"

"It's complicated," Dash responded.

"Oh my, that certainly is complicated!" Rarity reached out a hoof to comfort Twilight.

Once she had started telling Rarity her story, she had fully melted down and buried her head in her hooves as she cried her eyes out.

"And I just bolted out the door!" Twilight cried out in between sobs.

Rarity made small stroking motions up and down Twilight's forehoof. Twilight eventually managed to get her tears under control, and brought her head up off the table. She looked at Rarity, puffy-eyed with a small, but grateful, smile.

"Sorry I got a bit dramatic there." Twilight glanced down at the table cloth, spotting the dark, wet spot where she had been crying. "And sorry about getting the table wet."

"Oh, think nothing of either of those things my dear. Everypony has drama in their life at sometime or another."

Twilight sniffled a little, still recovering. She was slightly embarrassed about the way she had broken down in front of Rarity, but the other unicorn had taken it in stride, something she was grateful for.

"I went back to the library after that." Twilight looked at her nearly empty tea cup, the remains of the tea leaves still sitting in it. "Dash actually followed me through that storm again to the library."

"She did?" Rarity asked with a bit of surprise. "Well, if there's one trait about Dash that could be considered admirable it would be her persistence."

"She banged on the door—and initially I didn't answer. But she banged on the door again and threatened to wait all outside all night again if I didn’t open it." Twilight picked up the tea cup with her magic, deciding to sip the few drops of chamomile that was left, even if it was cold.

"Again?" Rarity asked.

"That's another story, one I'd rather not get into right now." Twilight said, setting the now even emptier teacup down on its saucer.

"Fair enough." Without missing a beat, she continued to ask, "So you let her in?"

"Yeah. Things were pretty awkward between us. She tried to explain things, but I felt angry at the time, and I cut her off before she could really say anything." Twilight absently poked the wet spot where she had been crying, feeling the damp cloth. "After that she stopped trying, and we barely spoke to each other."

"Well, you certainly should have at least given her a chance to explain herself. There may have been more to it than you realize."

"I know, I know. I wasn't thinking clearly at the time," Twilight said, letting out a sigh. "This morning she left. I originally wanted her to, but the way she did seemed like she was... giving up on me." Twilight felt her eyes getting watery again, the words had been painful to say. "I don't want her to give up on me."

"I'm sure she won't. As I said before, if there is one thing to be admired about her, it's her persistence." Rarity gave her a confident look, her chin held high. "I'm certain she hasn't given up."

Twilight wiped away the beginning of a tear, smiling, and hoping Rarity was right.

"So you just gave up and went to work?" Ditzy asked, pushing a storm cloud out of the way. The entire weather crew was out, working to clear up the storm from last night.

"I didn't give up!" Dash claimed indignantly. "I just wasn't getting anywhere, so I think we both needed time to cool off."

"But from the way you left it, don't you think she might be disappointed you stopped trying?" Ditzy asked, looking at Dash over her shoulder. She accidentally pushed the storm cloud into another one while looking away, the collision causing a bolt of electricity to shoot out and zap her.

Dash looked over her shoulder at the sound, seeing Ditzy with a singed mane and coat. "You should be more careful, Derpy," Dash said, calling Ditzy by her nickname she’d gotten from all the clumsy mistakes she always made.

Ditzy gave an innocent smile, laughing nervously and holding her hooves behind her back sheepishly. "Sorry," Ditzy apologized, pulling the cloud back and moving it around the other one.

"So you really think she wants me to keep trying?" Dash let out a frustrated groan. "Why does it seem like everypony else knows so much more about relationships than me!?"

"Well, that misunderstanding when you broke up with her—"

"I didn't break up with her!"

"When she thought you broke up with her, was pretty bad," Ditzy continued, trying to keep both eyes focused on the cloud she was moving. One of them kept wanting to drift away to glance back at Dash, and she had to keep it in check.

"Well I've never heard of anypony breaking up with somepony that way, how was I supposed to know?" Dash continued to move a cloud around, having to push it with her head instead of her injured leg. "So do you have any ideas on what I should do?"

Ditzy stopped pushing her cloud, turning about. "You could write her what you want to say. If she won't listen to it, you still might be able to get it across if you send her a letter," she suggested, her hooves crossed, with one on her chin as she hovered in the sky.

"Pass. I'm bad at writing stuff like that out, and my writing is just bad in general." Dash gave her cloud another headbutt as she spoke.

"How about sending her flowers with a really simple note then?"

"Pass. It's just not my style."

"How about standing outside her window, singing her a song?"

Dash turned to look at Ditzy, giving her a flat and unamused look. "Definitely a pass."

"Well, I tried," Ditzy said, turning back to her cloud. She gave it another push, as Dash watched over her shoulder at her moving it.

"Derpy..."

"What?"

"You're moving it the wrong way," Dash said, pointing with a hoof to where all the other storm clouds had been moved to.

"Oh."

Spitfire had spotted Twilight walking through town as she left the weather center to go home. She had followed the mare, who was oddly enough smiling, to a fashion boutique. While following the mare's trail, she stuck to the sky. Nopony ever looked up to see if they were being followed for some reason, and it was the perfect place to stay out of sight, despite being in plain sight of everyone.

She watched a white unicorn with a violet mane—one that must have been laboriously fussed over to get it in such a beautiful state—answer the door. The two unicorns disappeared inside, and the door closed behind them.

Spitfire stared at the closed door for a while, wondering why she had decided to follow Twilight in the first place. She lay down on the grass lawn in front of the shop, staring at the door and puzzling what to do. Twilight seemed to be holding up alright despite the way she had seen her and Dash last night. Spitfire rolled over on the grass, wondering what she was even doing in front of the shop, as she listened to the sound of birds chirping.

Something else caught her ear though when she listened closely. It was very faint, but it sounded almost like—

Crying?

Spitfire got up, looking at the fashion store it seemed to be coming from. She flew around to the side of the house, glancing in the windows to see if she could spot anything. She paused on the opposite side of where the front door was, spotting the two unicorns sitting at a kitchen table.

Twilight was crying.

Any previous thoughts that the mare had been fine were dashed. It was clear now that she was just putting up a front out in public. The crying was much louder from where she was now, and she felt a sickening feeling of regret in her stomach from watching Twilight cry.

In that moment it became clear to Spitfire what she had to do.

Chapter 20: Setting Sail in the Dark

Setting Sail in the Dark

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

What do I say? What do I do?

Spitfire had stood in front of the boutique's door for a while now. The crying from inside had faded a while ago and now a thick silence hung in the air, making the boutique's door seem all that much more intimidating to her.

She could perform in front of all of Equestria just fine, and yet she felt incredibly nervous at the thought of talking to either Dash or Twilight right now.

Swallowing and taking a deep breath, she raised her hoof and knocked on the door. It was a relief that she managed to do that much, but terror crept up in her. She gulped, her mind racing for the right words to say to the mare that had spotted her on top of Dash.

Thankfully a different unicorn answered the door.

"Oh," Rarity said, raising her eyebrows at seeing Spitfire on her doorstep. Her look of surprise quickly changed to a forced smile. "I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid the store is closed at the moment. If you could come back at a later time I can take any order you would like."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to Twilight," Spitfire said, trying her best to have a firm resolve.

"Don't you think you have already done enough damage?"

Rarity's words caused Spitfire to flinch, and her resolve wavered. "I'm really sorry about what happened. I just need to tell her that!" Spitfire pleaded.

"I'm really sorry about what happened too, but you should know that hearing an apology from you won't make things better." Rarity let out a huff, tossing her mane. "And I apologize for being short with you for a first meeting, but I hope you understand why."

"Listen, I'm getting sick and tired of everypony treating me like dirt, and not listening to a word I say!" Spitfire shouted.

"Who's at the door, Rarity?" Twilight's voice called out from inside the house. Rarity's head turned back to glance inside, before giving a look back at Spitfire. Her eyes narrowed at the Wonderbolt, a scowl marring her graceful features.

"If you make her cry again, I will end you," the fashion designer promised in a dark tone, leaning in close to Spitfire snout with a glare.

Spitfire gulped and nodded.

"Someone is here to see you dear!" Rarity shouted back to the librarian inside.

The sound of hoofsteps approached, and Spitfire was reminded of how she still didn't have any idea what to say to her. Twilight's head poked around the corner and her eyes widened at seeing Spitfire, standing there. Rarity stepped aside, allowing Spitfire to come inside. As the door swung shut behind the pegasus, she and Twilight stared at one another, unsure of what to say.

"I'll go prepare more tea." Rarity turned, leaving the two alone.

Spitfire racked her brain trying to think of a way to break the ice. Surprisingly though, Twilight was the first to speak.

"So how is Dash?" Twilight asked hesitantly.

"Furious with me," Spitfire answered with a dry chuckle. "I'm surprised you aren't as well."

"Oh..." Twilight trailed off. "I suppose I should be, but I'm more jealous than anything else."

"Jealous?"

"Well, I can see why Dash chose you. You're a Wonderbolt, and you have wings," Twilight answered.

"Woah, there is no ‘Dash chose me’."

Twilight’s eyes widened. "But at your house she was, well..." Twilight blushed. "Underneath you."

"That's because I came onto her," Spitfire said, pausing and looking at the unicorn quizzically. "Didn't Dash tell you that?"

"Oh," Twilight said, a blush gracing her features. "I guess I didn't really give her a chance." Twilight drew circles on the ground with her hoof. "I just thought that she would be so much better off with you, since it seems like all I do is make her worry, and act selfish all the time." Twilight paused, her face scrunching up in confusion. "But then, why was she under you if she wasn't... participating?"

"She was lying on her back on the sofa, and when we were talking, my crush on her just sort of... slipped out," Spitfire explained, her eyes falling to the floor. "I don't know what got into me, and I tried to make a move on her, which was stupid and jerkish of me, all things considered." She glanced at Twilight, seeing the unicorn’s lips form a thin line.

"Now I can see why you thought I would be mad at you," Twilight said, her voice holding a slight edge as the corners of her mouth dipped into a frown.

"Yeah..." Spitfire trailed off. She laughed and looked away, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Still, I am grateful you're trying to make things better. It's more than some would do."

"Well, it hasn't been easy," Spitfire admitted. "Dash chewed my head off every time I tried to explain and apologize to her. So I figured I would try apologizing to you first."

Twilight let out a sigh, hanging her head in defeat. "I just got to thinking that maybe she would be better off without me, and be better off with you."

Spitfire walked up to her and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "What would make you think that? Don't you realize how happy you make her?"

Twilight lifted her head, giving Spitfire with confused frown. "But all I ever do is make her worry."

"Maybe, but don't you realize that's only because she cares about you so much?" Spitfire asked. "For Celestia's sake, she gave up being in the Wonderbolts to be with you!"

"She what?" Twilight asked, her mouth hanging open.

"Dash never told you?" Spitfire asked. "When we went flying that evening, I was impressed by her a lot. I offered her a spot on the Wonderbolts." Spitfire glanced at Twilight and saw her blinking in disbelief. "She glanced down at Ponyville for a moment and then turned down the offer. She told me she still wanted to stay in Ponyville, and it was written all over her face that it was because of you."

"I..." Twilight hesitated. "I don't even know what to say... She never mentioned it to me." Twilight moaned, sinking to the floor and covering her face with her hooves. "What am I supposed to do?"

"I'm not sure. That's something you have to figure out," Spitfire answered, turning around and walking to the door. "If you see her though, tell her I'm sorry."

"Why don't you tell her yourself after I talk to her?" Twilight asked, tilting her head as Spitfire opened the door.

"Because," Spitfire said, stopping in the doorway and looking back at Twilight. "I came here to fly with Dash, and if there isn't that then..." Spitfire trailed off and forced a smile. "I'm catching a train and going back to the Wonderbolts later this evening." Spitfire let the statement hang in the air, walking out the door with a disappointed sigh. "So goodbye I guess, it's been nice staying here... for the most part."

Dash wiped a bead of sweat off her brow. Between her injury and Ditzy's mistake, they had to stay much longer than normal to get their share of the work done clearing the clouds. Dash unzipped her weather vest and wiggled out of it, flinching as she slid it down her injured hoof. Ditzy walked up beside her and imitated her, unzipping her vest and shrugging it off.

"Sorry Dash," Ditzy said as she took her vest off and wiggled her body, finally having it free of the sweaty weather vest.

"It's okay, Ditzy. Mistakes happen," Dash reassured, whipping her mane back and forth and stretching her legs. "I should probably get going."

Ditzy gave her a nod, and Dash saw her still hanging her head out of the corner of her eyes. She knew she had messed up, and needed to try harder. And Dash knew she would. She was an incredibly hard worker for Dinky’s sake.

Dash left the locker room, eager to go home and finally rest. She took to the night sky, flying at a sluggish pace, every wingbeat feeling like a chore after being up for more than twenty four hours. Once she got home, she would finally be able to lay down on her bed and fall asleep.

Dash touched down on the landing outside her cloud home, pushing the door open and stepping inside with a yawn.

"Rainbow Dash!"

"Gah!" Dash cried out. Something wrap around her, tackling her to the floor. She gritted her teeth in pain from having her injured hoof abused yet again, but she forgot all about it once she saw a certain purple unicorn wrapped around her midsection.

"Twilight, wha—"

Twilight sat up a little, using Dash's chest to prop herself up.

"I went to Rarity's, and I thought about everything I did, and I thought you would be better off without me, and then Spitfire came to—"

Dash put a hoof on Twilight’s chest at hearing the Wonderbolts’ name. "Wait, slow down, what happened?"

Twilight took a deep breath. "Spitfire came to talk to me. She explained how she came onto you, and that you didn't really have anything to do with it. She told me how you turned down the Wonderbolts to be with me. This whole time I was worried that I was making you worry too much and I was making you miserable, and that's why you wanted to break up with me." Twilight buried her head into Dash's chest, wrapping her hooves around the pegasus once more. "I promise to change if you'll take me back!"

"I never wanted to break up with you!" Dash exclaimed, wrapping her hooves around the smaller unicorn. "I talked to Spitfire afterwards about that. I had no idea that the way I said it implied I was breaking up with you." Twilight looked up at her, stunned. "I just meant it literally, I wanted a little space is all," Dash added, giving the unicorn squeeze with her hooves, even if it hurt herself a little. "That's what I was trying to tell you the whole time at the library, but you were so mad, and interrupted me so many times, that I dropped it."

"I know, and I should have listened, but I was just so upset," Twilight cried, rubbing her face against Dash's coat.

Dash felt her coat dampen from Twilight's crying, and uncomfortably began rubbing her back in small circles, unsure of what else to do.

"Hey, it's okay now, right? We're back together again," Dash said in a soothing voice.

Twilight sniffled, and pulled back to look at the spot where she had cried on Dash's chest. "Sorry." Twilight threw herself back into Dash’s chest. "I'm just... sorry."

"I forgive you," Dash replied. She lifted Twilight's chin with a hoof, and Twilight looked up at her, her tears frozen at the corner of her eyes. "So don't worry about it."

Twilight’s mouth curved up in a beautiful smile. The two stared into each others eyes, and their faces inched closer to each other.

Their lips met each other as though they had been starving for that kiss. All the longing, and craving to be with one another once again could be felt in the kiss, and a tingling warmth traveled up and down their bodies from their lips touching.

They broke apart, looked at each other, and both let out a content sigh. Twilight leaned her forehead against Dash's, reaching up a hoof to touch her cheek as they stared into each others' eyes.

"I missed you," Twilight said, letting out a deep breath, sending shivers down Dash's spine.

"Yeah, I missed you too, egghead," Dash replied with a playful grin. She glanced around her house, a thought suddenly occurred to her. "How did you get up here anyway?"

"I asked Fluttershy to fly me up here."

"Oh..." Dash trailed off, remembering her two estranged friends. She hadn't seen either of them since the night she yelled at them both, and stormed off. "I guess I should try and thank her sometime then."

"Maybe you just need a chance to properly talk things out with her and Applejack," Twilight suggested. "It's what we needed, after all."

Dash let out a resigned sigh, looking at the wall to her right.

"Eh, maybe you're right, Twi. I didn't exactly give them a chance," Dash's eyes widened a little in realization. "I didn't exactly give Spitfire a chance either. She really came by and tried to explain everything to you?"

"Yeah, she wanted me to tell you she was sorry."

Dash crawled out from under Twilight, standing up and walking over to the door.

"Where are you going?" Twilight asked.

"I want to go thank her, and apologize for being such a jerk to her over all this," Dash answered, tilting her head side to side to work out the kinks, and spreading her wings out, before refolding them at her sides. "She really came through in the end, and I guess that says something for her." Dash opened the door, and turned to look back at Twilight. "I'll be right back in no time, so feel free to hunt around the kitchen for something to eat."

"Wait, Dash!" Twilight called out, halting her.

Dash turned and looked back. Twilight’s smile had vanished, replaced by a quiet look which made ice spread through Dash’s stomach.

"She isn't going to be at home."

Spitfire stood alone on the Ponyville train platform at night. Standing off to her side was a crowd full of monotonous bland colored city-ponies, who stood still as statues under the fluorescent lights, waiting for the train. Most of them were stallions with thick coats, and had prominent, rugged facial hair. It was the sort of crowd that reminded Spitfire that Ponyville was, at its core, a pioneer village.

She sat down on the cold concrete, looking at the ticket in her hooves. A series of serial codes and numbers decorated it, with the ominous words ONE WAY TICKET in bold in the bottom right corner. She mulled over her thoughts staring at the ticket.

She wondered how she could be considered fit to lead anything, let alone the Wonderbolts, after all this. She had abandoned the flight team to pursue some juvenile crush, and it certainly wasn't something a captain should do to the ponies who followed them. She had acted completely irresponsible. It almost felt like the cowards way out to just leave, but hopefully she had set Twilight straight before going.

She played with the idea of someday coming back to Ponyville. The town had grown on her while she had stayed there. It was a nice rural place full of generous ponies willing to help each other out. It was a welcome change from the big cities, where everypony rushed from one place to another.

Now she was leaving. Dash had come into her world and turned it upside down faster than Spitfire would have thought possible. It had been the most confusing, enlightening, and best week of her life. Spitfire glanced to the wall to her left, looking at a map of Ponyville that was mounted on the wall of the train station. Despite everything, she wished she had gotten a chance to say goodbye to Dash, gotten one more chance to fly with her, but she knew that Dash would have neither of those. If she told Dash she was leaving she would most likely just receive a 'good riddance'.

The steady sound of the train approaching caused Spitfire to turn from the map, watching it approach from the distance down the tracks. The train's whistle blew, and it came to a stop at the platform. Spitfire took a place in line at one of the doors, glancing once more at the words ONE WAY TICKET printed on the piece of paper.

"She's what!?" Dash asked, turning away from the door and letting it swing shut. "She's leaving Ponyville!?"

Twilight nodded. Dash began to pace back and forth restlessly, limping on her injured hoof. Suddenly, her face lit up and she rushed back to the door.

"If I go now I might be able to catch her before her train leaves!" She opened the door and reared back, ready to leap into the skies, when a magenta glow surrounded her, pulling her back inside and closing the door.

"Hold on. I can teleport us there, it'll be faster," Twilight said, bringing the pegasus over to her with her levitation magic.

Dash nodded. As Twilight grit her teeth and shut her eyes, her horn flashed, filling the room with magical pink light. Dash looked around with wide-eyed wonder. Her room disappeared, a bright pink orb surrounding the two of them.

The orb of magic surrounding them popped like a bubble and Dash's room was replaced by the street in front of the train station. The two ponies hung in the air a few feet above the cobblestone, before Twilight's magic faded and gravity dropped them down onto the road.

"Come on, we should hurry inside and find out what time the train—"

Twilight was cut off by Dash sprinting past her to the nearest trash can and emptying her stomach into it. Twilight looked at her sheepishly, wincing at the retching sounds she was making.

"I probably should have mentioned that the first time teleporting can be..."

"Nauseating?" Dash supplied for her, still green in the face. She moved her tongue around to try getting the unpleasant and tangy taste of vomit out of her mouth.

"Yes. Nauseating," Twilight said, laughing nervously.

"Whatever, I'm fine." Dash walked past her, toward the train station. "We need to keep going."

Twilight nodded, running alongside Dash up the steps and into the train station. They ran past the ticket booths, bumping into, and disgruntling more than a few ponies as they did so. Dash skidded to a halt, Twilight stopping beside her. The train was at the station.

Dash spotted Spitfire through a train window.

"Spitfire!" Dash shouted out, waving a hoof in the hopes that the pegasus would spot it. But Spitfire didn't glance up. Her eyes were locked on something she held in her hooves, and she must have not been able to hear Dash’s shout.

The train's engine started up. The locomotive's whistle sounded, and its wheels slowly began to turn and pick up speed. Dash and Twilight ran to the train, hoping to grab Spitfire's attention. They ran alongside it, trying to keep up. Dash flapped her wings, flying in bursts to try to keep off her injured leg as much as possible.

“Spitfire!”

“Spitfire, wait!” they both shouted. Still tired from having stayed up the night before, their motions became more and more sluggish until they both stopped at the edge of the platform, panting as they watched the train peel away from the station and grow smaller and smaller in the distance.

Turning with a look of determination on her face, Twilight marched back to the ticket booths, Dash watching her with a confused look.

"Where was that train going?" Twilight demanded, slamming her hoof down on the counter.

"The train that just left? That one was leaving for Canterlot," the stallion at the booth answered.

"When's the next train there?"

"The train that just left makes a return stop here from Canterlot in two hours before its last trip of the day back there."

Twilight tossed a bunch of bits up on the counter. "We'll take two tickets for that train."

Chapter 21: The Express

The Express

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Dash trotted up beside Twilight. The stallion who had just handed Twilight her tickets made himself busy, punching numbers into a small device at his side with a rhythmic clicking.

"Listen Twi, I really don't think we need to go that far to chase her down. I mean, we could just mail her a letter, or something.”

"How long do you think it would take to get to her?" Twilight asked, turning to face Dash. "Spike’s in Canterlot. Without his fire, how long do you think it would take for her to get a letter?"

Dash looked at the ground, thinking.

"I don't know... a bit under a week maybe?" Dash asked, uncertain.

"Didn't you see her as the train left the station?" Twilight asked, pointing to the empty tracks with her hoof. "She looked crushed! We can't just leave her like that! Without Spike here to send letters to Canterlot, it would probably take almost a week before Spitfire would receive any letter. And besides, she deserves to be apologized to in person, not just be sent a letter saying we’re sorry."

"Yeah, okay, I hear you,” Dash said, nodding. She glanced between the stallion at the ticket booth and the direction the train had disappeared in. “Can't you just take us to Canterlot with your magic or something? Get us there quick and easy?"

"Teleporting that far isn't within my ability," Twilight explained, as the pony behind the counter swept up her bits and handed her two tickets. Twilight picked them up off the counter with her magic. "Hopefully it's far enough that they have beds on the train," she mumbled, stepping away from the booth to go wait on the platform.

Dash followed her over to the train tracks. "I still think this is a crazy idea."

The two waited in silence, a cool breeze blowing past them as they sat on the open platform. Dash felt a weight leaning against her, and looked to her side to see Twilight asleep on her hooves. The unicorn was leaning against her, with her magic still firmly holding the tickets, even as she softly snored.

Dash let out a small sigh, having to wait for the train without anypony to talk to. Still, she didn't entirely mind just waiting. The warmth and weight from Twilight was company enough.

Spitfire sat in her train compartment, watching as the world came to a stop outside the train window. Rain poured over Canterlot. Ponies shuffled out in the hallway of the train car, all in line to get off the train and go home, but Spitfire lingered, not having anyplace she looked forward to going back to.

For a second she wished she had gone back to her house in Ponyville before leaving the town—just to collect a few things before leaving, but instead she had gotten caught up in the heat of the moment and rushed out of the town as fast as possible. She regretted not getting a chance to say goodbye to Dash, and she regretted not sticking around to see if Twilight sorted things out with her. But most of all she regretted falling for Dash in the first place and causing the whole mess.

Spitfire stood and walked out into the train's hallway. She was the only pony still on board, and she walked down the hallway. Stepping off the train onto the brick platform, she glanced back at the ponies now boarding the train for the return trip to Ponyville. For just a moment she wished to join them, but she shook the idea out of her head. As she walked towards the train station’s exit, she began to notice all the ponies around her staring at her as she walked by, no doubt recognizing her. Thankfully none of them had approached her yet. She wasn't in the mood to sign autographs, and she had a feeling it showed.

However, one of them stopped her just as she was about to leave the station. "Are you Spitfire?" a child’s voice called out from behind her.

Spitfire turned around to see a small green pegasus filly looking up at her with big, curious eyes.

"Yeah..." Spitfire answered.

"Are you okay?" the filly asked, her mouth forming a small frown. “You look sad.”

Spitfire barked out a sarcastic laugh at the innocent question. “Yeah, I guess I am pretty sad right now.”

The filly’s eyebrows knitted together. “Why are you sad?”

Spitfire turned to face the child fully, forcing a faint smile for her sake. "Because being famous doesn't mean much. Sometimes being famous won't get you the things you really want, and sometimes the things you really want are impossible to get."

The filly tilted her head, looking at her with child-like confusion. Spitfire shook her head dismissively. “Nevermind,” she said, turning back around. “Forget I said anything.” Shaking her head, she walked out of the train station.

She stopped outside the train station, glancing around the mostly empty streets. A few other ponies she recognized from the train ride were walking down the streets, no doubt to go home.

Home. That was where she wanted to go. The house she bought in Ponyville was quaint, but it wasn't home. She had a high class apartment in one of the richer districts of town. That was her home.

But it didn’t feel like it.

She headed down the street towards her home, her head lowered, watching her hooves.

Dash stirred, opening her eyes to see a train coming to a stop directly in front of her. She looked around and saw she was still at the train station and figured she must have nodded off like Twilight. Stretching, she groaned and looked down at the unicorn leaning against her side.

"Twilight," Dash said gently, nudging her with a shoulder and placing a kiss on her forehead. "Train's here."

Twilight's eyes opened, spotting the train at the station, and the line of ponies slowly boarding it. She glanced up and saw their tickets still floating from her magic.

"Alright." Twilight stood, teetering sleepily and walking towards the train. She spotted Dash lingering out of the corner of her eye, and turned back around to face her. "Come on, we’re boarding right now.”

Dash stood, but lingered, glancing back at a map of Ponyville that hung on the wall of the station. "Shouldn't we leave something for our friends saying where we are going?"

"We won't be gone that long. We'll probably be heading back first thing in the morning after finding Spitfire," Twilight replied. "Now come on, let's get moving!"

Dash looked down in alarm as a magic glow surrounded her and dragged her over to the train doors.

"Hey! Put me down, Twilight!" Dash shouted in alarm, her hooves flailing in the air.

Twilight dropped the pegasus in front of the train, who gave her an annoyed look and snorted.

"I still think this is a dumb idea."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I know, you've said that."

Grumbling, Dash walked past her to wait in line to board the train. She noticed quite a few stallions waiting for the train were watching them with amusement.

"What're you all looking at!" Dash shouted, making most of them avert their eyes, though a few of them of them looked at the pair of mares with distaste.

"Tch, filly-foolers."

Dash whipped around with fire in her eyes.

"Who said that!?"

"Dash please, you're making a scene," Twilight begged, giving her a nudge towards the train.

Dash glanced around at the crowd, not trusting any of them for a moment. Twilight gave her a harder nudge, pushing her through the train door.

"For Celestia's sake Dash! Just ignore them!" Twilight shouted, following the mare into the train.

Dash let out an indignant huff, muttering under her breath as they walked down the hall looking for an empty compartment. Spotting one on her left, Dash opened it and stepped inside, lying down on one of the two cushioned seats facing each other. Twilight followed her inside, taking the opposite seat.

"I don't get it," Dash said, watching Twilight. "How can you just be fine with them saying things like that about us?"

Twilight let out a sigh, resting her head on her forehooves. "It's one of the things I was having trouble coming to terms with back when I wasn't sure if I wanted to be in a relationship with you. I knew this sort of thing would happen, and it was one of the things I had to come to terms with when I decided to stay with you in Cloudsdale."

"But how can you just... Ugh!" Dash threw her hooves up in defeat, rolling onto her back. "You shouldn't have to be alright with that sort of behaviour. It isn't right."

"You're going to have to come to terms with ponies looking at us like that too."

"Why?" Dash asked. "Why do I have to accept ponies acting like that?"

Twilight raised her head to look at Dash, opening and closing her mouth. Dash crossed her forehooves, unsatisfied. All the two of them could hear for a moment was the steady chugging of the train as it started moving.

"Because..." Twilight finally said. "I don't want to see you so unhappy all the time."

Dash's eyes widened for a moment before softening. She got up and walked over to the seat Twilight was lying on, leaning her head down and brushing her muzzle against Twilight's cheek. Twilight's raised her head, seeing Dash’s anger gone and replaced by a comforting smile.

"I'll try Twilight," Dash said gently. "I'll really will try to ignore them, but some of the things they say just... bug me, I guess."

Twilight smiled at Dash and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Dash blushed, causing Twilight’s smile to grow as she glanced at the edge of her seat.

"Do you think there's room for you on here?" Twilight asked.

"I don't think so..." Dash said, putting a hoof to her chin and inspecting the seat. "Looks like there's only room for one pony to lie down." Dash paced back and forth in front of the seat. "I think we can manage to share it though," she said with a nod.

Twilight giggled, reaching her hooves around Dash as she crawled on top of her. Twilight shifted underneath her.

"You're heavy," Twilight commented playfully.

Dash let out a snort and flicked her tail.

"You weren't so light either," Dash teased, eliciting a giggle from Twilight.

Dash shifted on top of her. Her coat was slick against Twilight’s, and it became warm as they rubbed against one another. She could feel Twilight moving beneath her, reacting to the warmth and her weight. Dash nuzzled Twilight’s cheek, and rest her temple against it. The train began to leave the tracks, and the heavy, rhythmic chugging of its engine filled the compartment. The two let out a content sigh and relaxed in each others embrace.

"I missed this," Dash piped up, burying her face into Twilight's mane. She took a deep breath. It smelled of flowers and grass seed. "I mean, it wasn't long... but I missed it anyway."

"Yeah, I did too."

Spitfire opened the door to her apartment and trudged inside, leaving a trail of wet hoofprints behind her. Walls the color of sky greeted her, but the absence of light painted them a darker night time blue. She walked up to a cabinet that held many of her most prized medallions and trophies she had won in her life. A large poster of her in a Wonderbolts uniform from when she first got accepted into the flight group hung above them. That younger Spitfire had a certain gleam in her eye that she hadn't felt in so long.

Spitfire turned away from the display, heading to the bathroom to dry off and get ready for bed. Grabbing a towel out of a drawer, she made quick work of her wet coat and mane, vigorously drying herself off. She hung the towel over her shoulders and walked to her bed.

Tossing the towel aside, she flopped down on her bed and buried herself in her soft mattress and her feather pillows. Tomorrow, she would head out to meet up with the Wonderbolts to tell them she was back. But for now, she wanted to rest.

Dash woke with a start. The world spun as she fell, and then crashed into the floor.

"Ugh..." Dash groaned. She opened her eyes. She was on her back on the floor of the train compartment next to the seat she had just fallen off of. "What happened?"

"I think the train stopped." Twilight poked her head out over the edge of the seat, looking down at Dash. "I guess there really wasn't room for two ponies."

"You don't say?" Dash said, sitting up. Despite her rude awakening, she felt loads better after getting some sleep. Her injured hoof felt a bit better now, and her eyes didn't feel so heavy. "Are we in Canterlot now?"

"Yep," Twilight answered, looking out the window. "And it's raining pretty hard."

Dash got off the ground and looked out the train window at the rain. "I'm getting so sick of the rain," She looked outside with a grimace. "Well, we should probably get off the train and find somewhere to stay the night." She glanced at the unicorn reclining on the seat next to her. "You know someplace we could stay, right?"

"Yeah, I always have a place in the palace waiting for me," Twilight said, getting up off the train seat and stretching her legs. "Pretty sure Princess Celestia had the ponies working at the palace keep it clean while I was gone."

"We're staying at the palace?" Dash asked, barely-contained excitement in her voice. "Ha! This trip is gonna be awesome."

Twilight watched Dash step out of the compartment into the train's hallway with a frown, following after her. "Just don't forget why we're here. We're here for Spitfire, and if we have spare time, to visit Spike." Twilight said, sticking close to Dash as she walked to the door of the railway car.

“Yeah, I know. I’m sure we’ll find some time to visit Spike. I mean, we have basically all of tomorrow.”

Twilight stopped as they reached the line getting off the train. "I wonder how Spike’s doing. It’s been a while since we’ve been apart for this long.” Twilight wrinkled her snout. “I hope he’s remembered to brush his teeth this time."

Dash shook her head. She knew how much Twilight had come to care about her assistant. "I'm sure he's doing fine staying with... uh..." Dash trailed off, at a loss.

"Ruby Hooftap," Twilight supplied with a smile, as they stepped off the train. "He taught the study of magical creatures. It was my favorite subject."

Dash followed Twilight out of the train station. The rain penetrated her coat and soaked her to the bone in a matter of seconds. "What I would give for an umbrella," she grumbled. Her mane hung limply over her eyes, wet and weighed down by the rain.

"I guess I was interested in it at first because I had a baby dragon to take care of," Twilight continued, ignoring Dash's complaining and the rain. "But as we got onto other things like timber wolves and windigoes, I started to get really enthralled in the subject."

"Yeah, that's nice and everything Twi," Dash said impatiently. "How much further is it to the palace?"

"It's not much further," Twilight answered. "Would it kill you to try and listen a little?"

"Yes."

Twilight snorted, sulking.

"You know," Dash said, still walking alongside her. "You're kinda cute when you're pouting."

Twilight only gave her an irritated glare in response, getting a laugh from the pegasus.

"So when we get to the palace are you gonna give me a tour?"

"I'm still tired. First thing I want to do when we get there, is go to bed," Twilight replied. "I could ask one of the palace guards to show you around."

"Nah, I'm not going to bother with it in that case." Dash waved a hoof dismissively as the Canterlot palace came into view. “Though maybe if we have time tomorrow you could show me around.”

“If we have time.”

Twilight led Dash through the gates, the guards standing watch giving Twilight a nod in recognition.

Dash looked around in awe; opal buildings with gold and blue-violet decorations spiraled high into the air, scattered loosely across the castle grounds, with the palace standing the tallest in the center of it all.

"Right up here," Twilight said, leading Dash up a stairway that wrapped around a nearby tower all the way up its length. Dash listened to Twilight talk about the architecture of the buildings with half an ear, taking in the view of the palace grounds as they walked up to the top of the tower.

"—And that's why the buildings are decorated deep purple and gold! to signify Luna and Celestia's combined rule. My building is mostly gold and white, Celestia's colors, since I'm her student," Twilight finished, as they reached the top of the stairs.

On the far side of the room a large balcony overlooked the palace grounds. The main room had almost as many books as the Ponyville library. They were stacked on tall shelves, and ladders, ones that let you reach the top shelf, leaned against them.

"Wow, you do a lot more reading than I thought," Dash commented from the doorway, looking at the shelves of books.

"It's pretty much all I did when I was here," Twilight replied, walking into the room. "Come on, the living space is downstairs. This is just the study."

Dash followed Twilight down some stairs to another level below all the books. Charts and posters decorated the walls, but one in particular caught her eye.

"I didn't know you were a Wonderbolts fan."

Twilight glanced at the poster Dash was looking at. It had the Wonderbolts in full outfit on it. They were streaking through the night sky, with a painted trail behind them.

"I got to see them once or twice as a filly," Twilight said, walking over to a door. "I was always fascinated by pegasi and their ability to fly."

Dash turned away from the poster, but she glanced back at it over her shoulder, her eyes lingering on the Wonderbolt with the yellow muzzle and orange mane.

Spitfire.

For a moment, she stopped and looked back at the poster. She wondered what her life would be like if she had accepted Spitfire's offer to join the Wonderbolts, and if she would have fallen for her.

A part of her imagined what things could have been like.

"The bed is in here. I'm going to go to sleep now, but if you want to look around a bit, you can come to bed whenever you feel like it," Twilight called out, going into the bedroom.

Dash's eyes lingered on the poster only for a moment longer, before she followed her marefriend to bed.

Chapter 22: Definitely Not According To Plan

Definitely Not According to Plan

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Spitfire walked into the Wonderbolts’ training center, a duffel bag hanging from her mouth. The black straps of the worn bag tasted bitter, and she made a mental note to buy something new to carry her gear in.

It felt good to be walking on the cloud floor of the floating training center. She had grown up in Cloudsdale, and the ground below felt hard and rough in comparison to clouds. The training center was much smaller on the inside. Its white walls and floors looked like marble, and stands with trophies, gear, and framed pictures decorated the lobby.

"Whoa, Spitfire, you're back already?"

Spitfire turned to see Soarin' trotting up to her, his uniform on, and his goggles resting on his forehead.

"No offense or anything, but you made it sound like you would be gone longer than... well..." Soarin' said, stopping in front of her.

"A couple of days?" Spitfire supplied, getting a nod from the other Wonderbolt in reply.

"Yeah," he said, smiling. "Or are you just dropping by Canterlot for something before going back to Ponyville?"

"Nope. Didn't need to stay there as long as I thought I would," Spitfire said, letting out a sigh. "Things just sort of happened quicker than expected..." She gave Soarin' a weak grin. "I guess it was pretty stupid of me to book someplace for a whole month, huh?"

Soarin' frowned, and Spitfire knew that he saw the way she was forcing herself to smile. She quickly tried to change subject. "So where's everypony else? Shouldn't practice have started half an hour ago?" she asked, looking at a clock on the lobby wall.

"Well, Fleetfoot always hated morning practices, so she moved practice times to an hour later." Soarin' tilted his head side to side, a loud pop coming from his neck. "So listen, I was planning on inviting you out to a special dinner once you got back from Ponyville. You weren't exactly gone as long as I thought you would be, but the invitation still stands."

"Sure, why not? It's been a while since I've been to a restaurant," Spitfire answered, giving Soarin' a genuine smile this time.

"Great!" Soarin' said, beaming. "If I make the reservations now it should only be a day or two."

"Reservations days in advance?" Spitfire asked. "We don't have to go anywhere that fancy. Just someplace the two of us can relax and have fun would be fine."

"It’ll be two days tops. I have this one place in mind I've been wanting to go to, and if you can just wait two days—"

"Alright, go ahead and do whatever," Spitfire interjected, placing a hoof on his snout "I'll wait." Soarin' nodded, her hoof slipping off his mouth.

"I'll talk to you about it more tomorrow," Soarin' said with a nod. "You sticking around for practice?"

"Not today. I've still got some stuff to sort out here, and I should probably be getting to that." Spitfire turned, walking towards the exit while looking back and waving at Soarin'. "Tell the others I'm back and everything!"

"Yes ma'am!" Soarin' said with a mock salute.

Dash opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the edge of a fiery orange mane.

"Spitfire?" Dash mumbled, reaching a hoof up to rub the sleep out of her eyes. Fully awake, she spotted yellow and red bordering the orange—signs of it being her own mane. Dash sat up, seeing the off-white walls of the room she stayed with Twilight in and shaking her head.

Dash turned to see Twilight resting peacefully next to her on the bed. Her eyes softened as she reached up a hoof to trace the side of the unicorn's face. Twilight leaned into her hoof with a small smile in her sleep, the small action making Dash's heart beat loudly. The sleeping mare's eyes fluttered open, woken by her touch.

"Morning, beautiful," Dash said with a seductive look, causing Twilight to giggle.

"Who, me?" Twilight asked, pointing to herself.

"Huh?" Dash asked, confused. "No, I was obviously talking about myself."

Twilight blushed and kicked Dash’s leg under the covers.

A wide smile spread across Dash’s face and she laughed. It faded when she looked outside the bedside window to see the sun well above the horizon.

"Uh..." Dash trailed off, causing Twilight to raise a brow. "I think we slept in for a while."

"Huh?" Twilight asked, blinking once. She sat up and turned to look out the window. "Gah! We were supposed to wake up early!"

Dash watched Twilight scramble off the bed, rushing to a mirror and running a brush through her sleep-messed mane.

"Relax. It's still pretty early. And besides we didn't get any real sleep on that train ride," Dash said, trying to calm Twilight down. "Getting a little extra snooze time is probably a good thing."

"But we still have to visit Spike! And I want to talk to Professor Hooftap! And I need to go apologize to Princess Celestia for the fact that I still haven't written her that letter, and to visit her and ask about—"

"I thought you said we'd do those things, if we have time." Dash scratched her head with a hoof, as Twilight continued to frantically comb her mane. "And more than half those things you never mentioned."

"Yeah, but I didn't really mean, only if we have time. I meant it to be more like, we're going squeeze these things into our trip anyways," Twilight explained, setting down her comb and running into the bathroom to wash her face.

"Why didn't you just say that then?" Dash asked, but the sound of running water must have drowned out her voice seeing as Twilight didn't reply. "I'll never get the way her head works," Dash mumbled, sinking back into bed.

Twilight came out of the bathroom to see Dash lying in bed, tangled in the covers.

"What are you doing? We need to go!" Twilight shouted, rushing up to the bed and pushing Dash off of it with her head.

Dash tumbled onto the carpet, landing in a heap. She moaned and sat up to see Twilight rushing out of the bedroom.

"Is it just me," Dash mumbled to herself. "Or are we two very different types of morning ponies?" She snorted, and left the bedroom to see Twilight standing by the door and waiting for her.

Dash followed Twilight's brisk pace down the spiraling ramp that wound around the tower. She covered her mouth with a hoof, letting out a yawn. "So," she said, matching her pace to trot beside Twilight. "Where should we look for Spitfire first?"

"Well, we don't know where she lives." Twilight paused, thinking for a moment. "Our best bet is probably the Wonderbolts' training center. Somepony there can probably give us a better idea of where to find her."

"The Wonderbolts' training center?" Dash asked, excitement seeping into her voice. "Maybe I'll get a chance to talk to some of the other Wonderbolts again!" Dash rubbed her forehooves together excitedly, briefly flying off the ground to do so.

"Just don't forget we're in a rush, remember?"

Dash nodded as she rolled her eyes.

They reached the bottom of the ramp and followed a road to one of the busier parts of Canterlot. Their brisk pace blended in with all the other ponies rushing from place to place in the morning bustle.

"So, you liked the Wonderbolts as a kid too, huh?" Dash said, trying to make idle conversation as they walked.

"Yes," Twilight answered, a small smile playing on her lips. "As a filly I loved watching their shows. Back when Storm Rusher was their captain, before I discovered my special talent was magic, I used to dream about being a pegasus and having wings. I originally became interested in magic because I thought there might be some way magic could give me wings." Twilight let out a small laugh. "Come to think of it, I had completely forgotten about the reason I wanted to learn magic in the first place. Seeing you fly made me remember how much I wanted to be able to soar through the clouds."

"I never realized you wanted to fly," Dash said. "I guess that explains why you took to flying better than most land ponies."

Twilight nodded and lead them down a left turn in the street. "It's something I've wanted since I was very little. I just haven't seriously thought about it for a long time."

The two of them came to a road with a railing bordering its side. Sprawling hills and snow-capped mountains lay far off in the distance over its edge, a blue haze covering the sides of the mountains. Dash couldn't help but look out at the view with a small amount of awe.

"Canterlot is built on the side of a mountain," Twilight said, noticing her gaze. "Ponies come from all over to take pictures of the view from up here, as well as ride in the airships."

Dash turned her attention back to her front, spotting an out of place cloud building built over the cliff’s edge in a way that no normal building could be, and the words, Wonderbolt Training Center, were spread across a red and gold banner hanging above the building's closed doors. A pair of large-looking pegasus stallions stood in front of the doors, deciding who was allowed in or not. Twilight walked up to them, not discouraged in the slightest.

"Hello!" Twilight greeted cheerfully. "We're friends of Spitfire, and we were just wondering if we could go inside and ask somepony where to find her."

The two pegasi stallions standing guard gave her a slightly contempt look.

"Sorry, but a lot of people say they’re friends of Spitfire, and unless we're told they are, we aren't supposed to let them in."

Dash walked up to the two guards to try things her way.

"Hey, the name's Rainbow Dash. I won that best young flier competition over in Cloudsdale recently. Ring any bells?" Dash asked, leaning forward with a smug grin.

It was clear by the guards’ unamused expressions that neither of them did.

"Anyways, Spitfire told me to come to Canterlot and talk to her about trying out for the team. You wouldn't want to keep a potential Wonderbolt waiting, would you?"

"If we haven't been told about you coming for a tryout, then you haven't been told to tryout," the stallion on the left said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dash asked, narrowing her eyes. "Are you calling me a liar? I'll have you know that after flying with me she practically jumped on inviting me into the Wonderbolts! Oh just wait until she hears about this. Me and her are close, you know!"

"It's alright Dash," Twilight said, putting a hoof out in front of her. "We can just go back to the castle and talk to Princess Celestia about having them let us in."

The guard on the right, who had been quiet up until now leaned forward, trying to discern where he recognized the unicorn from. He let out a gasp and pulled his head back.

"M-Ms. Twilight Sparkle! I didn't realize it was you!"

The guard on the left looked to his partner in shock, and then back at Twilight, his eyes widening in recognition.

"Sorry if my partner seemed at all rude," the one on the right continued. "Of course if you say you have important business here then we'll allow you to enter. My apologies." The guard opened the door for them, allowing them to walk into the building. Dash followed Twilight into the building, sticking her tongue out at the left guard as she walked by. The guard paid her no mind, more worried that he might have offended the Princess' student.

Dash followed Twilight with a small bounce in her step, feeling satisfied after sticking her tongue out at that guard while he was busy trembling. She turned back to Twilight, speeding up to fall into step beside her.

"So, you're kind of famous around here aren't you?" Dash asked Twilight as they walked through the lobby.

"Well, not celebrity famous, but I suppose I'm well known in Canterlot, yes." Twilight stopped, reading a sign that pointed to the stadium entrance where the Wonderbolts practiced. "The Wonderbolts should be this way," she said, leading Dash down the hallway.

The narrow hallway opened up into a magnificent open air stadium. It was hidden from the public eye by the corner of the mountain which Canterlot sat upon. All sorts of cloud rings, cloud platforms, and other cloud constructs littered the sky where the Wonderbolts practiced.

Dash spotted only five Wonderbolts hovering in the air; Spitfire was not among them. She had somewhat hoped things would be simple, and they would find Spitfire here. One of the stallion Wonderbolts with a navy blue mane flew down towards them.

"Hey, you’re that pegasus we had dinner with from the Best Young Flier competition! Rainbow Dash, right?" he said, flashing Rainbow a smile. “So what are you and your friend doing here?”

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Dash cut in front of her with a gleeful grin.

"Hey, Soarin', I just wanted to let you know that it was such an honor to get to meet you! I didn’t really get a chance to tell you last time, but I am a huge fan of some of the stunts you’ve come up with. I mean, the Sub-sonic Whirl is easily the coolest trick ever, and you probably get that a lot, but I just really wanted to let you know that I really, really mean it," Dash gushed, hovering in front of the Wonderbolt with an ecstatic grin that threatened to split her face.

Soarin’ took a small step back. "Uh, thanks... I guess," he replied with a nervous grin. He looked around Dash and addressed Twilight. "Was there anything else you two came here about?"

Twilight moved Dash aside with her magic and stepped forward. "We're searching for Spitfire. Dash really, really needs to find her and apologize to her about something important."

"Wait, are you two from Ponyville?"

Twilight’s eyebrows raised. "How did you know?"

"Spitfire said she was taking a break from the team." Soarin' landed in front of Twilight on the cloud, Dash following suit and landing next to her marefriend. "She didn't really give a reason why. She only told me she going to spend some time in Ponyville to 'figure things out.' She left Fleetfoot in charge and took off on short notice, sounding like she might be gone for a while. Next thing I know she's back after only a couple of days, and looking like rain." Soarin' fixed Dash with a serious look. "Listen, I don't know what happened in Ponyville, but if you’re the reason Spitfire’s like this, you seriously need to fix whatever went wrong."

"I know," Dash said, looking down at the ground. "But to do that we need to find her.” She gave him a long, pleading look. “Can you help us find her? I swear we'll try and cheer her up."

Soarin' looked back and forth between her and Twilight. “Can you really do that?” he asked, giving the two of them a scrutinizing look. Meeting his gaze, Rainbow Dash gulped and nodded. Soarin’ let out a sigh and hung his head. "She lives in an apartment complex called 'Mountain Peak Condominium,' room four twelve," Soarin' finally said.

"Thank you so much," Twilight said, bowing her head.

"It's nothing," Soarin' said, scratching the back of his head. "Just, try not to tell Spitfire that I'm the one who told you where to find her. I probably wasn’t supposed to."

Dash nodded fervently. "You got it," she said, grabbing his hoof and shaking it energetically. "Not a word about it."

"Come on Dash, let's get going," Twilight said, turning to walk back down the hallway. "We're still in a rush, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Dash said, watching Twilight start down the hallway. Turning back to Soarin', Dash waved goodbye to him. "Thanks again for the help. I'll see you around!" With that, Dash darted down the hallway after her marefriend, landing beside her at a brisk trot. "So, do you know where that 'condomim' place is?"

Twilight nodded, looking straight ahead as they exited the building. "It's 'condominium,' and it's not too far from here."

Spitfire lay on her back in bed. Her record player played a somber score she had always taken comfort in listening to. The sonata filled the apartment with its melody, and despite the downbringing and sorrowful mood of the piece, it was the only thing that seemed to help Spitfire’s mood, making her forget about her own melancholy, if only slightly. Soarin' had always made fun of her musical tastes. She had acquired them when she was growing up. All the more elegant flight routines she had done as a filly had used classical music, and she always found that the violin and the piano could lull her into a drowsy state, where she could forget about the world.

At some point recently it felt like she had lost control of her life. She had become a spectator to things changing all around her. Throughout her rise to stardom, she had never felt as meaningless and insignificant as she did at the moment. The Wonderbolts would expect her at practice tomorrow, and for the first time in her life she truly dreaded having to fly on a team with some of the best fliers in Equestria.

She didn't know what to do. It wasn't fair the way Dash had come into her life and changed everything. It wasn't fair that she fell so quickly for her like some schoolgirl with their first crush. And it wasn't fair that Dash held such a heavy sway over her emotions, while Spitfire held none over hers.

The music quickened to a tone of tragedy, and Spitfire could almost forget about the world for a moment and simply listen to the faux sound of piano keys being nimbly played. And right as the music climbed to its peak, reaching the climax, it abruptly died. Spitfire’s breath hitched in her throat. The soft scratch of the needle scratching the record filled the room. She hadn't listened to the song in a long time, and she didn't remember it ending that way.

T-That’s it? It ends? she thought with horror, her eyes wide and staring at the machine playing a dead record. No, no, no! It can’t end like that!

Spitfire leaped out of her bed and rushed up to her record shelf. She frantically searched through every song she owned. She couldn't find a single one she recalled being full of joy; not a single one. The only sound was the eerie scratch of the record player’s needle.

The world came back to her. She stood with her head hung low in front of her record shelf, her eyes closed.

Then, something fell. She didn't realize what it was at first, until it happened again. It fell at her hooves, and she realized that it was tears. And that she was crying.

She blinked, causing two more tears to fall. Gritting her teeth, she clenched her eyes shut. Water clung to her eyelashes, where it pooled and dripped onto the floor. Shivers wracked her body as she tried to hold back her tears, but they continued to fall.

She hadn’t cried since she was a filly.

She sniffled, and her vision grew watery as more tears fell soundlessly onto the carpet, forming an almost unnoticeable dark spot on it.

Knocking came from the door.

She raised her head and looked in its direction. Then, a voice she didn't think she would hear anytime soon—a voice she didn't want to hear anytime soon—called out her name from behind the door.

"Spitfire? You in there?"

Chapter 24: What We Keep From One Another

What We Keep From One Another

Flying High, Falling Hard, by soundslikeponies

“—After that, Twilight left. She said we would talk about it later tonight, after she had some time to think about it. And I guess, well... I don’t really know what to say to her when I see her again. I mean, I want to stay with her and everything, but I don’t know how to explain my actions to her. I don’t even know if I can.”

“I see.”

Dash looked to Celestia for some kind of reaction—any kind of reaction—but the princess was a blank slate. The only way Dash could even tell she had heard her story was from the way Celestia seemed to be pondering what she had said. “I don’t know anyone here that I can talk to,” Dash said, fidgeting. “And, well, you know Twilight well, so I thought you might be able to help.”

There was a thick silence following her words. Celestia stared at her, and Dash couldn’t help but squirm slightly under her gaze.

“Do you still wish to be with Twilight?” Celestia finally asked.

“Of course!”

“Are you having trouble managing to tell that to her?”

“Well, no, not really. I told her before she left that I still want to be with her, I just don’t know what else she wants to hear,” Dash said. Her ears drooped as she sat down on the carpet of the Princess’ study. “What do I say when I go see her?”

“I don’t think I can answer that for you, Rainbow Dash. I’d imagine it hurt a lot to find out that you kissed Spitfire. Her faith in you is most likely shaken right now. You may never manage to regain her trust after the way you’ve broken it.” As Celestia finished speaking, her horn lit pearly-white, and a scroll and quill floated their way over to her. She began writing on the scroll.

“How do you regain somepony’s trust?” Dash asked, watching the Princess write. The deftness with which she guided the quill was a spectacle all by itself. “Should I just... try telling her how much she means to me?”

“No,” Celestia answered. “She could mean the world to you, yet that fact would not correlate to trust. Some ponies tell the most intricate lies to the ones they love just so they can be with them.” She set down the scroll on a desk. “To regain her trust you must simply be truthful and honest with her, and in time, she may come to trust you again.”

“May?” Dash asked, fearfully.

“She may never come to trust you again. Some things are irreparable.”

Dash glanced out the window. The sun sat above the mountain range in the distance, peeking out from behind a cloud. “Be honest and truthful to her... about my feelings?” She tested the words, seeing how they tasted. “I’m not sure if I can do that. What if the truth only hurts her more?”

Celestia let out a sigh. She rolled up the scroll she had been writing on and tied it with a purple ribbon. “I can’t tell you what to say to her, Rainbow Dash. As much as I don’t want to see my student hurt. Whatever it is you decide to do, please keep Twilight’s feelings in mind.”

Dash turned away from the window, her gaze returning to the Princess. “I’ve never been very good at knowing her feelings, you highness.” She scratched the back of her head, an image of Spitfire suddenly coming to mind. “Or anypony else for that matter.”

“When you see her, I would like it if you gave her this,” Celestia said, floating the parchment she had been writing on over to Dash. “It’s just a letter from me to her. I think it would be best if you gave it to her, though.”

Dash nodded. She plucked it out of the air with her mouth before tucking it under a wing. “I’m sorry to have bothered you with this, Princess.”

“It wasn’t a bother at all. I had been meaning to spend more time with the pony who caught Twilight’s interest.”

Dash blushed and stared at her hooves. “Actually, she was the one who caught my interest. Kind of took me by surprise really, since she’s so...”

“Studious?” Celestia supplied.

“Yeah. Studious.”

“I can see why my student likes you. It’s refreshing to meet somepony so direct and honest in their actions.” Celestia smiled at her. “If it wouldn’t be too much to ask, would you be willing to write me a letter about what you’ve learned just as I asked Twilight to? It would be most interesting to see how the two differ.”

“Well, I’m a flier not a writer, but I’ll try and put something together.” Dash glanced out the window again, seeing the sun sitting lower in the sky than before. “I should probably get going. After all, I need to give Twilight this letter!”

As Dash walked out the door, the Princess gave her a smile. “Good luck, Rainbow Dash,” she said as the door shut with a click.

Hooftap stood and closed the door, not wanting the baby dragon outside to overhear their conversation.

“That there’s dark magic you’re getting into, Twilight. Nothing good’s ever come of ponies who muddle in that sort of thing,” Hooftap warned in a dark tone as he sat back down at the table, where Twilight had just told him of her spell. “It’s dangerous. And we was both made to be unicorns, not pegasi. You shouldn’t go trying to change something like that.”

“Why not though? You can’t just say airships and hot air balloons are the same thing as flying with your own two wings,” Twilight protested.

“It’d sit uneasily on my conscious if something bad were t’happen and I was the one who let you in the library.” Hooftap lifted his clay mug to his lips and downed the last of his tea. He let out a loud cough, some of the tea sputtering from his lips, and thumped his chest. “The last sip always carries a bit of bite... You sure you don’t want any?”

“No, thank you,” Twilight said, seeing the small puddle of what looked like black mud at the bottom of his cup. “So there’s no way I can convince you to give me access to the library?”

“Sorry, Twilight. But I can’t just go n’ give permission with that being your reason,” Hooftap said, taking his cup to the sink and rinsing it out.

“I understand,” Twilight said, a bit of her disappointment seeping into her voice. “I guess I’ll just try and figure out the spell another way.”

“You’d be best off forgetting about it altogether,” Hooftap gruffly replied, setting his mug by the sink.

Twilight didn’t reply to his last comment. She stood and walked to the door, pausing with her hoof pressed up against it. “I have reasons for wanting this spell,” she said, quietly. “I will finish it.” With that, she walked out into the living room.

Spike sat on the living room carpet, munching on a sapphire. Twilight continued past him to the front door, turning to face him on the door’s mat. “Well, I’m glad to see you’re doing alright staying here.”

Spike stopped biting his sapphire. “Huh? You’re leaving already?”

“I’m afraid so,” Twilight said, bearing a smile for his sake. “I have a few other errands I need to take care of while I’m here, so I don’t have that much time.” She opened the door and stepped outside.

Spike rushed over to see her off. She could see a bit of sadness in his eyes from how brief her visit was. “I’ll see you back in Ponyville once you’re all done studying here,” she said. “Be a good dragon while I’m not around, and be sure to listen to what Hooftap says.”

Spike nodded, biting his lip. He ran up and hugged one of her legs, his tiny claws not even reaching all the way around.

Twilight’s gaze softened. She lifted a hoof and gently patted him on the head. “It was nice to see you again, Spike.”

Hooftap stepped out of the kitchen out into the living room, standing in the back and watching the two of them. Twilight spotted him lingering in the back as she turned to leave. “It was nice seeing you again, too, Hooftap.”

Hooftap gave her a nod and waved, and then after prying Spike from her leg, she left, closing the door behind her.

Hooftap shook his head as he went back inside the kitchen. Picking up his tea mug and taking it to the sink, he turned on the tap. “She always liked to stick her nose where it don’t belong,” he mumbled, a mixture of black tea and water spiraling down the drain.

Twilight couldn’t figure out the spell another way. She had only made a small amount of progress on it so far, and she was quickly growing impatient with it.

Tall pillars, reminiscent of pegasi cloud buildings, supported the high overhang on the building in front of her. A gold-plated plaque labelled the building as the magic university’s library. It was the single largest collection of knowledge to ever exist. It also had a restricted section that contained the only written copies of several works. Twilight was certain that what she was searching for would be in there.

Stepping inside, she looked around. Every hall, every shelf was like a familiar face. While she had been learning in Canterlot she had spent almost every single day in the building’s halls, gorging herself on the study of all its arcane books and magics.

A pair of ponies sat at one of the tables studying, a blue stallion and a light brown mare. Twilight darted behind a bookshelf before they could see her, the library’s main door falling shut silently behind her. From there she walked down to the other end of the shelf with the carpet muffling her hoofsteps, peering around the corner once she reached the end.

The two ponies faced the corner of the room adjacent to where she was. Not quite looking at her, but not quite looking away either. The door she needed to get into read “staff only” and was so close she could almost reach it with one hoof touching the bookshelf. Magic wasn’t an option.The two ponies studying over on the table would likely sense it if she used any magic at such a close proximity.

Then, an opportunity presented itself. The blue stallion turned to the mare to ask a question. Their heads were turned away from Twilight, so she snuck across the gap and opened the door, being careful to slowly pull it shut once she was through. The door’s latch didn’t make so much as a sound. Twilight let out a sigh of relief, before turning to the hallway she was now in.

She walked to the end of the hall and slipped into a door on the right. A left, another right, and two more lefts put her in front of the room she was looking for: the restricted section. Behind its door sat an entire room covered in magic designed to keep anxious and curious students from sneaking inside.

But she hadn’t been a student here for a while now. It was almost child’s play for her to disarm the protective barrier and cast a discrete short range teleport inside the room. Once inside, she immediately set about scouring the shelves for research materials. Doing so, she managed to figure out pretty quickly why the section was restricted. Every second book was about the manipulation of life and death, with the ones between being about time control, mind manipulation, or mass destruction.

Twilight looked at them all and thought about the spell that had been guarding them with a cringe. She made a mental note to speak to the Princess about the room’s security.

Then there was a title that caught her eye: “Star Swirl the Bearded’s Studies of Genetics”. It was something she’d read about recently, in fact. It had been briefly mentioned in one of the books she was studying with for the spell.

Twilight bit down on the spine of the book and carried it to a table, trying to keep the magic to a minimum to avoid being noticed. She set it down. It had a plain leather cover and worn pages that were stuck together slightly as she opened it. Some rough drawings of pegasus wings, as well as a few diagrams of the equine body sat right on the front page.

Twilight’s attention snapped away from the book, her ears swiveling around to the sound of somepony inserting a key into the door. The lock clicked as it came undone, and then the door opened to reveal a royal guard standing in the doorway.

But Twilight had already vanished.

Dash flew away from the palace with a lot to think about. The advice the Princess had given her cleared her head a bit, and gave her a slightly better idea of what she was going to do. It was a relief, really. She’d half expected the Princess to be mad at her for what had happened to Twilight.

Stiff, freezing wind blew past her. Canterlot was built up the side of a mountain, and the air was colder in the spring there than it was in Ponyville during the winter. Deciding to land somewhere, Dash spotted a tall roof and swooped down to it. Landing, her wings wrapped up at her sides for warmth. She sat down and looked at the horizon: from the roof she was on she could see all the way to the edge of the city, and to the sun lowering over the distant hills. It was nice to get a better look at the view Twilight had shown her earlier.

Her shoulders sagged and she let out a sigh. Twilight could have been more precise than “later tonight” when she had said to meet back at the study. “You’re an awfully stressful pony to be with, Twilight,” Dash mumbled to herself.

“Who’re you talking to?”

Dash whipped her head around. Spitfire stood on the roof a short ways behind her. “Spitfire?” Dash asked. “What’re you doing here? How’d you find me?”

“For some reason I figured you’d be out flying.” Spitfire shrugged, looking up at the sky. “It’s relaxing, isn’t it? It always helps clear my head before we put on a show.”

“Why are you here?” Dash repeated.

Spitfire walked up next to her and took a seat. “I wanted to say sorry for earlier, you chose a bad time to stop by. I didn’t mean to melt down like that. You came all the way out to Canterlot to apologize, and that means a lot.”

Dash rubbed the back of her head with a faint blush. “Yeah, well, sorry about the way I flipped out, too. And sorry about the kiss and everything. I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Spitfire said, waving her hoof. She paused, a grin tugging at her lips. “Actually, do you think I could get another?”

“What?! No!” Dash shouted, her blush intensifying as Spitfire laughed at her response.

“Well, it was worth a shot. I get it though, you’re with Twilight.” She grinned playfully at Dash, but there was a small touch of sadness to her eyes. She turned to look at the sunset and let out a contented sigh. “The view is great, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“It’s one of my favorite things about Canterlot. Whenever we practice we get to see this beautiful view.”

Spitfire had had a far-off look in her eyes as she gazed out at the hills in the distance. It reminded Dash of how she felt every time she looked down from a cloud at Ponyville, that sense of belonging, of wanting to be no place else. “This is your home, isn’t it? Just like Ponyville’s mine.”

Spitfire turned to look at her, a bit of surprise showing on her face. “Yeah, I guess it is. I’ve called a lot of places home before, though. Every place I’ve been to has its own little charm that’s unique to it.”

“Oh yeah?” Dash said. “What’s Ponyville’s?”

“You,” Spitfire answered. Dash quickly looked away, hiding a blush. Spitfire gave her a coy grin. “You’re really cute when you blush. You shouldn’t be so afraid of showing it. I’m not sure if it’s something to do with the color of your coat, but it looks really adorable on you.”

“Stop saying stuff like that!” Dash huffed, turning back to face Spitfire with her blush. The Wonderbolt grinned, only furthering her embarrassment. But she didn’t look away.

Then Spitfire’s smile waned. “Sorry,” she said with a half-hearted grin. “You’re with Twilight, I keep forgetting.” Spitfire stood, making Dash tilt her head to look up at her. “That invitation to join our team will stay open. I just wanted to clear the air between us before you went back to Ponyville.” Spitfire paused. She turned to talk to the sunset. “And if things don’t work out between you and Twilight...” She cleared her throat. “Well, I should probably get going. I guess this is goodbye.”

“Yeah...” Dash said, staring down at the marble patterns on the roof.

Spitfire leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled down at Dash. “It’s not goodbye forever, right?” Spitfire said with a grin, but it faltered as Dash didn’t reply. Spitfire leaned down and kissed Dash on the lips. She broke the kiss and looked at Dash in a way that seemed like she was searching for something in her eyes. “Sorry,” Spitfire said, before spreading her wings and taking off of the roof.

Dash watched her go with a heavy heart. It wasn’t fair. She had been so close to figuring out what to say to Twilight, but now she didn’t have a clue anymore. Conflicting emotions rose to the surface of her chest as she took to the air again.

It had been long enough. She needed to see Twilight. Twilight would have to take her back. If she didn’t, Dash didn’t know what she’d do.

The Canterlot buildings were cast a pale orange as the sun set. Skipping the stairs, Dash flew to the entrance at the top. She stopped for a moment, staring at the large double doors, and then, she stepped through them.

Twilight sat at the far end of the room by a giant window overlooking the city. The book she had been reading snapped shut, and floated back to a shelf on the other side of the room. Twilight, herself, didn’t move.

Dash hesitantly walked over and sat down beside her. They sat in silence like that for some time. Dash occasionally stole glances at Twilight, but couldn’t tell what the other mare was thinking.

As the sun began to disappear behind the hills, Twilight finally spoke.

“Thank you for letting me have some time alone to think... I’m willing to listen to what you have to say now.”

Dash looked at her, partially in surprise that she was the one to break the silence.

“Isn’t that what you came here for?” Twilight asked, turning her way.

“Oh! Well, yeah, it is.” Dash looked into her eyes. Even though Twilight sat next to her, it didn’t feel like she was close. She was distancing herself, and it hurt. Dash tried to think of where to begin; she decided the start.

“I was lying on the couch at Spitfire’s house that night... when you thought I broke up with you.” Dash looked down at her hooves, shifting uneasily on the subject. “When she told me that she liked me, it came out of nowhere. I was surprised, I had no idea she liked me in that sort of way. I don’t...” Dash cleared her throat, feeling her tongue go dry. “I didn’t push her off me because a part of me didn’t want to. Some part of me was excited at the position I was in with somepony I idolized.”

Twilight’s ears flattened against her skull. She cast a brief, hurt glance towards Dash. “I don’t understand. Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I need to tell you everything, and that includes exactly what I feel for Spitfire.” Dash shook her head and focused back on her story. “When I found out you had been there, I was furious at Spitfire—but not just at her. I was so angry at myself for not pushing her away, and for hurting you even more. I was up for hours thinking about it that night, after you let me into the library. But I couldn’t figure out why I didn’t push her away.”

“I spent that night wondering that, too,” Twilight murmured. “I thought maybe I just wasn’t good enough for you.”

Dash’s head snapped up to look at her. The orange light pouring in through the window painted her coat a rich maroon, and she would have looked beautiful if it weren’t for the sad look upon her face.

She cast her frown at Dash. “This relationship has just been one disaster after another. Maybe it was a mistake.”

Something in Dash snapped. Anger boiled to the surface as she stood up. “Don’t say that,” she said, and stomped her hoof. Twilight flinched at the tone of her voice, but Dash didn’t stop. “You can’t say that this was a mistake. I’ve made tons of mistakes in my life: dropping out of school, leaving home when I was really young, but I know that the only mistake here is what I did, and I’m trying to fix it right now, because this relationship was one of the best things to happen to me: the good, and the bad.”

“Is it really worth it to keep going?” Twilight asked, rubbing her shoulder, her eyes shying to the ground. “There’s been so much pain...”

“Yeah, there has,” Dash said bluntly. A bitter laugh escaped her throat. “Actually, I hadn’t cried for years, and then this relationship happened.” Her eyes met Twilight’s. “I don’t believe it has to be this way though, do you?”

Twilight didn’t answer, and broke the gaze. A minute passed, in which Dash hoped Twilight was considering her words, but all that came from the unicorn in the end was a non-audible mumble.

Dash let out a sigh. “I didn’t know what to feel on the train ride over here,” she said, watching Twilight. An ear swiveled in her direction to indicate she was listening. “I was nervous. Canterlot is a big city and everything, but I wasn’t really nervous of that, or even because of that stupid pony that made fun of us at the train station. I was nervous about seeing Spitfire again. When I’d been angry at her I was avoiding her because every time I was around her I felt confused. Then when I was apologizing to her at the apartment, something just clicked.” Dash paused as she searched for what to say next. “But I don’t... I’m not...”

Twilight sniffled, tears appearing in the corner of her eyes. Dash leaned forward and used her muzzle to wipe them away. The wet drops clung to the hair on her muzzle, tickling it. Twilight’s tears stopped and she looked up at Dash.

“But I don’t want Spitfire,” Dash said, touching their foreheads as her wings wrapped around Twilight’s back and pulled her closer. “I want you.”

Dash tilted Twilight’s chin up, and then kissed her. She poured all her passion and all her affection into the kiss, her lips pleading Twilight’s. And slowly, Twilight began to kiss back. It tasted sweet—not at all like the fleeting kiss they’d shared in the hallway, not like the kisses they had shared the night before. It was different from all the ones that had come before it. Dash’s fears of being alone, Twilight’s forgiveness, and their need for each other were all in the kiss. It said all the things that they wanted to say, but couldn’t, through the spark passing between them, causing their hairs to stand on end.

Eventually they broke apart for air. They stared at each other, their noses touching, as Twilight’s eyes softened and she reached a hoof up to Dash’s chest.

Dash placed her hoof on the one Twilight had placed on her chest, moving it over her heart as she stared into Twilight’s eyes. “It’s yours,” she said, squeezing Twilight’s hoof where she’d moved it to. “It has been for a while now.”

“Dash...” Tears welled back up in Twilight’s eyes; the emotional walls she’d put up between them had been torn down. She leaned in for another kiss, Dash’s heart rate picking up beneath her hoof as their lips touched. The feathers from the cyan wings wrapped around her, hugged her, and pulled her into the kiss. And as they broke apart, both of them yearned for more, their snouts just inches away from each other.

“Isn’t it worth it to try and make this work?” Dash asked. She let the hoof Twilight held against her chest fall away and took her wings back, folding them at her sides.

Twilight sniffled and reached up to wipe away the tears running down her face. She nodded with a smile, giving Dash a small peck on the cheek. “Yes, I think it is.” She paused and glanced out the window. Suddenly she cleared her throat and vigorously rubbed away the rest of her tears on her forehoof. “Now then, we have a train to catch” she said, standing and walking over to the door. She stopped and looked back over her shoulder at Dash. “Ready to go home?”

Dash nodded and smirked. “You betcha.”

Chapter 25: The Train Ride Home

A/N: If you have forgotten where the story is, you can read an abridged version here

The Train Ride Home

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Twilight studied the smidgens of dirt in the train car window. Aside from a small area lit by the train windows, the outside was pitch black and deep into the night. Dash sat next to her and had nodded off with her head against Twilight’s shoulder sometime towards the beginning of the train ride. Her being asleep gave Twilight time to think. About them. About where they were heading. About the choices she made.

While sitting there lost in thought, she briefly imagined inventing a time travel spell, going back in time, and telling her past self to just stay friends with Rainbow Dash, but the more she imagined actually doing it, she came to realize she wouldn’t be able to do such a thing. Things were different now; she had been swept up in a changing tide and she didn’t have the faintest idea where it was taking her. She wished she could say she wasn’t alone, but she wasn’t even sure if she knew Dash anymore. She wasn’t even sure if she knew herself, for that matter.

The dirt on the side of the tracks rushing past could only remain interesting for so long. Twilight turned away and looked at the red and orange strands of Dash’s hair resting against her coat. The colors seemed faded in the glow of the lamplight.

Twilight reached her hoof across and brushed Dash’s hair aside. There was a sharp pang in her heart whenever she looked at her now—a fluttering, too, the same one that caused her to agree to their first date. But now, it was accompanied by a feeling of sadness.

The train lurched with a loud metallic clang as it hit some small dent in the tracks. Dash startled awake and jolted away from Twilight’s hoof, looking around wildly to regain her bearings. Her eyes fell on Twilight and she relaxed.

“Sorry, I was just having this dream,” Dash said, smiling nervously. She leaned her head back on Twilight’s shoulder. “How long was I out?”

“Only two hours. I think we should be arriving soon.” Twilight leaned down and nuzzled Dash’s cheek. “What was the dream about?”

“Eh, nothing really.”

“Was it a nightmare?” Twilight asked.

Dash paused for a moment before answering. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Hey, Twi?”

“Hm?”

“I’m glad you stayed with me,” Dash said as she shifted, rubbing her cheek against Twilight’s coat. “Thanks for doing that.”

Twilight stared blankly at the seat across from them. “... I’m glad you stayed with me as well,” she said, after a hesitation.

Dash cuddled against her shoulder and closed her eyes again, a peaceful smile coming to her face at hearing those words. All Twilight could wonder, with a grimace, while staring at that smile, was how long it would last this time?

The train suddenly bumped with a metal clang. Dash jumped in her seat. She opened her eyes and looked around, stopping when her eyes met Twilight’s.

“Hey,” Dash said, “what’s wrong?”

“Hm? Nothing’s wrong.”

Dash didn’t seem to buy it for a moment, and furrowed her eyebrows at her with concern.

Twilight did her best to smile away Dash’s worries. “Nothing’s wrong, honestly!”

The second time must have sounded more convincing, because Dash smiled back at her and laid her head on Twilight’s shoulder, closing her eyes once more.

Twilight let out a discreet sigh as her smile disappeared. She rested her cheek against the top of Dash’s head, her nose breathing in Dash’s mane, as she listened to the sound of Dash’s breathing, until she fell back asleep.

Spitfire lay down on her bed and let out an almost giddy chuckle. It felt like an insurmountable weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Closure was a wonderful feeling.

A record lay on the bed next to her—a quick thing she had picked up after talking to Dash. It was different from what she normally listened to, more upbeat and humorous, with lots of percussion. It had sounded wonderful to her ears as she walked past a record shop playing it, so, on a whim, she’d gone in and bought it.

Standing up, she set it to play.

As the melody began, she ambled about her room with a smile on her face, the biggest smile she’d had since the whole sordid affair with Dash began. Humming along with her eyes closed, she began to fall in step with the rhythm of the piece. She twirled and danced aimlessly, and probably would have looked like a fool were anypony watching. She wasn’t sure she’d even give a donkey’s tail if they were, such was the joy she felt.

Once the song came to an end, she flopped back down on the bed, giggling and laughing at nothing in particular as the needle skipped on the end of the vinyl. And like that, lying spread across her bed, she giggled herself tired, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

The train groaned as it braked to a stop. Dash woke with the sudden change in momentum and lifted her head from Twilight’s shoulder. Outside their compartment door window, ponies were lining up to disembark.

“Hey, you ready to go?” Dash asked, turning to Twilight.

Twilight gave Dash a waning smile. “Yeah, I just want to get home.”

“Heh, no kidding.” Dash chuckled. “You should have caught some shut-eye on the train, Twi. You look like you could fall asleep on your hooves at any second.”

“Sorry. I had a lot on my mind.”

Dash’s smile flickered slightly. “Hey, don’t worry about things so much. Everything will be fine now. Let’s just get home and catch some shuteye.” She stood and walked to the compartment door. Opening it, she turned back to Twilight. “There’s a bed waiting for us and everything. Come on!”

Twilight’s eyes drifted to the floor. “Actually, would you mind sleeping at your place tonight?”

Dash’s smile faltered.

“Just for tonight,” Twilight quickly added. She stared down at her hooves, her shoulders slumped and tired. “I want some time alone to think.”

Dash tried to smile, but it felt strained. “Sure, Twilight. Whatever you need.”

“Thank you.” Twilight gave her a kiss on the cheek as she walked past her. “You can come over tomorrow, alright? We’ll have breakfast together.”

Everyone else had already loaded off the train. Dash made Twilight face her. She leaned forward to kiss her, half expecting her to back out of it and make an excuse. To Dash’s surprise, Twilight met her halfway, and took the initiative to deepen the kiss beyond what Dash had originally intended. Dash wrapped her wing around Twilight as Twilight’s tongue slipped into her mouth. Her legs stiffened, and she could feel Twilight shiver with pleasure from where their bodies met, the kiss having the same effect on her.

The kiss managed to sate her curiosity. She could feel Twilight pouring her emotions into the kiss, which drew hers out in return. Dash’s worries of a repeat from Cloudsdale, the placid, passionless wall that Twilight had erected back then, were dashed with the surge of excitement and ecstasy she felt at the moment.

Twilight took back the initiative of the kiss and did something new with her tongue that Dash couldn’t even begin to describe, making her let out a high-pitched squeal. She blushed, never expecting to make such a noise.

Twilight broke the kiss and giggled. “You know, you’re really quite cute when you blush.”

Dash froze at those words, a very recent memory playing behind her eyes.

Spitfire gave her a coy grin. “You’re really cute when you blush.”

“We should get going,” Twilight said, snapping Dash out of her daydream. “We’re already going to be the last ones off the train.”

“Er, right.” Dash lifted her wing from around Twilight and folded it back at her side.

The train corridor was mostly empty, all the passengers having gotten off. Squeezing past a train conductor who was checking that the compartments were empty, the two of them traveled down the car, eventually reaching a side door and getting off the train.

Dash stood on the platform. For a moment, she simply looked out at the grassy plains that bordered the edge of the town the train station was located nearest. “Home...” she muttered under her breath. It didn’t feel as good to be back as she’d hoped.

“Come on, Dash!” Twilight called from a short ways down the platform. “I’ll let you walk me to the library!”

Dash shook her head and walked over to Twilight. A teasing smile crept up to her lips as she and Twilight began to walk out of the near-deserted train station. “Oh, you’ll let me walk you home?”

Twilight stopped at the foot of the train station stairs and wrinkled her nose in a pout. “You know I didn’t mean anything by that.”

“I know, I’m just teasing,” Dash said, stepping down beside her. She reached out and wrapped her wing around Twilight again, the air that night seeming cold and unwelcoming. They walked in silence to the library, but it was a good silence, the kind you could take comfort in. Neither mare said a word, not wanting to ruin the sanctity of the moment, and instead trusted in the wordless touches of one another.

All in all, Dash couldn’t have asked for more from her. She only became sad when it came to an end, when the two of them arrived at the library.

Twilight walked inside, Dash’s wing sliding from her back. “So...” she said, turning and stopping in the doorway.

Dash tried to smile as she turned to leave. “We’ll talk tomorrow then, I guess.”

“Um, Rainbow?”

Dash froze. She glanced back over her shoulder. “Yeah?”

Twilight smiled, though her eyes were giving her a look of apologl. It was a sorry smile: the kind that it pained Dash to look at. “I’ll try to be better in the morning.”

Dash swallowed a lump in her throat and wondered whether that would be true or not. “Great to hear!” she said, gentling her tone. “Just remember what I said: We’ll make it work. And it’ll all be worth it.”

Twilight gave her a half-hearted smile and puffed. “You keep saying that so much that I’m actually starting to believe it.”

Dash chuckled and shot her a playful grin. “That’s the plan!” She unfolded her wings and snapped them to full mast. “G’night, Twi.”

“Good night, Rainbow Dash.”

Dash turned and took off like a rocket, shooting through the midnight purple clouds. It would take time—she’d known that from the start. A night apart gave her time to come up with ideas. After all, their relationship wouldn’t repair itself. Dash was more than willing to put the work into fixing it. After all, this was all her fault in the first place.

That was a fact she vowed never to forget.

Twilight stood in the doorway, staring at where Dash had been mere moments ago. A light breeze sent ripples running across the fields and tickled her hairs. The same serenity that had seemed peaceful when she’d been with Rainbow now felt empty and lonely.

If Dash had asked to stay, Twilight was almost certain she would have caved and the pegasus would have stayed the night. She was thankful Dash hadn’t though, because as much as she wanted to hold Dash close and squeeze her eyes shut and pretend that nothing had ever happened, what she needed most was space, even if she didn’t want it.

She closed the door with a wave of her magic. The familiar sound of the heavy wood scraping shut and metal latch sliding into place rung with a sense of finality. Twilight closed her eyes. Collapsing, she slid down the door with her weight pressed up against it, curling into a ball as she went, shaking.

It had taken her long—too long—to figure out what being a proper marefriend to somepony was. She felt as though the lack of effort on her part was what drove Dash to need the love of another mare, seeking something she hadn’t been giving her. She wanted to provide that for her, but every time now that Dash was near, she didn’t feel anything but guilt.

Twilight took a deep breath and forced her shaking to abruptly stop. She steadily rose to her hooves. She refused to do this again. Pitying herself accomplished nothing and changed nothing.

Stumbling to the shelf beside her desk, she began pulling scroll after scroll and book after book off the shelf. All of them had a red ribbon, either wrapped around it in the case of a scroll, or wedged between its pages in the case of a book. She continued rifling through bookshelves and dumping the red-ribboned scrolls and books in a pile until she had nearly two dozen parchments and books levitating in front of her.

And then there was one final book, which she summoned out of thin air, which did not have a ribbon: Star Swirl the Bearded’s Study of Genetics.

Twilight marched to the basement with her research materials in tow, and opened the door. A chilling quiet drifted up the darkened stairs to welcome her back to the place of her experiments. It exhaled a breath of stale air.

Twilight’s horn flared. Flames flickered to life in every lantern and on every wick. They lit up to show strange machines, cluttering the basement. Some she had built, others she bought. All of them had been used for some sort of experiment at one time or another and then kept down here just in case she needed them again. Now, most of them were covered in a layer of dust.

There, propped up where she had left it—with an additional cobweb or two, was the literal skeleton in her closet.

The deer’s hollow eyes stared back at her as she lifted it and brushed the cobwebs off.

Dash shook her head. When she had knocked on the library door and no one came, she had let herself in, only to find the sight in front of her now.

Twilight was lying belly-first on the floor with scrolls and books piled up around her like a small fort, and she was out like a light. There was even a pool of drool next to her chin. Actually, the sight may have even been cute, were Dash not more concerned about the circumstances over the last couple days leading up to that moment.

Dash leaned down and poked Twilight’s cheek with her nose, receiving a murmur in reply.

“Hey. Twilight.” She nudged at Twilight’s horn with her muzzle, shaking her head. “C’mon, wake up.”

“Hnn...” Twilight moaned as her eyes peeked open. A still-sleepy smile spread across her face as she recognized who woke her up. “Hey, Dash.”

“Twilight, when did you go to sleep last night?”

“Um...” Twilight glanced at a window, seeing the sun rise. “It must have been sometime this morning, I guess.”

Dash hung her head and sighed. Poking her nose under Twilight’s side, she scooped the mare onto her back in one fluid motion. “Come on, let’s at least get you to a bed.”

A groan answered her.

She took special care as she walked up the stairs and through the bedroom door not to bump Twilight on any walls. The pony was dead weight on her back; it was like hauling around a sack of flour.

Dash looked back at Twilight, whose eyes were closed as she hung over the side of Dash’s back. “Hey, Twilight, if this is in some way my fault, I’m sorry.”

Light snores came from Twilight, who’d already fallen asleep again on Dash’s back.

Dash shook her head and placed Twilight down on the bed gently. She took the corner of the blankets in her mouth and tucked her in. Then, she stood there in pained silence.

“I’ll—” She stopped, and lowered her voice. “I’ll come by later after you’ve woken up,” she whispered, even though she knew the sleeping pony wouldn’t hear it.

She walked back downstairs and closed the door behind her quietly, before letting out a sigh.

So much for plans.

Gazing out at the nearby fields and homes from the library doorstep, she kicked the dirt with a pout. She opened up her wings; Twilight needed at least a couple more hours of sleep, and flying didn’t sound like a bad idea while she waited.

As she crouched down to take off, something jumpy caught the corner of her eye. She stood back up and looked over to see a lone monarch butterfly, fluttering by. It flew over in front of her and paused for a moment, hovering just in front of her face. Then, it took a perch right on her nose, spreading its wings so that its yellow and black patterns filled her vision.

Dash blinked and blew a small puff of air up at her nose.

The monarch took off, rapidly flapping its wings once more. It flitted around above her head, before moving on and flying away.

Dash folded her wings back at her side. As she watched the butterfly flit away, a recent yet distant memory came to her.

“You’re going to have to come to terms with ponies who look at us like that.”

“Why? Why do I have to accept ponies acting like that?”

“Because... I don’t want to see you so unhappy all the time.”

Dash continued to stare at the butterfly until it was just a speck over the hills.

It had been a while since she last spoke to Fluttershy. She wondered how her friend was doing.

Spreading her wings once more with a new destination in mind, Dash took off, flying towards the edge of the Everfree Forest. Ponyville blurred beneath her as a light wind at her back almost seemed to urge her onwards to her destination.

The cottage soon came into sight, followed by a myriad of sounds from over two dozen critters that were down in the fields surrounding it. They appeared to be having breakfast, and indeed Dash spotted the pony she was looking for, feeding them.

“Fluttershy!” she called out as she swooped down and landed next to her.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened at seeing her, her attention drifting from the task at hand as she overfilled a bird feeder, and seed poured over onto the grass. She fumbled to get the bag closed, right as a flock of birds swarmed at the seed around her hooves. “O-oh! Um, I wasn’t really expecting you to drop by.” She bit her lip. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, everything’s great!”

Fluttershy bit her lip. “And with Twilight?”

Dash rubbed the back of her head. “She’s... She’s just sleeping in today. That bookworm spent all night studying. Heh, she’s such an egghead sometimes!” She let out a chuckle at her own joke.

Fluttershy covered a small giggle that escaped her mouth. “Oh, well that’s good! That sounds just like her,” she said, rubbing her foreleg and glancing around. “Um...”

“Hey, you wanna go inside and talk for a bit?” Dash asked.

Suddenly, Dash’s stomach growled boisterously. The birds eating grain around their hooves startled and scattered, sending Dash dirty looks.

Rainbow Dash blushed. “... Maybe over breakfast or something.”

Fluttershy tried to force down the smile she had at Dash’s embarrassment. “Sure. That sounds lovely.”

She picked up the bag of seeds, and she and Dash went inside her cottage. It was as homely and slightly chaotic as Dash remembered; birds flew from shelf to shelf, and squirrels ran underhoof as they crossed the living room. She also could have sworn Angel targeted a glare at her as he hopped past them and went outside, but she wrote it off as the little guy just being in a foul mood.

Fluttershy gestured for Dash to take a seat at the kitchen table, before putting the bird seed away in a cupboard and starting on a salad for Dash. She already knew all the things her friend wanted on it. “So, um, how have things been with you two lately?”

Dash absently tapped a hoof on the table as she watched the birds. “Um… Well, we took a trip to Canterlot yesterday. Twilight showed me around the palace, and I got to see where the Wonderbolts train.”

“Oh, wow! That sounds exciting,” Fluttershy said, glancing over her shoulder. “Did you get to speak with any of them?”

“Uh, yeah, one or two…” Dash trailed off, thinking back to her encounter with Spitfire at the apartment. “We didn’t really get to talk much though.”

“Oh,” Fluttershy murmured, as she brought Dash her salad balanced on an outstretched wing. “Well it must be a pretty busy job. Did you get to see anything else?”

“Well, there was this amazing view,” Dash said, taking a generous mouthful of salad. “Since Canterlot’s built on the side of a mountain, you can see all the way to the Pale Mountains. It was really cool being able to see that far—and I’m not typically into sightseeing much.” She lifted the salad to her muzzle, happily crunching on every crouton she could find. Then she set the bowl down, almost empty, and her expression became more serious. “Listen, it’s great catching up with you, but that wasn’t really what I came here to talk about.”

“Oh.” Fluttershy bit her lip. “Um, I’m sorry, what did you want to talk about?”

“I wanted to see if we could make things better and put what happened behind us.” Dash’s ears drooped, and she couldn’t meet Fluttershy’s gaze. “I guess I want to say I’m sorry. For shouting at you and turning my back on you… Can we be friends again?”

Fluttershy leapt over the table, almost knocking Dash over as she wrapped her in a hug.

Dash sat there for a moment, stunned, before she chuckled and returned the hug, gently squeezing her friend. Closing her eyes, she buried her nose against Fluttershy’s shoulder. “I missed you, too.”

“I’m so sorry, Rainbow! I should have never said those awful things!” Fluttershy sniffled, shaking her head against Dash’s shoulder. “If you and Twilight make each other happy, then I’m happy to see you two together.”

A smile eased across Dash’s face as she hugged her friend tighter. “It’s great to hear you say that.”

Fluttershy pulled back and wiped away her tears, smiling in the gentle manner Dash was used to seeing. “I know you’re probably busy, but would it be alright if you stayed a little longer?”

Dash patted her on the shoulder. “Sure thing, Flutts.”

Fluttershy took her spot back at the opposite end of the table and twiddled her hooves. “So, um, what else did you get to see while visiting Canterlot? I’ve always wanted to go there someday, but never found the time.”

Dash finished her salad, and then began to go into detail about their trip—leaving out the details about Spitfire—and gave imaginative descriptions of the palace grounds and all the sights she saw, flying over the city. Fluttershy listened with a dreamy look as she described the gardens and the animals she’d seen during the trip.

Fluttershy let out a wistful sigh as Dash finished recanting her tale. “Oh, now I really can’t wait for the Grand Galloping Gala!”

“Heh, I almost forgot about that,” Dash said, rubbing the back of her head. “I guess Twilight and me are going to be going as dates now, or something, huh?”

“I think you two would look wonderful all dressed up together.”

Dash’s mouth formed a grim line. “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know how other ponies would react to seeing us, though.”

Fluttershy nodded in a subdued manner, staring down at the table. “Since you dropped by and everything, have you talked to Applejack yet?”

“No, not yet,” Dash sighed. “I’m not so sure how that’s going to go down though. You know how she is.”

“Well, yes, but I bet she misses you just as much as I did. We’re your friends, Dash. We still want to see you happy, even if we don’t... well...” Fluttershy hesitated and looked up to see her attempted words of encouragement hadn’t had much effect.

Rainbow Dash tried to shake her worries off with a laugh. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m just being a bit pessimismo is all.”

“You mean pessimistic?”

“Er, yeah, that one. Hanging out with Twilight, I’ve been hearing all these big words. Next thing you know I’ll be reading or something.”

“Well that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.”

“Yeah, so you and her keep saying.” Dash glanced out the window; it looked to be almost noon. She stood up. “I’ve got to head over to the library. Twilight’ll wake up soon, and I told her I would have breakfast with her... even if it’s going to be more of a lunch than a breakfast.”

Fluttershy nodded and picked up Dash’s bowl, taking it to the sink and then hurrying to catch Dash before she left. “Oh! Tell Twilight I said, ‘Hello!’ I haven’t spoken to her in a while.”

Dash opened the door and stopped under its arch, turning to face her. “I’ll pass it along. It’s been cool talking to you again.”

Fluttershy nodded gratefully. “Um, goodbye for now, I suppose.”

“Yeah, I’ll catch you later.”

With that, Dash snapped her wings out to her sides. She took off, climbing high above Ponyville before finding a breeze to soar on.

It had been a breath of fresh air talking to Fluttershy again. The wind under her wings seemed almost playful as she rode on through the sky towards what she’d begun to think of as a second home: the library.

For a rare change, she decided to slow down and enjoy the journey there.

Chapter 26: Return to the Everyday

Return to the Everyday

Flying High, Falling Hard, by soundslikeponies

Twilight woke with a start, her last memories being of her falling asleep on the floor. Looking around to the familiar sight of her own bed and room, she relaxed. But as fragmented memories of Dash taking her upstairs came rushing back, she began to panic again.

Rushing out of bed and downstairs to the main library, she slammed the loft door open. She let out a sigh of relief as she saw her study materials still sprawled out on the floor. It seemed like Dash had left them mostly untouched and—considering some of the darker materials there—she could only hope unexamined.

The last page she’d been on was still open. It held almost charming magic-written notes. It was begging to be read.

Moving the rest of the scrolls and books to a wall in a somewhat organized pile, Twilight lifted the page she’d been on to her snout. She had to flip back a couple pages, having forgotten what she read right before she fell asleep. Her eyes felt dry and stung, but she resisted the urge to rub them as she gorged herself on what was written there, comparing the notes on bone hollowing, tissue creation, and nerve creation against her own, former work.

Just as she was beginning to get absorbed in her studies again, several knocks came from the door. Five impatient ones—most likely Dash’s.

Begrudgingly setting the book down, she walked over to answer it. There was a second set of impatient knocks.

“I’m coming!” Twilight called, shaking her head. She answered the door to find her guess was right, and to find Rainbow Dash sat on her doorstep with a radiant smile.

“Hey, Twi!” Dash greeted. “Can I come in?”

Twilight looked back at the book she had been reading and levitated it onto the pile with the others, frowning. It would have to wait. “Sure. I was just doing a little reading.”

Dash stepped inside, glancing around. “Geez, after doing it all last night, too?”

“Yeah, I know,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes.

“Well, hey, if it’s what you really enjoy doing...” Dash said, whistling Pegasus Fields as she trotted around the library.

Twilight raised an eyebrow at her whistling. “You seem like you’re in an awfully good mood,” she commented. “What’s the reason?”

Dash cut her whistling short and turned to her with a broad smile. “Well, I had this idea that maybe we should go on another date!”

“A date?” Twilight asked, testing how the idea sounded. “You mean like... tonight? Or...”

Dash nodded enthusiastically.

“Uh, well...” Twilight’s eyes wandered. Her stack of books sat in the corner, tempting, but when she looked back at Dash, seeing the hope and eagerness in her eyes made up Twilight’s mind. “Sure, it sounds like a great idea!”

“Awesome! I figured since we haven’t been on one since the first—well, there was that whole Cloudsdale thing, which might count... But anyways, since we haven’t been on another one, and the first one went so well, I thought it might be a good idea. We could even go out somewhere this time!” Dash zipped to Twilight’s side with a burst of flight, wrapping a wing around her. “So, where do you wanna go?”

“Some activities followed by dinner would be nice,” Twilight answered, a smile tugging at her lips. “Any ideas?”

Dash pondered for a moment, before giving a shrug. “We could always go flying.”

Twilight perked up at the mention of flying, but tried not to let it show. “That sounds nice.”

“But we did that on our first date. Shouldn’t the second one be something different?”

“I don’t see why. I can’t think of anything better than holding you close and flying until the stars come out,” Twilight said. She turned and kissed Dash on the cheek, pleased to see it make the pegasus blush.

“That was so sappy, Twi,” Dash said, red-faced but with a smile.

“Maybe a little,” Twilight admitted. They stared at each other, their smiles involuntarily growing as they saw one another trying to keep a straight face. Twilight cracked first, Dash following almost immediately after, as they burst into laughter. Twilight stumbled from her laughter, leaning into Dash. It felt great. It had been too long since she’d laughed so long and hard.

“I miss this,” Dash said, rubbing a tear from the corner of her eye. “I miss just talking and having fun. That was probably our problem, you know. We stopped doing that.”

Twilight nodded as Dash’s wing hugged her close, stroking her coat with a gentle touch. She looked up to see Dash had a playful, sultry glint in her eye. Catching on, she bat her eyelashes at Dash, hoping she’d pick up the invitation.

Judging by the way Dash began leaning forward to kiss her, it worked. Twilight closed her eyes, opening her mouth as Dash’s tongue lightly traced her lips, teasing her with what it offered. She could feel Dash smirk against her lips as she was toyed with. Dash wanted to see her cave. Her body growing hotter by the second, Twilight tried to coax Dash’s tongue, caressing it with her own in the hopes that she’d enter her mouth. But like always, Dash was in it to win.

Throwing her dignity out the window, Twilight let out a soft begging moan. It sounded exactly as pitiful and whiny as she’d imagined it would, and she could feel Dash’s smirk widen at the noise.

Dash broke the kiss for only a split second before her lips came crashing hungrily down against Twilight’s once again. Twilight locked up, taken by surprise by the energy and lust with which Dash rebounded. A squeek escaped her mouth in surprise as Dash’s tongue forced its way into her mouth, but it quickly passed, and soon she began to feel herself melt and tremble against Dash’s well-toned, lithe frame.

Dash always seemed to lead the kisses when they started. Just once, Twilight thought, she’d like to lead the start of a kiss. But then again, with a kisser like Dash, she didn’t really mind waiting her turn.

And her turn it was. Her confidence returned as they continued to kiss. She pressed forward into Dash’s mouth, taking over the situation and eliciting a low moan from the other pony. The wing wrapped around her trembled with pleasure. There was something that made her feel powerful about the way she could make the untouchable, dignified Dash shake and moan.

Dash broke the kiss, her knees shaking from having Twilight take over. Her breath came in short pants.

Twilight licked her lips as she wandered up to Dash’s ear. She could still taste the other mare on her tongue. “You know, I think I’m starting to get the hang of this,” she whispered teasingly in Dash’s ear. She licked her partner’s cheek, causing her to shudder visibly. “You okay?”

“Me?” Dash asked incredulously. “I’m fi—ah!”

Twilight bit Dash’s ear, cutting her off. She continued to nibble on it as the sound of Dash’s panting quickened. She bit down again, this time on the tip of it, but let go when she heard a sharp intake of breath. “Did I hurt you?” she asked fearfully.

“No. Nothing like that. Keep going,” Dash urged as she began to plant hard kisses along Twilight’s neck.

Twilight arched her back, her mind going a euphoric blank from Dash’s rough and frantic ministrations, the ear forgotten. She buried her muzzle in Dash’s mane to keep herself from calling out, the soft rainbow hairs feeling like velvet as they tickled her nose and brushed past her face. And after a few moments, when she couldn’t hold it in any longer, she cried out. Dash captured her open mouth, silencing her, and took the opportunity to place her tongue inside it. Twilight’s mind was lost in the warm, wet pleasure as Dash continued kissing her.

Dash eventually ended the kiss for air, finally allowing Twilight’s head to stop spinning. A wing still wrapped around Twilight’s side, the two of them panting, noses touching, sporting matching scarlet blushes.

“We haven’t,” Dash panted, “done that,” she panted again, “for a while, too.”

Twilight chuckled and leaned forward, rubbing her cheek against Dash’s. “We should do it more often,” she said between breaths.

“Woah, Twi. Don’t you think it’s a bit early for talking about ‘doing it’?” Dash joked, laughing slightly.

“Only if you do,” Twilight replied, making Dash go wide eyed. She giggled at the look of surprise upon the other mare’s face, the slight look of excitement, too. “I’m only joking.”

“Aw...” Dash whined. “That’s mean.”

“Sorry,” Twilight apologized, rubbing her nose against Dash’s. “I’ll make it up to you.”

Dash abruptly froze, a sudden wide-eyed dread appearing on her face. She whipped her head around to look at the clock. “Aw, shoot!” she shouted. “Hey, sorry, Twilight. I’m going to have to cut this short. I have to be at work in about...” She turned back around to the clock and winced. “Five minutes ago. I gotta run!”

Dash’s wing unfurled from around her side as the pegasus dashed to the door with a burst of speed. Opening the door, she reared back to take to the sky, but paused, looking back at Twilight.

“Uh, what time should I pick you up?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Anytime is fine, just make sure you figure out where we’re going to eat.”

Dash nodded, then zipped away in a blur.

The door swung itself shut behind the newly departed pegasus, and Twilight stood there for a moment, a small smile on her face, shaking her head.

Taking a seat, she reached up and touched her lips. So far each kiss they’d shared felt completely different. Whenever she got close enough that Dash dropped the tough act, she found herself discovering sides of Dash she’d never known. Sides of herself she’d never known, too, as she found herself enjoying the more intimate side of being in a relationship more than she thought she would have.

Her pile of books still sat in the corner. She glanced between the stack and the door, an indecisive frown upon her face. It would be nice to see if Rarity was free for an impromptu spa day, so she could look and feel fresh before her date with Dash. On the other hoof...

Twilight shook her head vigorously, making a point to look away from the pile of books as she walked out the door and slammed it shut behind her.

After an asking out like that, her date with Dash came first.

A fiery red dress hung tight but comfortably on her hips, transitioning well to her golden coat. She had just the faintest hint of perfume on—they were, after all, going someplace nice.

Spitfire walked out of the bathroom to see Soarin’ still waiting by her door, wearing a dark blue bow tie that matched his mane.

“We good to go?” he asked, seeing her.

Spitfire nodded. She followed him outside the apartments, where a carriage was waiting for them.

“Soarin’, you didn’t need to do this! We could have flown,” Spitfire protested upon seeing the carriage. “Honestly, you’re doing far too much for this night.”

Soarin’ let out guilty chuckle. “Well, you know how I like to do things big. Besides, what’s the point of being a celebrity if you can’t throw cash around?”

Spitfire scoffed. “Keep up that attitude and you’re going to be penniless a year into retirement.”

“I’m flattered you think I would last anywhere close to a year,” Soarin’ replied, giving her a dashing smile. “Shall we?”

Spitfire returned the smile and nodded. Soarin’ held the door for her as she stepped inside the carriage. The interior was a deep, dark purple, and had soft velvet seats.

Once Soarin’ had got in, taking a seat beside her, the coachponies lifted the carriage off. “You look really nice, by the way,” Soarin’ commented.

Spitfire smiled at the compliment. “Thanks. You look pretty handsome yourself.”

Soarin’ put a hoof over the back of the seat and twisted to face her. “So if you don’t mind me asking, what happened in Ponyville?”

“I...” She shied away from him, rubbing her shoulder uncomfortably. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

“It’s just that the others on the team were sort of worried about how you suddenly ran off like that, and with those two ponies that showed up wanting to apologize, it sorta—”

“Soarin’,” Spitfire interrupted firmly. “Please.”

Soarin’ froze, holding his hooves up in a placating manner. “Right, sorry, sorry. I’ll quit it.”

He lowered his hooves and they both turned away, looking out opposite windows of the carriage quietly. The silence brewed for several seconds.

“You know...” Spitfire finally said, breaking it. “I never did yell at you for pointing those two to my house.” Though her tone seemed annoyed, there was still a smirk on her lips.

“Who? Me?” Soarin’ asked with feigned innocence.

“They told me,” Spitfire said, deadpan.

“Ah, tar feathers,” Soarin’ cursed. “They weren’t supposed to tell you that.”

Spitfire’s pitch turned up a notch. “Soarin’! What if they had been paparazzi or obsessed fans?” She grinned. “Remember Dragonlily?”

Soarin’ let out a visible shudder, but laughed all the same. “That fan that followed you around at, like, five different shows?”

“Yeah,” Spitfire said, shaking her head. “She tried to snip off part of my mane to keep as a souvenir.”

“Haha! Oh yeah, that.”

“That on its own wouldn’t have been that bad, but then she tried taking my suit while I was still wearing it!”

Soarin’ chuckled. “I think I still have the photo of you struggling with her.”

Spitfire pushed Soarin’ away, playfully, and pretended to pout.

“Oh, come on. You can’t stay mad at me for that; I’m taking you out to dinner.”

“That’s the only reason I’m letting you off easy.”

“Yeah, well,” Soarin’ said as the carriage shuddered, landing on a road. “You’ll be apologizing when you see where I’m taking you.”

Spitfire’s head spun, peering out the carriage as it came to a stop in front of a tall, ornate building. Past the building lay the edge of Canterlot, a chain link railing marking its border. Inside the restaurant’s tall, white curtain-bordered windows, ponies sat around tables, eating and sipping wine and champagne. Spitfire’s mouth dropped open when she spotted the restaurant's sign.

“Lune et Soleil?!” She rounded on Soarin’. “How in Equestria did you manage to get reservations at Lune et Soleil in only two days? The book times for this place are usually in months!”

“Well I ran into one of the owners after a show, and he might have asked me for a favor or something, so...” Soarin’ scratched the back of his head. “His kids were huge fans. He asked me to come over for dinner with his family.”

Spitfire merely groaned, burying her face in her hooves.

“What?” Soarin’ asked, huffing.

“I’m completely underdressed for this place!” Spitfire said. She pointed a hoof at Soarin’s bow. “You, too, for that matter!”

Soarin’ sighed, moving past Spitfire and stepping out of the carriage. He turned and held his hoof out to her. “Come on, trust me. You look very pretty. I’m sure all the other mares will be jealous.”

Spitfire looked down at her hooves and blushed. Taking Soarin’s hoof, she stepped out of the carriage.

“See? Now that wasn’t so hard.”

Spitfire looked back at her dress and shook her head, her face flush with embarrassment. “I just hope we have a corner table.”

Soarin’ grinned as they walked up to the restaurant’s doors. “Oh, I think we have something better than that.”

Spitfire’s eyebrows raised, but she decided to stay silent and wait and see as they stepped into the waiting area.

Soarin’ trotted up to the front desk. “Heya,” he greeted. “Soarin’, party of two?”

Unfazed by the way he was casually addressed, the suited maitre d’ behind the desk nodded and smiled. “Right this way, sir and madam.”

Soarin’ looked back at Spitfire and wiggled his eyebrows as he followed the maitre d’. Spitfire followed him as well, though she couldn’t stop herself from self-consciously glancing around at the other ponies.

Her attention was pulled from them when she heard a door open. The maitre d’ was holding a door open to the patio, Soarin’ standing outside and giving her a questioning look. She realized she’d stopped. “Oh, uh... sorry,” she quickly apologized, stepping outside and allowing the maitre d’ to close the door.

The maitre d’ walked around them, leading them once more. “Your table is just over here,” he said.

Spitfire glanced around the polished marble patio, several other couples and smaller parties enjoying their food under the light of the torches. She stepped up beside Soarin’ and nudged him with her shoulder. “A patio table?” she hissed.

Soarin’ just grinned at her, craning his neck to whisper in her ear, “Just wait and see.”

The maitre d’ stopped, a table right by the railing in front of them. “Here is your table, as requested. I’ll make sure a waiter is with you shortly. And please, do enjoy your night,” he said, before leaving to attend to other guests.

Soarin’ took a deep breath of fresh air and smiled. He then turned to his partner, who he only now noticed was giving him a dirty look. “What?”

Spitfire quickly glanced around, before punching Soarin’ in the shoulder.

“Ah! Wha—hey!”

“That’s for not telling me we were going here,” Spitfire said with a glare as she took a seat.

“Geez,” Soarin’ said, nursing his shoulder as he joined her. “That’s what I get for treating a lady all proper.”

“Soarin’.”

“Yeah?”

“Is this a date?”

“What? No, of course not!” Soarin’ quickly said, as if offended that she would think that

Spitfire looked around at the other tables. “You know these tables are for couples and honeymooners,” she said, gesturing to one couple nearby who were rubbing noses like a couple of lovestruck fools.

Soarin’ blinked, looking around at the other couples. “Huh. No idea actually.”

“You know it’s going to be all over the tabloids tomorrow that we’re dating.”

“Eh, let them think what they wanna think.” Soarin’ waved his hoof dismissively. “Besides, we’d probably make a pretty good-looking couple,” he said, waggling his eyebrows with a grin. “I guess the only question now is whether you take my name, or I take yours.”

Spitfire slumped down in her chair, resting her chin on the table and shaking her head helplessly. The midnight fields and mountains to their side stood silhouetted against the starry sky.

“At least the view is nice,” she commented. She stared at it for a while, her mood gradually improving. Screw it, she thought. I came here to forget about all that stuff and have a good time. She straightened up, saw Soarin’ still smiling at her, and returned it with a smile of her own.

Twilight fussed with the towel wrapped around her head. She tried using magic to fix it, and wrap up her hair properly, but bits of hair still stuck out all over the place.

“No, no, no, dear, like this,” Rarity said, her magic taking over and tying Twilight’s towel up in a neat bun.

“Thanks,” Twilight said with a small blush. “You know you really didn’t have to do this. You looked like you were already busy with something else before I stopped by.”

“Oh, nonsense. It’s just a few orders, that’s all. I’ll still have ample room to work my magic after this is over,” Rarity said. “And aside from that, the last time you dropped by my boutique you were a mess—not to insult, dear.”

Twilight smiled, wincing in memory. “No insult taken.”

Rarity began walking over to the tubs, Twilight following. “So what happened afterwards between you and Dash?”

“Well, after Dash came home from work, we made up. The whole time I thought she’d broken up with me, and it really just turned out to be a misunderstanding. She just wanted a little more space.” Twilight laughed nervously. “Looking back on it, I guess I was spending a lot of time with her. It wasn’t like she didn’t give me any hints, either.”

Rarity stopped at a hot tub, its water tinted with bath salts. Walking down its steps, she lowered herself into the water. “Despite what she may try to make others think, Rainbow Dash really is a caring girl. But she’s also always been a bit of a solo act.”

“Yeah,” Twilight agreed, stepping down into the tub as well. Bath water soaked her coat, its warmth following soon after. Her muscles relaxed, the pleasant scent of the bath salts drifting to her nose as she took a seat. “In a way it still surprises me that she wanted to go out with me in the first place.”

“It doesn’t surprise me at all.”

“Really?”

Rarity shook her head. “I’ve always seen her as somepony who treasures few, but treasures dearly. I think she forms bonds deeper than any of us. She’s the kind of pony who’d fly to Tartarus and back to rescue you.”

“Well... that just raises another question.”

“Which is?” Rarity asked.

Twilight cast her eyes down, staring at her reflection on the water. “Why me?”

“Darling, you really don’t do your character justice!” Rarity scolded, a frown marring her features.

“But, I mean, what is there really?” Twilight asked, poking at her reflection. Her hoof sent ripples racing out, scattering her image. “You’re the element of generosity, Dash is the element of loyalty, what am I? I’m just the element of magic. What kind of a person does that make me?”

Rarity grew quiet. Her eyes searched the water’s surface, unable to find an answer. Twilight took a deep breath and sighed, sulking deeper into the water. “That’s what I thought—”

“You are kindness,” Rarity said suddenly.

Twilight’s nose scrunched up and she gave her an odd look. “Kindness?”

Rarity nodded, walking across the bath and sitting beside her. “You’re kindness, you’re loyalty, generosity,” she said, pointing to herself, “honesty, and laughter. I’ve seen you embody all those traits. And, you’re also my friend, whom I cherish dearly.”

Twilight’s eyes stung as a sincere smile tugged at her lips. She pulled Rarity into a hug, sniffling against her friend’s shoulder. “Thanks.”

Rarity patted Twilight’s back, smiling. “Think nothing of it.”

Twilight ended the hug, blinking away the tears before they could form.

Rarity stood, turning to Twilight with a grin. “Well, any longer in here and we’ll become all pruney. What say we find a couple attendants and get the full treatment? I feel like spoiling myself.”

Twilight giggled, standing up to follow Rarity through the spa. “That sounds like something I could really go for right now,” she agreed. For the first time in days she felt her worries slip into the back of her mind. Instead, she began looking forward to her date with Dash, entertaining herself with ideas of where they might go.

Chapter 27: A Date

A Date

Flying High, Falling Hard, by soundslikeponies

“I still have no idea what we’re going to do on this date. I mean, I was going to set it to be a few days from now, but when she asked if it was for tonight I just sorta said ‘yes’ without thinking about it.”

Ditzy Doo pushed away another cloud, her face scrunching up in thought. “Well... there’s, um...”

Rainbow Dash stared at her, expectantly.

She gave up with a shrug. “I don’t really know. It’s been... golly, I guess forever since I’ve been on a date.”

Dash deflated, hanging hopelessly by her wings as they flapped to keep her aloft. Straightening herself out, she banged a hoof against her forehead. “C’mon, Dash, think!” She sighed, turning to Ditzy Doo. “She wants to go flying, but she’s expecting me to take her somewhere before or after that. What if I don’t think of anything? What if this date totally blows?”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

Dash grumbled, flying over to a small cloud and giving it a particularly vicious kick, dispelling it. She crossed her hooves in front of her chest. “There’s nothing to do in Ponyville.”

Slowly, her anger spent, Dash slumped, staring down at the houses below. “Oh man, I can already see the look of disappointment on Twilight’s face.” She sighed once more. Then, suddenly, her face lit up with an idea, a grin split her face, and her ears flip-flopped with excitement. “There’s nothing to do in Ponyville!”

Ditzy raised an eyebrow at Dash’s sudden outburst and change in mood. “Um...” Her eyes went lopsided in confusion. “I don’t get it...”

Dash zipped away, kicking the remaining dozen or so clouds hanging in the air so that the sky rang blue, before darting back to her starting point and turning to face Ditzy.

“Don’t you see? If there’s nothing to do in Ponyville, then I’ll just fly her somewhere else! It could be part of the date! We could have a picnic in the valley, take a relaxing walk through the forest, no one but the two of us around, or have a romantic dinner by candlelight atop a mountain with—” Dash froze, spotting Ditzy giving her a strange look. She cleared her throat. “Or, you know, whatever sappy stuff Twilight’s into.”

Ditzy gave her a knowing smile and nodded. “Sounds like a great idea. I’m sure she’ll love it.”

“Well, I just cleared out the main part of our workload for today,” Dash said, gesturing back at the patch of blue sky she’d cleared. She checked the sun. It sat high and bright, still a long ways before it would even think of getting dark. “Think you can finish up if I clock out early?” she asked.

“Yeah, go for it,” Ditzy said, bucking a cloud into vapor. “Have a good time on your date with Twilight.”

“Yeah, I’m hoping she will, too.” Dash started flying down towards the weather center, calling out over her shoulder, “See ya, Ditzy!”

Ditzy turned and gave her a wave as she sped away. The weather center was just a filly’s flight away, and as Dash touched down outside its doors, she started humming a cheery tune stuck in her head.

The center was empty, save for the receptionist, who yawned and looked up at the first pony she’d seen in hours. Walking up to the clocks, Dash found her card and punched it in the out box.

“Three p.m.? You certainly finished up out there fast,” the receptionist said with a slightly disbelieving drawl, as she flipped through the pages of Canterlot weekly.

Dash just gave her a brilliant smile. “Ditzy said she’d cover the rest.”

The receptionist gave her a slow, single nod, clicking her tongue. “Got someplace to be?”

“I’ve got a date,” Dash announced rather happily.

The receptionist merely snorted. “Well, good luck with that then.”

“Thanks,” Dash said, as she trotted out the door.

The door closed behind her with a definitive click, and she looked up at the blue sky above her, pursing her lips. “Well, now I’ve got plenty of time to kill...” she muttered to herself, glancing around.

She spread her wings. There were a lot of good places on the outskirts of Ponyville she could take Twilight. And, she figured, it would be a better idea to look now, rather than be distracted by it later when they were actually on the date.

Twilight sank into her massage table, the hooves of the twin masseuses working their magic on hers and Rarity’s backs. While many late nights of studying had given her a high tolerance for stress, it still felt good to get a chance to let it all out. As the masseuse reached her shoulders, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she let out a pleasure-filled groan.

Rarity, beside her, let out a giggle. “Everything alright, dear?”

“Ooph.” Twilight took a deep breath, letting her legs dangle off the sides of the table. “Yeah, just great. I didn’t realize how stiff my back had gotten from staying hunched over my books.”

“Oh, I know just what you mean. There is no good posture for a sewing machine. I oftentimes find myself too absorbed in what I’m doing to notice the way I sit.” She wore a cynical smirk. “Such is the life of dedication to one’s craft, I suppose.”

“Yeah,” Twilight agreed.

“So what happened between you and Dash in Canterlot?”

Eyes widening, Twilight’s sat up and twisted towards Rarity, before the masseuse gently turned her back and pushed her back down onto the table with a slightly irritated look. Twilight cringed. “Sorry,” she said, before lying her head down on the pillow sideways to face Rarity. “That was a bit of a sudden way to ask that.”

“Yes, I know, but it’s been eating at me.”

Twilight’s eyes shifted towards the masseuse working Rarity’s back, and then to the one working on her own. “Maybe when we’re at the mud baths.”

Rarity pursed her lips, as if to protest, but nodded. Still, it wasn’t long before the masseuses finished up, and the two of them left for the mud baths. Twilight stayed silent the whole way, carrying a wooden bucket full of soaps and creams that the two spa attendants gave them for the rest of their stay. It was a bit of a balancing act to keep it on her back, and she wound up simply using magic to float it alongside her.

Eventually, Rarity spoke up, seemingly knowing what was on Twilight’s mind. “So?”

“We took a late train to Canterlot because I was insisting that we go apologize to Spitfire.” Rarity arched an eyebrow. “Yes, I know, but when she apologized to me and helped Dash and I get back together again, I felt I owed her. And you should have seen how disappointed with herself she looked when she told me she was leaving.”

“Well, that certainly is noble of you.”

“Not exactly,” Twilight admitted. “I didn’t really feel that things were through between her and Dash, and I guess some part of me needed to know.”

“But this is Dash we’re talking about.”

Twilight snorted and cast her eyes toward the tiles. “Yeah, I know. Stupid, right? I thought so too, until she kissed Spitfire.”

“What?”

“I didn’t see it, but I heard them talk about it afterwards from the other side of a door.”

Rarity wrinkled her nose and gave Twilight a skeptical raise of her brow. “Are you sure? I can’t picture Dash as being somepony who’d ever cheat on someone.”

A moment of silence passed between them. Twilight still had her eyes glued to the floor, her gaze distant. Rarity let out a sigh, noticing the effect her words had on Twilight. “But you two are still together, right?”

“Yeah,” Twilight answered, taking a moment afterward to think of what to say next. “She seemed genuinely regretful of what she did, of the fact that she had feelings for Spitfire. When I was sitting outside the door, listening to them, I couldn’t help but wonder, was I somehow to blame for that? Could I really blame her for not having control over her emotions? Could I really imagine myself breaking up with her?”

Rarity’s ears flattened to her head, a frown making its way across her lips. “It’s not an easy decision, is it?”

Twilight shook her head. “I couldn’t do it. I still wanted to be with her. When she came out of the room, she looked sadly at me and made no excuses for what she did, just apologizing, over and over.” They arrived at the mud baths and Twilight set her bucket down with a sigh. “But the whole time, I couldn’t even see her as Dash. She seemed like a stranger to me, and in a way, even after coming back, it still feels that way.”

Rarity slipped into her mud bath first and stared up at Twilight, her lips in a tight line. “Do you still love her?”

Twilight froze with one hoof in the mud, staring at her like a pony caught in a cockatrice’s glare. She eventually snapped out of it, and finished lowering herself into her bath. “Love?”

“Yes.”

Twilight lifted a hoof to her chin and looked up at the ceiling. “I’ve never really thought about it. I mean, I loved her as a friend, but that’s a different kind of love, isn’t it?”

“Well, yes.”

“So how do I know if I love her in a romantic way? We haven’t even been dating for that long.” Twilight furrowed her brow, trying to sort it out as though it were some sort of puzzle. “And how do I know whether what I feel is real, or just wishful thinking?” She slumped down in her mud bath, exasperated from thought, and blew a dangling piece of her mane out of her face. “I wish love were quantifiable.”

Rarity nodded sagely, relaxing back and sinking down into her bath. “No doubt it would make all our lives easier if it were.” After taking a hooffull of mud and lathering it on her face, Rarity unwrapped a pair of fresh cucumber slices from her basket and placed them over her eyes. “But enough of troubles, do you have any plans for what you’re going to wear tonight?”

No one was happier than Twilight to have a change in conversation. She tapped her chin in thought. “Well, I was thinking I’d probably go without a dress, but I was thinking I’d do something with my mane...”

It was near night, nothing more than a small orange glow on the horizon. Rainbow landed outside the library with a bouquet of disgruntled roses between her teeth. Craning her neck back, she sniffed her coat and make sure the shampoo had gotten rid of the smell of sweat from flying around all day. Once satisfied, she cleared her throat, stood up straight, and put on a smile, before knocking on the door.

“Coming!” a voice called from inside. The sound of scattered hoofsteps came through the door, followed shortly by their owner opening said door.

The first thing Dash’s eyes were drawn to was Twilight’s mane. Whereas before she had a straight edged mane and tail, kept meticulously tidy and even in a way that suited her nature, now she had loosely curled locks that hung around her shoulders, bordering her face. The pink highlight was still prevalent down the left side of her bangs, and her tail seemed to bounce with each movement of her rump.

Twilight smiled, though it seemed the slightest bit uneasy, and held a hoof up to her hair. “Do you like it?”

Dash blinked, managing to nod dumbly. “Uh, yeah, itsh... wow,” she mumbled through the bouquet.

Twilight giggled, setting her hoof back down. “So...” She trailed off, looking at the bundle in Dash’s mouth. “Are those for me?”

“Oh!” Dash felt a small tug at her mouth and let go, letting Twilight’s magic take a hold of the roses. “Yeah, they are.”

“Um…” Twilight glanced back inside, then at the roses, and back inside again. “Let me just go find a vase for these really quickly.”

“Uh, right.”

As she stepped back inside, Twilight glanced over her shoulder. “You can come in if you want, though it’ll only be a moment.”

“Eh, I think I’ll just pedal around outside for a bit.” Dash gave a weak laugh. “Fresh air and all that.”

Twilight nodded, and disappeared inside with her bouquet.

In her head, Dash counted to three, then slapped herself hard across the cheek. “Stupid!” Rubbing the cheek she just slapped, she closed her eyes and took a meditating breath. “Play it cool, Dash,” she muttered to herself. “You are cool.”

Twilight came back outside, the bouquet of roses presumably put somewhere safe for now. “Okay,” she said. She took a deep breath not unlike the one Dash just took moments ago, and faced Rainbow Dash with a smile. “All set.”

Dash turned around and spread her wings, motioning with a wingtip for Twilight to hop on. “Is your mane okay for flying?” she asked, glancing back. “I wouldn’t want to wreck it. You know, what with how nice it looks.”

“It’ll be fine. Besides, it’s just for tonight,” Twilight said, as she climbed on Rainbow Dash’s back. The warmth of Twilight’s chest, and her hooves wrapping around her neck, were a secret comfort for Dash on their flights. While she might not have been able to pull out all the stops with somepony riding on her back, she enjoyed the closeness it brought.

“Ready?” Dash asked, once Twilight had situated herself.

“Ready.”

After a pair of experimental flaps, Rainbow took off, flying just over a tree’s height above the ground. It was warm that night. Squirrels and owls and insects were all out in abundance and filling the night air with their sounds, and there were fireflies, as they passed over a pond, dancing near the water’s surface.

“I never realized how active the forests around Ponyville are at night,” Twilight said.

“Yeah. I didn’t know until Fluttershy took me out here to see it all one night.” Dash chuckled in memory. “Wouldn’t have ever done it if I didn’t accidentally promise to.”

“You? Not a fan of nature walks?” Twilight asked. Even though Dash couldn’t see it, she could feel her smirk. “I never would have guessed.”

“Well, yeah, I guess it looks cool and stuff, but I flew practically all over the place as a filly, after I left Cloudsdale, so I’ve managed to see a lot of things.”

“Like what?”

“Uh, well...” Dash scratched her head, trying to decide on one thing in particular. “Ever been to Scratchtooth Chasm?”

“No.”

“Uh, Singer’s Valley?”

“Nope. But I know where it is on a map.”

“Mount Peril?”

Dash felt her shaking her head. “Geez, where have you been, then?”

“Just Canterlot and now Ponyville, mostly,” Twilight replied. “I vaguely remember visiting my grandparents in Manehatten when I was a filly.”

Dash couldn’t wrap her head around the idea of staying in one place all the time. “That’s it? You never even got to study a board or anything?”

Twilight stifled a giggle. “Study abroad. And no, I spent all my time in between bookshelves at the Canterlot Library. It’s not that I didn’t want to go see places, there was just never any opportunity to while I was a student there.”

“Maybe I’ll take you there someday,” Dash offered, as she angled down a hill, picking up speed. “We could go wherever.”

“But Cloudsdale was such a short trip, and you were completely winded by the time we arrived,” Twilight pointed out.

Dash winced, remembering how her wings had ached from that trip. “Well... yeah. But I could get stronger.”

Twilight shook her head, but gave Dash a small squeeze to let her know she appreciated her trying. “I’ve already gotten to see so much coming to Ponyville,” she said, adjusting in her seat. “Maybe once I get this spell working we can fly somewhere together.”

“Yeah,” Dash said, smiling at the thought. “If you do that, we could go anywhere!” She glanced back at Twilight. “Ever been to the ocean?”

Hugging Dash, a broad smile spread across Twilight lips. “No,” she said. “But I’d love to go someday.” Her eyes met Dash’s. She looked genuinely happy, happier than Dash had seen her for a while, but there also seemed to be a touch of lingering sadness behind her eyes, so deeply hidden that Dash almost didn’t notice it.

“Can we go above the clouds?” Twilight asked.

The question snapped Dash from her thoughts, and she broke the gaze. “Uh, yeah, hold on.” The hooves around her neck held on tight as they ascended. The forest disappeared beneath them, turning into great green felt that stretched into the distance and met the bases of the mountains. It became shrouded by wisps of cloud as they ascended farther still, eventually vanishing altogether. The air grew cold. The air grew thin. The air grew to be all there was, the rest forgotten long below the clouds.

Slowly, the scared, almost choking, grip around Dash’s neck relaxed. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Twilight, her eyes lit up by the stars as she looked around in wonderment.

“It’s amazing...”

Dash swooped down to a cloud, sticking slightly higher than the rest, and landed on it. There was a brief hum of magic, before Twilight climbed off her back and sat next to her.

Dash craned her neck to look up. Hundreds of stars were already out, hiding in the fading light of the young night sky. “They’re a lot clearer from up high, huh?”

Twilight blinked and gave her a startled look, before following her gaze up. “Oh, wow, I normally never see them out this early!”

“They’re usually out this early up here,” Dash said, rubbing her chin. “I wonder if it’s because we’re closer.”

Twilight nudged Rainbow in the side and pointed up. “Look, you can almost see all of Orion’s belt.”

Dash tried following Twilight’s hoof, but they all looked the same. “Eh... I don’t see it.”

“Here,” Twilight said, scooting closer to Dash. She threw a hoof around Dash’s shoulder, pressed the side of her head up against Dash’s, and pointed at a pair of bright stars sitting side by side. “Those two right there. The third star hasn’t come out yet.”

“Oh...” Dash looked around, spotting another small cluster of stars out. She pointed them out to Twilight. “What about those?”

“Those are the Gemini twins.”

Dash pointed to another. “And that?”

“That’s part of Leo, the Lion. It looks like most of his stars aren’t out yet.”

“Huh.” Dash looked up at the last cluster of stars, stumped. They didn’t look like a lion. They didn’t look like anything, really. “How do you remember all of them?”

Twilight smiled as she pursed her lips and stared at the stars. She thought for a moment, before answering. “I used to look up at the sky all the time. When I started learning magic, I thought that maybe one day I’d be able to fly up and touch them.”

Dash snickered, unable to help herself. Twilight gave her a hard shove. “Hey! I was four at the time! It’s not funny, I really thought I could!”

Dash shook her head as her snickering quieted down. “No, no, I wasn’t laughing at it.” She wrapped a wing around the pouting Twilight, rubbing her shoulder. “It sounds like a nice dream to have had. I was just thinking of all the weird stuff I thought I’d grow up to do when I was a filly. I once told all my friends I’d fly to the moon.”

Twilight stifled a giggle. “Oh, yeah? How did that turn out?”

“Well, let’s just say that the lesson we had that year about the atmosphere was a real bummer.”

Twilight’s cheeks puffed up with contained laughter. “How old were you?” she asked, barely keeping it together.

Dash’s cheeks grew crimson, and she looked down at the cloud. “I was eight,” she answered, in a small, embarrassed tone.

Twilight hid her face against Dash’s shoulder, her body shaking from the effort of holding in her laughter.

“Hey!” Dash said, her face hot. “No one ever told me there wasn’t any air up there! How was I supposed to know?” Despite her indignity, she couldn’t help the smile spreading across her face from Twilight’s barely contained laughter. “I seriously thought I could fly to the moon. I thought I’d be the first to do it, too.”

Twilight sat up and rubbed her eyes. They were red and puffy, almost as though she’d been crying, and there was an obvious but failed attempt on her part to force her smile down. She cleared her throat, trying to maintain her composure.

“Do you want to get something to eat?” she asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Dash said, happy to be off the topic. She stood and spread her wings, allowing Twilight onboard. “Ready?”

“Yep.” Twilight shifted, trying to get more comfortable on Dash’s back. “Where are we going?”

“I found a place,” Dash answered mysteriously with a smile.

“—So Silvertrail and Fleetfoot came out of the changing room with it and said, ‘We couldn’t find any spare uniforms, only this pink jumpsuit!’”

Spitfire’s lips curled into a smirk against her glass as she let out a laugh. “And then?”

“It was my only one,” Soarin’ said, tipping his empty wine glass, a light intoxication across his cheeks. “But the instructor hated me. If I didn’t show up in uniform, she would have had my head, so I wore it.”

Spitfire was forced to put down her drink as she burst into laughter. Soarin’ wore an embarrassed smile and put a hoof to his forehead. “They couldn’t get new uniforms until the end of the month, so for a week and a half, everyone called me ‘Private Periwinkle Pink’.”

Spitfire covered her mouth, a few giggles spilling out. “Ms. Howl was always nice to me.”

“She was a demon of Tartarus in disguise!” Soarin’ hissed, keeping his voice low as though Ms. Howl herself might hear him and make him do laps. “She made me repeat an exercise thirty times because I apparently wasn’t doing it right.”

Spitfire traced the rim of her glass. They ordered a short while ago, but truth be told, she didn’t feel very hungry. “You ever feel like those first few weeks at the Wonderbolt Academy are something you’ll never get back?”

“Huh?” Soarin’ asked. “What do you mean?”

“Well, those were probably the best days of my life. It feels like everything after those first few weeks has just been downhill.”

“What about being accepted into the Wonderbolts? Or being promoted to Captain?”

“Yeah...” Spitfire gave a nod of weak agreement. “But the reality of those set in before I could even get a chance to celebrate. They were both a humongous step up in responsibility, and I had to hit the ground running if I wanted to do a good job at either of them.”

Soarin’ hummed in thought. “Yeah, I guess things were a lot more carefree back then,” he said. “But so what? We’re on top of the world right now.”

Spitfire fell silent, staring at her unfinished glass of sparkling pear juice. Its tiny bubbles continuously floated up to the surface behind her reflection on the glass. “You ever think that, at some point in all the time we spent learning, we forgot how to discover things for ourselves?”

Soarin’ chuckled. From his look he thought she was making some kind of joke. “Can’t say I have.”

A frown marred Spitfire’s face. “You don’t feel like you lost something along the way, moving forward?”

Soarin’ put on a thoughtful look, though it seemed mostly for show. “No, not really,” he answered with a shrug after some time. “Why? Is something bothering you?”

“Well...” Spitfire stalled and thought back to all the times she’d flown recently. With the Wonderbolts. By herself. With Dash. She wound up shaking her head. “I can’t put my hoof on it.”

Their waiter arrived shortly after with their food and set it on the table. A pair of plates, with miniscule portions, sat in front of them, as the waiter hurried off to attend to what had quickly become a busy night.

Soarin’ looked at their meals and let out a shaky laugh. “I didn’t realize I ordered the small...”

Spitfire looked down at her own, three-bite-sized portion, and began to giggle.

Rainbow Dash touched down atop the flattened peak of a small mountain just a long glide away from Ponyville. Individual homes, and the light in their windows, were still visible at their distance.

Twilight climbed off her back and looked around at the small plateau, a slab of which stuck up and formed a flat, barrel-high platform.

“It’s a table,” Dash said.

“Huh?” Twilight looked around, before settling back on the rock she had been looking at. “That?”

“Yeah.” Dash hopped down to a lower ledge and brought up a cooler in between her teeth. She set it down at Twilight’s hooves. “I thought we’d have dinner up here.”

Twilight spun around, her smile growing as she took in the view. “From the way you were talking before, I figured you were going to take me to a restaurant.”

“Oh, were you looking forward to going to one?” Dash asked, as her smile faded and her ears flattened against her head apologetically. “Because if you want, we could just leave this here and go—”

Twilight interrupted her with a kiss on the cheek, a smile slipping across her lips at Dash’s nervousness. “It’s fine. I love it.”

Dash’s ears perked back up. “Oh. Well, in that case, great!” She darted away like a nimble ferret and began poking her nose through the cooler, bringing out a stack of plates between her teeth, and setting them on the land-made table. “There’s apples and strawberries, yogurt, fresh croissants with butter—or, well, they should still be sorta fresh.” She put the items out on the plates as she listed them. Rummaging in the cooler box one last time, she pulled out a few candles and a matchbox. “And candles. To, um, see and stuff,” she finished lamely.

Dash looked down at the food she’d set out, her lips forming a small grimace. “It’s not exactly restaurant food, but the strawberries are fresh from Fluttershy’s garden, and the croissants are really good.”

“I’m telling you, I’m fine with this,” Twilight said, smiling to reassure her. She glanced around at the forests down below them, and up at the stars. “It’s really nice up here.”

“Are you sure?” Dash asked. “You just sorta seem a bit... put off.”

Twilight chewed her lip, debating whether or not to be honest with her. “Can you promise to answer something honestly for me?”

“Of course. Anything.”

“What was flying with Spitfire like?”

“So, I gotta ask,” Soarin’ said, as Spitfire was about to take her first bite.

“Ask what?”

“Why’d you run off?” he said. By his tone he clearly wasn’t mad at her, but he did seem to feel slightly betrayed that she hadn’t been willing to tell him. “What happened in Ponyville?”

Spitfire wiped her mouth slowly, thinking. “It’s where that one flier we saw in Cloudsdale lives.”

“Rainbow Dash?”

“Yeah.” Spitfire stared at her plate, nudging her food with her fork. “There was something about the way she flew... Didn’t you feel it?”

Soarin’ shrugged. “She was pretty good, for an amateur, but her form was sloppy.”

“But she never even went to the Wonderbolts Academy. I’ve seen her pull off turns I couldn’t, even with all the training we’ve done on those. And she’s fast, Soarin’. Really fast.”

“So... what, that’s it? You left to do a scouting trip? You could have just sent someone. We have ponies who are paid to do that, you know.”

A frown tugged at Spitfire’s lips. “It’s not just that. I needed to go to Ponyville and have a chance to fly with her.”

“Did you get a chance to fly with her?”

Spitfire nodded.

Soarin’ shrugged, asking the next, obvious question. “Well then, what was it like?”

After almost a full minute of internal debate on what to say, Twilight’s stare piercing her soul, Rainbow Dash finally answered. “It was magical.”

Twilight remained silent after she said it. Dash wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but she took it as her cue to elaborate. “Nopony’s ever really been able to keep up with me. So finally getting a chance to fly with someone as good as me, someone who didn’t slow me down, was amazing. I was always looking for somepony who could fly with me, who shared my love of flying. And with Spitfire, that was just...”

Twilight’s eyes had grown watery as she spoke. Rainbow Dash flapped across the table and wrapped a wing around her. “But that’s something completely different! It doesn’t affect how I feel about you, or about us. What we have doesn’t need that. It’s perfect just the way it is, so why do you keep trying to change it?”

Twilight shook her head and pushed Rainbow Dash away. She turned to Rainbow Dash with tears in her eyes. “There’s a huge part of your life that I’m locked out of. Don’t you see? Without being like her, all I’ll ever do is slow you down.”

Rainbow Dash winced, hearing her own words. “You know I didn’t mean that! I’ve never cared about having to carry you places.” She let out a sigh, trying to think of some way to convince Twilight she was right. Moving closer to her, she tried to wrap her wing around her again. “C’mon, Twilight. Let’s just forget about this and finish the date.”

Twilight shook her head and stepped back. “I’m done.”

Spitfire’s food lay half-eaten, forgotten, on its plate as she spoke emphatically of her time with Dash. “—and there was just this feeling I can’t describe. It was like I was lighter than air—like I was completely free. I remember feeling something like it once, when I first learned how to fly. Flying with her, I felt as though I rediscovered that passion that made me want to fly in the first place.”

As Spitfire told Soarin’ of what flying with Dash was like, a realization slowly began to grow within her. Forgetting the crush, forgetting what happened between her and Dash, and forgetting the two kisses, she still wanted to be with Dash. Not romantically, but as wings.

“I think...” She paused, making certain she was really sure what she wanted. “I think I’m done.”

“Huh? Done with what?”

Spitfire stared down at her plate. The next words were so strange, they didn’t even sound as though they came from her. “I think I’m done with the Wonderbolts...”

“What?” Soarin’s mouth hung open, his lips looking like they were trying to form words but had forgotten how. He leaned over the table, keeping his voice low in front of the other patrons. “B-b-but the team! You’re the youngest captain of the Wonderbolts, and you still have plenty of golden years left in you. Why quit now?”

“I just...” She tried to think of a good way to phrase it. There was none. “I found someone else I want to fly with.”

“And what about us? What about you and me?” Soarin’ asked, his voice filled with hurt as he glared at her.

Spitfire sighed. “Soarin’, we’ve been over this. I don’t—”

Soarin’ took a deep breath, running a hoof through his mane. He took a moment to cool down, though Spitfire understood it must have been difficult for him to do so. “I know, I know,” he said with frustration. “But I always thought we might be able to give it another shot, you know? Maybe even with tonight, with the restaurant and everything—”

“Wait, that’s why you did this?”

“Well, no, but—” He cut himself off. His shoulders slouched. “You haven’t seemed happy for a while. I just want to see you smiling again, whether or not we ever...”

Spitfire sighed, reaching across the table and rubbing the hoof he had resting on it. “I had a great time, for a while,” she said, stroking his hoof gently. “But I want to move onto something new.”

A mirthless chuckle escaped Soarin’s lips. For a while, he just stared quietly at the table cloth, a faraway look in his eyes. “So I guess this is it, then?”

Spitfire chewed her lip. “I’ll let the team know at practice tomorrow. Fleetfoot will take my place. I’ll keep showing up to practices for a week or so, to help everyone get settled in with the new setup.”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with what happened between us, right?” Soarin’ asked, staring at her uncertainly.

“This is about me,” Spitfire answered in a firm tone. “I don’t want you to think differently.” She looked down at her unfinished food, wincing as she was reminded of the lengths Soarin’ went to for this evening. “I’m sorry this night didn’t turn out so well.”

“Yeah...” Soarin’ looked down at his finished plate and snorted. “I guess I’ll see you at practice tomorrow morning then, huh?”

Spitfire gave a subdued nod as Soarin’ motioned a waiter over to bring them their check.

Rainbow Dash blinked and shook her head, like somepony had hit her snout. “You’re done?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t think tonight was a good night to have this date. I...” Twilight sniffled, wiping her nose. She smiled and let out a weak laugh. “I guess I’m not really over what happened as much as I thought I was.”

Rainbow Dash stared at the ground with her ears pressed flat and a guilt-ridden face. “Look, I know it can’t be easy getting over what I did. You have every right to feel hurt, or be mad at me, or not trust me.” She looked up and met Twilight’s eyes. “But we need to work through this together. Let me show you how much I care about you!”

Twilight bowed her head and remained silent, her hair covering her eyes as her body shook.

“Come on. Let’s just sit together and have something to eat.” Dash tried to give an friendly, encouraging smile, wishing that Twilight would look up and see it. “The fruit’s freshly picked. You could put it in the yogurt or something. There’s also a few slices of cheese to go with the croissants. I’m not really sure if you’re supposed to have cheese with them, but it always tastes good, so—”

“I’m sorry, Dash,” Twilight interrupted, turning away. “Not tonight.”

Before Dash could so much as open her mouth in reply, Twilight blinked away in a bright flash of pink light.

The smile Dash wore slowly faded as she realized she was alone, with only a cooler full of food she wouldn’t be able to finish by her side. Staring out at Ponyville, she let out a sigh as a light breeze tossed her mane. She reared back and stomped the ground with her front hooves.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!”

Chapter 28: Book Worm, Party Animal, Adventurer

Book Worm, Party Animal, Adventurer

Flying High, Falling Hard, by soundslikeponies

Dash sat in the library, bouncing a tennis ball against a shelf. Twilight was reading her books nearby. It had been just over a week since their failed date. They spoke to each other the day after. Twilight apologized for the way she left, Dash accepted her apology, and then Twilight kissed her on the cheek and thanked her for being so understanding. It all happened quickly and without any hiccups. At least it could be said they were getting better at making up. For what that was worth.

The ball hit the corner of the shelf, bouncing out into the middle of the room with a series of lessening thuds. Dash watched it go, blowing her mane out of her eyes. Reluctantly, she got up and walked over to it, picking it up with her mouth. She glanced over at Twilight, who was sitting at her desk where she was poring over a stack of books.

Dash walked over. She tried reading a few lines of text over Twilight’s shoulder, but most of it was intellectual gibberish to her.

“Atcha eading?” she asked.

Twilight blinked, snapping out of her reading zone. “Hmm?”

Dash spat out the tennis ball, letting it roll to the corner of the room, and ran her tongue around to get the fuzz out of her mouth. “Whatcha reading?” she asked, again.

“‘Anatomy of the Pegasine, Volume—” She lifted the side of the book and glanced at its spine. “Four.”

Dash sat down next to her, trying to give the book a look of interest. “So, uh, what’s it about?”

Twilight quirked an eyebrow. “Pegasus Anatomy...”

Dash winced, wanting to kick herself for the lame question. Instead, she settled for biting her lip. “Oh, well of course.” She tried reading a few more lines of it from over Twilight’s shoulder. She recognized some of the words in it. Not many, but some. “So is it any good?”

Twilight gave her another odd look. “I guess so?” she answered, weakly.

“So this book will tell you how to make wings?” Dash asked.

“Well, no. Not exactly. It tells me how wings work.” She paused, then turned away from the book to face Dash. “Did you know one in five pegasi can’t fly for more than ten minutes?”

“No, I didn’t,” Dash admitted.

“There’s a hundred things that could go wrong with how I make the wings. The bone structure could be malformed, or the feathers might not be strong enough. Pegasi wings have been categorized into over one hundred different airfoils. Nopony’s sure which ones have the most effective lift-to-drag ratio in most given circumstances, and depending on which kind I decide to go with, the length and shape of the humeri, ulnae, and radii all have to change.”

Dash blinked. “Uh...” She tried to think of something intelligent-sounding to reply with. “Humeri, ulnae, and radii?”

Twilight nodded. “Plural form for the humerus, ulna, and radius,” she listed, poking Dash’s wing in three different places leading from its base to its tip. “Pegasi have four humeri: two in their front legs, two in their wings.”

Dash lifted her front hoof, glancing between it and her wing. “Huh, didn’t know that.” She lowered her leg back to the floor, looking at the book once more. “So I guess there’s a lot of thinking stuff that goes into this.”

Twilight snorted. “Don’t even get me started on the circulatory system.”

“Noted,” Dash said, absently, as she turned away from the book with a yawn. “Say, want to go out and get a bite to eat? You do owe me a date.”

Twilight gave her a forced smile and Dash knew what the answer was before she even said it. “I’m really busy with these studies, and I feel close to some kind of breakthrough, but you can go without me.” Dash sighed. Twilight clasped her hooves together. “I promise we’ll go out once I finish this spell. We can go on two—or even three dates, maybe.”

Dash tried to give her a smile, but it was weak and her heart wasn’t in it. “Okay, well in that case, I think I’ll just head home for the night. Don’t want to be distracting you from your reading.”

Dash stood. Turning, she started towards the door.

“Hey,” Twilight said, standing and facing her. Dash saw the beckoning look in her eyes and walked back over. Twilight gave her a warm peck on the cheek and smiled. “Thank you for being so patient and spending so much time with me. You’ve been really great this whole time I’ve been gluing my nose to my books, and I know how bored you must get.”

Dash grinned, the compliment giving rise to a blush. “It’s no biggie. I racked up a bunch of vacation days this year, and they disappear if I don’t use them by the end of the month.” She paused, scratching the back of her neck. “So, uh, I guess I’ll drop by tomorrow after practice,” Rainbow Dash said. Upon receiving a distracted nod, she left.

In some ways things had gotten better, in others they had gotten worse. They had never been more agreeable, and they had never been more distant. As she walked away from the library, she stretched her wings, finally feeling free and finally outdoors. She tried countless times over the past week to peel Twilight away from her coffin filled with books, only to be met with an apologetic smile, a laugh, and a gentle ‘no’.

Still, there were moments that gave her hope. Moments when the old Twilight, from before they began dating, would show herself with a harmonious laugh and a smile that you couldn’t help but smile along with. That was the one Dash wanted to be with. Not because she was cool, but because Dash felt like she could completely let her guard down around her and be totally at peace. Not because she made her laugh, but because she made her feel at home. She’d never really had someplace where she felt she belonged as much as she did at Twilight’s side. It pained her that Twilight wanted to change for her sake, not realizing how perfect she already was.

Dash stamped the ground, biting back a grumble. She wasn’t really looking forward to getting back home. She’d probably just lie in bed and stare at the ceiling for an hour or so before she fell asleep. It wasn’t that late; the sun was still partway above the horizon, and a few shops were still open. It was about the time that Pinkie Pie usually cleaned up the bakery after closing—which Dash only knew because she used to visit her often during closing hours.

The bell hanging over the door rung as Dash entered Sugar Cube Corner and stepped up to the glass counter. The counter display was filled with all sorts of cakes, tarts, pies, cookies, and some confections Dash didn’t recognize that looked like square blocks of coffee-colored icing. In the back, she could hear Pinkie Pie wrestling with a bucket and mop.

“I’m sorry! We’re closed for the night! I guess I forgot to put the sign—” She came around the corner and spotted Dash. “Oh! Hey, Dashie. It’s been a while since you’ve dropped in like this—not that it’s not fantastic to see you!”

“Yeah, I was just at the library all day and I figured I’d stop by before I go home and hit the hay.”

“Oh?” Pinkie said, smiling and wagging her eyebrows. “Everything going great with Twilight?”

“Actually...” Dash hesitated. She didn’t really want to get anyone else involved, but she had to tell somepony. “Actually things haven’t been so great.”

Pinkie Pie’s smile faltered. “Oh, um...” She crossed her forelegs and pawed at the ground. “You want to talk about it?”

“Yeah, I do,” Dash said, taking a seat at the counter and propping her head upon her forehoof on it. “I’m starting to get worried about her. She’s spending an awful lot of time reading.”

“She is a librarian, Dashie,” Pinkie said, with a giggle.

Dash rolled her eyes. “Well, yeah, but she’s spending too much time reading, even for her. She barely remembers to eat, and she was only sleeping for four hours each night until I hid her alarm clock.”

Pinkie Pie frowned and a look of concern grew on her face. “Oh, my. That does sound troubling.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Did you try talking to her about it? Maybe try convincing her to take a break once in a while?”

“Yeah, and it’s like prying nails from a board with my teeth,” Dash said. Dropping her head onto the counter, she let out a long groan. “What am I going to do?”

“Have you tried just putting your hoof down? Maybe if you’re insistent she’ll listen.”

“Eh...” Dash looked away with a sheepish frown. “I’m not very good at doing that with her.”

Pinkie Pie blinked. “Why not?”

Dash sat upright and shrugged. “I want to take a firm stance with her, but whenever I’m about to she just smiles at me.” Dash’s frown spread into a smile as she spoke. “I swear she puts magic in her smile, the way it makes me forget what I was thinking just seconds ago. It’s kinda amazing, but also pretty annoying.”

Pinkie Pie stared at Dash oddly. “You’re four hooves head over for her, huh?”

Dash blinked and wrinkled her snout. “I’m what?”

Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes. “You’re in love with her.”

Dash pulled her head back, her nose wrinkling. “In love?” she said, staring at her snout as she said it. “I don’t know if I’m in love with her. I mean, I do have strong feelings for her, but love is like that fairy tale stuff where everything’s perfect and wonderful. What we have is more like...” Dash tried to think of some way to describe it. “It’s like we’re best friends—only more than that.”

“Well, yeah, but isn’t that—” Pinkie cut herself off and shook her head. “Nevermind. You probably know more about it than me, anywho.”

“Sure as heck doesn’t feel like love,” Dash said. She snorted, a slight tug at her lips forming a smirk. “I think I knew more before all this happened. What’s the way that saying goes? ‘Love may be blind, but it’s also deaf and dumb.’”

Pinkie Pie giggled. “I’ve never heard that one before.”

“Yeah, I read it in some book.” Dash frowned, her eyes narrowing. “Can you imagine that? Something actually being so boring that you want to read just to pass the time? It’s completely crazy! This whole situation stinks. I want to make sure Twi’s okay, but spending all day inside’s killing me.”

“You could just stop by once in a while to check up on her instead,” Pinkie suggested, shrugging.

“I tried that. Every time I leave she gets worse. Even if it seems like she’s off in another world when I’m there, I think she still tries to put on an act so I don’t worry. Second I’m gone she stops taking breaks, she stops remembering to get up and move, and she gets... well, weird.”

Pinkie Pie pursed her lips, staring at Dash with no real answer. With a huff, Dash pressed her nose against the display counter, looking at the treats inside. The fruit tarts there looked delicious, a bed of blueberries surrounding three kiwi slices propping up a plump and luscious strawberry. Then again, everything in the shop looked equal parts evil and scrumptious.

“Hey, think I can get a lemon square?” Dash asked, setting a few bits on the counter and pointing at her choice.

“Sure,” Pinkie Pie said, tugging the parchment paper the square sat on to the edge of the case, where she balanced it on her nose. She set it on the counter.

Dash took a bite. It was sticky and sweet with a strong kick of the lemon’s citrus. “I think Twi’s going crazy,” she commented, licking her hooves.

Pinkie Pie got out a lemon square for herself and took a bite. “Yep,” she said, through a mouthful. “Sure sounds like it!”

Dash took another bite, then sat up straight. “There has to be something we can do about it.”

Pinkie Pie sat upright as well and rubbed her chin. “Well,” she said, after some thought, “what if you just made her go to this one thing? Do you think you could do that?”

“Probably,” Dash said at first. But after thinking for a moment, added, “Depends. What is it?”

“I’ve been thinking of throwing a party here this Saturday, since it’s been a while since I’ve had one here and I bought a box of two hundred glow rings that need using up.” Pinkie gave a sheepish laugh. “I might have gone overboard on that one,” she said. “But anyways, if you think it’d help Twilight, I could start sending out invites first thing tomorrow.”

“It sounds good, but, uh,” Dash said, scratching her neck. “I don’t know whether or not I’ll be able to convince her to go.”

Pinkie just smiled. “Oh that’s no problem. If it turns out she can’t make it, there’ll still be tons of other ponies there, and it’ll still be a really fun time.”

“So you think if I get her to go, this party will make her want to spend a bit more time out of the library?” Dash asked.

“My parties are the best place for a pony to forget about their troubles and worries!” Pinkie said, her chest swelling with pride. “At any rate, if you manage to get her to spend a night out of the library wouldn’t that be a good thing?”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Dash said. “So is there anything for the party you want help with? I still have the rest of the week off from work and I don’t really want to spend all of it cooped up in the library.”

Pinkie put the rest of her lemon square in her mouth and dropped the parchment paper in a wastebin sitting against the back wall. “I usually get Applejack to help make food for the party,” she said, her cheeks stuffed. “You could hop yourself on over to Sweet Apple Acres and ask her to help for me. She gets to come, too, of course.”

“Um, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. I haven’t really spoken to her since me and Twilight announced that we were dating.”

“You mean you still haven’t made up with her on that?” Pinkie asked, her mouth hanging open with crumbs falling out. She let out a groan and slapped a hoof over her nose. “Oooh, boy. Why haven’t you gone and spoken to her and Fluttershy yet?”

“I spoke to Fluttershy,” Dash said. “We’re cool now.”

“Oh, well that’s good,” Pinkie replied. But then she gave Dash an odd look. “So... why haven’t you spoken to Applejack yet?”

Dash squirmed in her seat. “Well, you know...” She trailed off, chewing her lip. “She can be... difficult.”

“And you aren’t?” Pinkie asked, giving her a deadpan stare.

“Hey!” Dash shouted, folding her hooves in front of her chest. Then she stopped to think about it. “Well, yeah, okay, I can see how somepony might see me that way.”

Pinkie Pie covered up a giggle. “I think being with Twilight’s mellowed you out a bit.”

“Nah.” Dash’s shoulders sagged. “I’ve just been feeling tired a lot lately, and I’m not really looking forward to confronting Applejack about what happened.”

“Well...” Pinkie Pie said, her snout held high as she tapped a hoof to her chin in thought. “If I were Applejack, I’d be hurt that it’s taken you this long to try making up with me.”

Dash had nothing to say to that. Her ears drooped, and she looked at the floor sullenly.

“She came asking about you, you know,” Pinkie said. “That’s why I thought you two made up.”

Dash’s ears perked up. “About a week ago?” she asked. Pinkie Pie nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. We were probably in Canterlot.”

Dash finished her lemon square quitely. She rose, setting her wrapper on the counter, and said firmly, “I’ll make sure Applejack gets your invitation, Pinkie.”

A smile broke across Pinkie’s face, and as Dash turned to leave, Pinkie emphatically waved her goodbye. “Good luck!”

Dash stopped in the doorway and looked back, a slight smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Thanks,” she said, then left.

In Canterlot, Fleetfoot led the Wonderbolts through their up-and-coming routine for their performance at the Las Pegasus Stadium. Spitfire had taken Fleetfoot’s usual spot in the middle of the left flank, next to Soarin’. True to her word, she had spent a full week, and slightly more, helping smooth the transition of Fleetfoot becoming the new leader of the team.

“Split S, ninety degrees left!” Fleetfoot shouted.

With precision that comes from years of practice, the five of them tilted their wings up and to the right, performing a half circle up while turning away so that by the end of the half loop they’d wind up facing exactly where they wanted to go. Spitfire and Soarin’ were on the outside of the turn. Spitfire flapped her wings furiously to keep up, her jaw clenching. Soarin’, however, seemed to be dropping behind slightly.

“Tighten formation! Keep up on the outside!” Fleetfoot barked back, lighting a fire under Soarin’s tail. Soarin' grit his teeth against the wind, beating his wings and pulling himself back into proper formation.

Soarin’ looked visibly strained throughout the practice, though he didn’t fall behind again. As they finished up their routine, Spitfire followed Soarin’ to a cloud platform near the exit to the lockers. She grabbed a water bottle from the cooler there, handing it to him and watching as he quaffed it down.

Spitfire giggled. “She reminds me of when I was first captain.”

Soarin’ pulled away from his water bottle and gasped for air, his wings shaking. “You were never this much of a hardass.”

“Oh, come on. She’s just sweet and passionate.”

“A wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Soarin’ slurred, finishing his water and tossing the bottle back in the cooler.

Spitfire smirked, raising an eyebrow. “You want to be team captain instead.”

Soarin’ shuddered. “Oh, no no no. Responsibility and me don’t mix.” He cast his eyes downward. “I just want to keep the captain we have now.”

Spitfire sighed, shaking her head. “I’m not going to stay, Soarin’. I want to startup a group with Rainbow Dash.”

“But what if she says no? Then all this would be for nothing,” Soarin’ said.

“Well... if she’s not interested in trying it then I’ll just do something else,” Spitfire said. “I’ve hit a point in my life where I want to move on and try new things, Rainbow Dash or not.”

Soarin’ still looked unconvinced. “Fleetfoot’s still so young, though. Are you sure she’s ready to takeover for you as captain?”

“I planned to have her take over for me since the day we recruited her,” Spitfire said, her lips forming a thin line. “You know that.”

“Yeah, but she’s even younger than you were when you became captain.” Soarin’ grinned at her. “Maybe you could stay—just for a year or two. Things might even change, maybe.”

Spitfire took a deep breath, letting it out as she smirked and shook her head. “And spend another year putting up with your bad habits?”

Soarin’ laughed. He flopped down on his back, resting and staring up at the sky. “Can’t blame a guy for trying,” he said, then fell silent.

Spitfire lay down next to him, watching the clouds passing by with him. It was a comfortable silence. She tried to guess how high up the clouds were, based on their type and how big they were.

Soarin’ had a carefree smile as he watched them, looking for all the places in the world perfectly content right where he was. “So,” he said, after some time, breaking the silence. “What’s your grand scheme once you get out of here?”

“Well, believe it or not, Ponyville’s actually a pretty nice place,” Spitfire said, remembering the time she had spent there. “I don’t think I’d mind living there?”

“Yeah?” Soarin’ looked at her, his brow raised. He grinned. “Maybe when I retire I’ll move there then. I don’t plan to leave the Wonderbolts for at least another five years, but when I do it’d be nice to have a friend around.”

“I’ll visit,” Spitfire said, seriously. Soarin’ looked at her. “I will. I still plan to do a lot of traveling.”

Soarin’ let out a laugh, turning to her with a slight smile. “That’s a relief. And here I thought you were going to become some boring country bumpkin.”

Spitfire glared and swatted at him. He dodged it with another laugh, grinning at her. She couldn’t help but start to grin a little as well, eventually chuckling alongside him.

“So where do you think you’ll be traveling?” Soarin’ asked, as the laughter died down.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Spitfire admitted. “Probably the ocean. Maybe the desert. Maybe even someplace outside of Equestria.”

“You planning to drag Dash along with you?”

Spitfire shrugged. “If her marefriend lets me.”

“Marefriend?” Soarin’s eyes widened and he sat up, his mouth hanging open. “Did you...” He shook his head and started again. “I mean, did you two...?”

Spitfire smirked, nodding slowly at him. “Well, not really. Kind of.”

Soarin’ lay back down on the clouds and stared up at the sky, blinking. “Huh, well that explains a lot.” His eyebrows furrowed and he turned to her. “What happened?”

Spitfire shrugged. “It didn’t work out.”

A look of understanding dawned on Soarin’s face. “So, then...” he said. Spitfire realized he was trying to figure out why she wanted to go.

“I still want to fly with her,” Spitfire said. “Just as friends. Just as two pairs of wings.”

Standing, Soarin’ turned to her and forced a smile. “So you’re leaving today?”

“Yeah,” Spitfire said, getting up. “I probably won’t be back in Canterlot for a couple months.”

Soarin’ scratched the back of his neck, trying to think of something more to say. Spitfire stepped up to him. She pulled him into a hug, resting her chin on his shoulder. She then pulled away, looked up at him, and smiled. “It was great flying with you, Soarin’.”

“Uh, yeah,” Soarin’ said, smiling in a more subdued fashion. He gave her a salute. “You, too, Cap’n.”

Spitfire glanced over her shoulder at where the rest of the Wonderbolts were busy talking. She took a deep breath, then turned to Soarin’ and smiled. “C’mon. I want to go say goodbye to the others.”

Soarin’ nodded, and they flew over to the rest of her team.

Chapter 29: Apples and Amends

Apples and Amends

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

It was a bright and beautiful morning upon which Rainbow Dash sat outside the gate of Sweet Apple Acres, biting her hooves. Apologizing wasn’t something Dash had ever been good at. Sorry felt so empty, but she could never think of anything to say beyond that, other than maybe a second sorry. When she was in flight school she’d gotten in a big fight with Gilda once, but Gilda being Gilda, and Dash being Dash, they were both tough enough to take it. Neither of them had to apologize, they just both stopped mentioning it and went back to being friends. That’s the way Dash was used to having things work.

Well, there was also Fluttershy. But Fluttershy was so kind and accepting that the couple times Dash had done something wrong, she’d forgiven Dash pretty much the second she said sorry for it.

“Rainbow?”

Dash jumped, spinning around to see Applejack next to a cart full of vegetables. “Oh, uh, hey Applejack.”

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “What’re you doin’ outside the farm?”

“Um... nothing. Just sitting here.” Dash let her gaze wander anywhere but at Applejack. She looked at the vegetables stacked up in the cart and chuckled. “Heh, I guess you guys don’t just eat apples three meals a day after all, huh?”

Applejack snorted, her brow furrowing. “No, no we don’t, despite what some ponies might think.” She gave Dash a look of not-so-veiled irritation. “Though this is for the livestock. Now would ya mind steppin’ aside?”

Dash glanced back at the gate and realized she was in the way. Giving a sheepish grin, she stepped aside. “Uh, right. Sorry.”

Applejack rolled her eyes and shook her head as she dragged the cart past Dash. Its wooden wheels clacked so loudly that it made Dash wonder how she hadn’t noticed it approaching. “Mind if I tag along?” Dash asked.

Applejack paused and gave her a scrutinizing once-over. Eventually, she shrugged. “Sure, if that’s what you want.” Dash began trotting alongside the cart. “So what really brings you out here?”

“Oh, well I was just looking to see if Scootaloo was—” The lie died on her tongue as she saw the flat look Applejack gave her. She swallowed the dry lump in her throat. “Actually, I came here to apologize.”

“Apologize for what?” Applejack asked.

“Y’know. For back when I shouted at you and Fluttershy.”

“Oh.” Applejack blinked, then her expression turned sour. “Well then, ya don’t need to apologize for that. I was actin’ a right-proper mule, but apology accepted anyways, I guess.”

Dash’s eyebrows raised. “Wait, I didn’t?”

“Nope,” Applejack said, refusing to make eye contact.

Dash gave her a perplexed look. “So... are you still mad at me?”

Applejack stopped, the cart becoming still. “If I had to be honest, I’m not the most fond I’ve ever been of you right now.”

“Huh? But you just said...”

Applejack huffed, picking up the cart’s reins once more towards the barn. “Y’know, after being friends as long as we’ve been I’d figure you’d at least try talkin’ to me instead of avoidin’ me.”

Dash traced back over their conversation, wondering if she’d missed something. “Uh... I’m avoiding you?”

“With a great deal of effort, too. I spent an entire day looking for you. You weren’t home, you weren’t at the weather center, you weren’t at any of your usual flying spots, and you weren’t at the library. I tried asking all our friends about you, and none of them knew where you’d gone off to.” Applejack took a deep breath. “Yet the next day, Fluttershy tells me how you dropped by her place and the two of you made up. So I hear that and I’m thinkin’, ‘great! Maybe she’ll stop by today or tomorrow so I can apologize to her for actin’ like an idiot.’ But she doesn’t come today, or the next day. Ya know how long she takes?”

Dash winced more and more as Applejack went on. “A week?”

“A week and four days,” Applejack corrected.

“Listen, I wasn’t avoiding you. Me and Twi were in Canterlot the day you came looking for me. There was something really urgent and important that came up that we had to do over there.”

Applejack stopped the cart again, taking a seat and crossing her hooves in front of her chest. “And the week and a half after?”

Dash’s ears pressed flat against her head. “I was... uh...” Avoiding you. “I was busy spending time with Twilight at the library. There’s a lot going on between us right now,” she said—which was true, but not much of an excuse.

Applejack’s look plainly said she was unconvinced. “And during that time there was no way you could’ve stopped by my place for half an hour? Maybe even less than that?”

“I told you, I had to be with Twilight. She’s been spending all day, every day, reading books, and I’m starting to get worried about her.”

“I know you ain’t fond of readin’, but that sounds perfectly normal to me.”

“You don’t understand,” Dash said with a groan.

Applejack snorted. “I think I understand plenty.”

“I knew you’d be like this!”

“Be like what, exactly?”

“Stubborn!” Dash shouted, crossing her own hooves in front of her chest. “You make everything so difficult! I just came here to apologize for shouting at you.”

“Well, you’re doin’ a real bang-up job of that, aren’t ya?” Applejack’s lips formed a thin line. She stood and turned away, her shoulders tugging on the cart’s reins once more. “I just might be stubborn, but I ain’t no coward.”

Dash clenched her teeth and flew around in front of Applejack. “You saying I am?”

Applejack ignored her, merely keeping her lips shut and her eyes forward. Rainbow flew out of her way as she walked past, glaring at her. “Hey! Applejack!” she shouted in protest as her friend continued walking away. Applejack didn’t stop.

Dash landed back on the ground, staring daggers at Applejack’s back. She grumbled and kicked a rock. She came out here to apologize, and for what? To have it spat back in her face? She had more than half a mind to just leave right then and there. Only reason she didn’t, was that it’d prove Applejack right.

Rainbow Dash flew back after her, determined to show she could be just as stubborn. “I’m sorry for not coming sooner. And I’m sorry for shouting at you just now.”

“Sorry’s just a word,” Applejack said, arriving at a small brown barn. Stepping out of her harness, she opened the doors to reveal a dusty and empty interior. She pushed the cart inside and sealed the doors.

“Big Mac’s problem now,” she said, turning to Rainbow. “But I’ve got a half dozen other problems to deal with myself before noon. So if ya wouldn’t mind leavin’ me to it...”

Dash’s eyes lit up. “I could help,” she offered.

Applejack actually let out a small chuckle at that. “You? Doin’ farm work? Ain’t that a bit mundane for ya?”

Dash had to bite her tongue to keep from retorting.

Applejack sized her up, mulling it over. “Well, if you wanna be insistent,” she said, after some time, “there’s some hay bales that need moving. The cows got taken to a new barn an’ we haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

“Hay bales?” Dash had expected something harder. “Sure, I can do that.”

“Ya sure?” Applejack asked with a smirk. “‘Cause the barn they need movin’ to’s all the way on the other side of the property.”

Dash gained a look of dread upon her face. She glanced over her shoulder, where hills upon hills of apple orchards sprawled into the distance. “Uh...” She tried to recall how many acres Applejack’s farm was. “How far is that, exactly?”

“Only half a mile. So a full mile for a round trip,” Applejack said, her smirk growing wider. She walked around the side of the barn and pointed to a bunch of giant hay bales lying out in the field. They were each made up of eight smaller bales and each looked the size of a small cart.

“By myself it would’ve taken twenty trips, but with you here I’d say it’ll only take a dozen from the both of us.” She chuckled. “Assumin’ I take three per trip and you take two. Wouldn’t want to make you plum tuckered out after just the first couple of trips, now would we?”

“Huh? I can totally take three,” Dash said, ruffling her wings. “It’ll be no sweat.”

They’d been at it for hours. Dash crawled along the ground on their sixth trip, sweat dripping down her muzzle. It just so happened the barn they were taking them to was uphill, with no real proper road leading to it. The barn was in sight, but the last stretch was by far the steepest, most difficult section of the trip. The grass was unkempt, clumpy, and riddled with hidden potholes for the cart wheels to get stuck in.

“If you can’t take three, you might wanna consider leavin’ a bale at the bottom and makin’ two trips!” Applejack shouted from up ahead. Her cart was nearly at the top. Dash had bit off more than she could chew and Applejack knew it, her victorious smirk taunting her from up the hill. “Maybe even take ‘em up one at a time, real slow like, if this is too tough for ya.”

Dash grit her teeth. “I can handle three just fine!” she shouted back, trying to make a show of pulling her cart. One of the wheels caught on a bump, causing her to stumble and fall to a knee, scraping it on the ground. She winced and tried to correct her mistake as nonchalantly as she could.

There was a pause from up ahead. “Y’alright?” Applejack asked.

Dash climbed to her hooves, shaking though they were. Her legs felt like a jumbled mess of rusted springs. “I’m fine!” she shouted, putting one hoof in front of the other.

Applejack lingered on her a moment. “Just makin’ sure,” she eventually shouted, before going back to minding her own cart.

Somehow Dash managed to get a bit of momentum. For minutes, she forced herself to keep it going, knowing that if she stopped she probably wouldn’t be able to get the cart moving again. Then one of the rear wheels snagged on a pothole, bringing the cart to a dead stop. She bit back a curse, and tried uselessly tugging at the reins to get it moving again.

Applejack, who’d already gotten her cart to the top of the hill, came walking back down to help. “I’ll get around back and push,” she simply said.

“I didn’t ask for help,” Dash said.

“Oh yeah?” Applejack said, giving her a light glare. “Well I’m givin’ it. And you’re clearly in need of it, whether you’re askin’ for it or not.”

Dash huffed, but said nothing. The fact that she needed Applejack’s help stung her pride, but she’d would just look even more foolish if she tried to keep going on her own.

“Three, two, one, push!” Applejack shouted. Dash trudged forwards, feeling the rear wheel come free and the cart become lighter. Applejack continued to push the cart from the rear, Dash pulling the reins. They dragged it to the top of the hill, and upon reaching the flat ground outside the barn, Dash collapsed. She rolled onto her back, panting and staring up at the pale blue sky. The clouds and ground were spinning.

Applejack came around the cart and took a seat. Taking off her hat, she wiped the sweat from her brow. “Well, I think now’s a pretty good time to call it quits.”

Dash rolled back over and stood, her legs trembling from holding her up. “I can... still do... more,” she said between breaths.

“It’s fine, really. I wasn’t planning on doing more than a quarter of it today. Between us, we’ve managed to do more than half of it.”

Dash nearly let out a sigh of relief, and dropped back to the ground to rest.

Applejack walked over and sat on the grass next to her. “Y’know, I been thinkin’ some things over,” she said, her eyes avoiding Dash’s. “I’ve never personally met somepony who was… a fillyfooler. A couple stories I heard growing up made them out to be some kinda deviants. But after you n’ Twilight’s announcement, I’ve been thinking about that time with Zecora, and how we all judged her based on stories we’d heard, rather than actually get to know her ourselves.”

Dash’s glanced at Applejack out of the corner of her eyes, her ears perking up. “So then...?”

Applejack gave her a smile, albeit a bit of a tired one. “Well, I already know you n’ Twilight. So I guess if you two are happy together, well, then I’m happy for ya.”

Dash slowly sat up, her muscles protesting the move. She made an effort to return the smile, rubbing the back of her neck. “Well, I’m sorry about ignoring you, and stuff. I guess I was just afraid that if I came over here and found out you wouldn’t change your mind, I might lose a friend for good.”

“I ain’t always stubborn,” Applejack said with a laugh. “But I guess I can see where you’re comin’ from.” She stuck her hoof out. “What say we put this behind us?”

Dash took her hoof and shook it, unable to keep the relieved grin off her face. “Yeah, sounds good.”

However, her smile faded as her hoof fell back to her side. “You know, it was a weak excuse, but I wasn’t lying when I said I’ve been worried about Twilight.”

Applejack ears perked forward. “Are you sure you aren’t worryin’ needlessly? I’d reckon that as the Princess’ student it’s pretty much her duty to spend a lot of time studyin’ magic.”

“I usually find her at her desk, or on the floor, asleep with her muzzle buried in a book. She looks really bad. I don’t think she eats except the times when I’m there, and I’m not sure how much longer she’ll be able to go on. She’s going to burn out sooner or later, and I think it’s more ‘sooner’ than ‘later’.”

“Have ya tried givin’ her an honest good talkin’ to?” Applejack asked.

Rainbow Dash nodded, her ears drooping.

Applejack sucked a breath in through her teeth. “Well, I sure do wish I could help, but if you’re her marefriend and she didn’t listen to you, then I really doubt she’d listen to me.”

“I’m going to make her listen to me. Just once,” Dash said, firmly. “Pinkie Pie’s going to be throwing a party this Saturday. And I plan on dragging her to it kicking and screaming if I have to. Pinkie said she could use your help with making food for the party.”

“Well, there’s an awful lot of work on the farm this week,” Applejack said. Dash’s face fell. But then Applejack lifted a hoof to her chin. “Buuut, if this is all really as important as you said, I’ll just have to make time for it.”

Rainbow Dash let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “Thank you so much, Applejack—and I really do think it is important.”

Applejack gave a humble smile and tipped down her hat. “Well, things like being there is what friends do, ain’t it?”

Dash winced, though she knew her friend didn’t mean it like that. “Yeah, I’ll try to keep that in mind next time.” She glanced up at the sky to see the sun directly overhead and suddenly realized how much time had passed since she got there. “Listen, I should probably go check up on Twilight, but if there’s anything else you want me to—”

“Just go,” Applejack said with a smirk. “Make sure Twilight stays safe, alright? She’s our friend, too.”

Dash’s mouth open and closed a few times as she tried to think of an appropriate response. Eventually she settled for a nod, then flew away.

The works of Star Swirl were a complete mess, if Twilight had to be honest. It was quite obvious that his personal notes were in fact personal, and that he hadn’t written them with the intention of anyone else reading them, otherwise he might have chosen to make them legible.

It didn’t help that her eyes stung with dryness. She knew that rubbing them would only make matters worse, yet couldn’t stop from doing so anyway. Her stomach rumbled, but she ignored it.

Everything would have been easier if she could just use the spell outlined in Star Swirl’s notes: a spell to transform oneself into a full-blooded alicorn, not just a mere addition of wings. The transformation described was much more elegant than her own, but the methods were still a few years out of her grasp. The bits and pieces she could gather, however, had helped with the progress on her own spell greatly, a spell she could see working very soon.

The library door opened, and Twilight’s ears turned to it. From the heavy breathing and slight sluggishness of the hoofsteps, it seemed as though Dash was back from flying practice.

Dash walked over to her desk side, before promptly flopping down on her stomach. She opened her wings, letting them rest at her sides. Taking a deep breath, she let out a loud sigh and relaxed. “Hey,” she said.

Twilight glanced away from her scroll. “Hey, yourself.” She turned back to her work, but felt a guilt at the lack of attention she’d been paying Dash lately. Setting her quill down for the moment, she turned to Dash. “You look exhausted.”

“My hooves are killing me,” Dash said.

Twilight wrinkled her nose. “From flying?”

Dash blinked. “Oh, uh, yeah. I was doing some ground exercises and stuff.”

A silence hung in the air for a few moments. Seeing as Dash didn’t feel like talking, Twilight picked up her quill and began to take notes once more, while Dash watched.

Dash cleared her throat. “So there’s this party Pinkie’s throwing on Saturday...”

Twilight’s quill scratched on her scroll as she copied down a few more notes on pegasus cloud walking. “I’ll still be busy Saturday. There’s a chapter in Star Swirl’s notes that he left encrypted, and it’s going to take time to translate it all.”

Dash let out a groan. “Come on! Just leave your stinkin’ books for one night!”

“I’d lose a whole night’s worth of studying. I can’t afford to do that, not when I’m this close to finishing the spell.”

“Arg! You don’t need any stupid wings!” Dash shouted, crossing her forehooves and pouting.

Twilight rounded on her. Over a week’s worth of pent up frustration bubbled to the surface. “How can you say that when I’ve been doing all this hard work to make things better for us?” she asked, glaring.

“Why do you think they would change anything?” Dash said. “You’re not making things better, Twi, you’re making them worse.”

Dash’s words hurt, and Twilight’s glare evaporated. As she let out a sigh, it felt as though all her energy left with it. “I’m just doing what I know. I’m just trying,” she said, ears drooping.

Dash’s glare disappeared as well. She sat up, wrapping a wing around Twilight. “Hey, I’m not mad at you. I just hate seeing you put yourself through this.”

“But I need to finish this. It’s just something I have to do.”

“Well then I’ll support you,” Dash said. “Like I have been. But I’m telling you right now, Twilight, you need to spend a night away from your books.”

Twilight fell silent. She knew one night wouldn’t make much difference, but with the spell being so close to complete, the desire to finally see it finished was unbearable.

However... there were the worried looks Dash had been giving her, and the one she was giving her right now. Sometimes while studying she could feel Dash’s eyes boring into the back of her skull, fretting.

She let out a dramatized sigh. “Alright. I’ll go.”

Dash swept her up in a hug, kissing her cheek. “C’mon, it’ll be great! Trust me on this.”

A bit of a smile tugged at Twilight’s lips. “I still want to study leading up to it, though.”

“Of course,” Dash said. “But you should probably eat something and get some sleep before the party, since you look kinda... yeah...”

Now that Dash mentioned it, Twilight noticed how droopy her eyelids felt. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, hoping it would go away, but only made it worse. “Alright,” she said, sighing, “I guess it wouldn’t be good to show up looking like a zombie.”

Dash snickered. “To be fair, I’ve seen zombies that look more alive than you right now,” she said. It earned her a frigid glare from Twilight, and she began to sweat. “Hey, uh, I was just teasing. But you do look like you could use something to eat. I’ll go grab us something from the fridge,” she said, quick and apologetic, and then retreated out of the room.

Twilight shook her head. She caught her reflection in the window, noticing Dash was more right than she’d like to admit. It had been hours since she had gotten up for a drink. “Could you bring some juice or water as well?” she shouted at the kitchen, hoping it didn’t sound like a confession.

There was a silence, then, “Which one?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Twilight said, setting down her quill. She glanced down at her notes. Her eyes had trouble focusing on the words and they itched like mad from all the times she’d rubbed them. She rubbed them again while her inner monologue battled over the virtues of long term versus short term gratification. Twilight stood. She figured she wasn’t getting any more work done here and that it might be nice to eat a meal in the kitchen, rather than at her desk, for a change.

She walked into the other room to join Rainbow. The spell was left behind, at least for tonight.

Chapter 30: The Day of the Party

The Day of the Party

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Saturday came around quickly, with the days leading up to it being largely uneventful. Since Twilight agreed to come to the party, Dash had given her a bit more space to study without distractions. Though she still worried, she did so much less now, only stopping by the library around dinner to check in.

At the moment, she was at Sugarcube Corner, just a little while before lunch.

“—so I said to the owner, ‘You don’t have any orange streamers? Orange you gonna do something about it?!’” Pinkie said, wheezing with laughter and stomping the ground. She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye as her laughter died down. “And then I got kicked out for plastic sword fighting with some fillies in the Nightmare Night aisle. But it’s okay! The next store had orange streamers, so everything’s set!”

Dash blinked. “Wait, is the party themed or something?”

“Oh, no, not at all! I just really like the color orange. It’s a funny word, ore-anj. Sometimes I just like saying it a lot, but then it starts to sound like ‘jorn jorn jorn’. Hey! That’d be a good name for an orange farmer!”

“Uh-huh...” Dash said, staring. She wrinkled her snout and moved on. “Anyway... so who’ve you invited so far?”

“Well there’s the girls, but I also invited Spritzer, Cloudtail, Roseluck, Pine Frost, Flora—oh! And Berry Punch, too. Those are just some of the party-going regulars. I’m also going to go out later and invite ponies from the market.”

“You’re going to just walk up to ponies at the market and invite them?”

“Yep! I even made a stack of flyers!” Pinkie Pie said, handing Dash one. The flyer read, PINKIE’S PARTY at the top, written in bold crayon letters, with a map of ponyville drawn similarly below. Pinkie pointed to one of the houses marked with a star. “That’s Sugarcube Corner.”

“Won’t the Cakes mind that you’re having the party here?”

Pinkie shook her head. “Nope! They’re visiting some relatives this weekend. I already got permission before they left.”

“Then everything’s set?” Dash asked. Pinkie nodded. Chewing her lip, Dash wondered if there was anything else to say. “So then... I guess I’ll see you later tonight?”

“Yep! I should probably get started on handing these out,” she said, with the flyers in hoof. She walked with Dash to the door, turning to her once outside. “Toodles!” she said, waving, and then skipped off towards the market.

Dash watched her skip down the road for a bit. Pinkie stopped as she encountered some pony Dash didn’t recognize. She handed her a flyer, exchanged a bit of small talk and laughed with her about something, and then carried on skipping through town.

Honestly, Dash probably would’ve been more surprised if Pinkie’s methods were normal.

Shaking her head, she left to go do a bit of flying before the party.

Twilight mulled over the notes she’d taken with a sour, thoughtful frown on her face. The problem she encountered time and time again was that to give her wings the spell had to be self continuous. She couldn’t cast it step by step herself, since there was no guarantee that she would be able to focus her power while such a spell was happening, as the sensation of growing new limbs would probably be distracting, to say the least.

That wasn’t to say it would be painful. Or at least, with the way she planned it, it mostly wouldn’t be. She’d made sure early on that the wing’s nociceptive nerves would come in last, in what would most likely be one sharp jolt.

The spell had actually been complete as of sometime late last night. She just couldn’t cast it yet. That was what set her mood so sour.

The problem with casting such a complex self-continuous spell was that a self-continuous spell required her to know everything the magic needed to do before she cast the spell. Once she cast it, she would have no control over it. She wouldn’t be able to ‘feel out’ the spell as she went. Moreover, since the spell was only designed to be cast on herself, and changing that would change the entire nature of the spell, she couldn’t practice the spell, only study it and refine it until she became confident it would work on the first try. The process could take another week, or it could take a whole month, or it could even take longer. Her entire day so far had been spent trying to figure out a way to get around it, but so far there was nothing.

A wave of fatigue hit her. Letting out a groan, she rolled the scroll up and shoved it in her desk drawer. She lay down on her back, staring at the ceiling with a sigh. The clock read two in the afternoon. The party was at five. Dash had wanted her to get some rest before it. Twilight was initially going to not and say she did, but seeing as she’d hit a wall with the spell...

Twilight let out a yawn, getting up from the desk and heading upstairs. When she reached her bed and flopped down on it, she fell asleep almost instantly.

Spitfire stepped off the train and glanced around Ponyville Station, taking a deep breath. It felt fresh and exciting: a new chapter in her life after all the years spent with the Wonderbolts. Not that her time spent with them hadn’t been exciting—far from it. But she’d had very little freedom as a captain of the Wonderbolts, responsibility weighing down on her at all times.

Ponyville was exactly the kind of place she never got to visit. As she exited the station, she pondered over where she’d go after talking to Dash. She could fly to the deserts to the south, the Great Swamp along the eastern coast, or travel north by train past the Crystal Mountains.

Taking to the air, she continued to think of places to go. There were of course also flying destinations. She couldn’t wait to finally see Billowing Gorge for herself; all the tales she’d heard about it sounded amazing.

Below her the Ponyville market bustled with the Saturday crowd. Chatter and the sound of somepony busking with a lute rose from the ground as Spitfire descended. She managed to find a spot behind a pear stand clear enough, and landed there. Folding her wings at her sides, she tried to remember where the retail office was so she could rent the cottage she’d stayed at before.

Her remembering was abruptly interrupted by a bright pink pony with a springy mane and a pair of saddlebags on her back. Said pony stuck her nose uncomfortably close to Spitfire’s. “Welcome back!” she exclaimed.

Spitfire took a step back. The corner of her lip curled with confusion. “Um... Do I know you?”

“Hehe! Probably not! I saw you about two weeks ago and couldn’t remember where I knew you from—which is weird! Because I remember where everypony’s from!” The bubbling pony laughed nervously. “Anyways, I was super busy with something, so I didn’t get a chance to welcome you to Ponyville. I marked it on my daily planner to do later, but then you disappeared. But now here you are again, so I can do it now!”

Spitfire took another small step back, her lips settling in an uneasy smile. “Uh, thanks?”

“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! Welcome to Ponyville!” Pinkie said, holding a hoof out with an ear-to-ear smile.

Spitfire stared at the hoof hesitantly, wondering whether it would be a smart idea to just walk away from the strange, overly-friendly pony. Eventually, she stuck out her hoof against all better judgement.

Pinkie took took it as a cue to grab it in both hooves, shaking it vigorously. “It’s super great to meet you! My name’s Pinkie Pie—oh wait! I already said that, didn’t I?” She giggled. “Well, anyways, I know everypony in Ponyville! So if there’s anything you need help with, just ask your aunt Pinkie!”

Spitfire managed to pull her hoof free from Pinkie’s grip, and took a seat, rubbing it. “Thanks, I guess.” Her smile became a bit more genuine. It wasn’t different than dealing with some of her more enthusiastic fans, she supposed. “Actually, do you know the way to Ponyville Properties? I’m looking to rent the cottage I stayed in last time.”

“Ooh!” Pinkie Pie pointed behind her. “It’s just down that street past the Carousel Boutique—my friend owns that place—and then it’s just left around the corner. Can’t miss it.”

Spitfire nodded, spotting the boutique mentioned. “Thanks,” she said, beginning to head over there.

“Wait!” Pinkie Pie shouted, making her stop. Pinkie stuck her nose back in one of her saddlebags, pulling out a piece of paper between her teeth and gesturing for Spitfire to take it.

Spitfire did as she wanted, reading the top and staring at the crayon drawing of what looked to be a map.

“I’m having a party tonight,” Pinkie Pie said. “You should come and meet everypony!”

“Thanks, but—” Spitfire paused. A thought struck her. “Actually, I’m trying to meet up with a friend from here. Her name’s Rainbow Dash. Do you know if she’s going?”

“As a matter of fact, she is!” Pinkie’s eyebrows furrowed. “So how do you know Rainbow Dash?”

Spitfire gestured back to her wings. “We flew together once or twice. But anyways, I should get to that real estate place before they close,” she said, turning again to leave.

“Super swell meeting you!” Pinkie Pie said, waving as Spitfire left.

Spitfire made her way across the crowded market street, dodging around ponies. Well, I guess I’ll talk to Dash sooner than I thought.

The summer sun stayed out late, still painting the sky orange even as the party was well under way. Pinkie had put up the store’s white holiday lights, as well as placed a sign saying “All ponies welcome!” outside the store. Ponies packed the inside of the sweets bakery, though more than half of the crowd that turned out were outside, chatting around the patio tables set out as some slightly jazzy pop music played from a radio.

Dash received a smile and wave from somepony she recognized from another one of Pinkie’s parties. She returned the gesture with a slight nod, before going back to wandering through the crowd, searching for her friends. Her eyes caught a familiar combination of orange and blond as she spotted Applejack over by a refreshments table, drinking a soda and chatting with one of her cousins.

As she made her way over she tried grabbing her attention. “Hey! Applejack!”

Applejack turned mid-drink as Dash walked up to them. “Oh! Hey, Rainbow.”

“Listen, I just wanted to thank you for doing all this,” Dash said, gesturing to the hot apple-baked foods spread across the table.

“Aw heck, ya don’t have to thank me for it. It’s Pinkie’s party afterall. Besides, the compliments everypony’s been givin’ the food are already thanks enough for me.”

“Well, yeah, I guess so,” Dash said, scratching the back of her neck. “But still... thanks.”

Applejack’s lips tugged upwards. “Don’t mention it.”

Dash eyebrows furrowed as she glanced around. “Hey, you haven’t seen Twilight anywhere, have you?”

“Afraid not,” Applejack said, shaking her head. “Maybe she’s somewhere inside?”

“Yeah, we probably missed each other. I’ll check inside again.” She turned to leave. As she walked away she glanced back over her shoulder. “I’ll talk to you later!” she shouted.

“For sure!” Applejack shouted back, taking a drink from her cup before turning back to her cousin.

The crowd became thicker and thicker as Dash made her way towards Sugarcube Corner’s door. She pardoned herself as she squeezed through. “Sorry. Sorry. Excuse me,” she mumbled, trying to avoid stepping on anypony’s tail. Once she got past the door, the inside itself wasn’t as bad, but she couldn’t see Twilight anywhere inside, either.

“Ooh! Rainbow! Over here!”

Dash’s ears twitched in the direction of the voice. She saw Pinkie Pie walking over. “Hey, Pinkie, have you seen Twilight anywhere? I’ve been looking all over for her.”

“Nope. Can’t say I have!” Pinkie replied cheerfully. “Speaking of somepony looking for somepony, there’s somepony I ran into earlier who’s looking for you. I invited her and she said she’d be here.” Pinkie Pie’s eyebrows furrowed. “But I forgot to get her name.”

Out of the corner of her eyes, Dash noticed somepony walking towards her and looked. Her mouth dropped open at who it was. “Spitfire?”

“Come to think of it, she did kinda look like a Spitfire. Coat and mane all fiery yellow and orange and everyth—” Pinkie Pie cut herself short, noticing the new addition. “Oh, yeah! This is her! So how do you two know each other, anywho?”

Dash and Spitfire stared off for several tense seconds, neither of them moving a muscle. Eventually, Dash glanced back over her shoulder. “Hey, Pinkie... mind giving us a moment?”

Pinkie glanced between them, a look of confusion at what was going on. “Um... sure. You two probably have all sorts of catching up to do and everything.” She gave a nervous laugh and pointed towards the back of the store. “I’ll just go check on the back and make sure no pony has broken anything,” she said, briefly before slipping out into the crowd.

Dash watched Pinkie go until she was well out of earshot. Turning to Spitfire, Dash huffed. “What on earth are you doing here? I thought we settled things back in Canterlot.”

Spitfire winced. “I know. I’m sorry about showing up again so soon, but it’s not about what happened in Canterlot, and I couldn’t really wait.”

Dash wrinkled her snout. “What? If it’s not about that, then why are you here?”

“It’s about that other thing. The thing that happened here in Ponyville, and up in Cloudsdale. I came here to see if you’d still be willing to fly together.”

That was what Dash originally thought had been the only thing Spitfire was interested in. After what had happened, she couldn’t help but be suspicious. “How do I know that’s all you came here for?”

Spitfire let out a sharp laugh. “Really? What would it take to convince you? Me finding another marefriend? Because I’ll seriously do that if that’s what it takes, though it would be pretty inconvenient for her, considering how much traveling I plan on doing.”

“Traveling?” Dash asked. “Where are you planning on going?”

Spitfire shrugged. “All the places I couldn’t go as a Wonderbolt. Small towns, places out in the wild, maybe even out of Equestria.”

Dash blinked, shaking her head. “Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. ‘Couldn’t go as a Wonderbolt’?”

“I quit. It was just over a week ago. Fleetfoot’s going to be announced as the new captain tomorrow.”

“But why? You’re not even close to retirement age.”

“Well, yeah, that’s sorta the whole point. I didn’t want to give up every last one of my glory days to the Wonderbolts. I had a good run with them, but it feels like I’ve ‘been there done that’, you know?” Spitfire dropped her smile. “I want you to come with me. We could be a flying duo.”

“Really?” Dash asked, wondering for a moment if it was all some joke. Spitfire looked quite serious as she nodded. Dashed rubbed her neck. It was an offer any flier would jump on—the idea of it: starting a duo with an ex-Wonderbolts captain, the youngest one in decades. If they were lucky, they could do more than Dash could ever hope to accomplish in the Wonderbolts. The Wonderbolts were a longstanding team, faces come and pass all the time, but starting something where the only names would be hers and Spitfire’s...

“As equals?” Dash asked, voice cracking. It sounded too good to be true.

“Of course,” Spitfire answered. “The media would be on us almost right away, considering I just left the Wonderbolts, but from seeing your flying, I have no doubts you’ll wind up stealing the spotlight.” She shrugged. “I’m perfectly fine with that, though. I’ve had my fill of that sort of thing. And no matter what happens, we keep doing what we want to do. No tying ourselves down or letting somepony else manage our schedule.”

Dash stood there for a few moments, mouth catching flies. A part of her wanted to shout yes, but then her eyes narrowed. “What about Twilight?”

“She can come,” Spitfire said almost instantly. “We could take trains to where we need to go if we have to. You could probably carry her beyond that, right?” She shook her head, grinning. “Honestly, Dash. I’m not trying to drive a wedge between you. I just want to get back to doing what I love, which is flying, and I know you love it just as much as I do, which is why I want you to come with me.”

Dash’s glare withered, not spying any ill-intent in Spitfire’s words. She considered the offer again. “All my friends are here...”

“We’d come back here all the time. You’d get to see them plenty. Your dream was to become a Wonderbolt, surely you knew you’d have to leave sometime? I bought the cabin I was renting before. Half the time we’d be flying someplace new, the other half we’d be back here.”

“I...” Half? She'd expected more. That was only a little more than the work she did with the weather team right now. “Wow. I’ll have to ask Twilight, but yes! Yes, yes, yes!” She had to keep from bouncing on her hooves like an excited filly.

“Ask me what?”

Only a short while earlier, Twilight awoke relaxed and refreshed. That changed quickly, however, when upon sitting up and rubbing and opening her eyes she found the clock, and saw what the time was.

The party had already started half an hour ago.

Eyes snapping wide and brain shifting gears to full panic mode, Twilight tried simultaneously tearing her covers off and rolling out of bed, resulting in an undignified cry as she landed in a heap on the floor. She scrambled out from under her blankets and stood, hopping from hoof to hoof and sucking air in through her teeth. “No, no, no! I’m going to be late!” She disappeared in a quick pop of magic, reappearing in the bathroom. Picking up her brush, she began yanking at the frizzles in her mane.

Come on, you stupid—ow! She glared at her brush to see a mat of hair she’d tugged out. She sighed as she went back to brushing, hoping Dash wouldn’t be mad.

Once she’d put on some perfume and her mane was appeasable—not perfect by any means, but appeasable—she summoned her magic and blinked out of the room, appearing outside the library door.

It was at Sugarcube Corner, right? she tried to recall. Creating a rushed mental map of Ponyville with the sweets shop at its center, she focused her magic and fizzled out of existence with a sharp pop.

She reappeared, in her haste, on top of another pony. The unfortunate mare in the wrong place at the wrong time had no time to react to Twilight’s weight, letting out a shrill cry as she became the bottom of a two pony pile.

Twilight got off her. She blushed as she helped the pony to her hooves, letting out a nervous laugh while doing so. “Um... Sorry.”

The pony she landed on huffed, brushing herself off and turning back to her friends, walking with them to another area of the party.

Twilight cleared her throat and likewise made her way away from the scene, forcing her blush down. There was music. A sharp wail from a trumpet broke through the air, accompanied by bass and more electronic sounds. Twilight glanced around at the other houses in the neighborhood. They were all dark. Somepony’s probably going to come and complain about the volume, Twilight thought, glancing around. Then again, knowing Pinkie, she probably invited all of them to the party.

The crowd was in large part taller than her. She jumped to see over their heads, but couldn’t spy anypony with a rainbow mane. She did, however, see more ponies inside the store.

“Pardon me. Excuse me. Sorry,” Twilight mumbled as she made her way through the crowd. She practically had to force her way through the doorway.

“Oh! Oh! Twilight! Over here!”

Twilight’s turned to the source of the voice and spotted Pinkie, bouncing over to her. “Oh. Hi, Pinkie.”

Pinkie took one final bounce, then stopped in front of Twilight. “I’m so glad you could make it!” She let out a nervous laugh. “I’ll be honest, I was starting to think maybe you wouldn’t show up!”

Twilight smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, I meant to come sooner, but I wound up taking a longer nap than I thought I would.”

“Nap’s a fun word. No matter how fast or how many times you say it, it still sounds like nap, see? Nap nap nap nap nap—”

“Uh, Pinkie,” Twilight said. “Have you seen Dash anywhere?”

“—nap nap. Dash? Oh, right! She was looking for you! At least she was before she ran into that other pegasus.”

Something unpleasant prickled the back of Twilight’s neck. “Other... pegasus?”

“Yeah, Splitfire!” Pinkie’s eyebrows furrowed. “No, wait. That wasn’t it.”

“Spitfire?” Twilight asked, dreading the answer.

“Yes! That was it!” Pinkie Pie said, smiling. “You two know each other or something?”

Twilight’s mouth ran dry. “I’m sorry, Pinkie, I have to go,” she said, leaving.

“Have fun!” Pinkie Pie shouted after her, before skipping off somewhere into the crowd.

Twilight checked the two corners closest to her with no luck. But then as she made her way to the third, she heard Dash’s voice to her left.

“—I’ll have to ask Twilight, but yes! Yes, yes, yes!”

Twilight pushed her way past two ponies, coming across Dash and Spitfire, looking like they were having some kind of conversation. She met Spitfire’s eyes and swallowed the lump forming in her throat. “Ask me what?”

Dash jumped at Twilight’s voice, turning around to face her. “Oh, Twilight, you made it! Uh, Spitfire and I were just talking about—”

“What in Equestria is Spitfire doing here?” Twilight interrupted.

“She’s here to talk about—” Dash began, only to get interrupted again by Spitfire sticking her hoof out.

Spitfire stepped to the forefront. “I came to invite the two of you to form a new flight team and come traveling with me.”

Twilight’s lips thinned. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I don’t have wings, unlike the two of you. And something tells me you came here to invite Dash, not me.”

“Well, not entirely,” Spitfire said, letting out a guilty chuckle. “I mean, it never passed through my mind that I’d invite Dash and not you. I’m positive that there’d be some important role you could play to help out with the team—or you can just do your own thing, if that’s what floats your boat.”

“She could be the manager,” Dash interjected.

Both Spitfire and Twilight’s eyebrows rose as they turned to Dash. “Manager? Are you sure that would be a good idea?” Spitfire asked.

“I appreciate the thought, Dash,” Twilight said, her gaze softening for Dash. “But I’m inclined to agree with Spitfire. I don’t have any experience managing a team.” Her gaze hardened once more as she turned back to Spitfire. “Besides, how can you expect me to trust you two being around each other?”

Dash winced at her words. Twilight’s scowl softened. “I didn’t mean that I don’t trust you, just that—”

“No, it’s okay. I get why,” Dash said, tail drooping. “I guess it’s a bit much to hope I’d earned back that kind of trust.”

Twilight fell silent. Dash’s eyes stayed cast down towards the floor, her ears flat and her head held low in a manner completely unlike her.

“Listen,” Spitfire said to Twilight. “Can we talk in private? Just the two of us? Maybe I can ease some of your worries and explain things a little better.”

Twilight quietly nodded, following Spitfire upstairs to one of the bedrooms. Spitfire shut the door behind them, giving them a some peace from the music and the party below. She took a deep breath, then addressed Twilight.

“Look, back in Canterlot Dash and I said our goodbyes. She made it clear she chose you, and after that day I did my absolute best to get rid of any feelings that I held for her. The way I did that was by focusing them elsewhere, namely flying.”

She paused, giving Twilight a look as if asking whether she should continue. Twilight nodded.

Spitfire took a seat against the door, shuffling her wings until leaning her back against it was comfortable. “Well, flying with Dash was different than flying with any other pegasus I’ve ever met. I don’t know how to describe it, but she really loves it the same way I do. She made me remember how to actually have fun flying again.”

“But I barely even know you, how am I supposed to trust what you’re saying?”

“Well, I’m not expecting you to, at least at first. That’s why I’m inviting you to come along, both to be with Dash, and so you can keep an eye on her yourself.” Spitfire paused, letting Twilight consider it for a moment. “Judging by her reaction, I’d say she’s about as excited about the idea as I am.”

“I heard her reaction,” Twilight mumbled towards the floor, her mind lost deep in thought. She raised her head, looking Spitfire in the eyes. “What...” She cleared her throat. “What is it like... flying with her?”

“It’s...” Spitfire chewed her lip. “It’s amazing. She flies through air like fish swim through water. It just seems so completely natural, like all of the sky is there just for her, and we other pegasi are merely intruding.” Spitfire grew a smile as she spoke, a far-off look in her eyes. “She’s an honest flyer, too. The most expressive one I’ve ever met.”

“Expressive?”

“It’s like she becomes a whole nother pony up there. It feels like, when I’m flying with her, I get to see a side of herself she doesn’t normally show. I get to see her acting carefree and light-hearted, like she’s playing on the wind.”

Twilight bowed her head, her legs shaking. “I see...” She swallowed a lump in her throat and then forced her legs to stop shaking. “I think I’d love to come along.”

“Really?” Spitfire asked, eyebrows raised. The surprise fell away as she smiled. “That’s great! We should go tell Dash!” Spitfire turned around, opening the door she’d been leaning against.

“Sure,” Twilight said, stepping out into the hallway behind Spitfire. They began walking downstairs, until Twilight stopped. “Um, you go ahead. I just need to go use the washroom quickly.”

“Uh...” Spitfire paused on the stairs, looking back at her. “Do you want me to wait to tell her the good news?”

“No, you go right ahead,” Twilight said, backing up. “I’ll just be a minute or two.”

Spitfire shrugged. “Alright.” Twilight turned to walk to the bathroom at the other end of the hall, but Spitfire’s voice stopped her. “Hey, Twilight?”

Twilight stopped, glancing over her shoulder.

Spitfire smiled at her, kicking at the ground. “I know it’s a bit much to ask for after everything... but I’d like it if we could be friends. You seem pretty cool.”

Twilight smiled. It was a smile that never reached her eyes, but Spitfire was too relieved to take notice. “I think I actually would like that,” Twilight said. She began to walk away. “I’ll join you two in a moment.”

Spitfire smiled widely and nodded, walking to the bottom of the stairs and then swiveling her head around, looking for Dash presumably.

Twilight walked to the bathroom at the end of the hall, finding it unoccupied, and shut the door behind her. Inside, she turned and rested her forehead against the door. Closing her eyes, she began to concentrate. “Sorry, Spitfire… Dash… I’ll join you two in a moment.”

She created a mental map of Ponyville, the library at its center, and with a burst of magic she was gone.

Twilight marched inside, slamming the door shut behind her and leaning against it. She took a couple deep breaths, sliding down the wood until her rump hit the floor. Her head swam from motion sickness. In her haste to get back she had rushed the teleportation. She took another deep breath and waited for it to pass.

Once her breathing became more steady, she wandered over to her desk and lit the candle on it. All her notes for the spell sat in one drawer. She picked up the scroll with her most recent notes and stared at the red ribbon tying it shut. It felt so light. All it would take was a small tug and the ribbon would come undone.

This goes against what I’ve been taught, Twilight tried to tell herself. She bit the ribbon, pulling it undone. Then again, so did breaking into the Canterlot Archives, but I did that anyway, didn’t I? If I don’t try this, I may never find out if it works.

The notes for the spell unfurled on the floor. An empty silence filled the library as she read, memorizing the steps of the spell and reciting them over and over in her head. She knew how precise she had to be. She understood the risks, but it was the only thing Twilight could think of that might bring her and Dash together again. That, maybe if she could fly too, she could meet the Dash Spitfire talked about.

She recited the steps in her head one final time, glancing down at the end to make sure she had them all correct. They were.

Twilight raised her head from the notes and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Then her horn began to glow. This is magic, she told herself. This is my special talent.

It was as complex a spell as she had ever attempted to cast. She started with a mental list—the sequence of the spell, in order, and then began detailing each step of the list with the specifics she’d learned from her months of study: wingspan, bone density, the near-impossible memorization she’d done of the veins and arteries, all for this moment. From her mind, the spell began to take shape. It started as a small, bright pink ball of magic, then grew to the size of her head before her eyes. It hummed on the low end of the audible spectrum, the air around it vibrant and shimmering. Small sparks crackled inside of it.

Twilight swallowed and stared into its center, unblinking. Her horn still glowed, making sure the spell was stable. She stared into it, on the threshold of everything, uncertainty before her. She thought back on the time she and Dash had spent together, from the flying accident that caused their first meeting to the night in Canterlot, when Dash had held her in her hooves and they’d cried together.

She closed her eyes and smiled, tears trickling down her cheeks as she released the spell.

The orb split in two, and the two parts began humming a higher pitch. They rose, spiralling, dancing up above her head. They seemed almost sentient, like the wisps of fairy tales and children’s books. They held an eerie beauty. Their song filled her ears.

Then, without warning, they struck, slamming into her back.

Twilight’s legs buckled, her breath stolen away. The magic surged along her back, snapping and hissing, sparks jumping across her skin.

There came a sharp, unexpected prick beneath either shoulder.

Turning around, Twilight saw blood running from two deep gouges where her wings were to be. Eyes wide, pupils shrunk, she trailed it down to the ground. Velvet red trickled from her underbelly, pooling on the floor.

Twilight’s legs began to shake. Dash...

Pain became her. Before she could do anything, wings began to form beside her bone in the holes her spell had created. Her legs collapsed out from under her and she fell into the puddle of blood she’d created.

Wings began to grow, but not like she had planned. Bone, tissue, feathers, all of them grew simultaneously from the spot where they connected at her shoulder. Blood mixed with feather and hair. Bones broke or grew out of place. And all the while, nerves grew along with the wings. She felt it all.

She opened her mouth to scream, but a weight on her lungs didn’t allow her the air necessary. The edges of her vision grew dark, her sight fading in and out of focus as she scraped at the wood floor, trying to crawl.

It was a small mercy when she finally blacked out.

Dash took a sip of her punch and glanced around the party, twiddling her hooves, so to speak. “So, um...” She gave a sidelong glance at Spitfire, scratching the back of her head. “You sure she knew where the bathroom was?”

“It was right at the end of the hall I saw her walking down,” Spitfire said. “She couldn’t have missed it.”

“But did you see her go in?”

Spitfire shook her head, but gave a look that seemed to say she didn’t really think it mattered. “Maybe it was something she ate?” she offered.

Dash’s snout wrinkled at that suggestion. She felt a yawn coming up and placed a hoof over her mouth. “What time is it?”

Spitfire stuck her head over the crowd and glanced at the clock. “Quarter to eight.”

Dash raised both eyebrows. “Do you think we should go check on her?”

Spitfire shrugged. “It couldn’t hurt.”

“Alright. I’ll be right back,” Dash said. She went upstairs, leaving Spitfire to listen to the music and watch other ponies. It wasn’t for very long, however, as Dash rushed back down the stairs, nearly bowling over a couple ponies along the way. She stopped in front of Spitfire, eyes wide. “She’s gone.”

“What?” Spitfire’s eyebrows drew together. “But we never saw her come down the stairs.”

“She can teleport.”

“Oh...” Spitfire took a sip of punch. “That makes sense.”

Dash smacked her forehead. “She must have run away again.”

“Again?”

“Yeah. Did she seem sad or hesitant after you two talked?”

“No,” Spitfire said. “I mean, she did at first, but later she seemed perfectly fine.”

Dash kicked at the ground, glaring at it. She took a deep breath, her glare withering as she let it out. “Well, she’s probably back at the library.” She turned towards the door, glancing back over her shoulder at Spitfire. “C’mon. We’re going to drag some answers out of her.”

“Um... you sure I should come?” Spitfire asked as she followed.

“Heck yes. She ditched you just as much as she did me,” Dash said, squeezing her way through the crowd. “Besides, we need to get some kind of final answer from her. I bet she just changed her mind and panicked or something.”

They stepped outside and made their way to the edge of the party. Dash spread her wings, as did Spitfire. “You really think she changed her mind and got cold hooves?”

Dash shrugged. “It’s happened before.” She glanced at Spitfire. “Why? Do you think it could’ve been something else?”

Spitfire shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe something urgent came up and she had to leave.”

“Well, it better be a good excuse then,” Dash grumbled.

The two of them took to the air, flying to the library. The sun was down and the stars not quite up. Only the last bits of light poked over the horizon, though it was still easily enough to fly by. They flew in silence, Dash seemingly caught up in her thoughts, and Spitfire not wanting to interrupt them.

When they landed, Dash marched right away up to the library, seeing a dim light in the window, and banged on the door. “Twilight?! It’s me and Spitfire! What the hay happened at the party?!”

There was no answer.

Dash frowned. “Come on, Twilight! We know you’re in there! We can see the candles you lit!”

Still nothing.

Dash’s brow knotted. She let out a huff and pushed the door open, surprised to find it unlocked.

Inside the library it was darker than the dim light in the window had suggested. Only a single candle was lit, and it was dwindling down to its base, a pool of melted wax surrounding its wick.

Dash stepped inside, while Spitfire stayed by the door. Dash picked up the dying candle, raising it up and looking around. “Twilight? Where in Equestria are you hide—”

Her breath jumped back down her throat when she turned and saw a body. It looked like a pegasus, though its wings were misshapen, mangled, and red. Lifting the candle she could see its natural coat color had been purple, and that there was a vast pool of blood strewn across the floor.

Dash began trembling. Her eyes grew wide. “Twilight?” She stepped closer, the scene becoming horrifyingly clear as she did so. She saw Twilight’s face, eyes closed, blood matting her mane. “Twilight!” She rushed to Twilight’s side and raised her head. She was still breathing.

Spitfire stepped inside. She saw Twilight and let out a gasp, covering her mouth.

Blood painted Dash’s legs and hooves. She turned to Spitfire, managing to find her voice. “Get a doctor as fast as you can,” she said, voice cracking. Looking back down at Twilight, she clenched her eyes shut. “Please. Hurry.”

Once the initial shock wore off, Spitfire nodded. She turned and sprinted out the door. She was barely outside before she took off, flying as fast as she could towards the hospital.

Dash was used to taking charge of a situation. That night there was little she could do but hold Twilight as she bled out, crying into her mane.

Chapter 31: Uncertainty

Uncertainty

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

The hospital’s hallways seemed dead at this hour. The nurse at the front desk had gone back to help, leaving Dash and Spitfire alone in the waiting room.

Dash sat curled up on one of the chairs, hugging her knees and staring down the white hallway where they’d taken Twilight. One of the nurses had come back and mopped up the trail of blood Twilight had left, but when Dash looked, she could still see it.

A large brown unicorn in a doctor’s lab coat took charge, helping move Twilight from the stretcher onto a waiting hospital bed. Her wings were sprawled out to the side, blood dripping from their tips. “She’s lost a lot of blood. Check her type and get a saline IV in her for now. We’ll have to do a transfusion. Get her to room 114 and make sure she keeps breathing—”

As the doctor continued to bark out orders to the nurses, one of them turned to Dash. “What happened to her?” she asked.

“It was a spell,” Dash said. “She created it. I-I can fly back and get her notes if you think it would—”

The nurse cut her off with a shake of her head. “There isn’t any spell still residing around her.” The nurse’s lips thinned as she looked at Twilight. “Frankly, she’s lost a lot of blood, but we’ll do all we can.”

With that, Dash stopped and let the doctor take her away. Drops of blood dripped from the bed as they wheeled it down the hall and around the corner.

Dash sniffled, rubbing her snout on her bloody forehoof. A bit of the red stained her muzzle, but at the moment the state of her appearance couldn’t have been further from her thoughts.

“She was still breathing, right?” Spitfire said. “That’s really good, isn’t it? They just need to give her blood and she’ll only improve.”

“Thanks for trying, Spitfire, but I really don’t want to hear it right now,” Dash mumbled.

Spitfire opened her mouth to say something else, but seemed to decide against it, her lips settling into a grimace to match Dash’s.

Dash shook her head, staring down the hall. “What should I have done differently?”

“Oh come on, you can’t seriously be blaming yourself for this.”

Dash glared and pouted. “Why not? I should have put my hoof down when she first told me about it. I supported her for Celestia’s sake. I could have just stopped her, told her she didn’t need to change, but I didn’t. I should have known the spell was more dangerous than she led me to believe.”

“You had no way of knowing.”

Dash squeezed her legs. “But it was my responsibility to know, wasn’t it? I’m supposed to be someone who’s there for her.” Dash bit her lip, tears resurfacing. “And I hate myself for it, but what I hate myself for even more, is that while she’s in there possibly dying, I’m mad at her for it.” She sobbed, burying herself mane-deep in the alcove between her hooves.

Spitfire moved to the chair beside Dash and put a hoof around her, stroking small circles on her back while she silently cried. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

Dash knew they were just the words Spitfire was meant to say, but she wanted to believe they were true. She turned and hugged Spitfire, crying against her shoulder.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” Spitfire said once more, shushing her. Dash’s eyes stung, but she felt the crying stop. She didn’t want to admit how much she needed to hear Spitfire say those words, and even after the tears stopped, she still clung to her for some time.

“I just want to let her know she’s fine,” Dash said, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. “She’s fine and she doesn’t ever need to change who she is for me.”

Spitfire nodded, her eyes cast down. “Listen, I’m really sorry for what I said to her.”

“It’s no more your fault than it is mine,” Dash said. She glanced at Spitfire, seeing red splotches where she’d cried against her shoulder. “Sorry about the blood.”

Spitfire glanced down, noticing it for the first time. She gave Dash half a smile. “Don’t worry about it.”

The two of them waited, their eyes forced awake. Every few minutes Dash glanced at the clock on the waiting room wall, expecting hours to have gone by. It felt like an eternity had passed as they sat there, both teetering on the edge of consciousness. At some point one of the nurses came back to front desk and retrieved some papers. She didn’t speak to either of them, and the fact she didn’t made Dash afraid to ask. She eventually left, and Dash regretted not asking.

It wasn’t until four in the morning that the doctor came out, levitating a clipboard, and approached them. He took a deep breath and let it out. “She’s stable for now.”

Dash felt a flood of relief, but the doctor’s eyes said there was more to it than that. “But...?”

“The wings she grew are badly mangled. They’ll never function as wings, and they’d cause her debilitating amounts of pain if she were to wake up. On top of that, their bleeding isn’t healing.” He glanced between Spitfire and Dash. “The normal course of action here would be to amputate.”

Dash’s eyes widened and she stood. “But she poured weeks of work into giving herself wings! Even if they don't work, isn’t there another way?”

“Well, yes, that would only be the normal course of action. However, since she’s lost too much blood, and it would be better for her sake if we do something about the wings before she wakes up...” The doctor stared at his clipboard for a moment. “The amputation would have been best, since there would be no pain once she healed. But since that option isn’t available to us, we’re going to try performing a series of minor surgeries to fix the worst of the bleeding in her wings and maybe reduce the pain she’ll feel.”

“A series?” Dash asked. “How many?”

“With how much is wrong with her wings, it’s going to be at least a dozen over the next couple days. Most of them will be small ones, but a few of them won't. We’re going to operate on each wing separately and make sure she has plenty of fluids in her between surgeries. I’ll have to warn you, doing these surgeries will carry risk, but at this point there are no good options.” He looked at Dash for a moment. “Are you family?”

“I’m her marefriend,” Dash said.

The doctor considered her for a moment. “That works as well. You may see her briefly, if you wish. We’re giving her an hour before we begin the first surgery.”

Dash nodded and glanced back at Spitfire. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Take your time,” Spitfire replied.

Dash followed the doctor through the halls to room 114. He stopped outside the room’s wooden door, turning to face her. “I’m going to have to ask you to keep your distance and not touch her. She’s still in a delicate state.”

Dash sucked in a lungful of air and nodded.

The doctor opened the door and stepped inside. Dash followed behind him. Laid out on the bed was Twilight, lying on her stomach with bandages covering her back and wings. Red seeped through them near her shoulders, just behind the base of her wings, as well as a few spots on her wings. A steady beep came from the heart monitor. One of the nurses was busy checking the blood pack hanging by the bed.

Dash stepped around the bed to see Twilight’s face. A lot of the blood hadn’t been cleaned from her mane. Dash found her breath shaking. “Can we have a moment alone?” she asked.

The doctor shook his head. “I’m afraid not. There’s still a chance she could go into shock.”

Dash swallowed a lump in her throat, sniffling. “Well... can you two not tell anyone about the stuff I’m about to say?”

The doctor glanced at the nurse, then nodded. They turned away from her and made themselves busy, giving her at least some sense of privacy.

Dash approached the bed, but stopped, remembering she wasn’t supposed to go near it. She settled for sitting a short distance away, and wiped her snout. “Frankly, I’m scared of not knowing what’s going to happen—of not being able to do anything.” Her legs shook, but she managed to keep her eyes dry. “Don’t die, Twilight. I haven’t had anyone close to me die before. I’m not used to it. I wouldn’t know what to do.” She glanced down at her trembling legs and clenched her eyes shut. “I’m so afraid I’ve been shaking ever since we found you.”

She could feel the nurse and doctor both watching her at this point, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop. “Stay tough, okay? The library would be empty without you.” There was, of course, no response. All Dash could do was hope she heard her.

Dash spent the rest of the time she had with Twilight watching the shallow rise and fall of her chest. The nurse brought Dash a coffee when her eyes began to droop. Once the hour was up, she had to leave so they could prep for surgery. She took the half-finished coffee back to the lobby to find Spitfire trying not to nod off in one of the waiting chairs.

Seeing Dash, Spitfire stood. “How is she?”

“She looks pretty bad.” Dash handed her the rest of the coffee, not needing it nearly as much. “They think they can fix her though. I hope they’re right.”

Spitfire gave a subdued nod and stared down at the coffee, taking a sip. “Someone should probably tell the rest of her friends... I could, if you tell me where to go.”

Dash nodded, but then, “How do I tell the others what happened?”

“One word at a time, most likely,” Spitfire said with a shrug.

Dash’s lips twitched, which was about as close as she could get to smiling in her current state. “Pinkie should be at Sugarcube Corner. If you get her, then she can take you around to everypony else. It’s too dark out to be flying anyways.”

Spitfire nodded, turning to leave. She paused with a hoof on the hospital’s doors, glancing back at Dash. “You going to be okay while I’m gone?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it.”

The door chimed as Spitfire left. Dash sat and looked up, staring at a ceiling light. It pulsed and flickered, a low buzz coming from it. Her head pounded and hurt, and she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why she was staring at it.

Eventually, she lay down across two of the waiting room chairs, wrapping her tail around in front of herself. There, she waited for the others to arrive.

Chapter 32: End

End

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

“Coffee? Tea? Pillow? If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask. I can go get you it.”

Dash groaned. Rarity had made a fuss over her when she’d arrived, taking her back to one of the washrooms to clean Twilight’s blood out of her coat. “For the last time, Rarity, I’m fine.”

Rarity had the decency to wince. “Sorry,” she said, and for a moment Dash felt bad for snapping.

“Just give her some breathin’ room. She’ll ask if she needs something,” Applejack said, slouched in one of the chairs with her hat over her eyes. They all had dark lines marking how little sleep they had gotten. It was nearing 72 hours since they came here—longer for Rainbow Dash and Spitfire.

Fluttershy came back down the hall to the waiting room. Everypony there turned and looked at her. She merely frowned and shook her head. “No changes.”

Everyone gathered let out a collective sigh.

“Ohh, it’s no fun getting hurt,” Pinkie Pie said, whimpering and covering her muzzle with her hooves.

“That it ain’t,” Applejack agreed. “I hope everything’s going alright in there.”

“One of the nurses told me the doctor here is one of the best there is—moved here from Canterlot,” Spitfire said.

Fluttershy chewed her lip. “I hope he is. It would certainly set my mind a little more at ease knowing that Twilight’s in good hooves.”

“I just still can’t believe it,” Rarity said. “Twilight is normally so meticulous, and by far the most magically gifted unicorn I’ve met. To think her of all ponies would have an accident such as this...” She took a seat beside Dash, sighing. “Poor Spike doesn’t even know.”

“She’ll tell him about it herself when she gets better, and then he won’t have to worry!” Pinkie said, an uplifting smile flashing across her face. It soon disappeared as she froze. “She is going to get better, right?”

Dash stared at the floor, her eyes distant and hollow. “The doctor said her chances were above fifty-fifty, but not by much.”

“That’s probably changed though, right? She’s made it this far, her odds are probably gettin’ better,” Applejack said, looking to anyone to agree with her. Rainbow Dash gave a clueless shrug, and following that, the room fell silent.

No one said much in the following hours as it neared midnight. Those who could began to sleep. Dash wasn’t one of the ones who could. Instead she restlessly paced the halls down at the end of the hospital wing, away from the others, just as she had the previous night.

In these moments she didn’t have to keep the others from worrying about her, and her composure fell.

She stopped pacing by a window. She lay her hoof across the glass, resting her forehead on it and staring out out the window. A thin line of light on the horizon marked the sun soon to rise. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she gazed at it, her ears pressed flat against her skull.

“My mom was in the hospital once when I was very young.”

Dash tensed at hearing Spitfire’s voice. She sniffed, wiping her tears away, and turned to face her. “Yeah?”

“At the time I was too young to really understand death. When my dad had to explain to me that my mom might not be coming back, it was the first time I ever saw him cry.” Spitfire stepped up beside Dash, looking out the window. “None of us could fault you for crying now.”

Dash sucked a sharp breath in through her teeth. “You know...” Her voice broke and cracked. “I think I love her, but I’ve only realized that now. What if I never get to tell her?”

Spitfire pulled her into a hug. Dash sat there with her whole body stiff, not sure what to do. It felt… safe, reassuring. The sting of the tears she shed, was about to shed, faded.

After a moment Spitfire backed away with a blush. “Sorry. You looked like you could use that.”

“Thanks. I…” Dash said, trailing off as a door at the other end of the hall opened. The doctor stepped out. He spotted the two of them and began walking over, his steps a measured march. They both fell silent as he approached. Dash sucked a breath between her teeth, tensing. She tried to prepare herself as best she could for the worst, her lips thinning in grim resolve.

The doctor approached them with a weary smile. “It was a success. She’ll be fine,” he announced.

Dash’s ears shot up. She held a breath. “What? Really?”

“I’d like to keep her here for the next 24 hours—to make sure everything starts healing properly, but after that she’ll be free to leave. She’s recuperated most of the blood she lost, though she might still be a bit woozy, so you’ll have to keep a close eye on her for the first 48 hours after she leaves.”

Dash could have hugged the doctor for delivering the good news. There were dozens of questions she wanted to ask him, but one immediately jumped to the front. “Can I see her?”

“Of course,” the doctor replied. “Same rules as before, she’s still healing, after all. Her anesthesia should wear off in the next hour or two, and once it does she’ll be free to allow the rest of your friends to see her.”

Dash nodded, about to run off, but first she turned to Spitfire. “Can you tell the others?”

“Yeah, I’ll go give them the good news. You go ahead,” Spitfire said, smiling.

With that settled, Dash literally flew to the other end of the hall, skidding to a stop in front of Twilight’s room. She opened the door to see Twilight right where she’d left her, and although her wings were still mummified in bandages and spotted with blood, she slept peacefully.

Dash stepped inside, closing the door behind her. The clock hanging over Twilight’s bed ticked past the seconds she stood there, not sure what to think. She was relieved, of course, though as she watched Twilight’s chest slowly rise and fall, she couldn’t help but wonder what came next.

And so, as she sat down by the foot of the bed and rest her chin, she found herself thinking about what would happen to them after all of this was over.

When Twilight first stirred, the most overwhelming sensation was one of being a statue. There was a steady, electronic beep beside the bed she lay on, and when she took a deep breath her nostrils were assaulted by sterile air. A hospital? It took her a moment to remember how to move, but once she did, she opened her eyes.

In a room she didn’t recognize, Dash sat by her bed, wearing a worn-out smile. Their eyes met, neither of them saying anything. Dash’s smile faded slightly as her eyes drifted to Twilight’s back.

Twilight followed her eyes and shifted, looking down at her sides. It was then that she saw her wings for the first time—and the bandages. What happened came rushing back, along with a stinging sensation in her new limbs, like someone had put lemon juice in the open wounds.

“The doctors want to keep you here for another 24 hours and make sure your wings are healing,” Dash said, her voice a bit quieter than usual. She managed a small smirk. “I’d hug you for finally waking up, but the doctor said hugging was off bounds. Might be for a while, too, if you have to keep those things all bandaged up like that.”

Twilight glanced down at her wings. Her voice came out raspy and dry. “Did the doctor say whether I’d ever be able to fly?”

Dash gave her a weak glare. “I’m in love with you, Twilight, but you’re an idiot for that being the first thing you say to me.”

Twilight blinked, opening and closing her mouth. It took her a few moments to realize what Dash just said. Her heart lept an extra beat. “You love me?”

“I had a lot of time to think about things while I was waiting for you to wake up.” Dash scratched the back of her head. “And so, yeah, I guess I do...”

“I...” Twilight paused. “I think I love you, too.”

Dash smirked, raising her eyebrows. “‘Think’?”

Twilight managed to force a grimacing sort-of smile. “Well, I’m not sure what kind of medication they have me on, so that could possibly be altering my state of mind in a way so that I think I love you.”

Dash’s lips tugged upwards as she shook her head, her body shaking from trying to hold in a laugh. “I can’t tell you how good it is just to hear your voice.”

Twilight stared down at her pillow. “Did things look that bad for me?”

Dash’s smile waned. She pressed her ears back and cast her eyes downward. “When I found you in the library, you were in a pool of your own blood.” She stepped forward, resting her muzzle in Twilight’s bed sheets and shutting her eyes. “Sweet Celestia, I’ve never seen so much blood. I really thought you were going to die.”

Twilight reached out, ignoring the pain in her wings, and brushed her hoof against Dash’s muzzle. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you like that.”

Dash sniffled, leaning into her hoof. She opened her eyes. They met Twilight’s. “You don’t have to try changing yourself—you don’t have to fly for me to love you.”

“Flying is such a big part of who you are.” Twilight sighed. “I just wanted to be a part of that.”

“But you already are,” Dash said, shaking her head. “You know what happened back at the Best Young Flier Competition? When I was trying to pull off that sonic rainboom, I honestly thought that I wasn’t going to make it, that I was going to screw up like all the other times, and I nearly gave up, but as I dove by the stadium, I saw you, and you made me keep trying.”

“Rainbow, I—”

“Hold on a sec, I’m not finished,” Dash said, cutting her off. “The time when me and Spitfire went flying in Ponyville, you told me to impress her without showing her the sonic rainboom. So I didn’t. What I did was I flew with her around the clouds, all the while thinking about how you really believed that I was more than just one trick, and that I had what it took to impress the Captain of the Wonderbolts.”

“Of course I did,” Twilight interjected. “You’re the best flier I’ve ever seen—I meant that.”

The corner of Dash’s lips twitched upwards. “I haven’t flown a single time since our first date without thinking about you.”

“Really?” Twilight asked, finding herself smiling.

Dash nodded. “Absolutely. And if it means that I get to keep flying like that, I’ll turn down Spitfire’s offer and we can stay in Ponyville.”

Twilight frowned, her gaze averting. “I meant it when I gave Spitfire my answer. Being on a world-class flight team is your dream, isn’t it?”

“Well, yeah it is, but I don’t want to live that dream without you.” Dash stared at the ground, kicking her hoof back and forth. “You sure about this, then? We won’t go anywhere until you’re healed, but still, we’ll probably wind up spending a lot of time away from Ponyville, y’know... off adventuring and stuff...”

Twilight let out a chuckle, her lips settling in a smile. “I didn’t think you’d be willing to back down from an adventure. I thought you were more of the Daring Do type.”

Dash wrinkled her nose. “Daring who?”

“Just a book I need to get you to read,” Twilight said, shaking her head.

Dash snorted. “Yeah, like that’ll happen.” Dash took a deep breath.

An easy silence settled between them, interrupted only by the beep of the heart monitor and the whirring it made to keep running. As it stretched on, Dash’s smile seemed to slowly fade, until she wasn’t smiling at all.

“Can we just stop doing this?” Dash said. “Both of us making such a mess of things, I mean. You asked me once whether or not it has to be this way, and I said it didn’t. I still think it doesn’t.”

Twilight turned into her pillow, her mane falling in front of her eyes. “I believed that when you first told me, but now I just don’t know...”

Dash walked up to the bed, placing her hoof over the one Twilight had stretched out to the edge of the sheets. “We can still do it. I spent all this time waiting in the hospital trying to figure out what changed since we were friends. I wanted to believe it was all just a string of bad luck, it’s what I did believe for the longest time, but it wasn’t.”

Twilight turned to face Dash, as much as she could with her wings. “What was it then?”

“Us. We changed. We never talked when there was a problem. You ignored me when I said I wouldn’t leave the library until I apologized. I threw a tantrum and left when you felt insecure about our relationship.” Dash glanced down at where she was holding Twilight’s hoof. “It just kept going back and forth. We didn’t listen to each other.”

Twilight fell silent, staring at Dash’s eyes, noticing for the first time just how tired they looked. It wasn’t the darkened lines beneath them, nor the cracked, red, and irritated lines at their sides, but a look at the very center of them, one more tired than the days waiting at the hospital would allow. It was a look of pain, stretching on for weeks, hidden, because that was who Dash was.

Dash’s gaze broke away, dropping to the floor. Twilight pulled her hoof out of Dash’s grasp and raised Dash’s chin, wanting to look at it one more time. Did I do that? she wondered. Dash pulled away once more, and this time Twilight let her go. Another silence stretched, but it wasn’t one of ease where things needn’t be spoken, it was one of things neither could say, echoing off the walls.

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said, but her words felt hollow. She tried again. “I’ll listen from now on. If that’s what you think it takes, I’ll believe you, and if there’s a problem, I’ll let you know. We’ll be able to talk about it together.” It still didn’t feel quite right. She chewed her lip, thinking of what else to say. Then, she had it.

“And I don’t want to go anywhere with Spitfire right away. I think we should wait a bit, maybe let things settle before we do anything too wild.”

Dash stared dumbly at her, blinking. Her lips began to quiver, then turn into a smile, and Twilight thought, for a moment, she saw some of the fatigue in her eyes slip away. “Yeah,” Dash said, her smile growing as she rubbed her eyes, “that sounds like a better idea.” Her smile dipped. “I don’t want you to do anything further with this spell you made.”

Twilight’s first instinct was to protest, thinking of all the time she spent working on it, but as she sat up to do so, a slicing pain shot through her wings, making her wince.

Dash jumped to her hooves, eyes darting between Twilight and her back. “Should I get the doctor?”

Twilight shook her head, looking back at her bandaged wings and staring at the places where the blood seeped through. She lay back down, her head lying sideways on the pillow facing Dash. The rings under Dash’s eyes made it look like she hadn’t slept for at all since coming to the hospital.

“I think you reopened one of the wounds. It looks minor, though,” Dash said, letting out a sigh of relief. “Still, I should probably get the doctor to make sure.”

“I promise not to do anything else with it,” Twilight blurted.

Dash gave her an odd look, but then smiled as she realized what Twilight was talking about. She opened her mouth, then closed it, hesitating. “I know how hard you worked on it,” she eventually said, her eyes falling to the edge of the bed. “It does mean a lot that you tried to fix things, it just wasn’t in the right way.”

“I guess,” Twilight said. She sighed, glancing at her wings. “How am I supposed to explain any of this to Princess Celestia? I broke into the restricted Canterlot archives and took a book without permission. What if she expels me?”

“Woah, wait, you what?” Dash asked. A wide grin spread across her face. “I didn’t realize how much of me rubbed off on you.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Dash, it’s not funny.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Dash replied, fighting her grin. Eventually she got it under control. “If it helps, I don’t think the Princess would expel you. Everypony makes mistakes, and your heart was in the right place. Surely she’ll see that. And hey, if she doesn’t, I’ll march up to her myself and pick a bone with her about it.”

“Pick a bone with the Princess?” Twilight tried not to crack a smile at that, but found her lips curving upwards in spite of herself. “You’re actually serious, aren’t you?”

“Well, if I can get around her guards,” Dash said, smiling.

Twilight giggled harder than the joke really deserved, causing a sharp pain at the base of her wings. She flinched, but the fact that she managed to hurt herself laughing caused a second fit of giggles. “Ow… I think I broke a stitch,” she said, wincing through a smile.

Dash shook her head, laughing as well. “I guess we better avoid anything funny until you get better.”

Twilight clutched her stomach, trying to stop it. “Just—” She was cut off by her own giggling. “Just do me a favor and stop talking,” she said. “Please.”

Dash’s smile stretched her cheeks. She looked at the red spot by the base of Twilight’s wing. “Right, I was supposed to get the doctor.” Dash opened the door. She paused in its arch to throw one final comment over her shoulder. “It’s good to see you up, Twilight.”

The door closed as Twilight was finally beginning to get her laughter under control. Wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes, she glanced down at the door, her smile softening into gentle contentment.

Her wounds burned as she turned over and sat up. Movement was not kind to her torn skin, she was all too painfully reminded, but she managed to find a position in which her wings and back rested against the bed’s headboard. The sun peeked just above the horizon. Staring at it, and her wings, she thought of all the stories she’d read with ponies whose reach exceeded their grasp. It was a lesson she’d forgotten.

With a few moments to herself, she looked at one of her wings. It was bent and broken through and through, and the two wings were disproportionate to each other. She couldn’t imagine anything flying with wings so misshapen. It didn’t take Dash telling her to know she’d never be able to fly with them. The failure stung more than the wound ever could, but less than it stung knowing the grief she’d put her friends through. Especially Dash…

No. She couldn’t imagine being in her place. Her eyes began to tear up the more she thought about what she had done, what she had put Dash through—and not just with the spell, but every other moment of their relationship. She hadn’t once thought of placing herself in Dash’s hooves. She watched herself run away, she watched herself turn away, she watched herself shut Dash out.

The door slid open. “Hey, the doctor said it was probably just a torn stitch, and he’d get to it as soon as he...” The rest of the words died in Dash’s mouth as she saw Twilight on the bed, crying. Dash walked over to the side of her bed. “Hey, you alright? Is it your injuries?”

Twilight sobbed. “Dash, I-I’m so sorry. I got… got so caught up in it that I… I didn’t mean to…” She couldn’t finish. Dash got up on the bed, sitting with her body turned to Twilight. She carefully wrapped a hoof around Twilight’s shoulder, avoiding her bandages.

Twilight buried her muzzle into Dash’s chest, her head turned to her side with her horn pointing sideways. She wept, and she did so in a way that she hadn’t done since she was a filly. “I do want to change,” she mumbled as her tears soaked Dash’s coat. “I want to be a better pony. I don’t...” Her voice broke. “I don’t want you to hate me.”

Dash held her. “I never will.”

Those three words were all Twilight needed to hear. She wrapped her hooves around Dash’s midsection, clinging to her. Minutes of silence passed while they held each other, Twilight taking comfort in the softness of Dash’s coat. In Dash’s hooves she found an island, and on it she took refuge, sobs rocking her like waves. She squeezed Dash tighter.

Their embrace eventually came to pass. The door opened with the doctor, ready to see her. With some reluctance they separated, and the doctor came around the opposite side of the bed to inspect Twilight’s wings.

Unwrapping the bandage where she was bleeding, he pushed his glasses up and leaned down, inspecting the wound. Dash fidgeted nervously off to the side, rubbing her hooves against one another. After a moment he straightened his neck. “Looks like your movement tore the bottom stitch.”

“Sorry,” Twilight said, wincing.

The doctor shook it off. “It looks like the bleeding has almost stopped. Just to make sure it doesn’t tear any further, though, I’m going to have to ask you to fold your wings at your side so I can bind them.” He opened a drawer by the bed, pulling out a roll of gauze tape.

Twilight tentatively tried to close one of her wings. She let out a hiss of pain.

The doctor and Dash both assisted her, carefully holding her wings up and guiding them closed. There was a bit more bleeding from the motion. The doctor quickly began wrapping the tape around her upper chest, holding the wings to her sides. Once he was done, he bit off the tape and tossed the roll back in the drawer. He began writing a note out on his clipboard.

“Take this note to the nurse at the front desk. She’ll prescribe you some painkillers and a set of spare bandages.” He ripped the note from his pad. Pausing, he tilted his head and looked at her. “Can you stand?”

Twilight was still biting her lip in pain. She gave a hesitant nod. Dash held a hoof out to help her down from the bed. She took it.

She stood, her legs wobbling, but Dash was there with a hoof to steady her. She took a few tentative steps, her balance steadily improving. Eventually she brushed Dash’s hoof aside, standing on her own. “I think I’ve got it,” she said, experimentally pacing back and forth. When she finished, she turned to the doctor. “Thank you.”

The doctor smiled, his cheeks wrinkling. “No need for thanks, just make sure you rest and let your injuries heal. When you come back in a week I don’t want to find myself redoing any more stitches.”

Twilight nodded. She turned to Dash.

“Ready?” Dash asked, resting a wing lightly across Twilight’s back. “The others are waiting for us.”

Twilight sucked in a deep breath and nodded and they stepped out into the hall.

“Look, everypony! She’s here!” Pinkie shouted, pointing down the hall. All the friends gathered in the lobby wearily raised their heads, their faces breaking out in smiles as they saw Twilight and Dash walking down the hall towards them.

They all rushed up to her, making sure she was alright. Pinkie wrapped her neck in a death grip. “Oh my gosh! You’re alive!”

Twilight winced. “Pinkie. Wings.” She nudged her head towards her bandages.

“Oooh.” Pinkie gave a sheepish smile, letting go of her. “Right. Sorry.”

Twilight gave a smile to show she wasn’t upset by it. “It’s alright.”

“Goodness, you gave us all such a fright,” Rarity said. She looked her up and down with concern. “Should you really be up and walking about?”

“Doctor said it would be fine,” Dash answered for her. “Just needs someone to keep an eye on her for the next day or two.”

“Does it hurt?” Fluttershy asked, staring apprehensively at the blood on the bandages.

“A little,” Twilight admitted, “but they’re going to give me something for the pain.”

Applejack stepped up to Twilight, giving her a nod and smile. “It’s good to see you bouncin’ back. Forgive us for crowdin’ ya and such, but you had us worried to heck.”

“Sorry. I never meant to make you all worry like this.”

“It ain’t nothing,” Applejack said, offering a smile. She playfully poked Twilight in the chest. “Just don’t go doin’ it again, ya hear?”

Pinkie Pie and Applejack were all smiles at seeing she was alright, giving her hugs and cautious pats on the back. Rarity and Fluttershy, on the other hoof, couldn’t stop making a fuss over her wounds, asking where it hurt and what the doctor told her. Having already had her turn, Dash watched at a small distance, a soft smile on her lips. As Twilight glanced around, a smile of her own spread across her face. She was surrounded by caring and happy friends, and there was no place else she would rather be.

After a while, Twilight noticed that Spitfire hadn’t joined them. She sat slouched in one of the chairs, staring at her hooves.

Twilight approached her. “Hey,” she said, giving her a small wave.

Spitfire glanced up. Then went back to staring down at her hooves, her look riddled with guilt.

Twilight took a seat next to her. She stared down at her own hooves letting out a sigh. “I’m Sorry for what happened back at the party.”

Spitfire looked up, surprised. “Sorry?” she asked. “Sorry for what?”

“The way I said I’d be your friend and then left,” Twilight replied. “You must think I was just lying to get out of there.”

Spitfire opened her mouth to object, but then closed it. Twilight could tell from the look on her face that what she had said hit the mark. “I thought that what I said to you drove you to run away and cast the spell,” Spitfire finally said. She gritted her teeth. “I can’t stop beating myself up over it—that what happened to you was at least in some way my fault.”

“All you did was tell me what I already knew from seeing Rainbow fly all by herself,” Twilight said. “My mistakes were my own. You had nothing to do with them.”

Spitfire looked like a pony unconvinced. Her mouth set in a frown.

Twilight shifted in her seat and tried for a different approach. “Well, if my saying so isn’t enough, how about you make it up to me by being my friend?”

“You really think that’s a good idea after everything that’s happened? At this point I feel like I’ve screwed up enough things to last a lifetime.”

“Dash asked me if I believed things could change and I said yes,” Twilight said. She held out her hoof to Spitfire. “I think we could be friends.”

Spitfire stared at the hoof for a few moments, glancing between it and Twilight, caught on what to do.

After a few moments with her taking no action, Rarity stepped up in front of her. “I would like to extend that offer. Should you ever need a dress, a spot of tea, or a sympathetic ear, the Carousel Boutique’s doors are always open.”

Applejack nodded and took a spot beside her. “I’m sure my family would love havin’ you visit for dinner sometime. Granny bakes the best apple pies around and she’s always eager to get new ponies to try them.”

“Ooh! That reminds me! I’ve still got to bake you a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ cake! You can help bake it!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing from hoof to hoof. She froze, pursing her lips in thought. “Wait, which do you like better: cakes or cupcakes?”

“Um…” Fluttershy stepped forward, adding to the line. She stared down at her hooves, kicking one of them back and forth. “If y-you ever feel like… Um… Well…” She blushed. “I’d be happy to have you visit sometime—if you want to.”

Even Dash stepped forward, despite already knowing her. “There’s one or two flying spots around Ponyville you gotta see,” she said. “I could probably show you around them sometime when I’m not busy.”

Twilight glanced around at all her friends and smiled before turning to Spitfire. “I know you probably left behind some friends back in Canterlot. I’m not saying we can replace them, but we could be your new friends, if you want.”

Spitfire looked at each of them in turn, staring dumbly. She looked down and rubbed her eyes. When she looked up, her lips were stretched thin by a smile. She let out a laugh. “It’ll probably take me a while to take you up on all those offers.”

“Well, that’s no biggie,” Pinkie said. “No rush or anything.”

Dash hummed as she went about cooking dinner. Yes, actual cooking. Though to those more intimate with the craft, you probably couldn’t call boiling water for pasta ‘cooking’. To Dash, however, it was a big step up.

She finished slicing and crushing the tomatoes and garlic and set the cutting board next to the plate of grated cheddar, then checked the time. With a solid six or so minutes still left for the pasta to cook, she decided to go see how Twilight was doing.

“Hey,” Dash said, stepping into the main library hall. Twilight lay on a bed of pillows in the center of the floor. It had been a day since they left the hospital. Her bandages had been changed twice, and were a far better shade of white now.

Dash walked up beside her, looking at the letter she was working on. “How’s it coming?” Dash asked.

Twilight nostrils flared and she snorted. “I can’t figure out a closing note,” she said. “‘Please, oh please, don’t send me back to magic kindergarten?’”

Dash shrugged. “I wish I could give you advice, but I’m no good at letters and you know her better than I do.”

“I don’t have a clue how she’ll react. I’ve never broken a rule this serious before.”

Dash knelt down beside her. Avoiding her injuries, she wrapped a wing around her. “Well, I’m here thick and thin, whatever happens.” She gave Twilight a quick peck on the cheek.

Twilight smiled, a warm color rising to her cheeks. Her eyes lit up. After chewing her lip for a moment, she glanced back down at the paper and began to write.

Dash read aloud as Twilight wrote. “‘I’m sorry to have broken your trust. I know as much as anyone how that feels.’” Dash paused, glancing at Twilight. She opened her mouth, an apology leaping up her throat, but it died down as Twilight kept writing and she continued reading.

“‘So I’ll trust your judgement, whatever punishment you may give. I wish to remain your faithful student, through thick and thin, and one day regain that trust. All I ask is a chance.

“‘Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,’” Dash finished. Twilight looked at her with a smile.

Twilight returned her peck on the cheek from earlier. “I got the idea from you.”

Dash stared at her stupidly for several moments. She tried to come up with something to say, but couldn’t. “How are your wings?” she asked.

Twilight glanced back at them. “Throbbing slightly—it’s not very noticeable.” She shifted in her seat. “The bandages are really uncomfortable, though.”

“Well, they weren’t changed that long ago. Maybe after lunch we can go up to the bathroom and I’ll help you change them.”

Twilight nodded. “Speaking of lunch… how long has it been since you checked on it.”

Dash’s ears stuck straight up in alarm, swiveling like a pair of sentinels towards the kitchen. She could hear the tell-tale clacking of a pot lid on a pot that’s boiling over.

“Aw, crap.” She carefully withdrew her wing from around Twilight, then turned and ran into the kitchen.

A billowing pillar of steam rose from the element. The water dripping down the sides of the pot hissed as it met the heated iron. Dash grabbed the towel hanging from the stove handle, lifted the pot using the towel between her teeth, and turned off the element. It wasn’t until the stove had cooled that she set it back down.

The pot lifted, surrounded by a pink glow. It carried itself over to the sink and drained itself into the sieve waiting there.

Dash snorted indignantly. “I had everything under control.”

“I know,” Twilight said, trotting over to get a closer eye on what she was doing. “I just wanted to help.”

“Well…” Dash said, putting a hoof to her chin. “Okay. But I’m letting you help because you want to, not because I need you to.”

Twilight rolled her eyes with a small smile. “Of course.”

They worked together to finish the meal off, Dash holding the cutting board in her teeth, and Twilight scraping the tomatoes and garlic into the pot. Dash added the olive oil, and Twilight supplemented it all with a few spices. Dash served the meal out onto the plates, and Twilight poured them each a drink.

Dash sat down at the table opposite Twilight. They shared in a satisfied grin at the home-made meal laid out before them: the first of many.

Twilight lifted her fork and giggled. “Bon Appétit.”

“Time to chow down!” Dash said, rubbing her hooves together. The two of them took a forkful, Dash’s a fair share less modest than Twilight’s, and stuck it in their mouths.

They chewed. And chewed. And as they did so, their grins slowly faded. Dash swallowed hers, wiping her mouth with a napkin. “It could probably use a bit more…”

“Salt?” Twilight prompted, after swallowing. Dash nodded. “Agreed. It could also probably stand a bit less…”

“Garlic?” Dash finished for her. She nodded. Dash ran her tongue along her teeth with a thoughtful look. “Well,” Dash said, “it’s not that bad. I mean, it’s not that great, but it’s certainly edible.”

“Oh, most definitely!” Twilight said, jumping in. She dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin. “And it tastes better in a way. Since we both made it.”

Dash busted out in a grin, shaking her head. “We really need to learn how to cook something.”

Twilight hid her smile beneath a napkin, though it still reached her eyes. She let out a stifled giggle. She stood up from the table, setting her napkin down. The two of them stared at one another across the table, matching blushes forming on their cheeks. There was a silence over the dinner table. It was a silence of wandering. It belonged to the two of them, lost in each other’s eyes.

After some time, the spell broke. They’d barely touched their food and it had since grown cold. Their blushes grew as they realized just how long they’d been staring.

“You know…” Twilight said as she sauntered her way around to Dash’s seat. She moved her mouth close until her hot breath tickled Dash’s ear.

“If we have something with this much garlic, we won’t really be able to...” She leaned down until her lips were touching Dash’s ear and whispered.

Cheeks going red, Dash’s wings and ears both stood on end. Some of the suggestions were far more... imaginative than anything she would have ever expected to come from the book worm. She coughed, running a hoof through her mane and forcing her blush down. “You, uh… sure we should be doing that with your wings?”

Twilight’s hips swayed ever so slightly as she walked over to the door. Dash couldn’t tell whether she was imagining it.

Twilight stopped in the doorway, a playful smile on her lips. “You’ll be gentle, right?” she asked, passing through the archway.

Dash chased her into the main hall, and then chased her upstairs.

Chapter 33: Epilogue

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Dear Faithful Student,

I’m relieved to hear you are safe. I’m dismayed, although, to only be hearing about this now—I wish I could have been there to help in whatever way I could. Please give the doctor and his staff my personal thanks for their part in watching over you.

But as relieved as I am, I’m afraid your actions in the Canterlot archives are not something I can simply overlook. The contents in the forbidden archives are forbidden by me and with good reason. I am not angry with you, but I am disappointed you did not trust my judgement as much as I trust yours.

For the six months following the date you receive this letter, you are suspended from studying magic. During this time, I hope you reflect on your mistakes. I’m tasking you with spending these six months with those closest to you in diligent study of not only friendship, but also your new relationship with Rainbow Dash and the ways in which it differs from the friendship you two once had.

I look forward to reading your letters and seeing both of you at the Grand Galloping Gala. Give Rainbow Dash my most sincere gratitude for keeping you safe and watching over you.

Your Trusting Mentor,

Princess Celestia

The train ride to the Barebranch Station had taken nearly a day, but now Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spitfire stood with their flight goggles donned at the bottom of the Highphoon Peaks. The mountains could best be described as someone having played ring toss using the winds for rings and mountain tops for cider bottles.

“Are you sure about this?!” Twilight shouted in Dash’s ear, holding the mare’s neck in a death grip.

Dash slipped on her flight goggles. “Easy peezy lemon-squeezy, Twi. It’s just some wind.”

“The guide says they get up to hundred mile-per-hour winds here,” Spitfire chimed in.

“Hundred?!”

“So just spread our wings and go along for the ride, right?” Dash asked.

Spitfire snapped the strap of her goggles, checking them. “Yeah, sounds like. Just gotta keep a good distance away from the mountain itself. Wouldn’t want to have the winds slam you into it.”

Twilight craned her neck up and stared at the jagged cliffs. She squeezed Dash’s neck. “I don’t think we should do this,” she said, quivering. “It’s not safe.”

Dash and Spitfire looked at one another, each raising an eyebrow.

Dash took a deep breath, then twisted her neck around to look at Twilight. “Do you want to wait on the ground?”

Twilight thought for a moment, then shook her head. “No.”

“Well, do you want to come with us, then?” Another no. Dash sighed. “Well, I’m going to take off in ten seconds. And if you’re still on my back by then, you’re coming along for the ride.”

“B-but traveling on an air current of hundred mile-per-hour winds, the drag factors upon entering would be—”

Dash took off without warning. Twilight let out a second startled yelp, barely managing to tighten her grip in time.

“That wasn’t ten seconds!” Twilight shouted over the wind. Spitfire joined them.

Dash couldn’t keep the smirk off her lips. “It was hard to keep count with you shouting numbers in my ear. Besides, if I waited any longer you might have really decided to stay on the ground and miss all the fun.”

“Could you at least stop for a second and let me get my flight goggles on?” Twilight asked.

Dash stopped as she asked. They hovered just a field length away from the wind channels, the gales roaring. Even with the brief flight up, Twilight’s mane had already managed to become a full-fledged disaster.

Spitfire stopped beside them. She pointed at Twilight, suppressing a snicker. “I don’t think straight-cut manes agree with flying much.”

Twilight huffed and stuck her tongue out at Spitfire. “We can’t all have perfect wind-shaped manes.”

“Hey, I think it looks good,” Dash chimed in.

“Thank you.”

“It looks how it does after we’ve been on the couch making out for a while, or the times when we’re in the bedroom and you do that thing where you spin your—”

Twilight cleared her throat loudly while blushing. “I think Spitfire gets the idea.”

Spitfire nodded, unable to keep from smirking.

“Eh, whatever,” Dash said. “So, you two ready?” Twilight nodded, as did Spitfire. “Alright, let’s go!”

The winds grew ferocious as they neared the peaks. Wind from the air channels around the mountains whipped their manes as Dash beat her wings furiously to keep the two of them steady. Spitfire, however, darted right into the wind channels. She somersaulted gracefully as the wind hit her, and then rode the wind out past the peak and out of sight.

Dash turned to Twilight. “Alright, so there might be some... turbulence when we first go in,” she said, “but once I get adjusted it should be smooth sailing from there on out.”

“Turbulence?” Twilight repeated. The way Dash had said it put her on edge. “What kind of turbulence?”

“Turbulence-turbulence.” Dash shrugged. “You’ll see in a moment. Just hold on tight.”

Twilight did as told and tightened her grip. For a moment, it seemed like Dash was about to fly into the winds, but she paused, frowning, and looked back at her.

“Like, tight-tight.”

Twilight swallowed and pressed her haunches into Dash’s sides.

“Perfect! Alright let’s go!” Dash began skirting the edge of the air channel. And then, about ten seconds later, dove into it.

The wind slammed them like a sack of bricks. They tumbled through the air. Twilight gasped as the air left her chest.

Twilight hung on with the hooves she had around Dash’s chest, her rear legs slipping free and floating above her head. A sharp, pinching tension ran down her spine as she recognized that the only thing keeping her from falling two hundred feet to the jagged cliffs below, was her slipping grip around Dash’s chest.

The feeling lasted only a mere second. Her weight returned and the rest of her flopped down on Dash’s back. She hastily reaffirmed her grip around Dash’s neck.

Dash’s wings stretched wide. They began gliding, the air carrying them with a gentle touch along the current.

Twilight stopped and took deep breaths, her heart still sprinting.

“Hah! Man, I almost did a somersault!” Dash barked a laugh.

The sky stood above them: mighty and gold. The sun straddled the forests in the horizon. It colored the peaks and the leaves of the maple forest in a warm amber tone. But most of all it colored the wind. Twilight felt as though she could reach out and touch it.

Dash glanced back, her brow furrowed. “Hey, you okay back there?”

Twilight stared ahead, her eyes wide and her heart still pounding in her chest. Slowly, she stretched her tender wings, spreading them. She pointed them to the wind, holding them out like she was flying.

Her earlier fear forgotten, she let go of Dash’s neck and sat up. She stretched her hooves out to the side, like a second pair of wings, her mouth forming a smile as though she’d only just learned how.

Dash saw it, a look of understanding dawning on her face. She smiled, gently angling them into the center of the current.

They flew simply for a while. Where the wind drifted, they followed.

It all came to pass, however, as Dash grew bored.

“Hey, you ready for something exciting?”

Twilight blinked. She lay back down and wrapped her hooves around Dash’s neck. She glanced down at the ground, much of her earlier fearlessness leaving her. “Um… maybe?”

“Alright, hold on,” Dash said, adjusting her flight goggles.

“What? No, wait! That doesn’t mean I’m read—eek!”

Dash dove down, closer to the mountains but farther from the high winds. They ducked into a channel. Smooth, wind-shaped rock flew by on either side, so close Dash’s wingtips touched them. In there the winds flowed like rapids at their back. It soon became clear that, like rapids, the crevice ended in a perilous drop.

They sped towards it. Twilight held on for her life, not knowing what to expect, and so expecting the worst.

Dash didn’t disappoint.

Once they cleared the cliff, Dash veered up. Together they performed a tight backwards three-quarter loop, launching down the side of the cliff. Dash skimmed the rock, her stomach a mere hoof-width away from it.

Twilight’s grip still tightened with terror, but there was also something else. It grew from the pit of her stomach, rising to her chest and head, tensing her whole body. It was excitement, and with a gentle push it forced the fear away.

Dash went on doing more tricks, some familiar, others new to Twilight. Some were obviously not meant to be performed with a passenger, but others almost seemed designed for it, and she wondered whether Dash had learned them specifically for this.

As minutes stretched into hours, Twilight grew more comfortable and bold, giggling when Dash performed maneuvers and even letting go with her forehooves in places.

“That was amazing!” Twilight said when they finally touched down to land. She climbed down from Dash’s back. “I thought I was going to have a heart attack when we suddenly dropped down into that crevice.” She punched Dash playfully on the shoulder. “Don’t just do something like that without telling me.”

Dash laughed. “I take it you had fun?”

Twilight took a deep, thoroughly content sigh. “I think that was the most fun I’ve had in years.”

“More fun than you would have had waiting for us on the ground?”

Twilight rolled her eyes with a smirk. “Yes.”

“Well, tomorrow we’ll have the whole day.” Dash stole a glance at the setting sun. “For now we should probably go back to the town and find a place to stay... unless you two are willing to rough it out here and sleep on a cloud.”

Twilight shook her head furiously. “Not since last time when I nearly fell off. And I’m not keen on sleeping on the cold, hard ground.”

As Spitfire rejoined them, she nodded in agreement with Twilight. “I like beds. They’re warm, flat, and dry.”

“A little morning dew never hurt anypony,” Dash said, huffing. Seeing them still look unwilling, she relented. “Fine, whatever. No camp out. But if we’re going someplace, I am ordering a gigantic dinner, ‘cause I’m still starving from the trip over.”

At the mention of food, Twilight’s stomach grumbled.

Spitfire chuckled. “I think we all are.”

“Well, we should probably get going.” Twilight walked over to Dash, climbing aboard her back once more.

“Aw man... I was at least hoping for a bit of a break,” Dash said.

Leaning over Dash’s shoulder, Twilight kissed her cheek. “Thank you.”

Dash’s ears swiveled back. “What for?”

“For taking me flying.”

A burned hue rose to Dash’s cheeks. “You know, you don’t have to say that every time we go flying. I’m happy to take you wherever, whenever.”

“Well I’m always happy to thank you for it,” Twilight replied, and Dash had nothing to say to that. Leaning down and resting her cheek in Dash’s mane, Twilight closed her eyes. “I suppose in a way I’m glad how things turned out. If my wings worked, there wouldn’t be any reason for me to fly on your back. I like it like this. It’s closer.”

“Yeah…” Dash agreed, a smile coming to her lips. “It is.”

Together, they flew to town.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Things have improved remarkably. Sometimes I wonder how my relationship with Dash got off to such a rocky start in the first place. From what Dash tells me, you know of at least one of the problems we had, but I assure you it was far from the only one. For more than a month things just seemed to rebound between good and bad. There were highs and lows, but I think in the end the lows are what drew us closer together. No matter how bad things got between us, we always came back to each other’s hooves.

Dash believed things could get better, and they have.

Twilight startled awake, a hoof poking her shoulder. Dash stood over her, her hooves planted between the seats of their train car for balance.

Dash nudged her once more. “Hey, we’re almost home.”

“We are?” Twilight asked, rubbing her eyes and letting loose a long yawn. “But we only left an hour ago.”

“It’s been four,” Dash said. She looked out the window, resting her head on her hoof in a slight pout. “You fell asleep after about thirty minutes. ”

Twilight sat up. She got out of her seat and looked out the window of their room. The clock read half-past two.

Dash leaned her head to the side, glancing at the tracks up ahead. “Hey, Twilight. Come take a look.”

“Are we almost there?”

“Yeah. And it looks like Pinkie knew we were coming.”

Twilight walked over and peeked out over the top of Dash’s head. Above the train platform were two giant inflatable ponies: one purple, one blue, each the size of the train car they were riding in. Hanging from one balloon’s ear to the other’s was a white banner with red lettering.

WELCOME BACK!

Twilight got down off the seat and turned to Dash. “Did you send a letter ahead saying when we’d be back?”

Dash shook her head. “No. We couldn’t find a post office, remember?” Dash paused. “Did you—” she pointed to her forehead in vague gesture “—magic a letter back or something?”

Twilight shook her head.

Dash turned back to the window, looking at them, her lip curling. “Well… they’re certainly something.”

After a moment, Twilight smiled. “It certainly feels like a Pinkie welcome.”

Dash cracked a smile. “Yeah, it does.”

As they drew closer to the station, they could make out their friends standing in wait below the balloons amid the other ponies waiting for the train.

The train chugged to a stop. Dash stood, stretching her wings and shaking her shoulders.

Twilight stared out the window. Their friends were scanning the train, looking for them. “Back home, huh?”

“Yep,” Dash responded, putting her saddlebags on. She paused, looking at Twilight. “Hey, what’sa matter?”

Twilight’s eyes snapped away from the window. “Me? Nothing.”

“You’ve got a look on your face.”

Twilight frowned at being found out. She stole a glance out the window. “You ever worry that we’ll come back and things will have changed?”

A look of understanding dawned on Dash’s face. Then she gave a shrug. “I don’t really worry about that.”

“Why not?” Twilight asked.

“I’ve known Fluttershy since I was a filly.” Dash shrugged again, her eyes wandering around the room. “Some things have definitely changed…” After a pause, she looked up and met Twilight’s eyes. “I mean, some things changed, but at the same time, nothing’s really changed, you know?”

Twilight put on her saddlebags. She shook her head. “Not really.”

They stepped out of the compartment. “I mean,” Dash struggled with her words, chewing her lip. “We changed, places changed, ponies around us changed, but none of that really changed our friendship. Every reason we became friends in the first place was still there.” She paused in the middle of the corridor and glanced back at Twilight. “That make sense?”

Twilight thought about it for a moment. A smile spread across her lips, and she nodded. “Yes, it does.”

Dash blinked. “Oh… good, ‘cause I totally thought I botched that.”

Twilight giggled as they stepped off the train. They barely stepped on the pavement before their friends spotted them and began waving.

Rainbow and Twilight trotted over to them, smiling and waving back.

Applejack tipped her hat, beaming at them. “Howdy, you two!”

“A most earnest ‘welcome back’ to you both!”

Fluttershy nodded, politely smiling and waving.

Pinkie stepped forward and wrapped them both up in a bone-crushing hug. “Oh my gosh, it’s great to see you two!” She set them down, grinning.

“How did you know when we were going to be back?” Twilight asked.

“Falling down stairs followed by two sneezes means a friend’s coming back to town!”

Twilight shook her head. Each of their friends hugged her and Dash in turn. Rarity whispered in Twilight’s ear as they hugged.

“You know, with all this traveling, I can’t imagine where you two will go for the honeymoon,” Rarity teased as she hugged Twilight, making her blush bright red. She giggled, then backed up and said a little louder, “You’ll have to tell us all about what happened on your trip sometime.”

“Ooh! Why don’t we do that right now?” Pinkie said, jumping up and down. “We could all go out to lunch and talk about it there!”

Applejack nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. I’m feelin’ a bit peckish for food and stories both.”

“I’m not terribly busy right now,” Fluttershy chimed in.

“And neither am I, for a change,” Rarity added after. “How about someplace a little low key? The Trim Thistle, perhaps?” No one seemed to object. “Good, I think it’s settled, then.”

They left the train station, chatting amicably amongst one another. Twilight made her way over to Dash’s side at the far end. She gave her a peck on the cheek.

“Hm?” Dash said.

“I think I understand what you said on the train a little better now.” Twilight motioned to their friends, who were too busy talking to each other about where they should take her and Dash after lunch to notice their hushed conversation. “I think I want to stay a little longer this time.”

“Sure,” Dash said. “We could stay all the way until the gala, if you want.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

Twilight and Dash shared a smile. They turned back to the others just in time to hear them settle on what to do after lunch, though they immediately launched into debate over what came after that.

Their friends carried on, planning out the rest of their day together. There were still many hours in the day and none of the friends gathered would mind if they spent the rest of them together.

After I had been discharged from the hospital, I was still wary of Spitfire. The weeks following I may have been a tad overprotective around Rainbow Dash. The rational me believed Spitfire when she said she planned to put it behind her, and wanted to start fresh, but the jealous me was insecure, and I was constantly fretting over seeing the two of them together.

But then a couple weeks after I’d been released, something happened that set my worries to rest...

Spitfire rapped on the quaint cottage’s door. Clamoring hooves replied, and a few seconds later, Ditzy opened the door. Her eyes lit up and her smile grew as she saw who it was.

“You’re back!” she exclaimed. She flapped her wings, straightened her neck, and puffed out her chest.

“I’m back,” Spitfire agreed, leaning forward and giving Ditzy a quick peck on the lips.

Ditzy’s smile bloomed at the kiss. She stepped to the side, gesturing for Spitfire to come inside. “How was your trip?”

“Oh, same-old, same-old. Sweeping landscapes, radiant sunsets, cool winds,” Spitfire said, a smirk tugging at her lips as she wrapped a wing around Ditzy and they walked back inside.

“Did you manage to keep the—”

“Yes, I didn’t lose the camera this time,” Spitfire interrupted, blushing.

Ditzy reared up, grinning, and clapped her hooves together. “You didn’t lose the camera! It’s a miracle!”

Spitfire grumbled. “I’m not that bad at keeping track of things.”

“Only cameras?” Ditzy teased.

“Is Spitfire back?!” a child’s voice shouted from another room.

“She is!” Ditzy shouted back.

The sound of tiny hooves scampering came from the living room. Shortly after, Dinky came running out into the hallway. She skidded to a stop in front of Spitfire, her smile splitting from one ear to the other.

“Hey.” Dinky said.

Spitfire huffed and smiled. “Hey, yourself,” she said, causing Dinky to giggle.

Unwrapping her wing from around Ditzy, Spitfire held out her hoof. Dinky gripped it, and giggled as she was lifted off the ground and onto Spitfire’s back.

“So,” Spitfire said, glancing back at her passenger, “who wants to have a board game night?”

In the end, she found someone special to her. From what I’ve seen of them together, I don’t think they’ll have even half the problems we had.

By the way, this isn’t the letter you’ve been waiting for—that letter is much longer. I know I’ve kept you waiting awhile for it, but I’d like to ask you to wait just a little longer. It was Dash’s idea for us to give you our letters in person when we meet at the gala.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

Dear Princess Celestia,

I’m writing this on an agreement with Twilight that she won’t read it. I told her it’s because I didn’t want to put up with her nitpicking everything, but truth be told, that’s not the reason.

When you asked me to write this letter, I thought I was the least qualified person there was to talk about things like love. I probably still am, but now at least I finally feel like I know enough to write a letter about it. Also, I’d rather you keep this letter between us: I don’t want anyone other than you or Twilight knowing that I ever wrote about all this gooey junk.

Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy had all split to pursue their interests with haste once they’d stepped inside the gala. This left Rainbow Dash and Twilight, who were no longer there for the reason they had wanted to be, months ago. They both sat at the bottom of the stairs, the Princess at the top, greeting her guests.

The gala was every bit as grand as they had thought it would be back then. Everypony seemed a prince or princess, a duke or duchess. Twilight looked beautiful in her dress, her bandaged wings tucked away inside it so as not to draw attention. She seemed completely at ease amidst the extravagance of the gala.

Dash couldn’t stop fidgeting with the hems of her dress.

Twilight placed a hoof over Dash’s fidgeting one. “Hey, relax. The Princess will be done greeting the guests soon enough.”

“Sorry,” Dash replied. She stopped and took a deep breath. “I guess I’m just a bit worried what kind of impression I’ll leave on her, given that she’s the Princess and everything.”

“You weren’t worried last time you two met.”

“Yeah,” Dash agreed, “but back then I had other stuff I was a whole lot more worried about.” She scanned the line of guests. “This is more your type of scene. I don’t really know how to act around upper class ponies. I’m just worried that, ya know... I screw up and embarrass both of us.”

“Princess Celestia isn’t like that. She’s a very patient, understanding pony. And as for the other noble ponies, well…” Twilight leaned in close to Dash’s ear and whispered, “I never really cared much about what they thought.”

Dash felt herself smirk a bit at that. Straightening her neck, she held her head high. “You’re right. Besides, standing around and moping doesn’t do the dress Rarity gave me any justice.”

Twilight nodded, seemingly pleased her little talk worked.

Then atop the stairs, they heard the Princess say, in a loud voice to all those present, “If you’ll excuse me, there’s something else I promised to attend to. I hope you all have a wonderful time at this year’s gala.”

The ponies still in line looked a bit dismayed upon learning they wouldn’t get a chance to meet the Princess. Still, a few mutterings aside, they seemed to accept it and move on.

Celestia descended the stairs and walked over. She glanced at each of them, giving a warm smile. “You girls both look lovely tonight.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said, with a bow of her head. Dash imitated her bow, mumbling her thanks as well.

“Shall we head somewhere more quiet?”

Rainbow Dash and Twilight followed Celestia across the gala floor. Every near pair of eyes followed them, staring mostly at the two of them following the Princess rather than the Princess herself. But between Dash and Twilight, a majority stared at Dash. They whispered about her, wondering who she was to be walking with the Princess and her student.

Keeping her chin up and eyes forward, Dash tried not think about it too much, even as the whispers grew to a steady murmur. Thankfully the door was near and they stepped outside onto a balcony and away from prying eyes.

It was a bright night. The moon shone near-full, surrounded by stars, sharp and clear in the mountain air. Fireflies were out and about, flittering around a sagging willow overhanging the pond below the balcony. But for all the motion around them, the white stone pathways winding through the garden sat empty as everypony at the castle busied themselves inside.

“I’ll admit,” Celestia began, “I’m not entirely sure what to be expecting. You two certainly like keeping things mysterious.”

“Not mysterious, not exactly,” Twilight said. “We both found it hard to put what we wanted to say into words.”

“Then let us start off with something else. How have your travels been?”

Dash listened to Twilight rattle off all the places they’d been, falling into conversation with her teacher in the manner which years of familiarity bring. Dash stood on the sidelines while shifting her hooves and glancing off into the garden every now and then. Rarity had done a great job, and her dress looked as good as any there, but Dash still couldn’t skirt feeling horribly out of place.

She noticed Celestia and Twilight were both looking at her.

“Dash?” Twilight asked.

Dash shook her head, trying to clear any cobwebs. “Sorry. Uh…?”

“I was just saying how tired we both were on the train ride back.”

“Oh, yeah, out like a light.” Dash gave a nervous chuckle.

Twilight shot her a frown, but Celestia interrupted it with a soft chuckle of her own.

“I never would have thought you were the traveling type,” she said to Twilight. “I was always under the impression that you prefered to dig your hooves in, usually someplace near books.”

Twilight blushed at the Princess’s teasing. “Well, I guess you could say that place now is at Dash’s side.”

Dash wrapped a wing around Twilight. It seemed like the right thing to do.

“I can see that,” Celestia said, smiling down at them. “Would it be alright if I spoke alone with Dash?”

Dash turned to leave. “Oh, yeah, no problem. I’ll leave you two to…” She halted, then turned back around. “Wait... me?”

“Yes, if that’s alright?” Celestia said, the question pointed at her student.

Twilight looked just as confused as Dash felt. “Um… sure…” Before she left, she placed a hoof on Dash’s shoulder. “I’ll be just inside, when you’re done.”

Dash watched the door swing shut after Twilight. An eerie silence followed it. Turning back, Dash met the Princess’s stare. “So you wanted to talk to me alone?”

Celestia nodded. “Last time we met was on… not so great of terms. I recall you coming to me in as much distress as I’ve seen anypony. You had the same knot in your brow that you do now.”

Dash looked up at her brow, cross-eyed. Sighing, she forced her features to relax. “I can’t imagine what you must think of me.”

“When you came to me, I thought it was incredibly mature of you.” Celestia walked over to the edge of the balcony. Dash joined her. “Countless ponies have made the same mistakes you did. Some repeat them. I agreed to help you, because I saw a pony who had learned from their mistakes.”

Dash’s eyes suddenly shot wide. “Your letter!”

Princess Celestia blinked, looking a bit startled by her outburst. “Pardon?”

“I forgot to give Twilight your letter!” Dash nearly cursed under her breath, before remembering her company. “I had the envelope, it was in my bags, and then when I unpacked them in Ponyville… I-I don’t think it made it that far.”

Dash looked up at the Princess, expecting her to be vexed or disappointed. To the contrary, she seemed amused.

“So you never even had to give her the letter after all! Oh, what an interesting mare my little Twilight has chosen.”

“What was in it? What was in the letter?” Dash asked.

“Hmm…” Celestia opened the envelope Twilight gave her. She read the letter, then handed it to Dash. “You may read it yourself if you’d like. It seems she found it in your bags.”

Dash took the letter. The parchment was dotted with wrinkled spots where something had dripped on it. At the top was Celestia’s letter, and down below Dash recognized Twilight’s pen writing in purple ink.

Dear Twilight,

Do you love Rainbow Dash?

Your mentor,

Princess Celestia

I can’t tell.
I’m not sure.
Sometimes.
I do.

The corner of Dash’s eyes stung. Teardrops dripped onto the page, forming small wet spots. Dash noticed they matched the size and shape of the wrinkled spots dotting the letter. They must have been tears from some time ago, from when Twilight had cried over the same piece of paper.

Dash let out a sob-wracked laugh and wiped her eyes. “It’s stupid. She’s said she loves me before, but still, seeing it like this is…” Dash was unable to finish. She bit her hoof, and read the letter again. Twice. Three times.

“When we first met back in Cloudsdale, I saw a spark of something beautiful between the two of you. It’s a pleasure to see how far it has come.”

“Thank you so much. I don’t know what I would have done without the advice you gave me.”

Dash sniffled and folded up the letter. She tried giving it back to Celestia, but Celestia stayed her hoof. “Keep it. It’s addressed more to you than I.”

Dash nodded and gave a deep bow, before tucking the letter in her dress somewhere safe. She pulled out an envelope and gave it to Celestia. This time the Princess took it.

“My letter,” Dash explained. “It’s not all that long, considering how much time I’ve had to write it, but it’s the best I could come up with.”

Celestia nodded. “I’d never ask of anything more.”

Celestia turned and stared out over the garden, holding Dash’s letter. There was a gap of silence between them, not wholly uncomfortable, but not without the anxious energy of Dash twiddling her hooves.

There was silence a little while longer. And then, “So can I get back to Twilight?”

Celestia turned to her, letting out a small chuckle. “Of course.”

Dash’s eyes lit up, and she nearly stumbled in her haste as she bowed once more. “Thank you again, Princess.”

“It’s been my pleasure, Rainbow Dash.”

Dash turned and went back inside. As she closed the door behind her, she spotted Twilight waiting nearby. She stood by herself, watching other ponies go about the gala. Dash trotted up to her.

Twilight spotted Dash and waved. “So what did the Princess say?” she asked, as Dash drew near.

Dash kissed Twilight, deepening it for a second or two, before breaking away.

Twilight cleared her throat, blushing. “I thought we agreed it would be better not to draw any unwanted attention while we’re here.”

Dash grinned sheepishly. “Sorry. I had to—just this once.”

Twilight sighed, but couldn’t keep the slight tug of a smile from her lips. “Well, it is getting pretty late. Maybe we should find the others and head out of here.”

“Where are they, anyway? I haven’t seen head or tail of them since we split up,” Dash said, looking around.

Out of nowhere, the doors to the palace garden slammed open. Nearly a dozen critters scattered into the gala halls, halting the music and causing everypony attending to stop what they were doing.

Fluttershy stood in the doorway, huffing and puffing with a crazed look in her eye.

“YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE ME!”

Every time I thought things couldn’t get better, or couldn’t get worse, I got proven wrong. There were times when I doubted myself, when I doubted us. Had I made the right choice? Or had I just caused us both a great deal of pain and ruined the friendship we once had? I typically move with my gut, but everything that happened had me second guessing.

After I found out about Spitfire’s feelings for me, I guess I started to think what it would be like being with her. At the time I was confused in my relationship with Twilight, and Spitfire just made sense. But I learned love isn’t really about what makes sense. It isn’t about what would be easy.

Love is flying high, falling hard. I think that’s the best I can describe it.

Loyally,

Rainbow Dash

Chapter 1: Helping Hooves

Helping Hooves

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

High above Ponyville, Dash dove. The sun beamed down on her back, cold wind whipped past her—lashing at her eyes—and a ghost-white cone of air took form in front of her. Running out of room, Dash pushed harder, egging herself on. Just a little more... After trying every day for the past month, today was the day she was finally going to succeed. She tightened her form and held her breath, struggling to go just a little bit faster.

But she was too late, and the ground was too close. More specifically, the Ponyville Library was too close.

“Uh-oh.”

Dash spread her wings to slow her fall, but it wouldn’t be enough. She closed her eyes and braced for impact, as she hurtled towards the imposing tree. Twigs cracked, scratching and whipping her. She came to a stop, colliding hard with a thick branch, the impact knocking the wind out of her and shaking the entire tree. Legs dangled limply over either side of the branch, she groaned, her head spinning.

Tomorrow, she told herself. Tomorrow would be the day she succeeded.

There was the distinctive click of a metal latch being undone. Dash opened her eyes with a low moan, and saw she landed outside one of the library’s oval windows. It was open, the side of its purple frame stuck out towards her, and Twilight stood behind its sill, her eye twitching.

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said, her voice holding barely restrained frustration. “That’s the third time this week you’ve crashed near here when I’ve been busy studying.”

Dash shook her head to clear the dizziness she felt. “Yeah, sorry about that,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck. “At least I had all these branches to break my fall. It wasn’t nearly as bad as that one time with the window.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, her lips drawn tight. “Yes, I’d imagine a few branches and leaves are softer than glass. They also don’t leave me with a hospital bill for removing half a dozen shards of glass.”

“You paid for that?” Dash asked.

Twilight snorted, fixing her with a blank look. “You were unconscious, and somepony had to.”

“Right.” Dash sat up and rubbed her head, tilting it side to side.

Twilight sat down by the window. “Listen, you can’t just keep crashing into the library every other day like this. Can’t you find somewhere else to fly?”

“Hey!” Feathers ruffled, Dash flew over to the windowsill and hopped up on its ledge, poking her nose right in Twilight’s face. “I’ve been flying around here since before you were in the library! If anything, you should move this stupid tree!”

“What?” Twilight blinked, her face scrunching up. “Trees don’t—” Putting a hoof to her forehead, she sighed. “Never mind. You weren’t crashing here when I first came to Ponyville. What in Equestria have you been doing up there?”

Dash flew to the center of the room and turned to face her. “Only practicing for the most important competition ever!” Darting over, Dash fixed her with a look of glee. “In a few days, every pegasus in Equestria is going to be flying to Cloudsdale for the Best Young Flier competition. Even Princess Celestia and the Wonderbolts are going to be there!” She grabbed Twilight by the shoulders. “Don’t you get what this means? It means I get a chance to show my stuff to the Wonderbolts!”

“What happens if you win?” Twilight asked as she wriggled out of Dash’s grip.

“Oh, I almost forgot, that’s the best part! The winner of the contest gets to spend the day with the Wonderbolts!” Dash giggled, an excited gleam in her eye. “Don’t you see? After going up there, showing them how awesome I am, and hanging out with them, they’ll be dying to have me as a member!”

Twilight shook her head at Dash’s antics. “That still doesn’t explain why you’ve been crashing into the library.”

Stopping in her tracks, Dash lowered to the ground. She rubbed the back of her neck, sucking air in through her teeth. “Practice has been going sort of... less than awesome.” She bit her lip. “See, I have this plan for my finale. I want to finish my show with a sonic rainboom, this really super cool trick, but I haven’t managed to pull one off since flightschool.”

“What’s a sonic rainboom?” Twilight asked, tilting her head.

“It’s something I did once in a race during flightschool. I think I’m the only one who’s ever done it—and most ponies don’t even believe I ever did it.” A frown tugged at the corners of her mouth, and she sat down on the floor, pouting. “I haven’t even come close to pulling another one off though.”

“Hmm...” Twilight circled Dash, reaching out and lifting one of Dash’s wings to inspect it. “Are you properly developing your wing muscles, stretching to increase your flexibility, and sticking to a proper diet?”

Dash blinked twice, her head swiveling around to track the mare circling her. “Wait, what?”

“There are steps you need to take to make sure your body is operating at its full functionality,” Twilight explained. She stopped and leaned down, poking Dash’s belly.

“Hey!” Dash cried indignantly.

Twilight ignored her and went back back to examining her. “Are you exercising, stretching, and dieting properly?”

“Uh, a little bit of the first two, I guess,” Dash answered with a shrug.

“Only a little?” Twilight asked, stopping and looking at her with an arched eyebrow.

“Well, yeah. I’ve been mostly—you know—going up there and flying for a couple hours each day.” Dash spotted the deadpan look Twilight was giving her. “I mean, what better way to get good at flying than doing it, right?”

“Flying alone won’t properly train many important parts of your body,” Twilight lectured, taking a seat on the floor.

“Really?” Dash puzzled for a moment, and an idea lit up her eyes. “Hey, do you think you could help me with that stuff?”

Twilight stared blankly at her. “Huh?”

“Like, you could help me set up a schedule, or something.” Dash paused as a light bulb turned on over her head. “You could be my coach!”

Twilight shifted uneasily, fidgeting with her hooves. “Rainbow, I don’t think that’s—”

“Please, Twi!” Dash shot over and threw herself in front of Twilight, clasping her hooves together in front of her. “You gotta help me with this stuff! I only have a few days before the competition!”

Twilight grimaced as she looked down at Dash’s puppy dog eyes, letting out a resigned sigh. “Alright,” she said, raising her head to look back up at Dash. “I’ll help coach you up until the competition.” She glanced back at her desk to the open scrolls and piles of unread books laying on it, waiting for her. “It’ll only be a few days, right?”

“Yep!” Dash pulled her frowning friend into a hug, playfully mussing her mane with a hoof. “C’mon! It’ll be fun! Maybe they’ll even let you stand next to me on the podium or something!”

A hint of a smile tugged at Twilight’s lips. “I guess it might be fun.”

Dash let go of her friend and hovered just off the ground. “Of course it will be! I’ll make sure of it!” she said, flying over to the door. Looking back at Twilight, she flashed her an eager grin, stretching from ear to ear. “Let’s go, I’ll show you what I’ve got so far!”

“Alright.” Twilight trailed behind her out of the library, Dash’s infectious grin spreading to her a little.

Dash stepped out of the library, the sun shining down on her coat. A few loosely spread clouds broke up the great blue sky as they drifted overhead.

Dash unfurled her wings and turned to Twilight. “Stay here,” she said, before leaving Twilight and the ground behind.

Building speed, she angling her wings and swerved to a line of narrow poplar trees to perform her first trick. With a tip her wings she weaved between them, her feathers grazing the trees as she passed them.

The last tree cleared, she flew up and stopped level with the clouds. They were a bit far apart, but otherwise perfect for her next trick. She stole a glance down at Twilight, wondering what she thought so far. It was impossible to make out Twilight’s expression from up in the clouds, but she seemed to spot Dash looking and waved at her.

Dash smirked and turned her attention to the clouds floating nearby. Darting up to them, she began to circle one, picking up speed until the cloud itself turned with her. Drops of moisture from the cloud sprinkled her feathers, slowing her wing beats. She shook off as much of the water as she could, before zipping to the next closest cloud. She made it spin at the same speed as the first, and then repeated the process with the last cloud, making all three clouds spin in a synchronized pattern.

She flew down to Twilight with a self-satisfied smirk. “So what did you think?”

Twilight looked unconvinced, holding a hoof over her eyes to shield them from the sun. “What about the sonic rainboom?”

“Huh?” Dash landed, tucking away her wings and trotting to Twilight’s side. “What about it?”

“Well...” Twilight said, looking at her as though she should already know the answer. “Aren’t you going to try it?”

Dash kicked a hoof back and forth, pawing the ground. “Well, I could. But I mean, I didn’t want to ruin the show by crashing or something.”

“Come on, Rainbow Dash. Try it,” Twilight pleaded. “You asked me to be your coach, not your audience. How am I supposed to help if you don’t show me your whole routine?”

“Hmm...” Dash glanced to the side, her lips drawn tight. “I guess so.” Unfolding her wings with a snap, she lifted herself into the air. “I’ll give it my best shot. Just for you, Twilight.”

Twilight smiled and a small giggle escaped her lips. “Good luck!”

Dash darted up towards the clouds. “As if I need it!” she shouted over her shoulder, wind whipping through her mane.

She flew high above the clouds she had used for her last trick, which had since stopped spinning, and paused high above the ground. Looking down, Twilight was just a purple speck against the fields. Preparing to dive, Dash steadied herself, taking a few deep breaths.

“Come on... somepony’s watching this time,” she muttered to herself.

After taking one last deep breath, she plummeted.

Hooves pointed in front of her, Dash built speed and was forced to squint as the wind became cool and sharp. The air around her formed a familiar white cone, pressing down on her from all sides. She clenched her teeth shut, her lips pulled back by the wind in her face.

Almost there! Her eyes shone with a rush of adrenaline as she flapped her wings harder. A small slit formed along the tip of the cone, a break in the barrier. It wavered in front of her, pushing her, even as her wings began to tire. But she began to slow, the gap in the cone closing. The strain from a repeat attempt, and her bruises from crashing into the library, were taking their toll on her.

Her eyes snapped open. The ground was closing in. Her instincts shot into overdrive and she angled her wings sharply, pulling up from the ground. Her downward momentum shifted, and it strained her wings with back-breaking pain, but she managed to pull up.

At least, a little bit.

With the ground closing in, and no way to pull up in time, Dash yelled. Her hooves clipped the ground, and the traction of them hitting the grass pulled the rest of her body face-first into the dirt. As she tumbled across the field, everything spun around in nauseating motion.

Her crash ended abruptly. Coming to a halt with one final overhead somersault, she hit the grass with with a small ‘umph.’

She lay on her back for a moment, unmoving, her body feeling numb all over. Letting out a low groan, she attempted to sit up. Pain spiked through her back, causing her to slip and fall back onto the grass with a pain-filled grunt.

“Ow...” she whined, looking up at the sky and biting back the nausea she felt from watching it spin. The rumble of galloping hooves reached her ears. Looking up, she saw Twilight rushing over, her face red from sprinting over.

“Are you...” Twilight looked at the scuffs Dash had gotten from the fall and winced. “Are you alright?”

“Peachy,” Dash replied, halfway between a smile and a grimace. She tried to sit up again, flinching from the pain in her back.

Twilight saw her struggling, and leaned against her, bracing her as she sat up. “I’m so sorry. I just didn’t think you would... crash.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Dash let out a deep breath. “It happens more than you would think.”

“Would you like me to go get some ice?” Twilight asked, a look of guilt all over her face.

“Sure. That’d be great,” Dash answered, figuring Twilight would feel bad if she didn’t have something she could do to help.

Twilight’s face lit up as she nodded, running away to fetch ice from the library.

Dash watched her trot away, and despite the pain in her wings, hooves, and back, her mouth curved into an unintentional smile. It was different having somepony there when she fell.

Deciding that standing up wouldn’t be worth the effort, she lay back down on the side of the hill. The second her back hit the hill, her right wing spasmed in pain. She flinched and drew it back to her side. Rolling to her other side, she reached back to touch her wing. It was badly bruised. Even stroking it as lightly as she could caused sparks of pain.

Twilight came running back, levitating a plastic bag of ice in front of her. “Here.” She floated the ice over to Dash’s side, its bag dripping with condensation.

Dash looked at her wing with a scowl. “So much for practicing,” she said, sighing.

Twilight circled around her, leaning down to take a closer look at her wing. “We should take you to the hospital and make sure everything’s alright.”

“Oh please, that place is sooo boring.” Dash inched away, moving her wing away from Twilight’s prying eyes. “I hate going there. They make you wait, and there’s absolutely nothing to do!”

“Well, you need to go lie down somewhere. Even if it isn’t at the hospital.” Twilight glanced over her shoulder. “You could rest in the library.”

“Oh.” Dash looked down at her hooves, tapping them together. “I wouldn’t want to cramp your studying, or... whatever it is you do.”

Twilight shook her head. “You wouldn’t at all,” she said with a comforting smile. “Do you want help getting up?”

“Sure,” Dash replied. Rolling onto her stomach, she pushed herself up, her legs trembling as she forced them to move.

Twilight rushed over to help her stand up. Reluctantly accepting her help, Dash leaned against Twilight’s side, her soft coat providing welcome comfort from the pain she felt.

She threw a hoof around Twilight’s shoulders and began to limp towards the library, Twilight helping her there.

“Thanks,” Dash said as they walked, Twilight turning to look at her. “For the ice, I mean.”

“You’re welcome,” Twilight replied, smiling as she spoke.

“And-uh, thanks for helping me stand up, too,” she nervously added, drawing a gentle laugh from Twilight.

“No problem.” Twilight opened the door, a waft of stagnant summer air coming out of the library as she helped Dash inside. Twilight’s look of worry was forgotten, and she returned Dash’s smile. “You can go lie down upstairs if you want, or I could set out some pillows on the floor next to my desk if you’d like to keep me company.”

“I wouldn’t mind hanging out down here,” Dash replied with a smile and a shrug.

Twilight helped Dash over to her desk, levitating a few pillows over and arranging them in a bed next to it. Removing her hoof from around Twilight, Dash ungracefully flopped down onto the makeshift bed.

Twilight perked up as she sat at her desk. “Oh! There’s this adventure book I found myself rereading the other day, and it would be a perfect thing to read while you’re busy resting! The protagonist in the story reminds me quite a bit of...” Twilight trailed off as she turned to Dash, seeing the flat look she was being given. “Right. I’ll just go back over here. To study. And you just... lie there?”

Dash stretched and let out a yawn. “Sounds good to me.” She curled into a ball atop the downy pillows, shutting her eyes and drifting off as if she were on a bed of clouds.

“Rainbow Dash?”

“Hmm?”

“What if I read the first few chapters out loud?”

Dash snorted, but a smile spread across her face. “Not a chance.”

“One chapter?”

“No.”

Dash heard a faint sigh.

“I guess I’ll go back to working on this spell.”

Dash opened one small, curious eye to look up at her. “What kind of spell?”

Twilight shook her head dismissively. “It’s nothing.”

Dash opened both eyes and craned her neck up towards where the desk, although she still couldn’t see over the edge. “What kind of spell?” she repeated.

“I’m not sure yet.” Twilight said, shuffling the papers on her desk. “I’m looking at a few different spells, but none of them are quite what I’m looking for.”

Dash stopped straining her neck to sneak a peek and settled for asking Twilight about it. “What do you mean?”

Twilight tore herself away from her papers to look down at Dash. “I mean they all work differently, and none of them do what I want.”

Dash crossed her hooves in front of her and lay her head down, closing her eyes again. “Why don’t you just make one that does then?”

Twilight tilted her head back and let out a short bark of laughter. “Hah!”

Dash flinched, pressing her ears against her skull, and opened her eyes.

Twilight turned to her with an apologetic frown. “Sorry,” she said. Turning back to her desk, she shook her head. “It’s just that making a spell from scratch is very complicated. It takes even the most talented of ponies months to do so.”

“But you’re really talented.”

Twilight looked at her in surprise. “Me?” she asked, pointing to herself. “No way. I’m just—”

“—Princess Celestia’s student?” Dash finished for her.

Twilight looked back at her desk. She lifted a hoof and tapped it against her chin as she studied the papers she had spread out. “Maybe if I...”

The corners of Dash’s mouth tipped up in a smirk, watching Twilight’s eyes flit back and forth between pages as she puzzled.

Then, Twilight waved her hoof dismissively. “It’s not really worth the trouble,” she said, looking at her notes with disappointment. Closing her scrolls and books, she tucked them away on a shelf near the desk. “Besides,” she said, turning to Dash. “I want to talk about your training.”

“What?” Dash asked, agitation in her voice. “What training? I’ve got an injured wing!”

“That’s why I thought it would be a good idea if we did land exercises tomorrow!” Twilight exclaimed.

Lifting her head, Dash recrossed her hooves, before laying back down on them again and looking at Twilight skeptically. “How is training on land supposed to make me better at flying?”

Twilight stood and walked over to a shelf on the opposite side of the room, scanning it. “It’s a good chance to work on your...” She let her statement trail, moving to the next shelf over. “I could have sworn—Aha! Found it!” Pulling a small red and yellow book from the shelf, she brought it over to Dash and began to pore through it. “‘It’s a good chance to do some cardiovascular exercise! It says here that it helps strengthen your heart and lungs, causing them to work more efficiently!’” she said, pointing to the words with her hoof as she read them aloud.

“So this cardiosacular thing can be done on the ground?” Dash asked. “And it’ll make me what? Not get tired as easily?

“It’s Cardiovascular, and yes.” Twilight took the book over to her desk and set it down. “I wonder what else this book has. . .”

As Dash snuggled into the pillows, she didn’t listen to the words Twilight was saying, only her voice. Dash's eyes fluttered shut, her breathing slowing to a calm and steady pace, and she fell asleep.

Chapter 14: After the Heat Dies Down

After the Heat Dies Down

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Twilight woke up on the couch. First light was filtering in from the windows, giving the room an orange glow, and there was the sound of hoofsteps. Twilight sat up and rubbed her eyes, looking to the source of the sound to see Dash walking towards the door.

“Where’re you going?” Twilight mumbled sleepily.

Dash froze and turned around, chuckling nervously. "Sorry... I have to go help the weather team out today. I tried to let myself out quietly so you could get some more sleep." Dash covered a yawn with her hoof. "Celestia knows, I could use more sleep."

"Will you be back soon?" Twilight asked, playing with her mane. "Since Spike is still in Canterlot, it can get really quiet around here."

"Hey come on, Twi, don't get too clingy," Dash joked.

Twilight looked down at the sofa. "Oh. Sorry..."

"Don't worry about it. I'll try and finish up quickly for the day. I'll even drop by during my lunch break and bring us something to eat, how's that?" Dash said, giving her a reassuring smile. "We just have to start some prep work for a storm coming up, so it should be a short day."

Twilight gave her a weak smile. "Alright, I'll see you at lunch." She stumbled up off the couch and walked over to grab a couple books from the shelves. "I've been needing a new project. I guess I'll try and find something today that I can start on to keep me busy."

Twilight saw Dash pause in the doorway and watch her browsing the shelves for a moment, before she left and closed the door. Twilight let out a sigh and looked at the shelves of books in front of her—a normally exciting prospect that didn’t seem very glamorous at the moment.

Dash unfolded her wings and, with a mighty flap, took off into the sky. She skimmed along the top of the library tree, her wings rustling the leaves on its branches as she flew up over it and towards the weather center.

Ever since the first date they shared where they had fallen asleep together, Twilight had been slowly getting more and more attached to her, never wanting to leave her side. It had been such a long time since she last slept in her own bed. Every time she left Twilight would put on a sad puppy look that just killed her.

Dash approached the weather center. All the weather pegasi stood outside it, chatting before the day's work. One particular blonde with a slate coat spotted her flying in, and waved. Dash landed next to her. Ditzy Doo was probably the only pony she really talked to on the weather team. Mostly due to her having the misfortune of being paired up with her.

"Hi Dash!" The mare had great golden eyes—but one of them often drifted away from where she was looking, usually when she got excited or nervous.

"Hey, Ditzy," Dash said, giving her a weak smile; she hadn't talked to the mare for a while.

"What'sa matter, Rainbow? You sound kind of burned out. I thought you’d be happy after winning that competition."

Dash smirked and shook her head. "It's nothing really. I'm just glad it's a short work day."

"Yep—well, not for me. I have a shift over at the post office after this. I had to take a second job. They haven't been giving me as many shifts here since that one time I accidentally made lightning hit the old apple orchard windmill..." Ditzy trailed off, her voice losing most of its enthusiasm as she spoke.

"I'll see if I can give you some of mine; it pays better than being a mail mare, and I need some more practice time anyway."

Ditzy's face brightened up. "Oh, thank you so much! You have no idea how much that helps!"

She wasn’t lying when she said she needed practice time. Despite winning the Best Young Flier competition, she had gotten much less flight practice done in the past few days than she usually did.

Dash smiled, despite her mood. "Don't worry about it, like I said it's nothing. I don't need the bits." She tried to stay nonchalant and cool, but a small tell-tale blush gave her away.

Dash and Ditzy quieted as the lead weather pegasus walked, called for their attention, and began to explain what they needed to get done that day.

A mountain of books surrounded Twilight. The shelves nearby were empty, their contents a part of the haphazardly-piled stacks that surrounded her. She skimmed through the pages of a book—one that she had already read twice. At this point she wasn't sure if there was a single book in the library she hadn't read. It would be a good idea to order some new books for the library next time she went by the post office.

Her face lit up with an idea, and she got up, knocking over her stacks of books while doing so, and walked over to her desk, levitating the quill out of its holder and dipping it in a small jar of ink.

She began to write on a piece of parchment. Her magic glowed around the quill, its movements swift and nimble from years of practiced writing, the ink flowing out into a fine cursive writing that was impeccably neat. Twilight placed the quill in its holder, and sat back to admire her work.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I'm sorry this letter isn't about what you requested. I'm still working on that and trying to figure out how to describe what it is I’ve learned from being with Rainbow Dash. I just wanted to write this letter to ask how things have been in Canterlot. We didn't get a chance to speak at the Best Young Flier competition, and I just wanted to let my parents know that I'm doing well, and that I'm having a great time in Ponyville.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle

Twilight rolled the letter up, tying a red ribbon around it with a self-satisfied smile. Now I'll just get Spike to send this off to Princess Celestia and I should get a reply pronto!

Twilight froze, remembering that Spike was still in Canterlot, and it would take days for her letter to arrive by postal. Her only idea to fill the time, ruined. Twilight trotted out the door to the post office with her head hung low. I may as well order those books and send this letter off now, she thought, miserably. With any luck, she would run into someone she knew on the way there.

Spitfire stood in front of the Weather Center, taking a deep breath to steel herself. The three stallions in Cloudsdale had said Rainbow was a weather pegasus, so she figured the weather center was the first place to start looking for her.

Spitfire stepped in through the double doors into a small lobby. The walls were a plain white, with a light gray floor, and an orange mare sitting behind the reception desk looked up as Spitfire entered.

The receptionist’s eyes lit up with stars as she recognized Spitfire, and she let out a gasp, raising her hooves up to her cheeks. "Oh my gosh! Are you Spitfire?"

Spitfire groaned under her breath and put on a forced smile. "Yep, that's me!"

"Will you sign this poster I have? I'm a huge fan!" The receptionist dug through her drawers as she spoke, rattling their contents. "Ah-hah!" She cried out, finding what she was looking for. She placed a pen and a Wonderbolts poster of Soarin’ striking a gallant pose on his hind legs with his chest puffed out. His name was across the top of the poster like the cover for some cheap action movie, and he was giving the camera a dashing smile. Spitfire looked at the receptionist and raised an eyebrow, smirking.

The receptionist blushed and looked off to the side. "It's the only thing I have here," she muttered.

Spitfire picked up the pen and spun the poster around, scrawling her signature onto it. She spun the poster back around and pushed it toward the receptionist.

“Thank you,” the receptionist mumbled, taking the poster. Spitfire placed the pen back on the counter.

"Anyway,” Spitfire said. “I was wondering if a pony by the name of Rainbow Dash worked—" She was cut off by the door opening, and a familiar boisterous laugh filling the lobby.

"Oh man!” Rainbow Dash laughed, holding her stomach and talking to Ditzy. “I can't believe Cumulus actually took that bet! Such bad luck on his part too! I don't think I've ever cleared clouds faster than that! Easiest ten bits I've ever..." Dash trailed off as she noticed Spitfire smiling at her from across the room. "Spitfire? What are you doing in Ponyville?"

"Oh you know... stuff," Spitfire replied.

Dash bounded up to her excitedly. "Oh man this is awesome! We should totally hang out while you're here." Dash slung a hoof around Spitfire's shoulder, making Spitfire grateful for the way her coat's color obscured her blush.

"S-sure. Listen—uh, I've been meaning to ask you something." Spitfire watched the grey pony Dash had been talking to skip past them and down the hallway, her eyes looking in opposite directions as she skipped happily along. She turned back to see Rainbow Dash leaning forward expectantly.

"Ask me what?" Dash asked.

Spitfire hesitated, opening and closing her mouth trying to make words come out as Dash watched with a bit of confusion.

“Hello?” Dash asked in a sing-song voice. “Equestria to Spitfire.”

"I, uh, well, the thing I wanted to ask you about was...” Spitfire gulped, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. “Your sonic rainboom!" Spitfire blurted a little too loudly. "I wanted to know how you did it."

"Oh, that? That’s easy.” Dash said, removing her hoof from around Spitfire’s shoulder and moving to stand in front of her. “The first step is to start somewhere really high up, and then you go into a dive to gain speed, and then there's this thing, and it’s like... uh, whatcha call it..."Dash tapped her hoof on the ground, thinking. “A sonic barrier!” Dash finally remembered, a proud look adorning her face as she did so. “So there’s this barrier and it will slow you down a bit, but if you manage to go fast enough, then you bust through it and there’s a sonic rainboom.”

Spitfire looked at her blankly. “So you dive until you hit a barrier...”

“Yep,” Dash said, grinning and nodding.

“And then you go faster...”

“Uhuh!”

Spitfire had to pause and retrace what Dash said, thinking that maybe she had missed something. “... That’s it?”

“Uh...” Dash scratched the back of her neck. “Well it sounds kind of simple when you put it that way, but yeah?”

"... You're kidding," Spitfire said, looking at her in disbelief. Rainbow Dash shook her head, completely certain in her answer.

"But what about the angle of descent!? Your wing spread?" Spitfire exclaimed, seeing the look of confusion grow on Dash's face. “Don’t you keep track of those?”

"My what-now?" Dash asked, with a puzzled look.

Spitfire dragged a hoof down her face, groaning. "How can you not know these things? Do you just go up there and wing it?" Spitfire shouted.

"Yeah, pretty much," Dash answered succinctly.

Spitfire's mouth hung open, her left eye twitching.

"I've always been terrible with that theory stuff,” Dash said. “But if we get a chance to go out flying some time I'd definitely be able to show you."

Spitfire's earlier confusion was forgotten, and she nodded her head in agreement at the idea of them flying. A light blush returned to her cheeks. The two of them together, alone. Even if it wasn't a date, she could still pretend.

"Are you free for lunch?" Spitfire asked.

"I'm meeting up with Twilight for lunch. How about later tonight?" Dash asked.

Spitfire’s delusions came crashing down the moment Twilight’s name left Dash’s lips. "Oh... sure, I'll see you then." The Wonderbolt couldn't help but let out a sigh. It had really been starting to feel like there was a good atmosphere between them. Spitfire turned to walk away, trying not to let her disappointment show too badly.

"So...” Dash said, rubbing the back of her neck. “Six o'clock? In front of this building?"

Spitfire stopped and turned to her, giving her a weak smile. "Yeah, sure. Six would be fine," she answered, and trudged out the door. She heard Dash call after her one last time as she went out the door.

“Wait!” Dash shouted. "Was it something I said?"

She would let that one go unanswered.

Twilight sat on the new couch in the library, thinking about how she really needed to get out more. She had most certainly run into lots of ponies on her way to the post office, but she didn't know a single one of them. Ponyville was such a small town, so how were there so many ponies whose faces she had never seen before? She heard the door open, and shot up out of the couch a little too fast and tumbled over her own hooves, falling in a heap on the floor. She looked at the door to see Rainbow Dash snickering in the doorway, holding back her laughter with a hoof over her mouth.

Twilight blushed and got up off the floor and rushed over to Dash. Twilight leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, which she returned.

"I was thinking of going somewhere for lunch," Dash said. A wing spread to wrap around Twilight. "Wanna come with?"

"I think I'd like that," Twilight answered, smiling.

Dash lead the way, walking out of the library with her wing holding Twilight close. Dash’s silken feathers pressed Twilight against her side, and Twilight could feel the power in her wings, giving her a feeling of comfort and safety.

The sky was blue with a few white wisps strewn across it. Large, gray clouds rolled in the distance at the edge of the sky. Twilight stared at them. Dash followed her gaze.

"The weather team over in Fillydelphia has been working on setting up a real downpour for us," Dash commented. “‘Spring showers bring April flowers,’ and all that."

Twilight giggled at her butchering the phrase. But her smile faded slightly, as she noticed that mixed in with the greeting smiles most ponies had, there were a few who threw scornful looks their way.

She snuggled up against the pegasus as they walked through town, smiling, despite the looks. Dash however, was looking around and returning each dirty look thrown their way with a dirty look of her own.

When they arrived at the diner, the place was packed. Baristas scrambled to get orders out during the lunchtime rush hour. Twilight and Rainbow Dash took a seat next to each other at a table outside, and they each picked up a menu, looking through it while they waited for service.

"Oh man,” Rainbow Dash said, looking through the appetizers. “You'll never believe who dropped by the weather center today."

"Oh?" Twilight said.

"Spitfire showed up!" Dash said as she set the menu down. "She wanted to ask me how to do a sonic rainboom!"

“That’s... amazing!” Twilight said, smiling for her. “Was she there to see you?”

“Yeah!” Dash said, grinning ear to ear. “I think she was really impressed by my flying up in cloudsdale!”

“Wait...” Twilight said, looking suspiciously up from her menu at Dash. "You didn't actually tell her about the sonic rainboom, did you?" Twilight saw the guilty expression Dash had and groaned. "You can't just go around telling everypony how to perform your legendary trick! It wouldn't be nearly as special if everypony could do it."

"Well, I wasn’t really able to tell her how to do it, but I told her I would show her it later tonight."

Twilight groaned putting a hoof to her face.

"What?” Dash asked. “I’m getting a chance to fly with the captain of the Wonderbolts! What more could any pegasus possibly ask for?"

Twilight sighed and shook her head. "Well, it's ultimately your decision, but I don’t think you should tell her how to do a sonic rainboom. That's your trick, and it only remains your trick as long as you keep it to yourself." She stopped talking, seeing a stallion waiting to take their orders. "Oh, sorry! I'll have the cream of cauliflower and the rye bread." Twilight handed the menu on the table to the waiter, who turned to Dash.

"Carrot soup, and some hay fries," Dash told him, kicking back and flipping her mane.

The waiter nodded to both of them, and walked away. Twilight gave Dash a dirty look out of the corner of her eye.

"What?" Dash asked, spotting the look.

"We go out somewhere to eat,” Twilight said. “And you still get hay fries?"

"Hey, the hay fries they make here are really good, and I like hay fries!" Dash said, defending her order. "And don't change the subject! We were talking about this whole trick thing.” Dash put her hooves on the table in front of her. "I kind of agree with what you're saying and all, but I just don't know how I'm supposed to keep her interested if I don't have some awesome trick to show off." Rainbow Dash crossed her hooves and lay her head on the table, letting out a sigh.

“Just... strongly consider what I’ve said,” Twilight advised, taking a sip of her soup.

“I’ll keep it in mind,” Dash replied while looking at the surface of her carrot soup with a small frown. “But if I don’t show her that trick, there’s no way Spitfire’s going to find me interesting.”

“I know you can do lots of other neat tricks,” Twilight said, reaching across the table and touching Dash’s hoof. “I know you’re more than just a one trick pony.”

“Yeah,” Dash said, a smile finding its way to her lips. “I guess I’ll just wait and see.”

Chapter 23: A Split in the Sky

A Split in the Sky

Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies

Spitfire backed up as she stared at the door that had just been knocked upon. She wiped her eyes and glanced down at the teardrop stains that appeared on her hoof.

Someone banged on the door again. “Hey, Spitfire, you in there?!” Rainbow’s voice called from the other side.

Spitfire’s rear hit the pale blue walls of her apartment as she ran out of room to back up. She let out a shaky breath, and for a couple of seconds, she didn’t hear anything from the other side. She was about to let out a sigh of relief, thinking Dash had left, but then she heard hushed whispers from outside her apartment as Dash talked to a second pony.

“Maybe she’s not here.”

“She’s bound to show up here at some point,” a second voice replied. From the sound of it, and considering it was accompanying Dash, it had to be Twilight’s.

“You sure?”

“Of course. She’s probably just out running a quick errand. You heard Soarin’. She isn’t practicing with them today. And besides, this is the only place we have to look for her.”

Spitfire made a mental note to tan Soarin’s hide later as she let her rear slide down the wall until she sat on the floor, not daring to move in case the two ponies outside hear her. Every now and again she had to resist the urge to sniffle. Her eyes felt dry and irritated, and they were probably bloodshot, and the last thing she wanted was for Dash to see the state she was in. So she waited, staring at the door, feeling as though any minute they would barge through it.

Then, Dash’s voice came from the other side of the door. “This is boring,” she whined. “Isn’t there some way we can go find her instead of waiting?”

“Not really. There isn’t anything short of breaking into her place to look for clues on where she went that we can—” Twilight cut off as somepony began to fidget with the doorknob. “Hey! No, Rainbow. We are not doing that!”

“Relax, Twi. We know her. And besides, I’m not breaking into anything; the door’s unlocked.”

Spitfire tensed, a lump forming in her throat as she stared at her door.

“That’s still breaking in if we don’t have her permission!” Twilight hissed.

“Come on, it’ll be quick. We’ll just poke around a bit. Nopony will be wiser.”

There was an ominous silence as as Twilight hesitated in her reply to Dash. Please, please don’t come in, she begged Twilight, hoping the unicorn would make Dash turn away.

After a few moments, there was a reply. “Fine, but only because we’re still in a hurry,” Twilight said.

Spitfire’s heart leapt into her throat upon hearing Twilight’s reply. Her eyes widened as the doorknob turned slowly, in what felt like the longest second of Spitfire’s life. Then the door opened to reveal somepony she had spent all of last night and this morning trying not to think about.

Rainbow Dash stood there, her mouth dropping open as she saw Spitfire. “What? Spitfire? You’re here? Why didn’t you answer the door—” She paused, suddenly taking note of the vinyl records that had been strewn across the floor from Spitfire’s earlier breakdown. “Hey... are you okay?”

Twilight’s head poked around the corner, her eyes widening to see Spitfire inside.

“Just leave me alone,” Spitfire said, looking down at the carpet.

Dash blinked cluelessly at her. “Huh?”

Spitfire didn’t reply, instead looking past Dash at Twilight, who was watching from her doorway. Dash followed her gaze to Twilight, and motioned for her marefriend to give them some privacy.

“Oh. Right.” Twilight blushed. “I’ll just go wait down in the lobby until you’re done, then.” She turned to leave, but not before giving Dash one last worried glance, biting her lip and giving Rainbow a nod before she left the two of them in the room. Alone.

Spitfire took the moment while Dash was slightly distracted to gather herself, patting her mane down and wiping the remnants of her earlier crying away as Dash turned back to her. She stood and took a deep breath.

“Listen,” Dash said. “I know it must have been frustrating when I wouldn’t listen to your side of things—and I should have listened to your side of things. I mean, I totally know how bad it feels to have somepony ignore you like that since Twilight acted the same way to me after... well, you know.”

Spitfire groaned and shook her head. “I’m not mad at you. I just want you to leave so I can try to forget I ever even had this stupid crush on you.” A faint blush steamed up to her cheeks.

“Huh?” Dash gave Spitfire an incredulous look, opening and closing her mouth as she tried to process what Spitfire just said. “W-well, yeah,” she cleared her throat, “moving on’s probably for the best and all that, but, well, forgetting it entirely? There’s no real need to do that.”

“Do you have any idea how much being around you has messed with my emotions?” Spitfire snapped, her tone coming out far harsher than she intended. Still, she didn’t back down. “I screwed up team practices for everypony because I was too distracted! I couldn’t fly without thinking about you! I wanted so badly to forget about you, to stay focused on the team, and on practices, but I couldn’t. The worst part was knowing that you were taken. You have no idea what it’s like wanting something so badly, but not being able to have it without hurting somepony else!” Her voice rose to a shout by the end, tears reforming in the corners of her eyes, and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears.

Then, Rainbow Dash kissed her.

Dash didn’t know what came over her. Spitfire had been seething, crying, as she’d shouted at her. Then something in Dash had just snapped, triggered, clicked. A foreign impulse that she’d acted on without thinking, and without realizing what she was doing. She only vaguely recalled moving forward. She recalled that Spitfire’s eyes had widened.

Their lips had met. That much she definitely recalled.

Backing away from the stunned Wonderbolt, whose mouth was still hanging open in shock, Dash reached up and touched her lips, not quite believing what she’d just done. A flood of emotions hit her all at once, but before she could make any sense of them, Spitfire spoke.

“Why?”

Spitfire’s eyes gained a glossy sheen as tears welled up in the corners of them. She pointed a quivering glare at Dash.

Rainbow Dash looked away, a wave of guilt punching her in the stomach. She couldn’t do anything but stare at the ground with her legs quivering. “I... I’m not sure. It just... happened.”

“I can’t believe you’d do something like that! After I just got through saying how—and what about Twilight?”

The sickening guilt continued to build within her. Suddenly, she was on the verge of tears. “I don’t know I don’t know!” she cried. “One moment you were shouting and the next I was kissing you. Like I said, it just happened!”

Spitfire bit her bottom lip to stop it from quivering. “Did it mean anything at all to you?” she asked, her voice shaking. “Are you just trying to string me along? Is that what you do?” The last question came out bitter and angry, and Dash flinched.

“Yes... No... Maybe.” She let out a long sigh. “I think I have feelings for you, but I just don’t know.”

“What about Twilight?”

“I have feelings for her, too,” Dash quickly answered. She lay down on the floor and buried her head in her hooves. “I’m so confused.”

Spitfire took a seat. The heat in her glare was gone, but replaced by a condescending coldness that seemed stuck somewhere between sympathy and disgust. “So what are you going to do now?”

“I really don’t know,” Dash said, letting out a groan. “Maybe go fly up Mt. Earthshire and live out the rest of my life in seclusion up in the clouds.”

Spitfire narrowed her eyes. “I can’t believe you’re joking around at a time like this.”

“Who said I was joking?” Dash bit back with a glare. She realized a second later what she was doing and went back to staring at the ground. “Sorry.” She stood, making her way to the door. “And I’m sorry about everything that happened. And that kiss.”

Spitfire stayed quiet as Dash passed in front of her and walked towards the door. “I don’t want you to be sorry about that,” she muttered to Rainbow Dash’s back.

Rainbow caught it, and glanced back over her shoulder at Spitfire. “Yeah?” Dash asked. “Well, that doesn’t change the fact that I am.”

Spitfire grit her teeth. “Just go.” Her mane shadowed her eyes, but Dash could see tears start to flow down her cheeks. “I’ll take your apology. Now get out of my apartment.”

Dash stormed out of the apartment and slammed the door with a huff, more angry at herself than anypony else. Tilting her head back, she put pressure on the bridge of her nose with one of her hooves, closing her eyes and trying to wish the world away. But a slight shuffle nearby made her blood freeze. She peeked with one eye, looking where the noise came from, and spotting Twilight sitting down against the wall beside Spitfire’s apartment door.

“So you do have feelings for her after all,” Twilight said, her tone carrying no emotion one way or the other, just stating fact.

“Twilight...” Dash said, trying to say more, but feeling her words die in her throat.

Twilight stood up and walked past her, stopping once she was head to tail with her. “I’m sorry I didn’t really trust you enough to be alone with her,” she said, turning to look back at her. “But can you really blame me?”

Dash looked back and met her eyes, but she wish she hadn’t. There was hurt deeply buried within her eyes; the kind from someone who expected to have their heart broken, and did. “I never meant for that to happen.”

“I know,” Twilight said. “I heard everything you two said. It makes me happy to know you still have feelings for me. I just don’t understand why that isn’t enough, why you have feelings for Spitfire, too.” Twilight let out a hollow and bitter laugh that sent a shiver down Dash’s spine. “I guess I’m just not that interesting. I’m boring, and I spend my time reading books, not flying. I wish so badly that I could fly like you do.”

“That’s not it at all!” Dash shouted, stomping the ground and turning to fully face her. “That’s not why I...” she trailed off, her words tripping over her guilt. That’s not why I kissed her.

Twilight closed her eyes and shook her head. “If you say so, Rainbow Dash.” She walked to the end of the hall and opened the door to leave, but stopped and gave one last look over her shoulder at Dash. “I’m going to visit Spike. Alone. If you still want to be with me, I’ll see you at the palace tonight.” She looked away and hung her head, her voice cracking for the first time during their encounter. “I’ll understand if you don’t.”

Dash darted across the hall up to Twilight and skidded to a halt in front of her. “Of course I still want to be with you!”

Twilight glanced back at her, shaking her head again and continuing to open the door.

“Wait!” Dash shouted, running up to Twilight. When the unicorn turned her head, Dash wrapped a wing around her and pulled her into a kiss. She poured her longing, her regret, her need into the kiss, trying to bring Twilight back to her. But Twilight didn’t respond to the kiss the entire time their lips were locked. Dash pulled away in defeat and sighed as she rested her forehead against Twilight’s.

A hoof reached up and rested on her cheek. Dash looked up into Twilight’s eyes, seeing them soften slightly.

“We’ll talk at the palace. But right now I want time alone to think. Please give me that.” Twilight slowly let her hoof fall from Dash’s cheek, and turned away again to leave the building. Dash didn’t try to stop her from going. But watching her walk away for a third time was one of the most painful things she’d ever experienced.

Twilight walked down the upper district streets, on the fringe of the Magic University’s campus.

She felt dazed, like somepony had cast a befuddling spell on her. Dash had kissed someone, someone who wasn’t her. What logically followed somepony in a relationship cheating on the one they’re with, was a breakup. But despite what Dash had done, she still didn’t really want that for either of them, even if it meant she was letting Dash walk all over her. Despite all the “should”s, she didn’t want things between them to end.

Spitfire. She would admit to being jealous of her, knowing that the wonderbolt held some part of Dash’s affections that she did not. Dash had explained that Spitfire had come onto her, that she’d had no part of it, and Spitfire had told Twilight about the way Dash had turned down the Wonderbolts offer just to be with her. Twilight had believed it all. She had trusted Dash because of that, and had felt indebted to Spitfire because of her part in helping them get back together. Now, she was beginning to regret ever coming to Canterlot.

As she stepped onto the University’s grounds, she found herself wishing, not for the first time, that she’d had wings. At this point she would almost be willing to give up her magic in exchange for becoming a pegasus, a realization that surprised her, that she would be willing to give up being the Princess’ student in order to be with Dash, and to follow her wherever she goes.

But she didn’t necessarily have to give up one for the other. There was a section in the Magic University Library, which contained books and scrolls on forbidden and dangerous magic deemed unsafe for public inquiry. Only a strict few ponies, and those they gave permission to, were allowed access to that part of the library, and that permission was not easy to get. But she’d become stumped in her current research on creating a true wing creation spell, and there was a good chance that the answers she was looking for would be in the restricted section.

Twilight stopped, coming to one of the outer fields on the campus. It was just as she remembered it: patchy yellow grass leading up to the cliffside of Canterlot mountain, and a straw thatched building, similar to the ones in ponyville, that stuck out like a sore hoof on the university campus.

She walked across the field and came to a stop in front of the house’s oak door, which towered over her. Chewing her lip, she knocked on the door and waited for somepony to answer it.

Rather than a pony though, a small green and purple dragon answered it, his eyes widening as he saw who was at the door.

“Twilight!” Spike cried out, leaping and hugging the unicorn’s neck.

Twilight brought up her hoof to return the embrace and nuzzled his cheek. “It’s good to see you, too, Spike.”

Spike pushed her away once the nuzzling got to be too much, letting go of her and dropping back to the ground. “Not that I’m complaining, but what are you doing in Canterlot?”

Twilight stepped inside. “I had a few errands to run. I wanted to stop by and check up on how you’re doing.”

She glanced around the hut. Its walls were lined with shelves and its shelves were lined with everything from exotic feathers to oddly shaped skulls. She took a sharp sniff, the smell of pungent incense making contact with her nostrils.

“So how has it been staying here?” Twilight asked.

“It’s been pretty cool. Hooftap knows a lot about dragons. Hey, did you know that dragons have really fast growth spurts?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yeah,” Spike said, crossing his arms in front of himself. “I figure it could be any month now that I hit mine. Hooftap said that I could grow as much as a foot overnight.”

“Well if that’s the case, we might have to move you out to Applejack’s barn once you get back,” Twilight said with a teasing smile. Spike gave her a flat look in return. “Relax, I’m only kidding.”

Spike uncrossed his arms. “Hold right here for a second,” he said, leaving Twilight by the door and disappearing up some stairs and into another room. He came down a moment later carrying a wooden box half his size and put it on the floor in front of Twilight. With a small click, the latches on it opened and revealed that the box was almost filled to the brim with purple gemstones.

“I saved every amethyst I found from the mountains. I wanted to give them to Rarity when I got back. Do you think she’ll like it? I tried to find ones that matched her mane.”

Twilight gasped, looking at all the gems. “These are beautiful, Spike! I’m sure Rarity will love them!”

Spike blushed and rubbed the back of his head with a claw. “Thanks—but I’m only half done. I was going to try filling the box all the way up.”

“Well, I’m sure Rarity will absolutely love it,” Twilight said. She glanced up from the box at Spike. “Is Hooftap here? I wanted to ask him something.”

“Ask me about what?” a deep, burly voice replied. A giant stallion, even bigger than Big Macintosh, walked up behind Spike. A long, curly black beard hung from his muzzle. “Twilight! I haven’t seen you in a windigoes’ age. How goes it?”

“Um, great!” she lied. “Still doing lots of magic and stuff. Wanted to look up a few books while I was here to help with a spell I’m working on.”

“Ah, well that’s good, that’s good. Still doing magic and all that,” Hooftap replied.

He rocked back and forth on his hooves. His size quite nearly made the whole house rock back and forth with him. He stopped, glancing toward one of the back rooms, and then motioned to it with a hoof. “Kettle’s boiled if you’d fancy yourself some tea.”

Twilight cringed, remembering the last time she had tried a cup of Hooftap’s tea. She hadn’t recognized any of the herbs he’d used, and the tea they made had been a tar that no amount of honey could cure. “No, thank you.”

“Suit yourself.”

He walked back to the tiny kitchen. Twilight and Spike following him, barely fitting into the room with him, and sitting down at a small round table that barely fit in the kitchen. Hooftap picked a black steaming kettle off the stove and poured himself a mug, taking it and sitting down opposite them.

“So,” he said. “Tell me what this spell you’re working on is.”

Rainbow Dash loitered on the roof of Spitfire’s apartment building, sitting by its edge and basking in what little sunlight slipped between the clouds overhead. She watched ponies walking on the streets below with a sigh, wondering what to make of the whole mess she had just created.

She took a step back, taking a deep breath and staring straight ahead at the city. There was a tense moment. Then, her legs pumping, she ran at the edge of the roof. In two large bounds she leaped off the building, hanging weightlessly in the air for a split moment.

But then gravity began pulling her towards the earth, and the feeling of weightlessness disappeared.

Reflexes kicked in. She extended her pegasus-born wings, the wind running through them and stroking her feathers. Slowly, she began to stop falling, and then gravity disappeared.

She couldn’t imagine being born without wings. Flying was all she ever knew and it was all she ever did growing up. The sky was practically a part of her, and she had no idea how Twilight must have felt, being a pegasus born as a unicorn.

She’d be lying if she said that Spitfire’s flying wasn't part of the reason she was attracted to her. It felt amazing to fly with someone as good as her—no, even better than her—and she never felt so much fun as she had flying with Spitfire. But Twilight offered her something completely different from excitement. She brought her back down to earth, relaxed her, and gave her resolve. She knew Twilight would support her in anything. It was strange how she liked the two of them for such completely different reasons.

Rainbow Dash arced and flew down into the royal palace grounds, landing on the soft grass at a canter. She needed advice, yet she didn’t know anyone in Canterlot who she could go to for help. So the only option left was someone that she probably shouldn’t have gone to for help.

Walking up to the gates of the main palace, she addressed the two guards standing watch, sucked in a deep breath, and said one simple thing:

“I request an audience with Princess Celestia.”

The two guards glanced at each other, one of them raising an eyebrow.

“Name?” the guard on the left asked.

“Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty, and a friend of Twilight Sparkle,” Dash answered, puffing up her chest and trying to seem impressive.

The two guards glanced at each other with stoic expressions. “One moment, please,” the guard on the left said. Opening the gate, he walked off towards the palace and disappeared behind a large, ornate purple door.

Dash took a step to follow him, but the other, much larger, guard quickly stepped in front of her path, blocking the gate.

“We will wait here until his return with the Princess’ reply,” he said sternly, intimidating Dash into taking a step back. Dash nervously gulped and nodded to the guard to show she hadn’t meant anything by it.

Anxiously peering through the golden bars of the palace gate, she waited with the guard quietly for his partner to return. She looked up at his face, her eyes tracing a scar running down through his lip. His eyes were still staring straight ahead with a trained discipline.

“So...” Dash said, trying to make conversation while they waited. “Does that armor chafe at all?”

“It works,” he answered flatly.

“Well, yeah, but is it light or heavy? Is it itchy or comfortable? That’s the sort of thing I was asking.”

“It is what it needs to be.”

Dash snorted, deciding to give up trying to make conversation with the palace guard. Thankfully his partner chose that moment to return.

“The Princess will see you now,” he said, signalling for his imposing partner standing in front of her to step aside.

Dash stuck her tongue out at the guard’s back as she walked past, following the shorter guard inside. They passed another set of guards standing watch outside the audience room doors, but all that paled to how many guards stood inside the audience room itself. She saw the Princess standing at the end of the hall up a short series of steps. The guard escorting Dash stopped and turned to face the Princess, giving her a nod before turning to leave. Dash watched him go, her eyes following him until the door swung shut behind him.

“You sought an audience with me, Rainbow Dash?” she heard Princess Celestia ask.

She snapped her attention away from the guard, looking up at the Princess and trying to remember what little etiquette she had learned as a filly regarding princesses. “I did...” She bowed, glancing around the room at all the guards standing watch with them. “Uh, I was wondering—if you wouldn’t mind, Princess—if we could talk somewhere a bit more... private?” Dash asked, causing Celestia to raise her eyebrows. “Erm, it’s about Twilight... your highness.”

A look of understanding dawned on Celestia’s face. She turned to address the guard nearest her. “Miss Rainbow Dash will accompany me to my study. Please see to it that we are not disturbed,” she ordered the guard, receiving a stiff nod in reply. She turned back to Rainbow Dash. “Follow me.”

Dash nodded, following Celestia to a side door in the audience chamber and down a red carpet hallway. Dash found her eyes wandering to gold-woven embroidery on the carpet and the golden lamps that lined the walls on either side of her.

Celestia stopped and turned to open a door, before looking back at Dash. “We may talk in peace inside here,” she said, walking through the doorway.

Dash nodded once again and followed. The room was gigantic. It reminded her of Twilight’s study, only it had elegant details etched into the surface of every wall and furnishing imaginable, making the room look like one gigantic piece of art. She was willing to be the shelves of books taking up half of the room held as many books as the whole of the Ponyville Library. Her eyes stopped scanning the room as she noticed Princess Celestia facing her with a thin smile.

“Now then, what is it you wished to see me about?”