Happy Anniversary, Rainbow Dashby Axolotl222ChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 3Chapter 1Twilight sat on the bench, trying to resist the urge to pace. Okay, I just need to calm down, she thought to herself. She’s not that late yet. Twilight glanced up at the clock tower. 6:01.A few more minutes won’t be enough to throw the whole evening off, right? She resumed staring at her hoofs. Sure, being punctual wasn’t exactly one of Rainbow’s strong suites, but it wasn’t like her to be late for something this important. It’s not like she would just forget their anniversary. Was the weather team holding her up? She would have said something if that was a possibility. Or maybe she did? Twilight tried to think back to their last conversation. “Rainbow, are you alright?” Twilight asked. “Huh?” the Pegasus replied, having been shaken from whatever day dream she had been having. The two were eating lunch in their usual hangout: the local Hayburger. Everypony around them was in a cheery mood, mostly talking about the summer sun festival later that evening. “You barely touched your hayfries,” Twilight noted simply. “Oh. I … uh … I’m not really that hungry.” Twilight gave a small “humpf.” Rainbow knew that sound; it was the sound Twilight made when she was trying to figure out a problem. Normally she didn’t mind. She thought it was kind of cute how Twilight could get fixed on little things like that, actually. Now it filled her with a sense of dread. She pushed the plate towards her. “Here,” she said with what she hoped was a smile. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “And you keep looking at your hoofs,” she added. “Yeah, ‘cause they're as awesome as the rest of me. Is that a crime?” “Well maybe if you asked Rarity about how you manage your hoofs…,” Twilight trailed off. Rainbow snicked, then let out a quiet sigh. Twilight grabbed some hayfries in her aura and ate them silently. Rainbow, despite her earlier clam, stole a few as well. “I can’t believe it’s already been a year,” Twilight said after a moment. Rainbow swallowed and gave her a soft smile. “I know,” she said. “It seems incredible when you think about it.” “That’s what I just said.” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow and Twilight frowned. “Wait, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to be rude, I jus- “ Rainbow Dash cut her off with a laugh. “S’okay Twilight,” she said. “I guess after a year I’m starting to rub off on you.” Twilight let out a relieved laugh. Suddenly, a thunder clap sounded from the outside. “Oh no,” Rainbow muttered. “I left them alone for half an hour …” A second thunderbolt hit the sky, followed by a shriek. “Dang it. Twi, I better go make sure everypony is okay.” Twilight sighed but gave her a small nod. She flew over and gave Twilight a small kiss. “Alright,” Twilight said. “I’ll see you tonight around six, then.” “Wouldn’t dream of missing it.” Maybe she’s being held up by her weather team? Twilight shook her head. She knew Ponyville had the occasional wild storm blow in from the Everfree forest. They were messy, but usually nothing that the locals couldn’t handle. She then thought about how she had worded her invitation: “I’ll see you tonight around six then,” she had said to her. Around six. What kind of time frame was that? Did it mean a few minutes before or after six? 15 minutes? More? She really needs to watch her wording next time. “Boo!” “GAH!” Twilight jumped into the air, her wings spreading reflexively, prepared to fly away from danger. Instead of danger, however, Twilight turned around to find her snickering marefriend. “Rainbow,” Twilight snapped. “Oh, come on Twi,” she said once she finished chuckling. “I got you good.” Twilight did not verbally reply, instead choosing to give the pegasus a stern stair. “You know you’re cute when you're mad,” she said, the grin never leaving her muzzle. Twilight held her composure for a few more seconds before a giggle escaped from her lips. She then ran over and scooped her up in a hug. “Happy anniversary,” she whispered into Rainbow Dash’s ear. Then she leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the lips. Twilight grinned smugly at Rainbow’s flushed expression. “Heh…uh, I brought you some flowers,” the pegasus said, gesturing to the boutique lying that she had dropped nearby. “Oh, Dash...” Twilight said as she lifted them into her basket with her magic. Seeing her little smile caused Rainbows confidence to return. “Yeah, I got them from Roseluck after lunch,” she explained. The boutique she had prepared for Rainbow Dash was composed of blue … something squalls and lilacs. Rainbow had initially questioned the lack of subtlety, but Twilight seemed to neither notice or care. She lifted the flowers into her basket. Twilight then began to hover just off of the ground. “And you’re wearing your saddle bags,” she noted. Twilight smirked. “I wonder what’s inside.” “Only the most amazing, awesome, wonderful gift provided by yours truly,” Rainbow beamed, closing her eyes and puffing out her chest. “I can’t wait to see it,” Twilight added.” But first, we have a cloud to get to. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and grinned. “Shall we?” “So, then we finally got the clouds back over the Everfree,” Rainbow finished. She was laying on her back on top of a picnic blanket on top of a cloud. Twilight had been careful to select the perfect cloud ahead of time. It was a cute Cumulus humilis cloud just slightly larger than her picnic blanket when fully spread. Not too soft, not too firm, and just the right altitude to see the fireworks later tonight. Rainbow was eating the dinner Twilight had made sure to bring: a pasta and potato sandwich on sourdough bread and cider. “So, anything exciting happened today?” Rainbow asked. “Well, Celestia sent me a report on a dispute between shipping routes from the near the Equestria’s maritime borders and fishers from the Griffon Empire during- “ “Egghead stuff, got it.” “Rainbow,” Twilight said while rolling her eyes, although she still grinned. Rainbow swallowed the last piece of her sandwich and let out a satisfied burp. Twilight couldn’t even pretend to be annoyed. She then grabbed her cider and finished it with a loud gulp. Rainbow then let out a satisfied sigh and patted her belly with a hoof. Twilight smiled at the sight before her. Everything was going exactly as planned. Twilight walked over to her marefriend until her face was directly above Rainbow’s. “Well hey there,” Rainbow Dash chuckled. Twilight bent down and kissed her. “It’s funny,” Twilight said after breaking her kiss. “It’s like you said this morning: if you were to tell me a few years ago that I would be moving to Ponyville with the best friends I could ask for, I wouldn’t have believed you. And I especially wouldn’t believe that I would fall in love with the strongest, bravest, kindest, and most loyal marefriend that I could ever ask for. “ Rainbow blushed, deciding that she was actually okay with the sappiness of the moment. “I love you too, Twilight.” She tilted her head forward for another kiss. “I know,' Twilight said, moving away from Rainbow. Before the Pegasus could get too confused, Twilight said, “Which is why I got you this.” She levitated a small box wrapped in a tiny red bow over towards Rainbow Dash. “My anniversary present.” Rainbow said. It was more of a statement than a question. “No offence Twi, but I think mine’s gonna top whatever you got.” Twilight laughed at the boldness of the statement. “We’ll see about that,” she retorted. Rainbow stuck out her tongue as Twilight set the box next to her. This is it. It’s finally happening. The world seemed to fall into slow motion as Rainbow pulled the ribbon off the box with her teeth. Twilight barely suppressed a squee of delight. Rainbow looked back at the alicorn, pausing with a smile on her face. She nodded for her to continue. Rainbow then eagerly clasped her hoof together, like a foal about to open her Hearth’s Warming present. She flipped the lid off of the box. Rainbow stared at her gift. She blinked. Her smile slowly fell. “Twi?” she said softly. There was no excitement or joy in her voice. Only … confusion? No. “Twi?” Rainbow repeated. No. An icy dagger stabbed through her heart. She can’t. She doesn’t want… “It’s empty.” Distracted by the horrible thought, it took Twilight a moment to process what she heard. “W-what!?” “There’s nothing in here,” Rainbow said matter-of-factly. “I-I don’t understand …” Twilight’s aura snatched the box from Rainbow Dash. She turned it upside down and furiously shook it. Nothing fell out. Twilight dropped the box onto the ground and stared at it for a moment, as if expecting something to suddenly spring out of it. “H-how…?” “Twi, it’s not that bi- AAACK!” Rainbow finished with a startled yelp as Twilight lifted her into the air. She managed to wiggle out of Twilight’s grasp and flipped herself over. Beneath her Twilight was furiously pawing at the cloud, searching in vain for her lost gift. “I-I forgot it?” Twilight said to herself. “H-how can this happen? I’ve been preparing for this for days...” Twilight began to quietly mutter to herself. Rainbow had known Twilight long enough to know this was no good. If she didn’t snap her out of this now things will get out of hoof quickly. “Twilight,” she said as gently as she could. Rainbow laid a hoof on her withers, stopping her rant. “It’s no big deal.” Twilight slowly turned towards her with a glare that could melt a glacier. “No. Big. Deal,” she spat. “IT’S A REALLY BUCKING BIG DEAL!” Rainbow grimaced. “Ow, my ears,” she muttered. Twilight sat down on her haunches. “Tonight was supposed to be perfect. I ruined everything.” Rainbow couldn’t bear the misery in her voice. She sat next to Twilight and draped a wing around her shoulders. “C’mon Twi, tonight isn’t ruined.” “Yes, it is,” Twilight groaned. Rainbow realized that now might be her chance. “You know, “she removed her wing from Twilight. “I still haven’t shown you my gift.” Twilight turned towards her; her look of misery replaced by one of curiosity. “Trust me,” Rainbow continued, “and think the girls back home are gonna be really happy about this to.” “Home?” Twilight asked. Her eyes widened. “THAT’S IT!” With a flash, Twilight teleported away, leaving her dumbfounded marefriend behind on the cloud. “Next time,” she said to herself. She then took off in search of Twilight. Author's Note Howdy there! Thanks for reading. Chapter 2Twilight rematerialized in her bedroom with a loud pop. She shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. Okay, she thought to herself. It’s fine. It’s fine. She opened her eyes and quickly read the alarm clock by her bed: 7:22. If she could find it quickly, she could get back to Dash and still be on schedule. Maybe she’d be lucky and spot it right away. Twilight’s eyes then scanned her room. Nothing. It was as if her gift was hiding from her. Maybe it was under the bed? Twilight dove onto the floor and poked her head under the mattress. She was greeted by some dust bunnies and a dead bumblebee. Her wings twitched in agitation. She pulled back out, turning her focus to her night stand. She pulled open its drawer and using her aura lifted its contents into the air. Mostly just some quills and parchment. Twilight then lifted the night stand about a foot into the air and furiously pawed at the floor beneath it. Still nothing. Twilight was not going to let Rainbow down. Not tonight. She turned to the bookshelf sitting under her mirror. Twilight pulled a book off the top shelf with her telekinesis. She noticed the title. It was part of a new series that she was reading with Rainbow Dash. She then hoisted the rest of the books into the air. They began to slowly spiral around the room along with the contents from her nightstand as Twilight searched the shelves. It had to be somewhere. Twilight kicked the shelf in frustration, causing a picture frame to topple over. She picked it up and frowned. It was a picture of her and Rainbow Dash from last Hearth’s Warming Eve. She had her wing draped over Twilight’s back, the two of them wearing proud smiles and matching blue and purple wool hats. Twilight had expected her to say they were lame or something, she didn’t expect Rainbow to want to put them on and get their picture together. Twilight gently set the picture back down. Rainbow Dash. Twilight quickly darted across her room. She picked her telescope up and turned it upside down, as if the gift would fall off. What if she wouldn’t be able to find it? She ripped open the doors on her closet. She’d never forgive herself if she never found it. Her clothes sprang free and flew into the air. What would happen to them as a couple? Several boxes tumbled out of the closet, their context spewing onto the floor before ascending. Twilight didn’t know if their relationship could survive the strain this would cause. Her closet was now empty, its content floating above her.. Would they break up? Twilight began to pace around her room. She didn’t know if they would be able to go back to being friends. Her possessions swarmed above her as she moved like angry insects. Oh Celestia, what if it drove her and the rest of the girls apart as well? Twilight breathing became heavy. What would she do then? She didn’t know if she could show her face around Ponyville if that happened. She’d have to go back to Canterlot, and then what? Then it would only only be a matter of time before something realized Equestria was vulnerable to attack without the elements. Ponykind would find itself in jeopardy... Twilight was too lost in her worries to notice the mare entering the room behind her at first. When she did, she screamed and an explosion filled the room. “Almost, almost, ah! Perfect!,” Rarity beamed. She was instructing Fluttershy as she was hanging a banner on the wall. She took a step back to admire their craftwork. The map room was decorated with balloons, streamers, and other party supplies provided by none other than Pinkie Pie, who was absent at the moment. Applejack was sitting in her seat at the map, helping to blow up some balloons. In the chair beside her was Spike. Without Twilight being there to stop him he had eaten too many of the sweets Pinkie had brought. Now he was snoring softly as he lay slumped over. “You think they’ll like it?,” Fluttershy asked as she landed. “Like it!? Why Darling, I’d think they would love it! Oh, what better way to celebrate one year of true love.” Rarity swooned. Applejack let out a snort at her outburst. “What was that, Darling?” “Nothing,” Applejack said. She tied a knot on the balloon she had blown up, then smirked. “It’s just a little funny that ya seem might bit more excited ‘bout their anniversary than they do.” “Humph. Can’t I just be happy that both of them have finally found their special someponies! Even if the two of them are a teensy bit unorthodox,” Rarity said. Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Alright, maybe I’m a tiny bit excited about the eventual wedding.” Rarity signed dreamily. “Oh, just imagine! I could finally fit that Rainbow Dash in a dress! Not to mention get a chance to fix that mane of hers…” “Guys!” The doors suddenly burst open as the pegasus in question suddenly dashed through. She circled around the room and landed on the map in front of a still-sleeping Spike. “We got a problem!” “Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said, “What happened? Where’s Twilight?” “She uh, kinda took off on me.” Rarity gasped. “No,” she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. “No, no, noooooo!,” she shrieked as she latched onto Fluttershy for support. Rarity apparently didn’t hear the small “Eep!” that Fluttershy made. “WHY!? WHY!? WH-WH-WHY!?” “Um, ACK! Rarity, ACK! You’re, um... ACK! Hurting me…” “H-HOW COULD FATE BE SO...SO... CRUUUUUUUEL!?,” Rarity said between sobs. “A-ah don’t understand,” Applejack added, her voice laced with shock. “It’s one thing to say no, but ta run away afterwards?” “Well, actually, I uh… didn’t get to ask her yet.” Rainbow gave a chuckle sheepishly as she clutched her saddle bags. “WHAT!?,” Rarity shouted as she released Fluttershy, giving the mare a chance to breathe. Spike lifted his head up at the sound of his beloved in distress, muttered something, and promptly went back to sleep. “Rainbow, ya said ya were gonna finally do it!,” Applejack said, pointing an accusing hoof at her. “Hey!” Rainbow flew closer to Applejack until their noses were almost touching. “I was gonna ask her!” Rainbow realized that she was shouting and took a step backwards. “I didn’t chicken out, I was totally gonna do it. She just took off before I had a chance to say anything!” “Um, why would she just leave your date, if you don’t mind me asking, that is.” “She said she forgot her present for me,” Rainbow added. The three mares stared blankly at her as Spike snored. “I’m guessing it threw off her schedule for the evening.” “Oh,” Rainbow’s friends said in unison. Applejack frowned. “Figures. Ah guess we shoulda realized how much she’d worry ‘bout a night like this. Now she’s gone all cra…” Applejack trailed off when she noticed the venomous look on Rainbow Dash’s face. “Eh, sorry.” Rainbow Dash sighed. “It’s fine,” she said. “Hey wait a minute. If you three are here, then where’s-” A scream was heard from upstairs, followed by a bang. Spike rolled over and continued to sleep. “Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash said, her stomach sinking. Everypony then raced upstairs. “Okay Twilight,” Fluttershy said as she gently guided her head under the bathroom faucet with a hoof. “I’m going to need you to try and keep your eyes open for me, okay?,” Twilight nodded as best as she could. Twilight winced as she felt water pour into her face, but did her best not to shut her eyes. As she grit her teeth she managed to overhear the conversation the mares were having in the next room. “Now now, Darling. I’m sure it is just a misunderstanding.” “A misunderstanding!? She shot my marefriend in the face with her party cannon!” “I didn’t mean to! I swear! I swear!” “Oh. Well I guess that makes it all okay then.” “Aww, thanks Dashie! I knew you’d forgive me!” “I swear to Celestia …” “Woah, easy there sugarcube. Ah’m sure Pinkie’s gotta a good explanation fer what happened.” “Yeah! Totally.” “And what would that be?” “I was defending the castle!” “Defending. The. Castle.” “Yep.” Pinkie paused for a moment. “Oh, okay.” Pinkie inhaled sharply. “Okay so, I went to the kitchen to triple check on the cakes, I mean, the cakes I baked for Twilight and Dashie, not the Cake ponies. And by Cake ponies I mean the ones that own Sugarcube corner, not ponies that bake cakes. Although I COULD be said to be a cake pony since I bake cakes almost everyday. And the Cakes probably would consider me to be an HONORARY member of the Cake family. I mean, we are really close, and Marble always wanted a little brother, although it would be weird to have four parents-” “PINKIE!” “Right, sorry. So aaaanyways, I was checking the cakes when I got an itchy hoof and a wobbly left knee, which means that somepony forgot to close a window. And I know crystal buildings don’t get the BEST circulation, but nopony wants bugs and stuff getting in.” “So then I was going around to every room, making sure every window was nice and tightly shut. But then I heard this really really loud noise! At first I thought that I set of one of Pinkie Pie’s Prepacked Party Poppers™, but then I thought ‘That doesn’t sound like one of Pinkie Pie’s Prepacked Party Poppers™, that sounds like somepony moving furniture around’ But the girls and Spike are downstairs, and Twilight and Dashie are out, so who else could it be? Then I thought ‘GASP! It’s a no-good burglar!” He’s goning through Twilight’s stuff! And Twilight hates it when other ponies go through her stuff! She’s always like ‘Pinkie don’t touch that. Pinkie, that might be poisonous. Pinkie, you should wash your hooves after picking that up.’ So I grabbed my party cannon and went to give that big meanie a piece of my mind-” “And I got confetti in my eyes,” Twilight finished as Fluttershy shut off the faucet.. “Heh heh, sorry.” Twilight sighed. “It’s fine.” She grabbed a towel and began patting her face dry. “Wait a minute, why are you guys here? Shouldn’t you be out celebrating the festival?” Everypony suddenly fell silent. “Oh, well sugarcube, ya see…” Applejack trailed off as she noticed Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie furiously shaking their heads. “We were decorating the map room, ‘cause, um…” “Because we wanted to throw you two a party for your one year anniversary!,” Rarity said. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie both let out a sigh of relief. “I see,” Twilight said, deciding that she had more important things to worry about as she set the towel down. She grimaced as she saw her reflection. Her eyes were bloodshot, her mane was ruined, and the fur around her face was matted. Just perfect, she thought. Rarity took notice and shot over to Twilight. “Don’t worry Darling. I’ll have that mane of yours fixed up in no time!” “Sorry Rarity, but we don’t have time for that.” Twilight trotted past a flabbergasted Rarity back into her bedroom. She grimaced as she saw the mess. After being temporarily blinded by Pinkie Pie she had released her telekinesis. Now her belongings were scattered across her floor. Normally Twilight wouldn’t mind an excuse to reorganize things, but now was not the time. She turned to face the girls. “Rainbow, my...your present is not here. The only remaining place where it could be is in the map room. If I can find it within the next ten minutes, we’ll have time to pick up where our date left off.” “NO!,” five mares shouted in unison. Startled, Twilight jumped into the air, hovering for a moment before landing. “Wh-why not?,” Twilight asked incredulously. “Um, you seem really tense. Why don’t you relax here while I go to look for it with Rarity and Applejack. If you don’t mind, of course,” Fluttershy said. Twilight shook her head. “No, I’m sorry but that won’t work. For that to work I’d have to tell you about my...Rainbow’s gift, and I doubt any of you will be able to contain yourselves once I do.” “And just what does that mean?,” Applejack said, narrowing her eyes. “It’s...I...you’ll understand after I give it to her. I’m sorry.” She trotted out the door. Suddenly Rainbow Dash swooped down in front of Twilight, blocking her path. “Fluttershy has a point you know, Twi,” Rainbow said. She raised her wing to block Twilight from going around her. “You seem a little tense. Maybe I could help you relax a little.” Rainbow batted her eyelashes. She then leaned in to whisper into her ear: “If you know what I mean.” Twilight blushed. “D-dash,” she said, stammering as Rainbow began to nuzzle her neck. “We...ah...can’t we do this later?” “You really want to wait till later?,” Rainbow asked in a husky voice. She then began to nibble Twilight’s ear. “Hm. Something tells me you won’t make it till later.” Rainbow then pressed her lip’s against Twilight’s as she caressed her back with her hooves. Twilight moaned in delight. “Applejack, where do I look?,” Pinkie whispered. “Ah don’t think there’s anywhere safe ta look.” Rainbow broke the kiss, brushing a lock of Twilight’s mane out of her face. “Oh, Dashie,” Twilight said breathlessly. “Dash I, wait...No!” Twilight suddenly teleported behind Rainbow. “Hey!” “Sorry Dash,” Twilight said as she trotted down the hallway. “Trust me, you’ll thank me later.” “WAIT!,” Rarity shouted. Twilight stopped and turned around. Thinking quickly, Rarity grabbed a letter off the floor with her magic. “Twilight, darling, Spike got this letter from the Princesses earlier today. It might be important.” Twilight snatched the letter in her aura and quickly scanned it. Rarity hoped to Celestia that it would buy them at least a few minutes. “This is from three weeks ago,” Twilight said and floated it back over to Rarity. She turned around again. “Well, Ah’m all outta ideas,” Applejack added. A sense of dread filled Pinkie Pie’s stomach as she realized what she had to do. She reached into her hair to grab one of her Pinkie’s Prepacked Party Poppers™. “Sorry Twilight,” she muttered. Pinkie then threw it at Twilight’s flank, where it exploded into a mixture of glitter and streamers. Twilight leapt into the air, her wings spreading in an attempt to take flight. Instead, her forehooves hit the ground and she toppled forward onto the floor with a squawk. Rainbow flew over to help her up while Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy galloped out the door behind her. Once she was on her hooves again Twilight whirled around towards Pinkie Pie, her pupils tiny pinpricks and her face redder than Big Macintosh’s. “Piiiiiiiiiinkie pie,” Twilight growled. Pinkie pie swallowed. “Um, yes?” “WHY IN EQUESTRIA DID YOU DO THAT!?” “Oh, um, there was a spider! On your butt!" Pinkie took a step back. "I was just looking out for you again!” Twilight’s right eye began to twitch. “Um, it was really … big?” With an exasperated sign, Twilight turned and ran through the door. “Wait,” Rainbow Dash asked. “Was the spider big, or was her butt big?” Pinkie shrugged. Chapter 4“OOOOOOH, WHY!? WHYYYYYYYYYY?” A horrible wailing could be heard outside of Friendship Castle, nearly drawing out the weak pleas from a certain yellow pegasus. “Rarity… Ack! I know you're upset right now,” Fluttershy wheezed. “Ack! But could p-please not try and… squish me. Hick!” Rarity was sitting on the front steps of Friendship Castle, clutching Fluttershy to her chest as she sobbed. “If y-you, AH!, don’t mind, that is.” “Th-they were so… so perfect together! I was going to make them matching OUTFIIIIIIIIIITS!” Rarity then began to squeeze Fluttershy even tighter. “Rarity… Ack! Please! M-my spine! Ack!” Fortunately, the doors opened to reveal Fluttershy’s savior in the form of a baby dragon carrying a tub and a spoon. “Rairty,” Spike said, panting for breath. “W-we still have some mint chocolate chip left.” The unicorn released Fluttershy from her grasp, grabbing the ice cream in her hooves and the spoon with her magic. She wiped her eyes on her cannon. “Th-thank you, Spike. You really are a true friend,” Rarity said as she gave Spike an affectionate pat on the cheek. The drake smiled like he was a foal opening his presents on Hearth's Warming. Neither paid much attention to Fluttershy, who had promptly fallen onto the floor like a sack of potatoes, gasping for air. Applejack shook her head at the scene. Between the fact that she was never a fan of down time in the best of days and that she was worried about her friends she had begun to back and forth in front of the steps, letting out the occasional sigh. The quietest of the group was, ironically, Pinkie Pie. She was laying on her back with her hooves in the air, her mane having long since deflated. A board and worried frown was etched into her muzzle as she lazily batted her balloon. Suddenly a bright light shined across the sky, snapping the friends out of their musings. Rarity quickly swallowed the lump of ice cream she was eating, gasping in awe and the multi-colored ring of light expanding across the heavens. Pinkie Pie leapt back onto her hooves, her hair quickly regaining its normal bounce. “Dashie! Dashie!,” Pinkie Pie, pointing with one hoof while excitedly trotting in place. Then she stood up on two legs, cupping her hooves around her mouth to shout “DASHIE! WE CAN SEE YOU!” Applejack winced from her yelling, then frowned. “It seems like its coming from the Everfree.” “But what would she be doing over the Everfree at this hour?,” Rarity asked. She gave the tub of ice cream back to Spike as she stood up. “Ah don’t know, but ah don’t have a good feel’n ‘bout this.” Applejack then began to march forwards. “Applejack darling, where are you going? “Ah think our friends might be in trouble. We gotta check it out.” “A-and go into the forest? A-at night?,” Fluttershy whispered, covering her mouth with her hooves. Then she suddenly shook her head. “N-no, our friends may be in trouble,” she said, mostly to herself. “They would do the same for me.” With that she began to follow Applejack. Rarity was about to join them when she turned and noticed Spike beside her with a look of pure terror on his face. She gave him a soft smile. “Dear, why don’t you stay behind and make sure the castle is okay?,” she said, giving him a pat on the head. Spike quickly sprouted a look of relief before shaking his head. He then raised his claw in a solute, trying his best to look determined. Rarity turned and left. Suddenly Pinkie appeared in front of Spike. The look on her face was so unusually serious that it caused Spike to take a step back. “Spike.” “Y-yes?” Pinkie then handed him her balloon. “Take care of Howie for me.” Spike blinked. “Um, okay?” Pinkie nodded and then turned around. She then began humming a tune to herself, happily bouncing after her friends. “Almost...almost, gah!” Rainbow Dash let out another hiss of pain. She was standing on her hind legs with a tree branch in her mouth. As she briefly lost her balance, she had instinctively spread her wings and aggravated her injuries. She dropped back onto her hooves, the branch tumbling uselessly out of her mouth. “Dang it,” she whispered. While her wing wasn’t broken (thank Celestia, she’d never hear the end of it if she had to go to the hospital again) she had definitely sprained it. And while Twilight was a much better flyer than when she first got her wings, no small part due to Rainbow’s flying lessons, she still was nowhere near strong enough to carry her. Which meant that they would have to stay put. At least until morning. With a sigh Rainbow picked up the branch again. Above her was her saddle bag, suspended in the air by a tree branch. She stood on her hind legs again, angling the stick upward. “Come on, come on,” she thought to herself. After an eternity Rainbow managed to hook one of the straps. With an amount of focus she normally reserved for stunt work or Daring Doo, she freed her bag from the tree’s wooden grasp, causing it to land with a quite yet satisfying thud. Rainbow Dash spat out the stick and quickly checked inside. By some miracle, her precious cargo had survived the fall. “Yes!,” she said, pumping a hoof into the air. It had seemed as if their luck was turning around. She turned to face Twilight and frowned. After tending Rainbow’s injuries the best she could, Twilight had prepared a small fire. She then sat down in front of it, neither moving nor speaking since then. Rainbow put her saddlebags back on and walked over to Twilight. The alicorn continued to stare at the flames, giving zero response to Rainbow’s presence. She then noticed that Twilight’s horn was glowing. She was making some sort of spell. Curious, Rainbow followed her gaze. She peered into the flames, not seeing anything for a moment. Then she saw the tiny specks of lavender rising up above the flames. Rainbow tilted her head up. Above the kindling was a sphere of purple light, about the size of a pony. Every few seconds it flicked like a heartbeat. the purple embers would float up from below to join the sphere as if feeding it. “It’s a beacon spell,” Twilight said all of a sudden. “Huh?” “A beacon spell It’s a spell that takes a small amount of heat and light from a preexisting flame and uses them to create a signal that can be seen from miles away. The ‘Equestrian Wildness Survival Guide’ highly recommends all unicorns learn the spell before venturing out into the woods.” “Huh.” “It’s actually quite interesting how they form. The magic and fire causes cool air to be drawn upwards, producing strong air currents known as after winds. This creates a region where the magically charged air rotates around, producing a vortex ring with a torodial shape.” “Honestly, it looks like a jellyfish to me,” Rainbow said as she sat next to Twilight. “Ya know, like from that time we went to the aquarium?” “I remember,” Twilight said. Then she smiled. “You were screaming like a filly when we saw the turtle exhibit.” “Hey! Turtles. Are. Awesome. Tank’s a tortoise, and he’s awesome, and turtles are just water tortoises, so they're awesome too!” Rainbow Dash had raised both her fore hooves in the air to emphasize the last point. “Can’t argue with that logic,” Twilight snicked. The two mares fell silent for a moment, and then Twilight sighed. “Rainbow, I’m sorry about tonight.” “Twi, you know I won't get mad at you over something like this, right?” “I know,” Twilight said, barely a whisper. “Then why are you so worked up?” Twilight exhaled through her nose. “Rainbow, I know what I'm like,” she said. When Rainbow didn’t reply, she signed and continued: “Look at you and the girls, for example. You knew Fluttershy much of your life, and she was friends with Rarity before I came here. Rarity and Applejack knew each other, although they weren’t really close until later, and Pinkie… well, she knew everypony. She is Pinkie, after all.” For a moment, the two shared a smile at her last remark. Then Twilight frowned. “And me? Who did I have?” “Ya had Spike,” Rainbow pointed out. “I meant in terms of friends. Spike’s important to me, yes, but he’s more like a younger sibling to me. But ponies around my age, not related to me that I spent time with of my own volition? Not that many. And even then, we were never close. Most of the time it felt like they had to force me to go out. Heck, I wouldn’t have even meant you if the Princess didn’t literally tell me to.” “And then, we defeated Nightmare Moon, and for the first time in my life I had actual friends. But even then, I had no idea what I was doing. I actually had to read a book in order to figure out what to do for my first sleepover. Even Fluttershy didn’t need to do that! All seemed to just know how to go out and interact with other ponies, and I didn’t. No pony else ever did something like … like brainwashing half the town to fight over a doll! Or wasting a whole week trying to prevent some apocalypse that was never going to happen! Or dragging their marefriend into a deadly thunderstorm!” “And yet, you all wanted to be friends with me. Instead of somepony who you could be with without having to worry she is going to say the wrong thing because of some outdated book on friendship, or that will turn the town into a disaster area over some minor problem.” Twilight was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. “T-that’s why I wanted tonight to be perfect, so I could show you how much you matter to me. Because I know how much you are giving up by being with somepony like me.” For a moment, there was nothing but the crackling of the flames. Then Rainbow slammed into Twilight, nearly knocking her over before bringing her into a kiss. Once she had finished, she pulled back and grabbed Twilight’s head in her hooves, turning it so she was forced to look her in the eyes. “Twilight, do you know what my relationship with Fluttershy was like before I meant you?” “Rainbow, wh-” “Twilight, I barely saw her! The only time we would really speak was when my weather team needed to know if some animals were having a problem with the weather. And do you know why?” Twilight shook her head. “Because I was thinking that my fillyhood friend wasn’t cool enough to hang out with. Because I used to be a real jerk back then. Because I didn’t know anything about friendship. And you know what, I probably never would of changed if I hadn’t meant you!” “And you’re holding me back? How? By leading me to the best friends I could of ever had? By cheering me on during the best young flyer competition, by helping me pass an exam to get into the Wonderbolt reserve, which, by the way, is kinda, ya know, my dream.” “And what about all of the adventures that we had, all places I’ve seen and all the ponies I never would of meant if not for you? Hay, do you know how many times we have saved Equestria? Not once, not twice, but uh... whatever ya call it when something happens three times!?” “Thrice?,” Twilight suggested. “You see! You think I would of learned that word without you!?” Twilight giggled. Rainbow leaned in until their muzzles were almost touching. “So don’t go thinking you’re holding me back, Twilight. You are the best thing to ever happen to me.” Rainbow Dash leaned forward and kissed her again. “I love you.” “I know,” Twilight replied with a smirk. She then placed her head on Rainbow’s shoulder as she drew her in for a hug, careful not to hurt her injured wing. The two sat like that for sometime, enjoying the quiet and stillness of the night. Eventually, Rainbow Dash realized something. Maybe this was the moment she had been hoping for. She still had her gift, after all. And it looked like their night was ending on a high note. Maybe she finally had a chance to finally ask Twilight… “Rainbow,” Twilight said, suddenly ending the hug. Her ears were straight up, a look of fear upon her face. “Rainbow, did you hear that?” Rainbow Dash froze, trying to listen. At first she heard nothing but a heavy silence that hung in the air. Her pulse hammered in her ears when she remembered something Fluttershy had told her a while ago. That critters usually went quiet when they heard a predator nearby. A low growl then cut through the air. “Oh, Buck.” The squirrel was chatting animatedly, waving his paws in the air. “Uh huh. I see,” Fluttershy said, nodding in attention. Her friends had gathered around her, eagerly waiting for some news. “Oh,” she said. “Come on, what’s he saying?,” Applejack asked. Futtlershy raised a hoof to tell her to be quiet. Fluttershy sighed. “Okay. Thanks anyways.” She gave the squirrel an affectionate pat on the head before he ran off into the night. Fluttershy turned to face her friends. “He said that his scurry had seen the Rainboom, but they hadn't seen any ponies besides us.” The mares let out a collective groan of frustration. “Dang it!,” Applejack said, throwing her stetson on the ground. “We’ll never find ‘em at this rate!” “Maybe we could head over to Zecora’s?,” Rarity suggested. “If anypony knows what's going on in the woods, it would be her.” “By the time we make it ta her place we coulda cover half the forest!” “Well, do we really know if time is of the essence here. After all, we don’t really know if they are in any trouble.” “Well, then explain ta me why she would make a Sonic Rainbow then?” “Maybe it was meant for Twilight?,” Fluttershy added. “I mean, um, she did it so that Twilight could know where to find her?” “Which means she doesn’t know where Twilight is. Just like the rest of us,” Applejack muttered. “Hey, what’s that?,” Pinkie said. She pointed at something in the distance, the others turning to look. Barely visible above the treeline was a ring of purple light, gently pulsing every few seconds. “Hum,” Applejack said as she placed her stetson back on her head. Something about the light seemed familiar… “ALIENS!,” Pinkie shouted, causing everypony to jump. “THEY’RE GONNA PROBE US!” With a blur of pink she hid herself inside a hollow log, somehow contorting her body to fit. Only a single blue eye and lock of her mane was visible through a hole she entered through. Fluttershy approached the log, kneeling so that she could peer inside the hole. “Pinkie Pie,” she said with a tone often used for her animal friends. “We’ve been over this. There are no such things as aliens.” “Nu-uh!” The lock of hair reached through the hole like a tendril, booping Fluttershy’s nose. “Aliens totally exist! How else do you explain those weird lights Tree Hugger saw? And Berry Punch was totally abducted by them. You could ask her about it yourself!” “Pinkie dear,” Rarity deadpanned. “I don't think those two are the most reliable sources of information.” “Why? What’d you mean?” “It’s a message,” Applejack said suddenly, causing Pinkie’s head to pop out of the log. “Um, pardon?,” Fluttershy said. “It’s a message,” Applejack repeated. “When ah was a filly, ya know, back at camp with Rara, we learned all these little codes. Usta send each other secret messages an’ such.” Applejack’s eyebrows knitted together. “Ah think ah can decipher it…” Applejack sat on her haunches, her friends gathered around her as she stared intensely at the glow. After a moment she began to draw letters in the dirt with her hoof. “S…,” she read. “O… D?” Applejack frowned in confusion. “Soda?,” Pinkie suggested. Suddenly she gasped. “Oh. My. Celestia. The aliens are here for our planet's soda supply!” Rarity did a facehoof. “SOS!,” Applejack shouted. Rarity gasped. “Twilight! She’s in trouble!” With that the mares took off running. Chapter 5Rainbow Dash was running, Twilight following close beside her. In spite of the fact that each step sent a jolt of pain though her damaged wing she managed to keep pace. She had listened to what Twilight had shouted before they took off: don’t run at your full speed, you will tire quickly. Instead try to pace yourself. The best roared again, causing the earth to tremble beneath her hooves. Against her better judgement, Rainbow turned and for the first time took a look at their pursuer. The… thing was massive, about the size of a house, and yet somehow able to navigate the forest at remarkable speed. Its flesh was leathery, covered in hideous scars and boils. Yet what caught Rainbow’s attention the most was its face, if it could be called that, with its mouth… Sweet Celestia. How could that thing have that many teeth? She ran even faster. As the chase continued, an odd sense of familiarity came over Rainbow. By this point in her life, she had become quite accustomed to the occasional life-or-death situation. Even back when she had left flight school and decided to start seriously training for the Wonderbolts, there had been many situations where some stunt had gone wrong and she had ended up a hair’s breadth away from maiming herself. Of course, she had taken those near accidents as a source of pride and had her middle name legally changed from “Miriam” to “Danger.” All was well for sometime, until she became one of the Elements of Harmony. And while that title did come with many perks, it also had a few notable drawbacks. Such as the fact that she was often frontline in the fight against whatever was threatening ponykind that week. Of course, she would never hesitate to help any friend in trouble, so eventually that became routine as well. Then things once again escalated, and she found herself in the most nerve-racking event of her entire life: dating one of her closest friends. Even though it was a year ago Rainbow could still remember that night in the Golden Oaks Library like it was yesterday. “Okay Dash, you could do this,” she said to her reflection in the mirror. She wasn’t nervous. How could she be? She had practiced what she wanted to say with Tank all morning. Sure, he wasn’t purple or able to speak, but he always was a good listener. It couldn’t be too hard, right? All she had to do was leave the bathroom, march on over to Twilight and ask her out on a date. What’s the worst thing that could happen? Well, it might turn out that Twilight doesn't like her that way. After all, Rainbow still wasn’t completely sure she liked mares. But Twilight wasn’t the kind of pony to just cut off one of her friends like that. Right? Granted, it would still make things very awkward between them, and Twilight probably wouldn’t be as keen to go flying or read books together... No!, she thought to herself. She was Rainbow Dash, one of the Elements of Harmony, holder of many speed records, multi-time savoir of Equestria, and all around coolest pony. She would not cower in Twilight’s bathroom all day! She saw her own expression harden in the mirror. “Let's do this!,” she said to herself. Rainbow then slammed the bathroom door open. A loud bang echoed through the hall, freezing Rainbow in her tracts. Owlowiscious, who had been sleeping on a nearby perch, turned and gave her an incredulous look. “Eh-heh, sorry,” Rainbow said with an apologetic smile. Twilight’s pet continued to glare at her for a moment before going back to sleep. Rainbow puffed her chest out before making her way over to Twilight. Twilight was exactly where she was before Rainbow went to the bathroom: sitting on her coach, completely engrossed in her book. She didn’t seem to of had heard the noise from earlier. Twilight’s ears twitched but she kept reading as Rainbow sat next to her. Rainbow cleared her throat. “H-hey, um, Twilight,” Rainbow said, cringing at her stutter. “Hm?” Twilight looked up, first at Rainbow, then at a window just behind her. “Oh goodness, I didn’t realize it’s getting dark.” She closed her book then turned to face Rainbow. “Are you about to head home?” “Well, not exactly. There’s, uh, something I wanna ask you first” Rainbow said, suddenly uncomfortably warm. “It’s kinda important.” “Well, you know you could ask me anything, right?” Twilight smiled, looking at her with those big, innocent purple eyes. “Well…” The back of Rainbow’s neck was suddenly very itchy. Which was definitely the reason why she was rubbing it. “Ya know how there’s that whole fireworks thing tomorrow night?” “Um-hum.” Luna’s moon, that look she was giving her could give Fluttershy’s stare a run for its money. “I was just thinkin’... since, ya know, the two of us have been getting along really well, a-and you’re really smart and kind and funny and cute, um, I was wanting to ask if you would, uh, wouldliketogooutonadatewithmetomorrow?” Twilight’s smiled vanished. For a horrible moment she sat gasping like a fish before speaking. “Sorry, I’m gay!” Rainbow blinked. “Uh, yeah, I don’t see how that would be a problem here…” “I mean, no! No, I am gay, maybe? Oh Celestia this is confusing... Rainbow cut her off. “Look, I get it. You don’t like me that way. It's cool,” she said, hoping Twilight wouldn’t hear the disappointment in her voice. Rainbow fidgeted with her hooves, finding herself unable to make eye contact. “Just, uh, just forget I ever said anything.” She began to rise from the couch. “N-no! Wait, Rainbow!” Twilight gestured for her to sit back down, which Rainbow did. Before she could speak Twilight held up a hoof to shush her and began to do one of her deep breathing exercises. After another minute she regained her composure. “I am gay. I think. Or at least bi. I still have a bit more reading to do on the subject…” “Twi?” “Right! Uh, sorry.” Twilight cleared her throat. “I… don’t really have the most experience with dating, to be honest. I didn’t even realize that I could like mares until very recently.” “Recently?,” Rainbow asked, a seed of hope sprouting within her. “A few weeks ago, after one of our flying lessons. I was just thinking about how well we, you know,” she paused as if searching for the right word. “Clicked together. I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and then I realized why. I… I really like you Rainbow. A lot, and not just as a friend.” “Wait, weeks ago? Then what was with the whole ‘sorry I’m gay’ thing earlier?” Twilight frowned with confusion. “Oh,” she said before giving a sheepish chuckle. “Yeah sorry about that. Force of habit, I suppose. When stallions hear that you’re connected to the Princesses they all start hitting on you.” Rainbow frowned. “Ya mean like what Zephyr does?” “Yes. Except there are dozens of him at once.” Rainbow shuddered at the mental image. “But still, all this time and you didn’t say anything?” “Well… like I said, I was kind of taken aback by the whole ‘liking another mare’ thing. I knew if I told anypony else the conversation would inevitably involve my lack of experience, which I was too embarrassed to bring up. And I didn’t really know how to approach you, either. I thought maybe I should do some research first…” “Why am I not surprised?” “Oh, hush you!,” Twilight said with a chuckle before playfully punching her in the shoulder. Rainbow rubbed her shoulder in mock offense. “So, does this mean you’re saying yes for tomorrow then?” “Only if you want to.” “YES!,” Rainbow shouted, taking off to do a victory lap around the room. “WAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-” She stopped abruptly, landing with an embarrassed grin. Twilight placed a hoof over her muzzle to stifle her giggles. “Uh… perfect! I’ll pick you up around six then?” “Looking forward to it.” “RAINBOW, DUCK!” “Huh?” A tree branch whacked Rainbow Dash across the nose, causing her to lose her balance and fall. Pain shot through her damaged wing, causing her vision to flash white. She grit her teeth, forcing herself into a sitting position. Something warm and wet landed in her mane. A disgusted Rainbow Dash wiped the slime away with her hoof. She glanced up. Above her was a large, drooling maw, full of sharp teeth, reeking of rot and decay. Rainbow Dash had always hoped to die doing something awesome. While not her first choice, Rainbow supposed being eaten alive by a monster would count. Before it could take a bite, the beast was enveloped in a purple glow. It began to float off the ground, until it was above the treetops. Rainbow got back unto her hooves and ran. For a moment the creature hovered in the sky like an ugly parody of Luna’s moon. Then it slammed into the ground. Before the dust could settle it was flying again. The abomination sound found itself being repeatedly tossed up and slammed into the earth like a ragdoll. Each impact was punctuated by an angry shout from a nearby alicorn. “Don’t!” Thud! “You! Thud! “Dare!” Thud! “Mess with!” Thud! “MY MARE FRIEND!” With that, Twilight spun the source of her anger around before releasing her magical hold, sending it sailing off into the distance where it landed with a small explosion. “Woah,” Rainbow Dash said, having appeared next to Twilight at some point. “That. Was. Awesome!" Whatever response Twilight had was drowned out by a ferocious roar off in the distance. She wrapped her wing around Rainbow. “Come on!,” she said, pulling Rainbow along with her. She ran as fast as she could while keeping Rainbow beside her. Eventually the two stumbled into a small clearing. Twilight stopped, panting furiously from the exhaustion. “Dashie! Twilight!” After a blur of pink the two found themselves in a tight hug, with Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy stopping appearing soon after. “Twilight, you have to tell me about the aliens,” Pinkie said. She then gasped. “Oh no! Did they probe you!?” Another roar was heard, silencing the mares. Their pursuer had returned, shoving trees out of its way as it closed in on its prey. As it approached its many eyes narrowed at the mares. The hideous set of jaws opened once again, a slimy tongue licking the greasy lips. No, Rainbow Dash though. The beast let out an angry growl. Anger began to flow through her veins. No, she would not let this… this thing get anywhere Twilight. Rainbow stepped forward. “R-rainbow, what are you..” She silenced Fluttershy by raising her good wing. She turned to face the rest of her friends, a fire burning in her eyes. Applejack nodded and adjusted her stetson, spitting once before assuming a crouching stance. Rarity flicked her hair back, the motion elegant and well practiced. Her horn crackled with azure sparks as she prepared a spell. Pinkie mimicked rolling up her sleeves and cracked her neck. Rainbow Dash faced the thing that dared to try and harm her marefriend. She snorted and flared her nostrils, pawing at the ground beneath her. A pair of muscular legs tensed as they prepared to pounce. Rainbow screamed as she charged forward. “ENOUGH!” Everpony stopped. It took Rainbow a moment to realize that they were not frozen by a spell. “YOU!” Twilight had flown in front of the creature's face, which had stopped mid lunge. She pointed a hoof at it. “Do you have any idea what tonight is? DO YOU!?” She paused as if waiting for a reply. “Tonight is the one year anniversary of the greatest thing that ever happened to me.” Twilight gestured towards Rainbow Dash. “You see that pegasus over there? That brave, wonderful, sexy mare asked me out on a date! And tonight I was going to give her the best night of her life! I was going to ask her to marry me! And you will NOT be getting in my way.” “I have traveled to the ends of Equestria. I have done things with magic that ponies have said were impossible. I have either befriended or beaten some of the most powerful beings in existence. And You? Ha! Please! You are like an insect to me! “Y-you want to ruin our evening, huh!? You want to end our fun that badly!? Well guess what? You can’t. Because I’m not going to let you. I am taking that mare out on a date. We are going to eat her favorite meal and watch the fireworks together. And then we were going to fuck. That’s right! We were going to have SEX! Hot, steamy, mare-on-mare action all night long! And YOU ARE NOT GOING TO STOP US! Nothing will. Because it wouldn’t let it happen. So you better turn around right now and head back to whatever pit you crawled out of and let us get back to our date RIGHT THIS INSTANT!” The monster suddenly decided that these tiny horse things would probably not make a good meal. Twilight watched as it turned and shuffled away until it was no longer visible through the trees. She then landed back down, still panting from her shouting fit. After a moment she remembered that her friends were still behind her. Twilight slowly turned around to find that none of them were able to make eye contact. Her face suddenly burned as if she had stepped in front of a fire. The awkwardness roared in the air, drowning out any other noise. “Hey Twilight?,” Pinkie said with a contemplative look on her face. “Y-yes?” “Couldn’t you just of plucked one of your feathers out at any time from your wings?” Twilight stared ahead blankly. Wordlessly she slipped past everypony else, making her way to a tree with a large hole in its middle. Twilight stuck her head inside. It did little to muffle her scream. After a moment she fell silent again. “Twi?,” Rainbow asked. “Yeah?,” Twilight replied, her head still inside the tree. “Ya good?” “...Yes.” “Ya wanna go home now?” “Yeah.” “M’kay. Let’s head back, girls.” Spike was jolted from his seat by a knock. He eagerly ran open to the door and threw it open. “Twilight! Rainbow! You’re okay!” Twilight quickly swept him up in a hug while Rainbow ruffled his scales. “Don’t worry little guy. Ya should know nothing's going to stop Twi when she’s in the mood.” “Rainbow!,” Twilight hissed. Rainbow Dash burst out laughing. “Um, what happened, exactly?,” Spike asked. Rainbow wiped a tear from her eye. “I’ll tell ya later,” she said with a sigh. “But first we need to take a look at that wing,” Fluttershy said, the sternness in her voice letting Rainbow know there was no debating this. Everypony headed inside. As Fluttershy hastily bandaged her wing, Rainbow told the others a slightly exaggerated tale about how she and Twilight had survived flying into a lightning storm and escaped the clutches of an Everfree monster together. The others alternated between being in awe and being horrified. Eventually the excitement died down and the conversation drifted off topic. At some point Twilight had stopped paying attention to the conversation, feeling she didn’t have much to add. She eventually excused herself. Twilight then wandered outside and sat on the steps, gazing at the stars above. She soon heard somepony sitting down next to her. Without checking to see who it was, she asked: “How’s your wing?” “Eh, it’s been through worse. I’ll survive.” Rainbow followed Twilight’s gaze. The two stared at the moon for sometime. “Beautiful night,” Rainbow Dash said. “It is,” Twilight said. Then she laughed. “What’s so funny?” “Nothing. It’s just after we… uh, you know, I was thinking we could lie back and watch the stars.” Twilight let out a long sigh. “At least we could still do that.” “You know Twi, I still haven’t shown you my gift yet.” “Hum?” Rainbow gestured to her saddle bags (which she was still wearing) with a grin that made Twilight chuckle. “Well, I guess you already know what I was going to give you anyways.” To her surprise, Rainbow scooted closer to Twilight. When she turned to face her Rainbow took one of Twilight’s hooves in hers. “Twilight, I know I’m not as good with words as you, so I’ll make this quick. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life. And you know what? I know more than anything that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Wait, was she… Rainbow Dash tugged off her saddle bag and set it on the ground in front of Twilight. She popped it open. Twilight gasped. Inside was a blue feather, somehow still completely intact. “Twilight Sparkle?” She meant Rainbow’s gaze, tears of joy building in her eyes. “Will you-” “OH MY CELESTIA. YES. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!” Twilight and Rainbow both glared at Rarity along with Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack. She was standing in the wide open doors behind them, choking the life out of a struggling Fluttershy. “Eh heh. My bad.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Twilight,” she said again. “Will you marry me?” “Oh Rainbow Dash.” Twilight picked up the feather with her magic and then placed it in her hair. Twilight then pulled Rainbow into a hug, taking care to avoid her injured wing. “Yes. Yes, yes, yes!,” she said, punctuating each word with a kiss on the lips. She stopped to wipe a tear from her eye. “I, I, I’m so happy!” Before either could react the rest of the girls and Spike tackled them into a hug. Rainbow laughed. She knew she didn’t need some elaborate scheme for tonight. Rainbow had Twilight, and that was all she needed for tonight to be perfect. “Oh Rainbow, this is the greatest night of my life!” Twilight then leaned in closer, whispering in so that only she could hear: “And we’re still having sex later.” “Oh, Twilight, this is the greatest night of my life!” Author's Note Huzzah! My first story is complete. I hope you guys got some enjoyment out of it. Until next time, Thanks for reading Chapter 3“Oh Spike, I love it!,” Rarity beamed as Spike handed her the large diamond that he had found. The two were in a cave jewel hunting together. “It’s so pretty.” “Not as pretty as you,” Spike said. Suddenly a large and aggressive cave bat appeared behind Rarity. “Rarity, look out!” Before the monster could harm his love he leapt into the air. His fist collided with the bat’s chest, causing the creature to explode from impact. “Oh Spikey-boo! Without your strength, wit, and determination I would not have made it!” “Yeah! You have shown real maturity tonight Spike. I am very proud of you,” Twilight said, having suddenly appeared in the cave. “Aw, thanks Twilight,” Spike said. Twilight then turned around and left. “So… where were we?,” he said while leaning in for a kiss. Before their lips could meet a rumbling was heard. Spike looked up in time to see the ceiling of the cave buckle and collapse. “GAAAH!” Spike bolted upright, trying in vain to remove the banner that had fallen on his head. “Ops,” the mare of his dreams said. Rarity then pulled the banner off his head with her magic before folding it and setting it down on the table neatly. “Sorry Spikey dear. I didn’t mean to wake you.” The door then burst open, and Twilight stormed into the room, panting furiously. Applejack and Fluttershy, who were busy tearing down decorations, froze. “Okay. Somepony better tell me what in the name of Celestia you girls are up to!” “Twilight, wait!,” Pinkie said as she galloped into the room, Rainbow Dash flying close beside her. “Pinkie,” Twilight said, shutting her eyes tightly and messaging her temple with her hoof. “We can talk about my sore bottom later.” “What!?,” Spike asked. Twilight’s eyes popped open, a heat rising in her cheeks. “That...ah, that came out wrong.” “What came out wrong?,” Pinkie said. Twilight and Spike immediately went silent. “ Pinkie,” Rainbow hissed. “What? What did she say?” Nopony moved. It was as if Twilight and Spike were competing to see who could turn redder. Finally Rainbow muttered something under her breath, then flew over to whisper something in Pinkie’s ear. Her eyes widened. “Oooooooh,” Pinkie said. Then she smiled. “I get it!” She slid across the room and jumped into Spike’s seat, pulling the drake onto her lap and putting her foreleg around his shoulders. “Don’t worry Spike, I get that you’re confused, but don’t worry, your auntie Pinkie will explain everything.” She put her foreleg around his shoulders. She cleared her throat. “You see, when a mommy and a daddy love each very m-” “PINKIE!,” Twilight shouted. She levitated Spike off her lap and sent a balloon off the floor over to Pinkie. “Here. Play with this.” She experimentally swatted the balloon with a hoof. It sailed a few feet into the air. Pinkie giggled and bounced off the throne chasing after it. “Alright, now where were we…?” Twilight trailed off. Suddenly she was glaring at Applejack, causing the mare to fidget nervously. “Applejack?” Applejack swallowed. “Um… yes?” “Would you mind telling me exactly what you girls are doing here,exactly? I know you wouldn’t lie to me.” Twilight had added that last part with a sadistic grin. Applejack shuddered despite the beads of sweat on her forehead. “Oh, uh, well, um…” Applejack’s eyes darted around. “Ah… we were…” Applejack removed her stetson and clutched it to her chest the way a foal would with a teddy bear. “We, uh… “ “Twi,” Rainbow Dash said quietly. Any anger Twilight felt evaporated when she saw the concern on her marefriend's face. Shame coursed through her as she realized how she was acting, causing her to let out a sad sigh. After a moment she spoke: “I’m sorry Applejack. I shouldn’t get in your face like that. You don’t deserve it.” She hung her head low, her ears pinned flat against her head. “It's okay Twilight. Ah know ya didn’t mean it. Ya just being a little worried right now, is all.” Twilight nodded but didn’t say anything else. “So wait. Then why are you and Rainbow here? I thought you had a date?,” Spike asked. “Oh. Uh, well I kind forgot my...my present for Rainbow Dash and, uh, we came back here to look for it.” Twilight gave an embarrassed smile as she rubbed the back of her neck. She then glazed around the room as if seeing it for the first time. The girls had done an impressive job in tearing down the decorations in only a few minutes. Twilight could not decide if the mess downstairs was worse than the one upstairs. Rainbow Dash signed. “Twilight,” she said, deciding that Twilight deserved to know what was going on. “Pinkie wanted to throw us an anniversary party tomorrow,” she said. Rainbow hesitated for a moment, choosing her next words carefully, not wanting to give everything away “The...the theme woulda given away my gift.” “Oh,” Twilight said. “Yeah, no pony likes spoilers!,” Pinkie Pie added. She was still bouncing the balloon with her nose, trying to keep it airborne. “Remember how mad Rarity got at Rainbow when she spoiled her book.” “Hey! I only did that ‘cause she spoiled the sixth Daring Do!” “Oh, for the last time! I was merely saying that I wouldn’t be surprised if Dr. Nefarious turned out to be the villain! Ugh! It’s such a obvious and trite twist that I thought it was a red herring! No wonder I stopped reading after book three.” Rarity finished by crossing her forelegs indignantly. Rainbow Dash could only sputter in response. “Wait,” Twilight said. She sounded as if she was on the verge of understanding something. “How long ago did you guys get here, exactly?”. “Um, a few hours ago,” Fluttershy answered. “And you’ve been thoroughly decorating the castle the whole time?” Twilight frowned as she spoke. “Um, yes? We were all hard at work, if you wanted to know, that is.” Spike made a mental note to thank Fluttershy for not telling Twilight that he had spent much of the evening eating cupcakes and sleeping later. “And none of you found anything of note laying around the castle.” Twilight’s voice was nearly devoid of any emotion. “N-not really.” Twilight slowly sat on her haunches. “Then, it really isn’t here,” she said, sounding utterly defeated. The tone of her voice had caused Pinkie to stop playing with her balloon and look at her with concern instead. “I-it’s gone. It's really gone…” Twilight trailed off as she buried her face in her hooves. Rainbow Dash sat down next to her, preparing to put a comforting wing around her. “NO!” Twilight’s shout caused Rainbow to leap into the air, instinctively taking flight. Twilight was breathing heavily, her pupils tiny pinpricks, a manic grin stretching across her muzzle. “I… I can still… I can still fix this. Spike!” The dragon jumped a little at the mention of his name. “Spike! I’m going to need you to take a letter.” A quill and piece of paper were floated over to the terrified drake. “Um, sugar cube? That’s a napkin.” “IT'S A LETTER!,” she shrieked, causing everypony to take a step back. She then resumed speaking as if nothing happened: “Ahem, Dear Princess Celestia, Due to unforeseen complications, it appears that Ponyville’s fine citizens have not been able to finish preparing for the festival tonight. Therefore, I have decided that it would be best if tonight’s festival would be suspended for at least 24 hours. This way everpony will be able to follow their perfectly laid out plans for tonight without any little complications. Please send a copy of the royal decree to the Mayor’s office at once. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.” Spike hastily scribbled Twilight’s words onto the napkin. “Uh, Twilight,” he said. “Are you sure this is the best idea?” “Of course Spike. This way Rainbow Dash and I could get back to our date like nothing ever happened.” “Twi?,” the Pegasus in question said, hoping to appeal to her sense of reason. “Are you sure that the Princess would do that? It seems a little last minute to me.” Twilight frowned. “You're right,” she said. Twilight smiled once again. “Looks like I’m going to need to find some more time.” She trotted out the front door, with Rainbow flying after her and the others close behind. “Twilight darling, where are you going?” “To Canterlot,” she replied matter-of-factly. “I just need to go to the library and find the time travel spell again. That way I can go back and remind my past self not to lose my anniversary present. Or better yet, I could take it from my past self! I’m sure she’d understand.” Before Twilight could take off, Rainbow Dash flew into front of her. “Twilight, can’t we just call it a night?” Rainbow Dash said as landed, still wearing that frown. “Wh-what? No! No Rainbow!I need to get you your present!” “Dang it Twilight, I don’t care about some stupid present!” Twilight looked as if she had been slapped. “Y-you don’t care?” Rainbow immediately regretted what she said. “Twi, I didn’t mean-” “I’m doing this for you, you know,” Twilight said, cutting her off. “I wanted tonight to be special. I wanted to give you a night we would remember.” Twilight felt anger course through her veins. Rainbow shrank as Twilight's voice grew louder with each word. “But noooooo.” She stomped her hoof to emphasize her point. “That’s not happening. Apparently Twilight Sparkle isn’t allowed to do nice things for her marefriend. She’s just acting all ‘crazy’ again, having ‘an episode’ again. It’s not normal to think that the night you give your marefriend your feather should be SPECIAL!” Suddenly Twilight’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hoof. Rainbow Dash landed on her hooves, her mouth open in shock. “T-Twilight?,” Rainbow said. As she took a step towards her Twilight teleported away in a flash. Rainbow could only stare at the space where she had been. “I don’t understand,” Spike said. “What’d she say?” “Spike,” Fluttershy explained. “Pegasi consider their feathers to be very important. Normally when a Pegasus gives a feather to their lover, it means…” “That they are asking them if they wanna get married,” Rainbow Dash finished for her, breaking out of her stupor. Rainbow jolted upright. “TWILIGHT!,” she yelled before taking off after her. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Twilight wasn’t looking where she was flying. It was now too dark outside to see much of anything, anyways, though based on the trees she was likely somewhere over the Everfree forest. You had one simple task. And you couldn’t even get a right. Twilight flew faster, trying to outrace her thoughts. “Twilight?” You ruined your anniversary. Your first anniversary! It could have been something special, but no. Tears began to fill her eyes. “Twilight!” You abandoned your date, you lost your temper with your friends, and you yelled at Rainbow Dash! You’d think that she’d want to marry you after something like this? You know, there’s only so much more of your nonsense that she will put up with. Honestly, the fact that you had a year with her has got to be some sort of miracle. “TWILIGHT, LOOK OUT!” Twilight was shoved out of the way of an incoming lightning bolt. Twilight tumbled for a moment before righting herself. A disheveled looking Rainbow Dash was beside her. “R-Rainbow, wh-” She was cut off by another loud lighting strike. Twilight wiped the tears from her eyes and noted that surrounding them were thunderclouds of various sizes . Twilight realized she had been unknowingly flying into a storm. “Rainbow, what’s going on? I thought you said the weather team had cleared the skies for tonight.” “Well...maybe I was rushing to be back for our date and told them to just dump the clouds into the Everfree. I guess they musta mixed with a wild storm.” Twilight frowned. “Hey, don’t give me that look! I know you hate it when I’m not prenuptial.” “Punctual.” “Whatever.” A third lightning bolt flashed, worrying close to the mares. The clouds had coalesced into a bowl-like shape around them. They hissed with electricity as they began to shrink around the mares. “You wouldn’t happen to know any spells that could help us right about now?” Twilight shut her eyes in concentration. For a moment an explosion of lavender light radiated from her horn. Twilight opened her eyes. The clouds shook but remained in place. “I guess not.” Above them another layer of clouds was closing in like a coffee lid. There likely wasn’t much time left before the two would be trapped. “Rainbow…,” Twilight said cautiously. She recognized the look on Rainbow’s face, it was the one she often wore when she was about to do something reckless. “...what are you thinking?” Rainbow’s answer was to grab and pull her onto her back. “Hold on!,” she shouted. “Rainb- WAAAAAAAAH!,”Twilight screamed as Rainbow flew the two of them towards the gap. The two walls of cloud were closing, arcs of lightning crackling between them. Twilight wanted to tell her they wouldn’t make it, but she knew her words won’t be heard over the roar of the wind. Instead she hugged her tighter. To her surprise, the pegasus changed direction at the last moment, choosing to race along the clouds. Rainbow made one loop, then another, then another. Twilight noticed she was picking up speed as her space to maneuver in became smaller and smaller. Wait, was she trying to- Twilight felt a jolt, almost as if they had hit something. It was as if the air they were flying through had become a thick liquid. She felt Rainbow tense. Suddenly some sort of membrane was wrapped around them. The membrane tightened, trying to ensnare them. Turbulence caused Twilight’s teeth to rattle in her jaw. It was becoming difficult to breathe. She held onto Rainbow as hard as she could. She didn’t hear so much as feel Rainbow’s guttural scream. KABOOM! Then suddenly, the pressure went away. A wave of rainbow-colored light erupted out of the barrier Rainbow had broken, scattering the storm clouds. Luna’s moon was now visible, illuminating the two flyers. Twilight watched the multi-colored aura in awe. She had seen a Sonic Rainboom before, but never up close. “Aw yeah!,” Rainbow Dash said, sounding slightly winded. She shook her hoof at the few remaining clouds off in the distance. “Take that you freaks of nature! You don’t mess with the Dash!” “R-rainbow,” Twilight said. Rainbow turned to look at her. Twilight stared at her for a moment, struck by how her appearance under the moonlight and the dying remains of the Rainboom. Her magenta eyes were looking back at Twilight, full of warmth and a bit of mischief. Her prismatic mane was windswept, and a cocky smirk was adoring her muzzle. Twilight could feel the warmth and softness of her fur, her powerful muscles in her body, her pulse beating rapidly around her neck. “Yeah?” Twilight kissed her. She savored the softness of Rainbow’s lips and their sweet taste for a moment before pulling away. “I love you.” Rainbow gave Twilight a knowing smile. “I know.” Unfortunately, neither of them had realized how low they were flying. Rainbow Dash crashed into the top of a tree with a squawk, causing Twilight to be knocked out of her gasp. Before she could take flight or cast a spell to slow their fall a branch snared Twilight, its brethren rushing in to assault her as she tumbled down. Twilight landed with a dull thud, and a few seconds later so did Rainbow. She leapt onto hooves despite her body’s protests and scanned her surroundings. Dense vegetation surrounded her, the stars above nearly covered by vines and branches. She could hear something howling in the distance. They were alone. In the Everfree forest. At night. Twilight heard a groan behind her. “T-Twi?” She ran over to Rainbow’s side, helping her onto her unsteady hooves. “Rainbow Dash! Are you alright?” Twilight noticed that Rainbow was clutching one of her wings to her side. She tried to grab it with her magic, on for Rainbow to let out a pained hiss. “GAK!, ah, Twilight,” she said. Another howl was heard off in the distance. “I don’t think I stuck that landing.”
Chapter 1Twilight sat on the bench, trying to resist the urge to pace. Okay, I just need to calm down, she thought to herself. She’s not that late yet. Twilight glanced up at the clock tower. 6:01.A few more minutes won’t be enough to throw the whole evening off, right? She resumed staring at her hoofs. Sure, being punctual wasn’t exactly one of Rainbow’s strong suites, but it wasn’t like her to be late for something this important. It’s not like she would just forget their anniversary. Was the weather team holding her up? She would have said something if that was a possibility. Or maybe she did? Twilight tried to think back to their last conversation. “Rainbow, are you alright?” Twilight asked. “Huh?” the Pegasus replied, having been shaken from whatever day dream she had been having. The two were eating lunch in their usual hangout: the local Hayburger. Everypony around them was in a cheery mood, mostly talking about the summer sun festival later that evening. “You barely touched your hayfries,” Twilight noted simply. “Oh. I … uh … I’m not really that hungry.” Twilight gave a small “humpf.” Rainbow knew that sound; it was the sound Twilight made when she was trying to figure out a problem. Normally she didn’t mind. She thought it was kind of cute how Twilight could get fixed on little things like that, actually. Now it filled her with a sense of dread. She pushed the plate towards her. “Here,” she said with what she hoped was a smile. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “And you keep looking at your hoofs,” she added. “Yeah, ‘cause they're as awesome as the rest of me. Is that a crime?” “Well maybe if you asked Rarity about how you manage your hoofs…,” Twilight trailed off. Rainbow snicked, then let out a quiet sigh. Twilight grabbed some hayfries in her aura and ate them silently. Rainbow, despite her earlier clam, stole a few as well. “I can’t believe it’s already been a year,” Twilight said after a moment. Rainbow swallowed and gave her a soft smile. “I know,” she said. “It seems incredible when you think about it.” “That’s what I just said.” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow and Twilight frowned. “Wait, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to be rude, I jus- “ Rainbow Dash cut her off with a laugh. “S’okay Twilight,” she said. “I guess after a year I’m starting to rub off on you.” Twilight let out a relieved laugh. Suddenly, a thunder clap sounded from the outside. “Oh no,” Rainbow muttered. “I left them alone for half an hour …” A second thunderbolt hit the sky, followed by a shriek. “Dang it. Twi, I better go make sure everypony is okay.” Twilight sighed but gave her a small nod. She flew over and gave Twilight a small kiss. “Alright,” Twilight said. “I’ll see you tonight around six, then.” “Wouldn’t dream of missing it.” Maybe she’s being held up by her weather team? Twilight shook her head. She knew Ponyville had the occasional wild storm blow in from the Everfree forest. They were messy, but usually nothing that the locals couldn’t handle. She then thought about how she had worded her invitation: “I’ll see you tonight around six then,” she had said to her. Around six. What kind of time frame was that? Did it mean a few minutes before or after six? 15 minutes? More? She really needs to watch her wording next time. “Boo!” “GAH!” Twilight jumped into the air, her wings spreading reflexively, prepared to fly away from danger. Instead of danger, however, Twilight turned around to find her snickering marefriend. “Rainbow,” Twilight snapped. “Oh, come on Twi,” she said once she finished chuckling. “I got you good.” Twilight did not verbally reply, instead choosing to give the pegasus a stern stair. “You know you’re cute when you're mad,” she said, the grin never leaving her muzzle. Twilight held her composure for a few more seconds before a giggle escaped from her lips. She then ran over and scooped her up in a hug. “Happy anniversary,” she whispered into Rainbow Dash’s ear. Then she leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the lips. Twilight grinned smugly at Rainbow’s flushed expression. “Heh…uh, I brought you some flowers,” the pegasus said, gesturing to the boutique lying that she had dropped nearby. “Oh, Dash...” Twilight said as she lifted them into her basket with her magic. Seeing her little smile caused Rainbows confidence to return. “Yeah, I got them from Roseluck after lunch,” she explained. The boutique she had prepared for Rainbow Dash was composed of blue … something squalls and lilacs. Rainbow had initially questioned the lack of subtlety, but Twilight seemed to neither notice or care. She lifted the flowers into her basket. Twilight then began to hover just off of the ground. “And you’re wearing your saddle bags,” she noted. Twilight smirked. “I wonder what’s inside.” “Only the most amazing, awesome, wonderful gift provided by yours truly,” Rainbow beamed, closing her eyes and puffing out her chest. “I can’t wait to see it,” Twilight added.” But first, we have a cloud to get to. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and grinned. “Shall we?” “So, then we finally got the clouds back over the Everfree,” Rainbow finished. She was laying on her back on top of a picnic blanket on top of a cloud. Twilight had been careful to select the perfect cloud ahead of time. It was a cute Cumulus humilis cloud just slightly larger than her picnic blanket when fully spread. Not too soft, not too firm, and just the right altitude to see the fireworks later tonight. Rainbow was eating the dinner Twilight had made sure to bring: a pasta and potato sandwich on sourdough bread and cider. “So, anything exciting happened today?” Rainbow asked. “Well, Celestia sent me a report on a dispute between shipping routes from the near the Equestria’s maritime borders and fishers from the Griffon Empire during- “ “Egghead stuff, got it.” “Rainbow,” Twilight said while rolling her eyes, although she still grinned. Rainbow swallowed the last piece of her sandwich and let out a satisfied burp. Twilight couldn’t even pretend to be annoyed. She then grabbed her cider and finished it with a loud gulp. Rainbow then let out a satisfied sigh and patted her belly with a hoof. Twilight smiled at the sight before her. Everything was going exactly as planned. Twilight walked over to her marefriend until her face was directly above Rainbow’s. “Well hey there,” Rainbow Dash chuckled. Twilight bent down and kissed her. “It’s funny,” Twilight said after breaking her kiss. “It’s like you said this morning: if you were to tell me a few years ago that I would be moving to Ponyville with the best friends I could ask for, I wouldn’t have believed you. And I especially wouldn’t believe that I would fall in love with the strongest, bravest, kindest, and most loyal marefriend that I could ever ask for. “ Rainbow blushed, deciding that she was actually okay with the sappiness of the moment. “I love you too, Twilight.” She tilted her head forward for another kiss. “I know,' Twilight said, moving away from Rainbow. Before the Pegasus could get too confused, Twilight said, “Which is why I got you this.” She levitated a small box wrapped in a tiny red bow over towards Rainbow Dash. “My anniversary present.” Rainbow said. It was more of a statement than a question. “No offence Twi, but I think mine’s gonna top whatever you got.” Twilight laughed at the boldness of the statement. “We’ll see about that,” she retorted. Rainbow stuck out her tongue as Twilight set the box next to her. This is it. It’s finally happening. The world seemed to fall into slow motion as Rainbow pulled the ribbon off the box with her teeth. Twilight barely suppressed a squee of delight. Rainbow looked back at the alicorn, pausing with a smile on her face. She nodded for her to continue. Rainbow then eagerly clasped her hoof together, like a foal about to open her Hearth’s Warming present. She flipped the lid off of the box. Rainbow stared at her gift. She blinked. Her smile slowly fell. “Twi?” she said softly. There was no excitement or joy in her voice. Only … confusion? No. “Twi?” Rainbow repeated. No. An icy dagger stabbed through her heart. She can’t. She doesn’t want… “It’s empty.” Distracted by the horrible thought, it took Twilight a moment to process what she heard. “W-what!?” “There’s nothing in here,” Rainbow said matter-of-factly. “I-I don’t understand …” Twilight’s aura snatched the box from Rainbow Dash. She turned it upside down and furiously shook it. Nothing fell out. Twilight dropped the box onto the ground and stared at it for a moment, as if expecting something to suddenly spring out of it. “H-how…?” “Twi, it’s not that bi- AAACK!” Rainbow finished with a startled yelp as Twilight lifted her into the air. She managed to wiggle out of Twilight’s grasp and flipped herself over. Beneath her Twilight was furiously pawing at the cloud, searching in vain for her lost gift. “I-I forgot it?” Twilight said to herself. “H-how can this happen? I’ve been preparing for this for days...” Twilight began to quietly mutter to herself. Rainbow had known Twilight long enough to know this was no good. If she didn’t snap her out of this now things will get out of hoof quickly. “Twilight,” she said as gently as she could. Rainbow laid a hoof on her withers, stopping her rant. “It’s no big deal.” Twilight slowly turned towards her with a glare that could melt a glacier. “No. Big. Deal,” she spat. “IT’S A REALLY BUCKING BIG DEAL!” Rainbow grimaced. “Ow, my ears,” she muttered. Twilight sat down on her haunches. “Tonight was supposed to be perfect. I ruined everything.” Rainbow couldn’t bear the misery in her voice. She sat next to Twilight and draped a wing around her shoulders. “C’mon Twi, tonight isn’t ruined.” “Yes, it is,” Twilight groaned. Rainbow realized that now might be her chance. “You know, “she removed her wing from Twilight. “I still haven’t shown you my gift.” Twilight turned towards her; her look of misery replaced by one of curiosity. “Trust me,” Rainbow continued, “and think the girls back home are gonna be really happy about this to.” “Home?” Twilight asked. Her eyes widened. “THAT’S IT!” With a flash, Twilight teleported away, leaving her dumbfounded marefriend behind on the cloud. “Next time,” she said to herself. She then took off in search of Twilight. Author's Note Howdy there! Thanks for reading.
Chapter 2Twilight rematerialized in her bedroom with a loud pop. She shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. Okay, she thought to herself. It’s fine. It’s fine. She opened her eyes and quickly read the alarm clock by her bed: 7:22. If she could find it quickly, she could get back to Dash and still be on schedule. Maybe she’d be lucky and spot it right away. Twilight’s eyes then scanned her room. Nothing. It was as if her gift was hiding from her. Maybe it was under the bed? Twilight dove onto the floor and poked her head under the mattress. She was greeted by some dust bunnies and a dead bumblebee. Her wings twitched in agitation. She pulled back out, turning her focus to her night stand. She pulled open its drawer and using her aura lifted its contents into the air. Mostly just some quills and parchment. Twilight then lifted the night stand about a foot into the air and furiously pawed at the floor beneath it. Still nothing. Twilight was not going to let Rainbow down. Not tonight. She turned to the bookshelf sitting under her mirror. Twilight pulled a book off the top shelf with her telekinesis. She noticed the title. It was part of a new series that she was reading with Rainbow Dash. She then hoisted the rest of the books into the air. They began to slowly spiral around the room along with the contents from her nightstand as Twilight searched the shelves. It had to be somewhere. Twilight kicked the shelf in frustration, causing a picture frame to topple over. She picked it up and frowned. It was a picture of her and Rainbow Dash from last Hearth’s Warming Eve. She had her wing draped over Twilight’s back, the two of them wearing proud smiles and matching blue and purple wool hats. Twilight had expected her to say they were lame or something, she didn’t expect Rainbow to want to put them on and get their picture together. Twilight gently set the picture back down. Rainbow Dash. Twilight quickly darted across her room. She picked her telescope up and turned it upside down, as if the gift would fall off. What if she wouldn’t be able to find it? She ripped open the doors on her closet. She’d never forgive herself if she never found it. Her clothes sprang free and flew into the air. What would happen to them as a couple? Several boxes tumbled out of the closet, their context spewing onto the floor before ascending. Twilight didn’t know if their relationship could survive the strain this would cause. Her closet was now empty, its content floating above her.. Would they break up? Twilight began to pace around her room. She didn’t know if they would be able to go back to being friends. Her possessions swarmed above her as she moved like angry insects. Oh Celestia, what if it drove her and the rest of the girls apart as well? Twilight breathing became heavy. What would she do then? She didn’t know if she could show her face around Ponyville if that happened. She’d have to go back to Canterlot, and then what? Then it would only only be a matter of time before something realized Equestria was vulnerable to attack without the elements. Ponykind would find itself in jeopardy... Twilight was too lost in her worries to notice the mare entering the room behind her at first. When she did, she screamed and an explosion filled the room. “Almost, almost, ah! Perfect!,” Rarity beamed. She was instructing Fluttershy as she was hanging a banner on the wall. She took a step back to admire their craftwork. The map room was decorated with balloons, streamers, and other party supplies provided by none other than Pinkie Pie, who was absent at the moment. Applejack was sitting in her seat at the map, helping to blow up some balloons. In the chair beside her was Spike. Without Twilight being there to stop him he had eaten too many of the sweets Pinkie had brought. Now he was snoring softly as he lay slumped over. “You think they’ll like it?,” Fluttershy asked as she landed. “Like it!? Why Darling, I’d think they would love it! Oh, what better way to celebrate one year of true love.” Rarity swooned. Applejack let out a snort at her outburst. “What was that, Darling?” “Nothing,” Applejack said. She tied a knot on the balloon she had blown up, then smirked. “It’s just a little funny that ya seem might bit more excited ‘bout their anniversary than they do.” “Humph. Can’t I just be happy that both of them have finally found their special someponies! Even if the two of them are a teensy bit unorthodox,” Rarity said. Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Alright, maybe I’m a tiny bit excited about the eventual wedding.” Rarity signed dreamily. “Oh, just imagine! I could finally fit that Rainbow Dash in a dress! Not to mention get a chance to fix that mane of hers…” “Guys!” The doors suddenly burst open as the pegasus in question suddenly dashed through. She circled around the room and landed on the map in front of a still-sleeping Spike. “We got a problem!” “Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said, “What happened? Where’s Twilight?” “She uh, kinda took off on me.” Rarity gasped. “No,” she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. “No, no, noooooo!,” she shrieked as she latched onto Fluttershy for support. Rarity apparently didn’t hear the small “Eep!” that Fluttershy made. “WHY!? WHY!? WH-WH-WHY!?” “Um, ACK! Rarity, ACK! You’re, um... ACK! Hurting me…” “H-HOW COULD FATE BE SO...SO... CRUUUUUUUEL!?,” Rarity said between sobs. “A-ah don’t understand,” Applejack added, her voice laced with shock. “It’s one thing to say no, but ta run away afterwards?” “Well, actually, I uh… didn’t get to ask her yet.” Rainbow gave a chuckle sheepishly as she clutched her saddle bags. “WHAT!?,” Rarity shouted as she released Fluttershy, giving the mare a chance to breathe. Spike lifted his head up at the sound of his beloved in distress, muttered something, and promptly went back to sleep. “Rainbow, ya said ya were gonna finally do it!,” Applejack said, pointing an accusing hoof at her. “Hey!” Rainbow flew closer to Applejack until their noses were almost touching. “I was gonna ask her!” Rainbow realized that she was shouting and took a step backwards. “I didn’t chicken out, I was totally gonna do it. She just took off before I had a chance to say anything!” “Um, why would she just leave your date, if you don’t mind me asking, that is.” “She said she forgot her present for me,” Rainbow added. The three mares stared blankly at her as Spike snored. “I’m guessing it threw off her schedule for the evening.” “Oh,” Rainbow’s friends said in unison. Applejack frowned. “Figures. Ah guess we shoulda realized how much she’d worry ‘bout a night like this. Now she’s gone all cra…” Applejack trailed off when she noticed the venomous look on Rainbow Dash’s face. “Eh, sorry.” Rainbow Dash sighed. “It’s fine,” she said. “Hey wait a minute. If you three are here, then where’s-” A scream was heard from upstairs, followed by a bang. Spike rolled over and continued to sleep. “Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash said, her stomach sinking. Everypony then raced upstairs. “Okay Twilight,” Fluttershy said as she gently guided her head under the bathroom faucet with a hoof. “I’m going to need you to try and keep your eyes open for me, okay?,” Twilight nodded as best as she could. Twilight winced as she felt water pour into her face, but did her best not to shut her eyes. As she grit her teeth she managed to overhear the conversation the mares were having in the next room. “Now now, Darling. I’m sure it is just a misunderstanding.” “A misunderstanding!? She shot my marefriend in the face with her party cannon!” “I didn’t mean to! I swear! I swear!” “Oh. Well I guess that makes it all okay then.” “Aww, thanks Dashie! I knew you’d forgive me!” “I swear to Celestia …” “Woah, easy there sugarcube. Ah’m sure Pinkie’s gotta a good explanation fer what happened.” “Yeah! Totally.” “And what would that be?” “I was defending the castle!” “Defending. The. Castle.” “Yep.” Pinkie paused for a moment. “Oh, okay.” Pinkie inhaled sharply. “Okay so, I went to the kitchen to triple check on the cakes, I mean, the cakes I baked for Twilight and Dashie, not the Cake ponies. And by Cake ponies I mean the ones that own Sugarcube corner, not ponies that bake cakes. Although I COULD be said to be a cake pony since I bake cakes almost everyday. And the Cakes probably would consider me to be an HONORARY member of the Cake family. I mean, we are really close, and Marble always wanted a little brother, although it would be weird to have four parents-” “PINKIE!” “Right, sorry. So aaaanyways, I was checking the cakes when I got an itchy hoof and a wobbly left knee, which means that somepony forgot to close a window. And I know crystal buildings don’t get the BEST circulation, but nopony wants bugs and stuff getting in.” “So then I was going around to every room, making sure every window was nice and tightly shut. But then I heard this really really loud noise! At first I thought that I set of one of Pinkie Pie’s Prepacked Party Poppers™, but then I thought ‘That doesn’t sound like one of Pinkie Pie’s Prepacked Party Poppers™, that sounds like somepony moving furniture around’ But the girls and Spike are downstairs, and Twilight and Dashie are out, so who else could it be? Then I thought ‘GASP! It’s a no-good burglar!” He’s goning through Twilight’s stuff! And Twilight hates it when other ponies go through her stuff! She’s always like ‘Pinkie don’t touch that. Pinkie, that might be poisonous. Pinkie, you should wash your hooves after picking that up.’ So I grabbed my party cannon and went to give that big meanie a piece of my mind-” “And I got confetti in my eyes,” Twilight finished as Fluttershy shut off the faucet.. “Heh heh, sorry.” Twilight sighed. “It’s fine.” She grabbed a towel and began patting her face dry. “Wait a minute, why are you guys here? Shouldn’t you be out celebrating the festival?” Everypony suddenly fell silent. “Oh, well sugarcube, ya see…” Applejack trailed off as she noticed Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie furiously shaking their heads. “We were decorating the map room, ‘cause, um…” “Because we wanted to throw you two a party for your one year anniversary!,” Rarity said. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie both let out a sigh of relief. “I see,” Twilight said, deciding that she had more important things to worry about as she set the towel down. She grimaced as she saw her reflection. Her eyes were bloodshot, her mane was ruined, and the fur around her face was matted. Just perfect, she thought. Rarity took notice and shot over to Twilight. “Don’t worry Darling. I’ll have that mane of yours fixed up in no time!” “Sorry Rarity, but we don’t have time for that.” Twilight trotted past a flabbergasted Rarity back into her bedroom. She grimaced as she saw the mess. After being temporarily blinded by Pinkie Pie she had released her telekinesis. Now her belongings were scattered across her floor. Normally Twilight wouldn’t mind an excuse to reorganize things, but now was not the time. She turned to face the girls. “Rainbow, my...your present is not here. The only remaining place where it could be is in the map room. If I can find it within the next ten minutes, we’ll have time to pick up where our date left off.” “NO!,” five mares shouted in unison. Startled, Twilight jumped into the air, hovering for a moment before landing. “Wh-why not?,” Twilight asked incredulously. “Um, you seem really tense. Why don’t you relax here while I go to look for it with Rarity and Applejack. If you don’t mind, of course,” Fluttershy said. Twilight shook her head. “No, I’m sorry but that won’t work. For that to work I’d have to tell you about my...Rainbow’s gift, and I doubt any of you will be able to contain yourselves once I do.” “And just what does that mean?,” Applejack said, narrowing her eyes. “It’s...I...you’ll understand after I give it to her. I’m sorry.” She trotted out the door. Suddenly Rainbow Dash swooped down in front of Twilight, blocking her path. “Fluttershy has a point you know, Twi,” Rainbow said. She raised her wing to block Twilight from going around her. “You seem a little tense. Maybe I could help you relax a little.” Rainbow batted her eyelashes. She then leaned in to whisper into her ear: “If you know what I mean.” Twilight blushed. “D-dash,” she said, stammering as Rainbow began to nuzzle her neck. “We...ah...can’t we do this later?” “You really want to wait till later?,” Rainbow asked in a husky voice. She then began to nibble Twilight’s ear. “Hm. Something tells me you won’t make it till later.” Rainbow then pressed her lip’s against Twilight’s as she caressed her back with her hooves. Twilight moaned in delight. “Applejack, where do I look?,” Pinkie whispered. “Ah don’t think there’s anywhere safe ta look.” Rainbow broke the kiss, brushing a lock of Twilight’s mane out of her face. “Oh, Dashie,” Twilight said breathlessly. “Dash I, wait...No!” Twilight suddenly teleported behind Rainbow. “Hey!” “Sorry Dash,” Twilight said as she trotted down the hallway. “Trust me, you’ll thank me later.” “WAIT!,” Rarity shouted. Twilight stopped and turned around. Thinking quickly, Rarity grabbed a letter off the floor with her magic. “Twilight, darling, Spike got this letter from the Princesses earlier today. It might be important.” Twilight snatched the letter in her aura and quickly scanned it. Rarity hoped to Celestia that it would buy them at least a few minutes. “This is from three weeks ago,” Twilight said and floated it back over to Rarity. She turned around again. “Well, Ah’m all outta ideas,” Applejack added. A sense of dread filled Pinkie Pie’s stomach as she realized what she had to do. She reached into her hair to grab one of her Pinkie’s Prepacked Party Poppers™. “Sorry Twilight,” she muttered. Pinkie then threw it at Twilight’s flank, where it exploded into a mixture of glitter and streamers. Twilight leapt into the air, her wings spreading in an attempt to take flight. Instead, her forehooves hit the ground and she toppled forward onto the floor with a squawk. Rainbow flew over to help her up while Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy galloped out the door behind her. Once she was on her hooves again Twilight whirled around towards Pinkie Pie, her pupils tiny pinpricks and her face redder than Big Macintosh’s. “Piiiiiiiiiinkie pie,” Twilight growled. Pinkie pie swallowed. “Um, yes?” “WHY IN EQUESTRIA DID YOU DO THAT!?” “Oh, um, there was a spider! On your butt!" Pinkie took a step back. "I was just looking out for you again!” Twilight’s right eye began to twitch. “Um, it was really … big?” With an exasperated sign, Twilight turned and ran through the door. “Wait,” Rainbow Dash asked. “Was the spider big, or was her butt big?” Pinkie shrugged.
Chapter 4“OOOOOOH, WHY!? WHYYYYYYYYYY?” A horrible wailing could be heard outside of Friendship Castle, nearly drawing out the weak pleas from a certain yellow pegasus. “Rarity… Ack! I know you're upset right now,” Fluttershy wheezed. “Ack! But could p-please not try and… squish me. Hick!” Rarity was sitting on the front steps of Friendship Castle, clutching Fluttershy to her chest as she sobbed. “If y-you, AH!, don’t mind, that is.” “Th-they were so… so perfect together! I was going to make them matching OUTFIIIIIIIIIITS!” Rarity then began to squeeze Fluttershy even tighter. “Rarity… Ack! Please! M-my spine! Ack!” Fortunately, the doors opened to reveal Fluttershy’s savior in the form of a baby dragon carrying a tub and a spoon. “Rairty,” Spike said, panting for breath. “W-we still have some mint chocolate chip left.” The unicorn released Fluttershy from her grasp, grabbing the ice cream in her hooves and the spoon with her magic. She wiped her eyes on her cannon. “Th-thank you, Spike. You really are a true friend,” Rarity said as she gave Spike an affectionate pat on the cheek. The drake smiled like he was a foal opening his presents on Hearth's Warming. Neither paid much attention to Fluttershy, who had promptly fallen onto the floor like a sack of potatoes, gasping for air. Applejack shook her head at the scene. Between the fact that she was never a fan of down time in the best of days and that she was worried about her friends she had begun to back and forth in front of the steps, letting out the occasional sigh. The quietest of the group was, ironically, Pinkie Pie. She was laying on her back with her hooves in the air, her mane having long since deflated. A board and worried frown was etched into her muzzle as she lazily batted her balloon. Suddenly a bright light shined across the sky, snapping the friends out of their musings. Rarity quickly swallowed the lump of ice cream she was eating, gasping in awe and the multi-colored ring of light expanding across the heavens. Pinkie Pie leapt back onto her hooves, her hair quickly regaining its normal bounce. “Dashie! Dashie!,” Pinkie Pie, pointing with one hoof while excitedly trotting in place. Then she stood up on two legs, cupping her hooves around her mouth to shout “DASHIE! WE CAN SEE YOU!” Applejack winced from her yelling, then frowned. “It seems like its coming from the Everfree.” “But what would she be doing over the Everfree at this hour?,” Rarity asked. She gave the tub of ice cream back to Spike as she stood up. “Ah don’t know, but ah don’t have a good feel’n ‘bout this.” Applejack then began to march forwards. “Applejack darling, where are you going? “Ah think our friends might be in trouble. We gotta check it out.” “A-and go into the forest? A-at night?,” Fluttershy whispered, covering her mouth with her hooves. Then she suddenly shook her head. “N-no, our friends may be in trouble,” she said, mostly to herself. “They would do the same for me.” With that she began to follow Applejack. Rarity was about to join them when she turned and noticed Spike beside her with a look of pure terror on his face. She gave him a soft smile. “Dear, why don’t you stay behind and make sure the castle is okay?,” she said, giving him a pat on the head. Spike quickly sprouted a look of relief before shaking his head. He then raised his claw in a solute, trying his best to look determined. Rarity turned and left. Suddenly Pinkie appeared in front of Spike. The look on her face was so unusually serious that it caused Spike to take a step back. “Spike.” “Y-yes?” Pinkie then handed him her balloon. “Take care of Howie for me.” Spike blinked. “Um, okay?” Pinkie nodded and then turned around. She then began humming a tune to herself, happily bouncing after her friends. “Almost...almost, gah!” Rainbow Dash let out another hiss of pain. She was standing on her hind legs with a tree branch in her mouth. As she briefly lost her balance, she had instinctively spread her wings and aggravated her injuries. She dropped back onto her hooves, the branch tumbling uselessly out of her mouth. “Dang it,” she whispered. While her wing wasn’t broken (thank Celestia, she’d never hear the end of it if she had to go to the hospital again) she had definitely sprained it. And while Twilight was a much better flyer than when she first got her wings, no small part due to Rainbow’s flying lessons, she still was nowhere near strong enough to carry her. Which meant that they would have to stay put. At least until morning. With a sigh Rainbow picked up the branch again. Above her was her saddle bag, suspended in the air by a tree branch. She stood on her hind legs again, angling the stick upward. “Come on, come on,” she thought to herself. After an eternity Rainbow managed to hook one of the straps. With an amount of focus she normally reserved for stunt work or Daring Doo, she freed her bag from the tree’s wooden grasp, causing it to land with a quite yet satisfying thud. Rainbow Dash spat out the stick and quickly checked inside. By some miracle, her precious cargo had survived the fall. “Yes!,” she said, pumping a hoof into the air. It had seemed as if their luck was turning around. She turned to face Twilight and frowned. After tending Rainbow’s injuries the best she could, Twilight had prepared a small fire. She then sat down in front of it, neither moving nor speaking since then. Rainbow put her saddlebags back on and walked over to Twilight. The alicorn continued to stare at the flames, giving zero response to Rainbow’s presence. She then noticed that Twilight’s horn was glowing. She was making some sort of spell. Curious, Rainbow followed her gaze. She peered into the flames, not seeing anything for a moment. Then she saw the tiny specks of lavender rising up above the flames. Rainbow tilted her head up. Above the kindling was a sphere of purple light, about the size of a pony. Every few seconds it flicked like a heartbeat. the purple embers would float up from below to join the sphere as if feeding it. “It’s a beacon spell,” Twilight said all of a sudden. “Huh?” “A beacon spell It’s a spell that takes a small amount of heat and light from a preexisting flame and uses them to create a signal that can be seen from miles away. The ‘Equestrian Wildness Survival Guide’ highly recommends all unicorns learn the spell before venturing out into the woods.” “Huh.” “It’s actually quite interesting how they form. The magic and fire causes cool air to be drawn upwards, producing strong air currents known as after winds. This creates a region where the magically charged air rotates around, producing a vortex ring with a torodial shape.” “Honestly, it looks like a jellyfish to me,” Rainbow said as she sat next to Twilight. “Ya know, like from that time we went to the aquarium?” “I remember,” Twilight said. Then she smiled. “You were screaming like a filly when we saw the turtle exhibit.” “Hey! Turtles. Are. Awesome. Tank’s a tortoise, and he’s awesome, and turtles are just water tortoises, so they're awesome too!” Rainbow Dash had raised both her fore hooves in the air to emphasize the last point. “Can’t argue with that logic,” Twilight snicked. The two mares fell silent for a moment, and then Twilight sighed. “Rainbow, I’m sorry about tonight.” “Twi, you know I won't get mad at you over something like this, right?” “I know,” Twilight said, barely a whisper. “Then why are you so worked up?” Twilight exhaled through her nose. “Rainbow, I know what I'm like,” she said. When Rainbow didn’t reply, she signed and continued: “Look at you and the girls, for example. You knew Fluttershy much of your life, and she was friends with Rarity before I came here. Rarity and Applejack knew each other, although they weren’t really close until later, and Pinkie… well, she knew everypony. She is Pinkie, after all.” For a moment, the two shared a smile at her last remark. Then Twilight frowned. “And me? Who did I have?” “Ya had Spike,” Rainbow pointed out. “I meant in terms of friends. Spike’s important to me, yes, but he’s more like a younger sibling to me. But ponies around my age, not related to me that I spent time with of my own volition? Not that many. And even then, we were never close. Most of the time it felt like they had to force me to go out. Heck, I wouldn’t have even meant you if the Princess didn’t literally tell me to.” “And then, we defeated Nightmare Moon, and for the first time in my life I had actual friends. But even then, I had no idea what I was doing. I actually had to read a book in order to figure out what to do for my first sleepover. Even Fluttershy didn’t need to do that! All seemed to just know how to go out and interact with other ponies, and I didn’t. No pony else ever did something like … like brainwashing half the town to fight over a doll! Or wasting a whole week trying to prevent some apocalypse that was never going to happen! Or dragging their marefriend into a deadly thunderstorm!” “And yet, you all wanted to be friends with me. Instead of somepony who you could be with without having to worry she is going to say the wrong thing because of some outdated book on friendship, or that will turn the town into a disaster area over some minor problem.” Twilight was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. “T-that’s why I wanted tonight to be perfect, so I could show you how much you matter to me. Because I know how much you are giving up by being with somepony like me.” For a moment, there was nothing but the crackling of the flames. Then Rainbow slammed into Twilight, nearly knocking her over before bringing her into a kiss. Once she had finished, she pulled back and grabbed Twilight’s head in her hooves, turning it so she was forced to look her in the eyes. “Twilight, do you know what my relationship with Fluttershy was like before I meant you?” “Rainbow, wh-” “Twilight, I barely saw her! The only time we would really speak was when my weather team needed to know if some animals were having a problem with the weather. And do you know why?” Twilight shook her head. “Because I was thinking that my fillyhood friend wasn’t cool enough to hang out with. Because I used to be a real jerk back then. Because I didn’t know anything about friendship. And you know what, I probably never would of changed if I hadn’t meant you!” “And you’re holding me back? How? By leading me to the best friends I could of ever had? By cheering me on during the best young flyer competition, by helping me pass an exam to get into the Wonderbolt reserve, which, by the way, is kinda, ya know, my dream.” “And what about all of the adventures that we had, all places I’ve seen and all the ponies I never would of meant if not for you? Hay, do you know how many times we have saved Equestria? Not once, not twice, but uh... whatever ya call it when something happens three times!?” “Thrice?,” Twilight suggested. “You see! You think I would of learned that word without you!?” Twilight giggled. Rainbow leaned in until their muzzles were almost touching. “So don’t go thinking you’re holding me back, Twilight. You are the best thing to ever happen to me.” Rainbow Dash leaned forward and kissed her again. “I love you.” “I know,” Twilight replied with a smirk. She then placed her head on Rainbow’s shoulder as she drew her in for a hug, careful not to hurt her injured wing. The two sat like that for sometime, enjoying the quiet and stillness of the night. Eventually, Rainbow Dash realized something. Maybe this was the moment she had been hoping for. She still had her gift, after all. And it looked like their night was ending on a high note. Maybe she finally had a chance to finally ask Twilight… “Rainbow,” Twilight said, suddenly ending the hug. Her ears were straight up, a look of fear upon her face. “Rainbow, did you hear that?” Rainbow Dash froze, trying to listen. At first she heard nothing but a heavy silence that hung in the air. Her pulse hammered in her ears when she remembered something Fluttershy had told her a while ago. That critters usually went quiet when they heard a predator nearby. A low growl then cut through the air. “Oh, Buck.” The squirrel was chatting animatedly, waving his paws in the air. “Uh huh. I see,” Fluttershy said, nodding in attention. Her friends had gathered around her, eagerly waiting for some news. “Oh,” she said. “Come on, what’s he saying?,” Applejack asked. Futtlershy raised a hoof to tell her to be quiet. Fluttershy sighed. “Okay. Thanks anyways.” She gave the squirrel an affectionate pat on the head before he ran off into the night. Fluttershy turned to face her friends. “He said that his scurry had seen the Rainboom, but they hadn't seen any ponies besides us.” The mares let out a collective groan of frustration. “Dang it!,” Applejack said, throwing her stetson on the ground. “We’ll never find ‘em at this rate!” “Maybe we could head over to Zecora’s?,” Rarity suggested. “If anypony knows what's going on in the woods, it would be her.” “By the time we make it ta her place we coulda cover half the forest!” “Well, do we really know if time is of the essence here. After all, we don’t really know if they are in any trouble.” “Well, then explain ta me why she would make a Sonic Rainbow then?” “Maybe it was meant for Twilight?,” Fluttershy added. “I mean, um, she did it so that Twilight could know where to find her?” “Which means she doesn’t know where Twilight is. Just like the rest of us,” Applejack muttered. “Hey, what’s that?,” Pinkie said. She pointed at something in the distance, the others turning to look. Barely visible above the treeline was a ring of purple light, gently pulsing every few seconds. “Hum,” Applejack said as she placed her stetson back on her head. Something about the light seemed familiar… “ALIENS!,” Pinkie shouted, causing everypony to jump. “THEY’RE GONNA PROBE US!” With a blur of pink she hid herself inside a hollow log, somehow contorting her body to fit. Only a single blue eye and lock of her mane was visible through a hole she entered through. Fluttershy approached the log, kneeling so that she could peer inside the hole. “Pinkie Pie,” she said with a tone often used for her animal friends. “We’ve been over this. There are no such things as aliens.” “Nu-uh!” The lock of hair reached through the hole like a tendril, booping Fluttershy’s nose. “Aliens totally exist! How else do you explain those weird lights Tree Hugger saw? And Berry Punch was totally abducted by them. You could ask her about it yourself!” “Pinkie dear,” Rarity deadpanned. “I don't think those two are the most reliable sources of information.” “Why? What’d you mean?” “It’s a message,” Applejack said suddenly, causing Pinkie’s head to pop out of the log. “Um, pardon?,” Fluttershy said. “It’s a message,” Applejack repeated. “When ah was a filly, ya know, back at camp with Rara, we learned all these little codes. Usta send each other secret messages an’ such.” Applejack’s eyebrows knitted together. “Ah think ah can decipher it…” Applejack sat on her haunches, her friends gathered around her as she stared intensely at the glow. After a moment she began to draw letters in the dirt with her hoof. “S…,” she read. “O… D?” Applejack frowned in confusion. “Soda?,” Pinkie suggested. Suddenly she gasped. “Oh. My. Celestia. The aliens are here for our planet's soda supply!” Rarity did a facehoof. “SOS!,” Applejack shouted. Rarity gasped. “Twilight! She’s in trouble!” With that the mares took off running.
Chapter 5Rainbow Dash was running, Twilight following close beside her. In spite of the fact that each step sent a jolt of pain though her damaged wing she managed to keep pace. She had listened to what Twilight had shouted before they took off: don’t run at your full speed, you will tire quickly. Instead try to pace yourself. The best roared again, causing the earth to tremble beneath her hooves. Against her better judgement, Rainbow turned and for the first time took a look at their pursuer. The… thing was massive, about the size of a house, and yet somehow able to navigate the forest at remarkable speed. Its flesh was leathery, covered in hideous scars and boils. Yet what caught Rainbow’s attention the most was its face, if it could be called that, with its mouth… Sweet Celestia. How could that thing have that many teeth? She ran even faster. As the chase continued, an odd sense of familiarity came over Rainbow. By this point in her life, she had become quite accustomed to the occasional life-or-death situation. Even back when she had left flight school and decided to start seriously training for the Wonderbolts, there had been many situations where some stunt had gone wrong and she had ended up a hair’s breadth away from maiming herself. Of course, she had taken those near accidents as a source of pride and had her middle name legally changed from “Miriam” to “Danger.” All was well for sometime, until she became one of the Elements of Harmony. And while that title did come with many perks, it also had a few notable drawbacks. Such as the fact that she was often frontline in the fight against whatever was threatening ponykind that week. Of course, she would never hesitate to help any friend in trouble, so eventually that became routine as well. Then things once again escalated, and she found herself in the most nerve-racking event of her entire life: dating one of her closest friends. Even though it was a year ago Rainbow could still remember that night in the Golden Oaks Library like it was yesterday. “Okay Dash, you could do this,” she said to her reflection in the mirror. She wasn’t nervous. How could she be? She had practiced what she wanted to say with Tank all morning. Sure, he wasn’t purple or able to speak, but he always was a good listener. It couldn’t be too hard, right? All she had to do was leave the bathroom, march on over to Twilight and ask her out on a date. What’s the worst thing that could happen? Well, it might turn out that Twilight doesn't like her that way. After all, Rainbow still wasn’t completely sure she liked mares. But Twilight wasn’t the kind of pony to just cut off one of her friends like that. Right? Granted, it would still make things very awkward between them, and Twilight probably wouldn’t be as keen to go flying or read books together... No!, she thought to herself. She was Rainbow Dash, one of the Elements of Harmony, holder of many speed records, multi-time savoir of Equestria, and all around coolest pony. She would not cower in Twilight’s bathroom all day! She saw her own expression harden in the mirror. “Let's do this!,” she said to herself. Rainbow then slammed the bathroom door open. A loud bang echoed through the hall, freezing Rainbow in her tracts. Owlowiscious, who had been sleeping on a nearby perch, turned and gave her an incredulous look. “Eh-heh, sorry,” Rainbow said with an apologetic smile. Twilight’s pet continued to glare at her for a moment before going back to sleep. Rainbow puffed her chest out before making her way over to Twilight. Twilight was exactly where she was before Rainbow went to the bathroom: sitting on her coach, completely engrossed in her book. She didn’t seem to of had heard the noise from earlier. Twilight’s ears twitched but she kept reading as Rainbow sat next to her. Rainbow cleared her throat. “H-hey, um, Twilight,” Rainbow said, cringing at her stutter. “Hm?” Twilight looked up, first at Rainbow, then at a window just behind her. “Oh goodness, I didn’t realize it’s getting dark.” She closed her book then turned to face Rainbow. “Are you about to head home?” “Well, not exactly. There’s, uh, something I wanna ask you first” Rainbow said, suddenly uncomfortably warm. “It’s kinda important.” “Well, you know you could ask me anything, right?” Twilight smiled, looking at her with those big, innocent purple eyes. “Well…” The back of Rainbow’s neck was suddenly very itchy. Which was definitely the reason why she was rubbing it. “Ya know how there’s that whole fireworks thing tomorrow night?” “Um-hum.” Luna’s moon, that look she was giving her could give Fluttershy’s stare a run for its money. “I was just thinkin’... since, ya know, the two of us have been getting along really well, a-and you’re really smart and kind and funny and cute, um, I was wanting to ask if you would, uh, wouldliketogooutonadatewithmetomorrow?” Twilight’s smiled vanished. For a horrible moment she sat gasping like a fish before speaking. “Sorry, I’m gay!” Rainbow blinked. “Uh, yeah, I don’t see how that would be a problem here…” “I mean, no! No, I am gay, maybe? Oh Celestia this is confusing... Rainbow cut her off. “Look, I get it. You don’t like me that way. It's cool,” she said, hoping Twilight wouldn’t hear the disappointment in her voice. Rainbow fidgeted with her hooves, finding herself unable to make eye contact. “Just, uh, just forget I ever said anything.” She began to rise from the couch. “N-no! Wait, Rainbow!” Twilight gestured for her to sit back down, which Rainbow did. Before she could speak Twilight held up a hoof to shush her and began to do one of her deep breathing exercises. After another minute she regained her composure. “I am gay. I think. Or at least bi. I still have a bit more reading to do on the subject…” “Twi?” “Right! Uh, sorry.” Twilight cleared her throat. “I… don’t really have the most experience with dating, to be honest. I didn’t even realize that I could like mares until very recently.” “Recently?,” Rainbow asked, a seed of hope sprouting within her. “A few weeks ago, after one of our flying lessons. I was just thinking about how well we, you know,” she paused as if searching for the right word. “Clicked together. I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and then I realized why. I… I really like you Rainbow. A lot, and not just as a friend.” “Wait, weeks ago? Then what was with the whole ‘sorry I’m gay’ thing earlier?” Twilight frowned with confusion. “Oh,” she said before giving a sheepish chuckle. “Yeah sorry about that. Force of habit, I suppose. When stallions hear that you’re connected to the Princesses they all start hitting on you.” Rainbow frowned. “Ya mean like what Zephyr does?” “Yes. Except there are dozens of him at once.” Rainbow shuddered at the mental image. “But still, all this time and you didn’t say anything?” “Well… like I said, I was kind of taken aback by the whole ‘liking another mare’ thing. I knew if I told anypony else the conversation would inevitably involve my lack of experience, which I was too embarrassed to bring up. And I didn’t really know how to approach you, either. I thought maybe I should do some research first…” “Why am I not surprised?” “Oh, hush you!,” Twilight said with a chuckle before playfully punching her in the shoulder. Rainbow rubbed her shoulder in mock offense. “So, does this mean you’re saying yes for tomorrow then?” “Only if you want to.” “YES!,” Rainbow shouted, taking off to do a victory lap around the room. “WAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-” She stopped abruptly, landing with an embarrassed grin. Twilight placed a hoof over her muzzle to stifle her giggles. “Uh… perfect! I’ll pick you up around six then?” “Looking forward to it.” “RAINBOW, DUCK!” “Huh?” A tree branch whacked Rainbow Dash across the nose, causing her to lose her balance and fall. Pain shot through her damaged wing, causing her vision to flash white. She grit her teeth, forcing herself into a sitting position. Something warm and wet landed in her mane. A disgusted Rainbow Dash wiped the slime away with her hoof. She glanced up. Above her was a large, drooling maw, full of sharp teeth, reeking of rot and decay. Rainbow Dash had always hoped to die doing something awesome. While not her first choice, Rainbow supposed being eaten alive by a monster would count. Before it could take a bite, the beast was enveloped in a purple glow. It began to float off the ground, until it was above the treetops. Rainbow got back unto her hooves and ran. For a moment the creature hovered in the sky like an ugly parody of Luna’s moon. Then it slammed into the ground. Before the dust could settle it was flying again. The abomination sound found itself being repeatedly tossed up and slammed into the earth like a ragdoll. Each impact was punctuated by an angry shout from a nearby alicorn. “Don’t!” Thud! “You! Thud! “Dare!” Thud! “Mess with!” Thud! “MY MARE FRIEND!” With that, Twilight spun the source of her anger around before releasing her magical hold, sending it sailing off into the distance where it landed with a small explosion. “Woah,” Rainbow Dash said, having appeared next to Twilight at some point. “That. Was. Awesome!" Whatever response Twilight had was drowned out by a ferocious roar off in the distance. She wrapped her wing around Rainbow. “Come on!,” she said, pulling Rainbow along with her. She ran as fast as she could while keeping Rainbow beside her. Eventually the two stumbled into a small clearing. Twilight stopped, panting furiously from the exhaustion. “Dashie! Twilight!” After a blur of pink the two found themselves in a tight hug, with Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy stopping appearing soon after. “Twilight, you have to tell me about the aliens,” Pinkie said. She then gasped. “Oh no! Did they probe you!?” Another roar was heard, silencing the mares. Their pursuer had returned, shoving trees out of its way as it closed in on its prey. As it approached its many eyes narrowed at the mares. The hideous set of jaws opened once again, a slimy tongue licking the greasy lips. No, Rainbow Dash though. The beast let out an angry growl. Anger began to flow through her veins. No, she would not let this… this thing get anywhere Twilight. Rainbow stepped forward. “R-rainbow, what are you..” She silenced Fluttershy by raising her good wing. She turned to face the rest of her friends, a fire burning in her eyes. Applejack nodded and adjusted her stetson, spitting once before assuming a crouching stance. Rarity flicked her hair back, the motion elegant and well practiced. Her horn crackled with azure sparks as she prepared a spell. Pinkie mimicked rolling up her sleeves and cracked her neck. Rainbow Dash faced the thing that dared to try and harm her marefriend. She snorted and flared her nostrils, pawing at the ground beneath her. A pair of muscular legs tensed as they prepared to pounce. Rainbow screamed as she charged forward. “ENOUGH!” Everpony stopped. It took Rainbow a moment to realize that they were not frozen by a spell. “YOU!” Twilight had flown in front of the creature's face, which had stopped mid lunge. She pointed a hoof at it. “Do you have any idea what tonight is? DO YOU!?” She paused as if waiting for a reply. “Tonight is the one year anniversary of the greatest thing that ever happened to me.” Twilight gestured towards Rainbow Dash. “You see that pegasus over there? That brave, wonderful, sexy mare asked me out on a date! And tonight I was going to give her the best night of her life! I was going to ask her to marry me! And you will NOT be getting in my way.” “I have traveled to the ends of Equestria. I have done things with magic that ponies have said were impossible. I have either befriended or beaten some of the most powerful beings in existence. And You? Ha! Please! You are like an insect to me! “Y-you want to ruin our evening, huh!? You want to end our fun that badly!? Well guess what? You can’t. Because I’m not going to let you. I am taking that mare out on a date. We are going to eat her favorite meal and watch the fireworks together. And then we were going to fuck. That’s right! We were going to have SEX! Hot, steamy, mare-on-mare action all night long! And YOU ARE NOT GOING TO STOP US! Nothing will. Because it wouldn’t let it happen. So you better turn around right now and head back to whatever pit you crawled out of and let us get back to our date RIGHT THIS INSTANT!” The monster suddenly decided that these tiny horse things would probably not make a good meal. Twilight watched as it turned and shuffled away until it was no longer visible through the trees. She then landed back down, still panting from her shouting fit. After a moment she remembered that her friends were still behind her. Twilight slowly turned around to find that none of them were able to make eye contact. Her face suddenly burned as if she had stepped in front of a fire. The awkwardness roared in the air, drowning out any other noise. “Hey Twilight?,” Pinkie said with a contemplative look on her face. “Y-yes?” “Couldn’t you just of plucked one of your feathers out at any time from your wings?” Twilight stared ahead blankly. Wordlessly she slipped past everypony else, making her way to a tree with a large hole in its middle. Twilight stuck her head inside. It did little to muffle her scream. After a moment she fell silent again. “Twi?,” Rainbow asked. “Yeah?,” Twilight replied, her head still inside the tree. “Ya good?” “...Yes.” “Ya wanna go home now?” “Yeah.” “M’kay. Let’s head back, girls.” Spike was jolted from his seat by a knock. He eagerly ran open to the door and threw it open. “Twilight! Rainbow! You’re okay!” Twilight quickly swept him up in a hug while Rainbow ruffled his scales. “Don’t worry little guy. Ya should know nothing's going to stop Twi when she’s in the mood.” “Rainbow!,” Twilight hissed. Rainbow Dash burst out laughing. “Um, what happened, exactly?,” Spike asked. Rainbow wiped a tear from her eye. “I’ll tell ya later,” she said with a sigh. “But first we need to take a look at that wing,” Fluttershy said, the sternness in her voice letting Rainbow know there was no debating this. Everypony headed inside. As Fluttershy hastily bandaged her wing, Rainbow told the others a slightly exaggerated tale about how she and Twilight had survived flying into a lightning storm and escaped the clutches of an Everfree monster together. The others alternated between being in awe and being horrified. Eventually the excitement died down and the conversation drifted off topic. At some point Twilight had stopped paying attention to the conversation, feeling she didn’t have much to add. She eventually excused herself. Twilight then wandered outside and sat on the steps, gazing at the stars above. She soon heard somepony sitting down next to her. Without checking to see who it was, she asked: “How’s your wing?” “Eh, it’s been through worse. I’ll survive.” Rainbow followed Twilight’s gaze. The two stared at the moon for sometime. “Beautiful night,” Rainbow Dash said. “It is,” Twilight said. Then she laughed. “What’s so funny?” “Nothing. It’s just after we… uh, you know, I was thinking we could lie back and watch the stars.” Twilight let out a long sigh. “At least we could still do that.” “You know Twi, I still haven’t shown you my gift yet.” “Hum?” Rainbow gestured to her saddle bags (which she was still wearing) with a grin that made Twilight chuckle. “Well, I guess you already know what I was going to give you anyways.” To her surprise, Rainbow scooted closer to Twilight. When she turned to face her Rainbow took one of Twilight’s hooves in hers. “Twilight, I know I’m not as good with words as you, so I’ll make this quick. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life. And you know what? I know more than anything that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Wait, was she… Rainbow Dash tugged off her saddle bag and set it on the ground in front of Twilight. She popped it open. Twilight gasped. Inside was a blue feather, somehow still completely intact. “Twilight Sparkle?” She meant Rainbow’s gaze, tears of joy building in her eyes. “Will you-” “OH MY CELESTIA. YES. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!” Twilight and Rainbow both glared at Rarity along with Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack. She was standing in the wide open doors behind them, choking the life out of a struggling Fluttershy. “Eh heh. My bad.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Twilight,” she said again. “Will you marry me?” “Oh Rainbow Dash.” Twilight picked up the feather with her magic and then placed it in her hair. Twilight then pulled Rainbow into a hug, taking care to avoid her injured wing. “Yes. Yes, yes, yes!,” she said, punctuating each word with a kiss on the lips. She stopped to wipe a tear from her eye. “I, I, I’m so happy!” Before either could react the rest of the girls and Spike tackled them into a hug. Rainbow laughed. She knew she didn’t need some elaborate scheme for tonight. Rainbow had Twilight, and that was all she needed for tonight to be perfect. “Oh Rainbow, this is the greatest night of my life!” Twilight then leaned in closer, whispering in so that only she could hear: “And we’re still having sex later.” “Oh, Twilight, this is the greatest night of my life!” Author's Note Huzzah! My first story is complete. I hope you guys got some enjoyment out of it. Until next time, Thanks for reading
Chapter 3“Oh Spike, I love it!,” Rarity beamed as Spike handed her the large diamond that he had found. The two were in a cave jewel hunting together. “It’s so pretty.” “Not as pretty as you,” Spike said. Suddenly a large and aggressive cave bat appeared behind Rarity. “Rarity, look out!” Before the monster could harm his love he leapt into the air. His fist collided with the bat’s chest, causing the creature to explode from impact. “Oh Spikey-boo! Without your strength, wit, and determination I would not have made it!” “Yeah! You have shown real maturity tonight Spike. I am very proud of you,” Twilight said, having suddenly appeared in the cave. “Aw, thanks Twilight,” Spike said. Twilight then turned around and left. “So… where were we?,” he said while leaning in for a kiss. Before their lips could meet a rumbling was heard. Spike looked up in time to see the ceiling of the cave buckle and collapse. “GAAAH!” Spike bolted upright, trying in vain to remove the banner that had fallen on his head. “Ops,” the mare of his dreams said. Rarity then pulled the banner off his head with her magic before folding it and setting it down on the table neatly. “Sorry Spikey dear. I didn’t mean to wake you.” The door then burst open, and Twilight stormed into the room, panting furiously. Applejack and Fluttershy, who were busy tearing down decorations, froze. “Okay. Somepony better tell me what in the name of Celestia you girls are up to!” “Twilight, wait!,” Pinkie said as she galloped into the room, Rainbow Dash flying close beside her. “Pinkie,” Twilight said, shutting her eyes tightly and messaging her temple with her hoof. “We can talk about my sore bottom later.” “What!?,” Spike asked. Twilight’s eyes popped open, a heat rising in her cheeks. “That...ah, that came out wrong.” “What came out wrong?,” Pinkie said. Twilight and Spike immediately went silent. “ Pinkie,” Rainbow hissed. “What? What did she say?” Nopony moved. It was as if Twilight and Spike were competing to see who could turn redder. Finally Rainbow muttered something under her breath, then flew over to whisper something in Pinkie’s ear. Her eyes widened. “Oooooooh,” Pinkie said. Then she smiled. “I get it!” She slid across the room and jumped into Spike’s seat, pulling the drake onto her lap and putting her foreleg around his shoulders. “Don’t worry Spike, I get that you’re confused, but don’t worry, your auntie Pinkie will explain everything.” She put her foreleg around his shoulders. She cleared her throat. “You see, when a mommy and a daddy love each very m-” “PINKIE!,” Twilight shouted. She levitated Spike off her lap and sent a balloon off the floor over to Pinkie. “Here. Play with this.” She experimentally swatted the balloon with a hoof. It sailed a few feet into the air. Pinkie giggled and bounced off the throne chasing after it. “Alright, now where were we…?” Twilight trailed off. Suddenly she was glaring at Applejack, causing the mare to fidget nervously. “Applejack?” Applejack swallowed. “Um… yes?” “Would you mind telling me exactly what you girls are doing here,exactly? I know you wouldn’t lie to me.” Twilight had added that last part with a sadistic grin. Applejack shuddered despite the beads of sweat on her forehead. “Oh, uh, well, um…” Applejack’s eyes darted around. “Ah… we were…” Applejack removed her stetson and clutched it to her chest the way a foal would with a teddy bear. “We, uh… “ “Twi,” Rainbow Dash said quietly. Any anger Twilight felt evaporated when she saw the concern on her marefriend's face. Shame coursed through her as she realized how she was acting, causing her to let out a sad sigh. After a moment she spoke: “I’m sorry Applejack. I shouldn’t get in your face like that. You don’t deserve it.” She hung her head low, her ears pinned flat against her head. “It's okay Twilight. Ah know ya didn’t mean it. Ya just being a little worried right now, is all.” Twilight nodded but didn’t say anything else. “So wait. Then why are you and Rainbow here? I thought you had a date?,” Spike asked. “Oh. Uh, well I kind forgot my...my present for Rainbow Dash and, uh, we came back here to look for it.” Twilight gave an embarrassed smile as she rubbed the back of her neck. She then glazed around the room as if seeing it for the first time. The girls had done an impressive job in tearing down the decorations in only a few minutes. Twilight could not decide if the mess downstairs was worse than the one upstairs. Rainbow Dash signed. “Twilight,” she said, deciding that Twilight deserved to know what was going on. “Pinkie wanted to throw us an anniversary party tomorrow,” she said. Rainbow hesitated for a moment, choosing her next words carefully, not wanting to give everything away “The...the theme woulda given away my gift.” “Oh,” Twilight said. “Yeah, no pony likes spoilers!,” Pinkie Pie added. She was still bouncing the balloon with her nose, trying to keep it airborne. “Remember how mad Rarity got at Rainbow when she spoiled her book.” “Hey! I only did that ‘cause she spoiled the sixth Daring Do!” “Oh, for the last time! I was merely saying that I wouldn’t be surprised if Dr. Nefarious turned out to be the villain! Ugh! It’s such a obvious and trite twist that I thought it was a red herring! No wonder I stopped reading after book three.” Rarity finished by crossing her forelegs indignantly. Rainbow Dash could only sputter in response. “Wait,” Twilight said. She sounded as if she was on the verge of understanding something. “How long ago did you guys get here, exactly?”. “Um, a few hours ago,” Fluttershy answered. “And you’ve been thoroughly decorating the castle the whole time?” Twilight frowned as she spoke. “Um, yes? We were all hard at work, if you wanted to know, that is.” Spike made a mental note to thank Fluttershy for not telling Twilight that he had spent much of the evening eating cupcakes and sleeping later. “And none of you found anything of note laying around the castle.” Twilight’s voice was nearly devoid of any emotion. “N-not really.” Twilight slowly sat on her haunches. “Then, it really isn’t here,” she said, sounding utterly defeated. The tone of her voice had caused Pinkie to stop playing with her balloon and look at her with concern instead. “I-it’s gone. It's really gone…” Twilight trailed off as she buried her face in her hooves. Rainbow Dash sat down next to her, preparing to put a comforting wing around her. “NO!” Twilight’s shout caused Rainbow to leap into the air, instinctively taking flight. Twilight was breathing heavily, her pupils tiny pinpricks, a manic grin stretching across her muzzle. “I… I can still… I can still fix this. Spike!” The dragon jumped a little at the mention of his name. “Spike! I’m going to need you to take a letter.” A quill and piece of paper were floated over to the terrified drake. “Um, sugar cube? That’s a napkin.” “IT'S A LETTER!,” she shrieked, causing everypony to take a step back. She then resumed speaking as if nothing happened: “Ahem, Dear Princess Celestia, Due to unforeseen complications, it appears that Ponyville’s fine citizens have not been able to finish preparing for the festival tonight. Therefore, I have decided that it would be best if tonight’s festival would be suspended for at least 24 hours. This way everpony will be able to follow their perfectly laid out plans for tonight without any little complications. Please send a copy of the royal decree to the Mayor’s office at once. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.” Spike hastily scribbled Twilight’s words onto the napkin. “Uh, Twilight,” he said. “Are you sure this is the best idea?” “Of course Spike. This way Rainbow Dash and I could get back to our date like nothing ever happened.” “Twi?,” the Pegasus in question said, hoping to appeal to her sense of reason. “Are you sure that the Princess would do that? It seems a little last minute to me.” Twilight frowned. “You're right,” she said. Twilight smiled once again. “Looks like I’m going to need to find some more time.” She trotted out the front door, with Rainbow flying after her and the others close behind. “Twilight darling, where are you going?” “To Canterlot,” she replied matter-of-factly. “I just need to go to the library and find the time travel spell again. That way I can go back and remind my past self not to lose my anniversary present. Or better yet, I could take it from my past self! I’m sure she’d understand.” Before Twilight could take off, Rainbow Dash flew into front of her. “Twilight, can’t we just call it a night?” Rainbow Dash said as landed, still wearing that frown. “Wh-what? No! No Rainbow!I need to get you your present!” “Dang it Twilight, I don’t care about some stupid present!” Twilight looked as if she had been slapped. “Y-you don’t care?” Rainbow immediately regretted what she said. “Twi, I didn’t mean-” “I’m doing this for you, you know,” Twilight said, cutting her off. “I wanted tonight to be special. I wanted to give you a night we would remember.” Twilight felt anger course through her veins. Rainbow shrank as Twilight's voice grew louder with each word. “But noooooo.” She stomped her hoof to emphasize her point. “That’s not happening. Apparently Twilight Sparkle isn’t allowed to do nice things for her marefriend. She’s just acting all ‘crazy’ again, having ‘an episode’ again. It’s not normal to think that the night you give your marefriend your feather should be SPECIAL!” Suddenly Twilight’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hoof. Rainbow Dash landed on her hooves, her mouth open in shock. “T-Twilight?,” Rainbow said. As she took a step towards her Twilight teleported away in a flash. Rainbow could only stare at the space where she had been. “I don’t understand,” Spike said. “What’d she say?” “Spike,” Fluttershy explained. “Pegasi consider their feathers to be very important. Normally when a Pegasus gives a feather to their lover, it means…” “That they are asking them if they wanna get married,” Rainbow Dash finished for her, breaking out of her stupor. Rainbow jolted upright. “TWILIGHT!,” she yelled before taking off after her. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Twilight wasn’t looking where she was flying. It was now too dark outside to see much of anything, anyways, though based on the trees she was likely somewhere over the Everfree forest. You had one simple task. And you couldn’t even get a right. Twilight flew faster, trying to outrace her thoughts. “Twilight?” You ruined your anniversary. Your first anniversary! It could have been something special, but no. Tears began to fill her eyes. “Twilight!” You abandoned your date, you lost your temper with your friends, and you yelled at Rainbow Dash! You’d think that she’d want to marry you after something like this? You know, there’s only so much more of your nonsense that she will put up with. Honestly, the fact that you had a year with her has got to be some sort of miracle. “TWILIGHT, LOOK OUT!” Twilight was shoved out of the way of an incoming lightning bolt. Twilight tumbled for a moment before righting herself. A disheveled looking Rainbow Dash was beside her. “R-Rainbow, wh-” She was cut off by another loud lighting strike. Twilight wiped the tears from her eyes and noted that surrounding them were thunderclouds of various sizes . Twilight realized she had been unknowingly flying into a storm. “Rainbow, what’s going on? I thought you said the weather team had cleared the skies for tonight.” “Well...maybe I was rushing to be back for our date and told them to just dump the clouds into the Everfree. I guess they musta mixed with a wild storm.” Twilight frowned. “Hey, don’t give me that look! I know you hate it when I’m not prenuptial.” “Punctual.” “Whatever.” A third lightning bolt flashed, worrying close to the mares. The clouds had coalesced into a bowl-like shape around them. They hissed with electricity as they began to shrink around the mares. “You wouldn’t happen to know any spells that could help us right about now?” Twilight shut her eyes in concentration. For a moment an explosion of lavender light radiated from her horn. Twilight opened her eyes. The clouds shook but remained in place. “I guess not.” Above them another layer of clouds was closing in like a coffee lid. There likely wasn’t much time left before the two would be trapped. “Rainbow…,” Twilight said cautiously. She recognized the look on Rainbow’s face, it was the one she often wore when she was about to do something reckless. “...what are you thinking?” Rainbow’s answer was to grab and pull her onto her back. “Hold on!,” she shouted. “Rainb- WAAAAAAAAH!,”Twilight screamed as Rainbow flew the two of them towards the gap. The two walls of cloud were closing, arcs of lightning crackling between them. Twilight wanted to tell her they wouldn’t make it, but she knew her words won’t be heard over the roar of the wind. Instead she hugged her tighter. To her surprise, the pegasus changed direction at the last moment, choosing to race along the clouds. Rainbow made one loop, then another, then another. Twilight noticed she was picking up speed as her space to maneuver in became smaller and smaller. Wait, was she trying to- Twilight felt a jolt, almost as if they had hit something. It was as if the air they were flying through had become a thick liquid. She felt Rainbow tense. Suddenly some sort of membrane was wrapped around them. The membrane tightened, trying to ensnare them. Turbulence caused Twilight’s teeth to rattle in her jaw. It was becoming difficult to breathe. She held onto Rainbow as hard as she could. She didn’t hear so much as feel Rainbow’s guttural scream. KABOOM! Then suddenly, the pressure went away. A wave of rainbow-colored light erupted out of the barrier Rainbow had broken, scattering the storm clouds. Luna’s moon was now visible, illuminating the two flyers. Twilight watched the multi-colored aura in awe. She had seen a Sonic Rainboom before, but never up close. “Aw yeah!,” Rainbow Dash said, sounding slightly winded. She shook her hoof at the few remaining clouds off in the distance. “Take that you freaks of nature! You don’t mess with the Dash!” “R-rainbow,” Twilight said. Rainbow turned to look at her. Twilight stared at her for a moment, struck by how her appearance under the moonlight and the dying remains of the Rainboom. Her magenta eyes were looking back at Twilight, full of warmth and a bit of mischief. Her prismatic mane was windswept, and a cocky smirk was adoring her muzzle. Twilight could feel the warmth and softness of her fur, her powerful muscles in her body, her pulse beating rapidly around her neck. “Yeah?” Twilight kissed her. She savored the softness of Rainbow’s lips and their sweet taste for a moment before pulling away. “I love you.” Rainbow gave Twilight a knowing smile. “I know.” Unfortunately, neither of them had realized how low they were flying. Rainbow Dash crashed into the top of a tree with a squawk, causing Twilight to be knocked out of her gasp. Before she could take flight or cast a spell to slow their fall a branch snared Twilight, its brethren rushing in to assault her as she tumbled down. Twilight landed with a dull thud, and a few seconds later so did Rainbow. She leapt onto hooves despite her body’s protests and scanned her surroundings. Dense vegetation surrounded her, the stars above nearly covered by vines and branches. She could hear something howling in the distance. They were alone. In the Everfree forest. At night. Twilight heard a groan behind her. “T-Twi?” She ran over to Rainbow’s side, helping her onto her unsteady hooves. “Rainbow Dash! Are you alright?” Twilight noticed that Rainbow was clutching one of her wings to her side. She tried to grab it with her magic, on for Rainbow to let out a pained hiss. “GAK!, ah, Twilight,” she said. Another howl was heard off in the distance. “I don’t think I stuck that landing.”
