The Force of Dreams

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1: Dashed Dreams
Chapter 2: Wonderous Conflicts
Chapter 3: Misspoken Plans
Chapter 4: Afterthoughts
Chapter 5: Lost On Various Emotions
Epilogue

Prologue

Twilight raced around her library. Her eyes darted up and down every shelf, scanning the spines of the books. Rolls of parchment lay strewn all over the floor as she added more and more books to the large circular table that dominated the floorspace.

“Not this one. Not this one either... Not this one too!” Twilight whispered to herself as she opened book after book, flipping through all the pages in a matter of seconds before tossing it into a random area of the library.

The knocking on the door went unheard as Twilight continued to dash through the various rooms, reading any and every tome, bit of parchment or scroll that she could lay her hooves on.

The knocks grew impatient. Soon they were loud, slamming bucks of sturdy hooves. Twilight, who was nose-deep in An Almanac of Ausneighlian Animals, jerked her head in surprise.

“The door’s open!” she shouted.

The hinges gave a tired squeak as a cyan pegasus took a few tentative steps in. A loud slamming noise erupted from the floor above, making her jump.

“T-Twilight... you alright up there?” Rainbow asked, slightly concerned.

Ascending the steps, Rainbow came upon the mess that was present at the main floor of the library. Purple flashes of magical light dazzled her as Twilight teleported around. Each step Rainbow took was accompanied by the crunch of paper. She made sure to watch her step, not wanting to stub her hoof on any of the large tomes lying hidden among the sea of paper. Twilight came to rest some way away, at the other side of her room, her nose stuffed in a book.

“Heya, Twi. What’s going on?” Rainbow inquired, swishing her way over to the purple unicorn. "You’re not looking for a way to understand Pinkie again, are you?”

“No! This is so much worse!” Twilight hadn’t glanced at Rainbow once since she entered, continuing to pour over her books. “Princess Celestia sent me a scroll with a couple of riddles and I can’t find the answer to them!”

“Right,” Rainbow replied in her sarcastic tone, knowing her unicorn friend all too well. “Is there a due date to that riddle?”

“No. I was sure she told me to only respond to her once, but I need to show her I can deliver an answer within a day!”

Rainbow looked completely stumped. “Why? I mean, when I get assignments during Flight Academy, I always leave it until the night before. To have an assignment with no deadline, that’s like, the best thing ever!”

Twilight didn’t seem to hear Rainbow’s rant as a few seconds of silence fell over the two, only the sound of the intense flipping of the pages could be heard.

“So,” Rainbow spoke. “Do you need help with whatever it is you’re doing?”

Not a second had passed before a tall pile of books thudded onto the table in front of her. Rainbow stared at the pile with her mouth hung open.

“This pile is twice the height of me!”

“Then you better get started!” Twilight rebutted.

Rainbow flew up and snatched the first book from the top of the pile.

“Forces of the Universe,” Rainbow read the title to herself aloud. “...For dummies!?”

“I figured the advanced book 2000 pages thick would have been too much,” Twilight answered, not even looking up.

Rainbow grumbled several words under her breath before opening the book.

“Wait.” Rainbow’s eyes narrowed as she lowered the book down from her face. “What am I even looking for?”

Her words fell on deaf ears as Twilight continued to scan through several scrolls.

“Twilight?” Rainbow inquired. Twilight did not look up. “Twilight,” she repeated once more, slightly louder, but Twilight was still absorbed in her reading. “Twilight!”

Twilight yelped in surprise, dropping the book she was reading. “What is it, Rainbow!? In fact, what are you even doing here this time of night!?” she growled, slightly agitated.

Rainbow glanced out the window to see the sparkling stars outside, she took a deep breath in before flying forward and lowering the scroll from Twilight’s face.

“Umm, Twi... It’s Daring Do night.”

Twilight’s eyes grew wide as she dropped the scroll. “T-That’s... tonight!?”

Rainbow nodded, which caused Twilight to immediately teleport across the room with a ‘pop!’. Twilight stared up at the calendar she had hung there, horrified..

“The 5th. It’s a Wednesday! Oh, pony!” Twilight closed her eyes shut and concentrated as hard as she could, lifting up all the papers, books and all, present in the library and placing them neatly back onto the shelves they belonged to.

Rainbow sat at the spot which Twilight had just shot up from, her face showing an unsurprised look as Twilight burst into the kitchen.

“I’m so sorry, Rainbow!” Twilight apologized, her voice resonating from the small room across Rainbow.

“It’s no problem, Twi.”

“I’ll get the treats ready as soon as I can!” Sounds of plates banging and cupboards opening and slamming shut could all be heard clearly from where Rainbow sat.

“Really, Twi, it’s no problem!” Rainbow shouted back, looking over at the only scroll left sitting on the circular table of the library.

“Hmm...”

Rainbow unrolled the piece of rolled-up paper laying on the table, reading the beautiful handwriting of the scroll, a handwriting all too familiar to the pegasus. “Let’s see what the Princess wrote. ‘Dear Twilight, we all know that ponies are held to the ground due to the force called gravity. However, there are many other forces in the world, some scientific, others not so. I would like you to find the answer to the two riddles I have included in this letter. Please take your time, I do not expect a quick reply. May it take weeks or years, I only wish for you to send an answer to me when you are sure the answers are correct.'"

"'Riddle #1: Everypony sees themselves in me, but I don’t reflect. Everypony chases me, yet few are able to catch me. Everypony has me, yet most ponies lose me. What am I?

Riddle #2: I am the force that drags two ponies together, yet my bond strengthens when they are further apart. Everypony seeks to find me, but I have been found by only a few. I can make a pony question his or her life, yet I am also able to give a pony a reason to live. What am I?

Hint: Both answers don’t go well with each other, most of the times, ponies would have to choose one or the other.’ ”

Rainbow chuckled softly upon reading the paper.

“Twilight, you’re such an egghead,” she giggled.

The unicorn in question appeared once again in the room, this time hovering two cups sitting on a tray down in front of Rainbow. “Here.”

“Hey, Twilight?” Rainbow said, looking up at Twilight, but she was immediately cut off.

“Oh no!” Twilight immediately smacked her hoof to her forehead. “I forgot the crackers, didn’t I? Be right back!” She zoomed back into the kitchen.

“Wait! It’s not... that.” Rainbow couldn’t help but smile while rolling her eyes at Twilight’s distressed movements.

It wasn’t long before Twilight returned, this time levitating two plates, each filled with a small hill of biscuits.

“Hey, Twilight, I think I-”

“I’m so sorry, Rainbow!” she blurted out before setting the biscuits down next to the two cups of cocoa.

“It’s fine, Twi. Just relax and let’s get started!”

“Right! We’re starting on a new book, correct?”

“Yup! Daring Do and the Feather of Dreams!”

“Got it!” Twilight acknowledged before her horn glowed a bright purple as she brought a book from the highest shelf down in front of them.

The cover was colorful and vibrant, like the other books in the series. It was a still frame of Daring Do leaping up towards the cover from a cloud below, her left hoof extending higher than the others, towards the top of the book where the words ‘Daring Do and the’ was written. In her left hoof gripped a small blue feather, glowing a bright purple glow and turned sideways, with the rest of the title, ‘Feather of Dreams’, written on it. Further down below Daring stood Ahuizotl and his minions, ferocious looks on their faces as they stared up at the sand-colored pegasus.

“Let’s get started already!” Rainbow impatiently said with a huge grin on her face.

Twilight giggled upon hearing Rainbow’s enthusiasm as both of them moved to a small pile of cushions near the window, a small candle near them.

“Umm, Twi... do you wanna turn off the lights? Maybe light the candle near us?” Rainbow suggested, turning her head away from Twilight.

Twilight took a look around the room, the lights around the library made the place clear and bright. “Why would I wanna do that?” she questioned, her eyebrows arching together

Rainbow dismissed the question quickly. “N-nothing. Let’s get started.”

Twilight shrugged and flipped open to the first page, reading out the words she saw.

“Chapter 1: Starting Anew. Daring Do had just finished her most recent adventure, one that challenged who she trusted and who she could let go. She sat in her apartment, ready for the next task at hand because she finally had a new accomplice to take on the world’s challenge with her! She was too absorbed into her thoughts to hear the knocking at the door...”

Twilight sat the book on the table, looking at Rainbow, whose eyes had begun to close, a smile on her face.

“Tired, Rainbow?” Twilight asked, standing up and stretching her hooves. Rainbow merely replied with a soft nod of her head.

“Well then, I think that’s the end of tonight’s Daring Do night.”

Rainbow laughed a little before standing up herself and approached the balcony.

“Oh pony...” Twilight whispered to herself, her eyes darting to areas near her.

“What’s wrong?”

“I think I used up the last of my bookmarks. Now I have no way of marking where we stopped,” Twilight sighed.

“Hmm... .” Rainbow lifted her hoof to her chin. Her eyes widened as she gave a smile. “I got it!” she exclaimed before turning her head around to her wing and plucking a light-blue father.

“Here.” Rainbow passed the feather to Twilight, who stood with her mouth agape.

“A-are you sure? Doesn't that hurt!?”

“Please, if this hurts me, I’ll have no chance with the Wonderbolts!” Rainbow reasoned.

Twilight merely giggled as she slid the feather in the middle of the two pages where they had stopped.

“Heya, Twi?”

“Hmm?”

“You’ll be there, right?”

Twilight gave a confused stare towards Rainbow. “I’ll be there for...?”

Rainbow lowered her head a little, hiding a small frown. “The Wonderbolts audition happening in 3 days.”

Twilight gave a horrified look for a split-second before quickly changing it to a calm expression.

“Of-of course I’ll be there! I just thought it was obvious!”

Rainbow smirked a little, staring at the lying Twilight. “Thanks, Twi. See you when I see ya!”

Twilight gave a nod at Rainbow’s goodbye phase, the phase she had always said at the end of Daring Do night. “See you, Rainbow.”

Rainbow trotted out on the balcony, spreading her wings and taking into the night skies. Twilight stood at the door to her balcony, her eyes focused on the pegasus taking off.

“I’ll miss you,” Twilight whispered when she was sure Rainbow was out of earshot. She turned around, levitating several books off her shelf to continue her search for the answer to the riddles.

Proofreading done by: writer and J.Xayph

Chapter 1: Dashed Dreams

Sunlight had started to pierce through the windows of the library, slowly banishing away the darkness which had gripped it for the past few hours. Twilight sat at her table, flipping closed the last page of the red book which sat in front of her. Her mane and tail were both unkempt and had quite a few strands sticking out, signifying how long she had stayed up.

Her library was once again in a complete mess. Papers, books and every single kind of material she could get her hooves on lay scattered across the wooden floor of her living room. Empty cups of cocoa were stacked to her left while a wax stump of what used to be a candle sat to her right, having burnt out hours ago.

“That’s it. That’s the last book,” Twilight grumbled before slamming her face onto the book in front of her. “None of my books hold the answer to the two riddles,” she said in a frustrated tone.

“Of all the weeks Spike had to be in Canterlot, why did it have to be this week?” Twilight continued to complain before slowy lifting her head off the table. “And why do I feel like I’m forgetting something?”

She mustered whatever will she had to stand up and trot towards her calender, her steps slightly wobbly and her eyes half open.

“Let’s see... the 6th. That’s- oh pony!! That’s the day I have to help Rarity!” Twilight’s eyes immediately shot open, energy returning to her almost instantly. Purple energy radiated from her horn, causing the papers on the ground to levitate into the air. With a sharp, violet-coloured flash, they flew back into the shelves where they belonged. “No time, no time!” she shouted to herself, running into her bedroom.

Inside her room, she hastily hovered over a brush to straighten her mane and tail, before galloping down the staircase and bursting out the front door.

Twilight already had the route to the Carousel Boutique planned out in her mind. Scanning the streets with her eyes, she saw few ponies awake and about, but she knew that Rarity would have awoken hours ago to get started on her orders. Twilight galloped forward, through the marketplace where, in a few hours, would no doubt be buzzing with life.

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to her from above.

“Heya, Twi!”

Twilight tilted her head up to see Rainbow perched on a cloud, a smile plastered on her face.

“Oh, hi, Rainbow!” Twilight replied.

“What’re you doing up so early?” Rainbow inquired.

“I promised to help Rarity with her orders today!”

“Heh, when I’m done training to get into the Wonderbolts, Rarity will be asking me to help her with the orders! I can go around the shop like ‘voosh’ and ‘fwoosh’!” Rainbow boasted, her chest pushed forward.

“Oh yeah?” Twilight said with a sly smile and arched eyebrows. “Explain a cross-stitch.”

Rainbow’s eyes opened wide, her smile vanishing. “Well, umm... it’s sorta like...” she stuttered.

“Yeah, you’ll be a big help,” Twilight mocked Rainbow, rolling her eyes with a grin.

“And do you know what’s a cross-stitch?” Rainbow shot back the question, slightly flustered.

“Cross-stitching is a form of stitching in which X-shaped stitches are used to form a pattern or picture,” Twilight recited, her hoof waving around as she spoke. “I read a few books on the subject.” When she was finished, she stood proudly, a smug look on her face.

“Yeah-huh. Well, unlike some egghead I know, I gotta get practising if I’m gonna make it into the Wonderbolts!” Rainbow stood on the cloud, preparing to fly off. “You know, doing something important!”

“Yeah, keep at it Rainb-” Twilight blinked several times. “Hey! What’s that suppose to mean!”

Rainbow brought her hoof to her mouth as she stifled a laugh. “N-nothing. Egghead.”

“Rainbow!” Twilight called out to the pegasi in question as she took off into the skies.

When Twilight could no longer see Rainbow, she couldn’t help but smile at the friendly banter they had just exchanged. “Typical Rainbow...,” she muttered to herself before continuing her trot towards Carousel Boutique.

Upon reaching her destination, Twilight lifted her hoof to the bright purple door, knocking on it several times, trying to look as upbeat as she could. Moments later, the door swung open, revealing the white unicorn. Her mane and tail were brushed perfectly and her coat almost seemed to glow a radiant white. Rarity’s face gave a surprised look upon seeing Twilight at the door.

“Well, this certainly is a surprise. You’re early, Twilight!” Rarity commented.

“Early? I thought I agreed to meet you at 7! It’s almost 7:10!”

Rarity lifted her hoof to her chin, tapping it lightly.

“Well, you see, Twilight. I know that you have a habit of, how should I say this, sleeping in? As such, I arranged for you to meet me at 7 A.M. sharp, hoping you would meet me at around 9,” Rarity explained.

Twilight stood with her mouth hung open. “I do not sleep in!” she argued.

“May 12th, we were out for a picnic. You arranged to meet us at 8 A.M. and you arrived at 11.”

Twilight’s cheeks started to glow a tiny shade of red.

“Well, so I sleep in a little, but that’s because of all the late night studying I have to do!”

Rarity smiled and nodded. “Yes, well, no worries, Twilight. You being here is all that matters.” she stepped aside, allowing Twilight to trot in. “I’ve already started work on the new dress I’m making. I’ll need your help in bringing me several stuff around the shop and, of course, the occasional stitching.” She paused for a moment. “You do know how to stitch, right, Twilight?”

“Yup!” Twilight replied without a second thought. “I read a few books on the subject!”

“Heh heh.” Rarity tried her best to keep positive, forcing out a worried smile. “Well, yes. I suppose that’s... sufficient.”

“Well, let’s get started!” Twilight said eagerly.

“Very well. First thing’s first.” Rarity trotted towards a mannequin which wore a long flowing red fabric. “I need a pair of scissors, Twilight. Would you please?”

“Yeah! No problem!” Twilight replied perkily as she wandered around the shop. The shop was extremely neat. Fabrics were sorted on the shelves according to their color, and sorted further according to their shades. Twilight looked around on the floor, which glimmered, spotless. The mannequins which were not in use were lined up at the back of the shop, all of them facing the main doorway.

Twilight trotted towards the cabinets next to the staircase leading to the upper floor of the boutique. “Let’s see here. Extra fabrics, jewels, accessories... a-ha! Small equipment.” With her horn glowing bright, the cabinet’s door opened slowly as Twilight hovered a small pair of scissors out before sending it over to Rarity.

“Much appreciated, Twilight,” Rarity thanked her friend before beginning her work.

Silence fell between the two mares. For about a minute, the only sound that resonated through the room was the snipping of Rarity’s scissors. Twilight stood, impatiently tapping her hooves, her mind running through subjects she could discuss with Rarity.

“S-so... ,” Twilight began. “Rainbow’s Wonderbolt... two days,”

Rarity merely replied with a quick ‘mm-hmm’.

“I think Rainbow’s got it!” Twilight continued.

“I wouldn’t say so,” Rarity quickly rebutted, not even looking up from her trimming of the cloth.

“Huh? What do you mean, Rares? Rainbow’s such a great flier!” Twilight complimented the pegasus.

“Yes, but ‘great’ isn’t good enough for the Wonderbolts. They are extremely strict on who they let into their team. When the auditions end, all ten members have to agree that that one candidate is fit to join the team. If even one Wonderbolt disagrees, that candidate fails.”

“T-that’s not fair!”

“You have to understand, Twilight.” Rarity shifted to the other side of the mannequin. “The Wonderbolts need to work as a team. If even one member does not agree, they are unable to bring that pony on board as it would ruin the team’s relationship,” she explained, trimming off more fabric.

“I guess that makes sense.” Twilight agreed, turning her head down.

Rarity took a step back, her eye scrutinizing every cut she had made before nodding approvingly seconds later, turning back to Twilight.

“Twilight, would you please pass me a spool of gold thread and a needle?”

Twilight immediately trotted over to the ‘small equipment’ cabinet once again, this time levitating out the needle and thread.

“So if Rainbow does pass the audition, she’s a Wonderbolt, right?” Twilight asked as Rarity’s horn glowed, taking the items.

“Have you forgotten, Twilight?”

Twilight’s face twisted in confusion. “Remember what?”

“There’s that one month stay in Cloudsdale for Rainbow to prove that she can handle their training.”

“Yeah I rem-” As the words processed in Twilight’s mind, her eyes widened and she froze on the spot. “Wait, what!?”

So then, I’ll do the loop and then fly up, dive down and ‘wham!’ Sonic Rainboom to a place in the Wonderbolts! Rainbow thought to herself as she lay on a cloud, staring up to the afternoon sky.

“Oh Dashie!” a high pitched voice called out to her from below. Rainbow immediately pushed herself off the cloud to peek over the edge, even though she already knew who it was.

“Heya, Pinkie!” Rainbow greeted the gleaming pink mare under her, who was hopping on the spot excitedly.

“Do you know what day it is, Dashie? Do ya? Do ya?” Pinkie asked, her grin getting wider and wider.

“Umm...Thursday?” Rainbow gave a shrug as she answered.

“Yup! And its the first Thursday of the month! Which means... Prank Day!” Pinkie yelled.

Oh pony! I totally forgot! I was suppose to come up with a prank! Dash’s mind raced to think of a reply.

“I... I knew that, Pinkie. It’s just, with the Wonderbolts auditions coming up I... d-don’t have time to spare!” Rainbow stuttered while trying to maintain a false smile.

Pinkie sat down on the floor, her ears drooping upon hearing Rainbow’s words. “S-so, no prank day?”

“Sorry, Pinkie Pie. The Wonderbolts auditions come first!” Rainbow explained, her heart starting to feel guilt upon seeing Pinkie’s disappointed face.

Pinkie sighed. “It’s fine, Dashie. I just thought, since this’ll probably be our last prank day for a while that maybe we could spend some time together. But you’re right. Your dream comes first.”

Pinkie started to trot away, dragging her hooves with her head hung low.

Dash gritted her teeth, shutting her eyes tight.

Awww nuts.

“H-hey, Pinkie?”

Pinkie turned back to look at the pegasus with a sorrowful look in her eyes.

“Up for some pranks on AJ?”

In the blink of an eye, Pinkie’s smile returned and her ears shot straight up.

“Yippee!” Pinkie leaped up into the air. “Let’s go!” she yelled, hopping away towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Rainbow quickly descended from her cloud to catch up with Pinkie Pie.

Usually, trots with Pinkie Pie would be filled with stories about her experiences in the past month. Rainbow was waiting Pinkie to retell the tale of ‘How I got the mixer to play music’ or ‘How I burned water’, which was a story Rainbow was still trying to understand months later. However, this trip was silent.

Rainbow felt uneasy with the atmosphere being so... quiet.

“H-heya, Pinkie?”

“Yeah, Dashie?”

“Have you ever felt....” Rainbow paused.

Are you crazy, Rainbow? Asking Pinkie this?

“Felt what, Dashie?” Pinkie asked, a curious look on her face.

“Have you ever felt... love?”

Pinkie giggled and snorted. “Of course I have!”

“You have?” Rainbow replied on instinct.

“Yup! I love sweets! I love chocolate! Ooo, pies are great too!” Pinkie stopped her bounce, reaching her hoof over to pull Dashie close before whispering into her ear, “don’t tell anypony but I don’t really love cookies as much as I do with pies.”

Rainbow broke the grip. “No, Pinkie! I mean love with other ponies!”

“Ohhhhh, hehe, Dashie you’re so funny!”

Rainbow shook her head. I knew this was pointless.

“Nopey Dopey, Dashie! My special somepony is still somewhere in Equestria waiting for me!” Pinkie cheerfully continued. “What about you, Dashie? You found that special somepony?”

“N-no! Well, yes, maybe, I don’t know yet.”

“Oooo! Dashie’s in love! Dashie’s in love!” Pinkie chanted loudly as they approached the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres.

“Pinkie! Shhhhhh.” Dashie gripped Pinkie’s muzzle, closing it shut. “You have to promise me that you won’t tell anypony!”

Pinkie nodded, lifted her right hoof to make a cross over her heart and sticking the same hoof in her right eye.

Dashie breathed a sigh of relief, letting Pinkie’s muzzle free from her grasp.

“So, what are we gonna prank, AJ with?”

Dashie smiled, having already thought of a prank on the way here.

“Pinkie, find a bottle of glue and meet me at the apple tree just outside AJ’s house.”

“Okie Dokie Lokie!” Pinkie joyfully said before trotting away.

Rainbow raced to the tree which stood only a few feet away from the backdoor of Applejack’s home.

“This is the first tree Applejack bucks every season.” Rainbow gazed up to the tasty apples hanging by their stems. Looking around to make sure that nopony was around her, she flew up to pluck the apples one by one, holding as many as she could in her hooves.

Just as Rainbow plucked the last apple from the tree, Pinkie appeared behind her, shouting, “heya, Dashie!”

Rainbow recoiled back, barely managing to hold onto her apples. “Pinkie!”

“Hehehe, sorry!” Pinkie apologized, before reaching her hoof into her tail and pulling out a small white bottle. “You asked for glue, right?”

“Yeah!” Rainbow lowered herself to the ground beside Pinkie and dropping the apples.. “Okay, Pinkie. Take each apple and put a little glue on top of each stem. Then hand those glued apples to me.”

“Okie Dokie Lokie!” Pinkie agreed, picking up one apple at a time and, just like Rainbow said, squeezing a tiny bit of glue at the top before passing it to her.

Rainbow took each apple before placing them back from where she plucked them, making sure that the glue could not be seen. The mere thought of Applejack trying to buck this tree sent giggles up to Rainbow’s lips.

In no time at all, Rainbow had stuck the last apple to the tree, grinning slyly as she stared at her ‘artwork’. To anypony, this tree looked exactly like the rest.

“This is gonna be so awesome!”

Rainbow’s ears perked up, she could hear the wooden boards in Applejack’s house creaking. Her eyes frantically darted around, searching for a place where she and Pinkie could hide.

“There!” Rainbow pointed towards a orange wheelbarrow sitting near the tree, which was just wide enough to hide both her and Pinkie.

They wasted no time in rushing straight for the hiding spot and hopping behind it, their ears listening closely as the hinges of the back door squeaked.

“Ahhh.” Applejack took a deep breath in. “There ain’t a more beautiful day to start bucking trees than today!”

Rainbow peaked out from her hiding spot, managing to catch a glimpse of Applejack trotting towards the rigged tree.

“Well, better get started. Whole lotta trees need bucking today!” Applejack turned around, her back hooves facing the tree. Reeling them up, she slammed them against the trunk, expecting all the apples to come falling off like they always did. However, the apples merely swayed, not one of them was sent tumbling down.

“What the hay?” Applejack whispered to herself, perplexed. “This ain’t never happened before.”

Reeling back her hooves, she hit the trunk of the tree as hard as she could but again, not a single apple fell. Rainbow and Pinkie were stifling loud laughs, making odd snorting noises behind the wheelbarrow as they watched their friend try with all her might to get the apples. Applejack continued to buck the tree repeatedly, as hard as she could each time but there was no change.

The two playful ponies could no longer contain their laughter. They collapsed on the floor, tears flowing from their eyes as they rolled on the ground, in full view of the angered Applejack.

“Ya’ll did this!?” Applejack screamed.

“Y-y-y-ye-” Rainbow tried to answer but the intense laughter got the better of her as she continued to twist and turn, clutching her stomach.

“Ya’ll better get off my farm before Ah buck you to Can’talot,” Applejack warned through clenched teeth.

Rainbow and Pinkie stopped their laughter instantly, staring up at Applejack’s furious face.

“We were... just about to go! Right, Pinkie?” Rainbow stood up, backing away slowly.

“Uh huh!”

Both ponies quickly took off as fast as they could, their hooves blurring at the speed which they were running. Once they were sure they were at a safe distance, Rainbow turned to Pinkie, panting hard.

“Where do you wanna go now, Pinkie?”

Pinkie smiled and giggled softly. “Time to prank...Rarity.”

“Rarity, you’re joking right? Please tell me you’re joking!”

“I am most certainly not joking! Rainbow does need to stay in Cloudsdale for a month to train! And if she succeeds, then the stay will lengthen to Celestia knows how long!”

Twilight felt her hooves begin to shake, her mouth unable to form the words she needed to say.

“R-Rainbow... she never, never told me any of that,” Twilight barely managed to get out of her trembling lips.

Rarity took a few steps back, staring intently at the red dress with various patterns sewn in gold.

“I’m as surprised as you are, Twilight. I thought Rainbow would have told all her friends by now!” Rarity turned to Twilight, who was still trying to comprehend what she was told.

“So... I’m not her friend?” Twilight’s breathing became heavy.

Rarity trotted up to Twilight, giving her a hug.

“How could you possibly say such a thing? Of course you’re her friend!”

“Then why didn’t she tell me that she was going away for a month!? That’s kind of a big deal, Rarity!” Twilight’s mind was in a mess, her thoughts were scrambled and her heart was racing. She pushed herself off the ground, pacing around the boutique.

“Twilight, there has to be a reasonable explanation!” Rarity reasoned, trotting up to her ‘gem’ cabinet and pulling out a blue, ornate box. She proceeded to open it and take out several different gems.

“And you’re okay with this, Rarity!? You’re okay with Rainbow going away for a month!?”

Rarity didn’t seem affected by Twilight’s shouting. Instead, she trotted nonchalantly to her dress, placing several jewels on it.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay with this? I mean, this is Rainbow’s dream after all. It’s what she has wanted for as long as I’ve known her. I’m quite shocked that you aren’t happy for her.”

Twilight quickened her pace, running her hoof through her mane. “I am happy! I mean, I was happy!” She groaned, tilting her head upwards. “This is bad, this is so bad!”

Rarity lifted her head up, gazing at the exasperated mare.

“And might I ask what’s so bad about Rainbow fulfilling her dream?”

“What’s so bad!?” Twilight yelled, “can’t you see!? Rainbow’s going away for a month! Or more! This could ruin our friendship!”

Rarity couldn’t help but give a controlled giggle. “Oh Twilight, we’ve been friends with Rainbow for years! A few months won’t ‘ruin our relationship’!”

“Well, if Rainbow’s gone for a few months... we could, I mean, maybe it would- it should-” Twilight tried her best to think of an excuse, any excuse, rejecting the only one in her mind.

Rarity resumed her gem placement. “Well, by Celestia’s word, I’d never thought I’d see the day.”

Twilight stopped her frantic trotting and fixed her eyes on the white unicorn. “See the day?”

“When you fall in love, darling!” Rarity remarked, speaking as if it was nothing special,“with a mare, no less!”

Twilight lifted her hooves in front of her in a cross. “What!? No way! I am not in love with Rainbow!” she defended. “Love is just a word, made up by ponies who had nothing better to do with their lives than squander it away, sitting in the park bench in each other’s hooves. Love does not exist!”

Rarity released a loud, long laugh. “Oh, Twilight. You are more deep in love than I thought!”

“I am not in love!” Twilight repeated, stomping her hoof. “And what makes you so sure I’m in love anyway?”

“Well, as a dressmaker, I have to make sure every detail is in place. My eye for detail is unparalleled. Why, I could see a stitch out of place from a mile away! Not only that, I’ve dealt with countless clients over the years. I’ve seen near every type of pony out there, from the Canterlot crowd to the Ponyville ponies. As such, I’ve gained the ability to see when a pony is expressing many emotions, a trait that is essential when you’re in a business such as mine. I can see when a pony is lying, when a pony is worried, or in your case, when a pony is in love.”

“For the last time, I am not in love with Rainbow Dash!” Twilight screamed, her voice echoing outside of Carousel Boutique.

Pinkie and Rainbow continued their trot towards Carousel Boutique, the sun starting its descent from its apex.

“So, hows the training going, Dashie?”

“It’s great! When I’m at the auditions, the Wonderbolts won’t believe their eyes at how awesome I am!”

“Hehehe, I’m gonna miss you! Promise you won’t forget us little ponies when you get all big and famous?”

Rainbow chuckled. “Trust me, Pinkie. I couldn’t forget you even if I wanted to.”

“Well, here we are!” Pinkie pointed to the beautifully decorated building.

“So what prank are we gonna pull this time, Pinks?” Rainbow inquired as they pressed themselves against the nearest window of the boutique.

“I got one in mind, but I need to get something from Sugercube Corner!” Pinkie explained.

“Alright. I’ll wait here.”

Pinkie nodded before zipping away. Rainbow’s pressed herself closer to the window, managing to hear Rarity’s voice coming from the inside.

She won’t know what hit her! Rainbow gave an evil grin.

She could hear Rarity’s posh accent as the unicorn spoke, “well, as a dressmaker, I have to make sure every detail is in place. My eye for detail is unparalleled. Why, I could see a stitch out of place from a mile away! Not only that, I’ve dealt with countless clients over the years. I’ve seen near every type of pony out there, from the Canterlot crowd to the Ponyville ponies.”

Yup. That’s Rarity alright. But who is she talking to? Maybe Sweetie Belle? Rainbow listened in closer as Rarity’s speech continued, “as such, I’ve gained the ability to see when a pony is expressing many emotions, a trait that is essential when you’re in a business such as mine. I can see when a pony is lying, when a pony is worried, or in your case, when a pony is in love.”

Rainbow’s heart skipped a beat.

In love!? Just who is she talking to!?

Rainbow lifted her head to the window as she saw Rarity and her dress. As she peered deeper into the boutique, she could make out another unicorn. The unicorn had a purple coat and her mane too, was purple, save for a pink highlight at the side. The pegasus’s eyes opened wide when she realized who it was, ducking back down away from the window.

T-Twilight!? Twilight’s... in love!?

Rainbow felt an intense wave of happiness within her, yet at the same time, worry.

W-what if Twilight’s in love with somepony else? Maybe I should listen a little more.

This time, she could hear Twilight’s loud booming voice scream clearly, “for the last time! I am not in love with Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow’s happiness washed away in an instant. Her shoulders dropped and her mouth fell into a frown. Her mind was empty and she felt her hooves grow weak. To her, there wasn’t much else to think. That one phrase shattered her heart. She didn’t want to listen anymore. She just wanted to stand up and run away. However, her hooves were far too weak to even move, much less carry her back home. Reluctantly, she heard more of the conversation...

“Why are you so upset, Twilight? It’s not embarrassing to admit one’s love for another mare!”

Twilight collapsed on the ground, her hooves covering her face as she let out a long, drawn-out, groan. “I don’t know, Rarity. I already have two riddles from the Princess I stayed up all night trying to solve. I really don’t need another one from my friend!” Her voice was filled with spite and anger.

“Ah, so that’s why you were on time,” Rarity whispered quietly to herself, picking up the gold thread and needle once again. “Well, Twilight, I’m sorry if I offended you. I was merely going on and observation I made,” she apologized, sensing the vexed pony’s tone.

Twilight pulled herself off the ground. “I’m sorry too, Rarity. The late night research has just made me really irritable.”

“No trouble, Twilight. You may leave if you want.”

“Wait, you’re done with your dress?”

Rarity continued sewing several more intricate details into the red fabric draped over the mannequin.

“Well, not exactly,” Rarity spoke, “but I’d rather see you get some sleep than suffer here any longer. Plus, you look absolutely horrid!”

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked, feeling a little guilty for leaving her friend alone.

“Yes, most definitely. Now please, Twilight. Get some rest!”

Twilight gave Rarity and huge hug. “Thank you so much! Oh and whatever we say... doesn’t leave this room, right?”

Rarity gave a warm smile. “Of course. It’s just between us.”

Twilight tightened the hug. “Thanks, Rares!” She released her hug, before trotting towards the door.

Rainbow sat, silent and torn when Pinkie’s voice shocked her back to reality.

“I’m back!” Pinkie sung. In her hooves, she gripped a large hose which led all the way back to Sugercube Corner. “This hose is plugged into a cake batter storage in Sugercube Corner! She’ll never see it coming!” She stared at Rainbow, who seemed near lifeless. “You alright, Dashie?”

“You know what, Pinkie. You do the prank. I can’t go through with this, not now.”

Pinkie cocked her head sideways, baffled. “Are you tired?”

The words took a while for Rainbow to understand, her mind having wandered somewhere else. “Huh? Yeah sure, tired... Listen, Pinkie, if you wanna go through with the prank, go ahead. I’m heading home. See you at the auditions, Pinks?”

“Yup! Night night, Dashie!” Pinkie paused for a moment, looking up to the bright orange orb, which was still dropping from the sky. “Or... day day, Dashie! Since its still day and all!” She giggled, lifting the hose to the window.

Rainbow had started to walk away, unaware when the main door swung open as Twilight stepped out.

“Rainbow?” Twilight called out to the pegasus, who was trotting away from the boutique.

“Huh? Oh, heya, Twi.” Rainbow’s voice was soft, her eyes staring at the ground beneath her feet.

There was an aura of awkwardness between the two. Neither pony knew what to say. One kept up a noticeable forced smile while the other hid her face from the gaze of other ponies.

“S-so... what have you been up to, Rainbow?” Twilight questioned.

“Just... things.” Rainbow gave a short reply.

Again, awkward silence fell over the two mares.

“W-well... do you, wanna have dinner together?” Twilight asked, hoping to strike up a conversation.

Rainbow finally turned up to look at Twilight. “Well, I would but, I’ve been training and I’m really tired. I should probably go back home and sleep,” she lied.

“Huh? O-oh of course! The Wonderbolts auditions are coming up and all. It’s very important for you!” Twilight gave several short spurts of laughter. Rainbow returned the odd laughter with a few weird chuckles of her own and, as if on cue, the silence returned once again.

After a few seconds, Twilight would be the one to break the silence.

“So, I’ll see you around?”

“Y-yeah. See you around, Twi.” Both mares quickly turned around and went their separate ways, away from each other.

Rarity slammed open her door, covered horn to hoof in thick and sticky batter.

“Pinkie Pie!” Rarity yelled at the top of her lungs.

“Uh oh.” Pinkie grabbed the hose and pulled it out of the window, whizzing through the air towards Sugercube Corner, the enraged unicorn in hot pursuit.

The sun had all but set over the horizon and in its place was the shimmering moon. Twilight sat on her bed, grasping tightly in her hooves ‘Daring Do and the Feather of Dreams’ with Rainbow’s light-blue feather sticking out at the top. A small flame danced on the wic of the candle, which sat next to her, causing the light to move along with the flame.

Twilight sighed, looking at the feather in front of her. She turned her attention to the crescent moon, which hung like a pendant among the thousands of other diamonds.

“I don’t know what to think anymore,” Twilight admitted before giving exhaling heavily, “I wish you didn’t have to go. I wish...you failed at the auditions, so that I could be with you.”

Unknown to her, Rainbow was laying on a cloud at the other end of Ponyville. She stared up to the same crescent moon, her heart in pieces.

“I guess there’s only one thing left for me.” Rainbow picked herself off the cloud, shaking her head in hopes of forcing the sorrow away. “The Wonderbolts are all I have left. Better train harder than ever!” she said to herself before taking off into the skies.

Twilight reclined onto her bed, the book hugged tightly in her hooves. She turned to her left, where the burning candle stood. She took a deep breath in before letting out a blow, snuffing out the flame and flooding the room in darkness. Closing her eyes, she felt herself drift further off to sleep, the book still clenched to her chest...

Proofreading done by: writer

Chapter 2: Wonderous Conflicts

Rainbow’s wings sliced through the air, her speed increasing rapidly as she dived downwards in the clear morning sky. With gritted teeth and squinted eyes, she folded her wings, making them smaller, which allowed her to accelerate even more.

This is it! I can do this! I can do this! Rainbow thought as a slender cone of prismatic light started to form around her, the ground coming into view. Just as planned!

I can do this. I can... Her eyes widened slowly and her mouth started to relax. Argh, I can’t! In the blink of an eye, she spread her wings wide, allowing air to flow against them and slow her down to a crawl. The

Rainbow released a long, drawn-out groan, her hooves on her face and over her eyes as she collapsed onto a cloud.

“Why can’t I do it!?” Rainbow shouted to herself. “Why can’t I do a simple Rainboom!?”

But Rainbow already knew why. Her mind was not filled with the usual topics of ‘flight form’ and ‘smooth transitions’, but instead, it was still harboring on that one line which haunted her through the night.

”I am not in love with Rainbow Dash!”

Twilight’s voice repeated the line in Rainbow’s mind as she rolled on the cloud, a sigh escaping from her lips.

“Now what do I do?” she wondered out loud. “I need to train, but I can’t!”

Suddenly, Rainbow was reminded of something Twilight told her months ago, a phrase she thought she had long forgotten.

”If something’s bothering you, go talk to somepony about it! I guarantee it’ll make you feel better!

“Yeah, great advice, Twi. Who am I going to go to?” Rainbow sat up and immediately, her vision was drawn to a small building which sat atop a hill in the distance. She didn’t need to see any details to immediately know what she was staring at. If the giant apple at the top of the wooden archway was somehow overlooked, the acres upon acres of trees lined up neatly in rows would definitely jolt anypony’s memory of the signature farm.

“No way, Twi! I’m not gonna-” Rainbow shook her head, squinting her eyes with a frown on her face. “I’m... talking to a voice in my head.” She sighed. “I need to get my mind off her before I go nuts.”

She unfurled her wings and soared upwards before attempting the rainboom once again. Mirroring the scene mere minutes ago, she picked up immense speed but stretched her wings to slow her down to a stop. However, this time, Twilight’s voice wasn’t the one to stop her. In fact, her mind was blank as she hovered in the air, gazing up to the farm with a stoic expression.

Twilight awoke with a yawn, sitting up on her bed before stretching her hooves high into the air. As she did so, she heard a soft ‘thud’ as something fell on the floor.

What the- Twilight wondered before glancing down. As she saw what it was that made that sound, her eyes widened and her cheeks glowed bright red. On the ground lay the Daring Do book with the familiar blue feather sticking out at the top, signifying where she and Rainbow had left off two days ago.

“I... I hugged that to sleep!?” Twilight yelled loudly in her room. As quickly as she could manage, her horn started to glow purple and she levitated the book neatly back onto a nearby shelf, her face flushed red.

“O-Okay, you’re fine. Nopony saw that!” she assured herself, jumping off the bed. Her mind was filled entirely with thoughts of the cyan pegasus. Memories of the times her and Rainbow would spend in the library, reading Daring Do books in the still of the night. When everypony else in Ponyville had fallen asleep, they were still wide awake, enjoying each other’s company under the bright lights of the library.

“Breakfast! That’ll take my mind off her! And after breakfast, I’ll occupy my mind with the riddles!” Twilight planned out her day, trotting down the steps towards the kitchen just one floor below.

Upon reaching the second floor, the sound of knocking entered Twilight’s ears. Twilight quickly looked at a nearby clock which read “7:15AM”

“7:15? Who could be at my door this early?” she pondered before moving up to her door. The knocking only got more frantic with each passing second. “I’m coming! Hold your pony!” she yelled, but the sound didn’t cease.

The door flung open on its hinges and upon seeing the pony standing outside, Twilight’s anger faded away.

“Fluttershy?” Twilight spoke her name instinctively.

The yellow mare stood with her lips trembling, her breaths short and stuttered.

“T-Twilight! Oh thank goodness you’re awake!” Fluttershy was clearly flustered, but her voice was still as soft as it had always been.

“What’re you doing here?”

“Oh, Twilight. I have some terrible news.” Fluttershy lowered her head. “You see, when I awoke this morning, I went down to my garden to feed my animals like I always do!” she continued to explain and as she did, she turned to her side, allowing Twilight to see a small red robin unconscious on Fluttershy’s back. “But I found this poor little birdie laying on the ground. He must have fallen while I was asleep and his wing’s broken! I need your help, Twilight.”

“Wait, don’t you have healing supplies in your home?” Twilight inquired.

“I thought I did, but when I checked, I noticed I ran out of bandages.”

“Can’t you just buy some?” Twilight suggested.

“I tried to, but no store opens this early.”

Oh right. Shops in Ponyville don’t open till 9 in the morning.

“Please, Twilight! You have to help me!” Fluttershy pleaded with shining eyes.

“B-But... I don’t have bandages in the library!” Twilight answered swiftly.

“I was hoping, if you don’t mind,” Fluttershy said, even softer than before. “That you could actually, I mean, if it’s okay with you...”

Oh pony, this’ll take forever!

“Just say it out, Fluttershy!”

“I was hoping that you could cast a small healing spell on this poor little robin?”

Twilight stood, baffled.

“Weren’t you the one that told me to not use healing magic the last time I tried? That it would be better for animals to heal on their own?”

Hearing this sentence, Fluttershy quickly shrunk herself as small as she could, backing away from Twilight and turning her head, causing her mane to fall and shield her face.

“If-If you don’t want to, I guess that’s fine...” Fluttershy whispered under her breath, her eyes hidden away.

Twilight felt her heart wrench as she watched Fluttershy step away from her like she was some sort of monster.

Great job, Twi. Twilight thought, beating herself up. Making it sound like its her fault...

“I could... try to do one, Fluttershy,” Twilight offered with a smile, hoping to salvage the situation.

“O-Only if you want to,” Fluttershy replied meekly.

“I want to! Come on in!” Twilight stepped aside, allowing Fluttershy to trot in slowly as Twilight closed the door and followed suit

“Ah’m coming!” Applejack yelled, walking down the steps towards the door, where several knocks had rang out.

Upon opening the door, Applejack gave a restless sigh as her eyelids dropped and her mouth descended into a frown when she saw who it was.

“What in tarnation do you want?” she asked impatiently.

Rainbow stood with a false smile. “H-Hey there, AJ! You aren’t still mad about yesterday’s prank, are you?”

Applejack’s angered expression didn’t falter.

“Okay... so you are still mad about it.”

“Ya better have a good reason to be here.”

“Come on, AJ! It was just a harmless prank! Get over it!”

Applejack didn’t say a word, her eyes shooting daggers at the pegasus.

Rainbow sighed, her smile vanishing. “Look, AJ. I wanna talk to you about something.”

“If ya wanna talk to me, ya gotta apologize!”

“What!?” Rainbow recoiled. “No way!”

Applejack reached for the door and swung it back around, but Rainbow’s quick reaction stopped it from closing fully.

“Alright, alright! I’ll say it!” Rainbow conceded.

Applejack pulled the door open once again, one eyebrow raised in disbelief.

Rainbow took a deep breath. “I’m...” The next word was muttered softly under her breath, “sorry.”

She could barely hear Rainbow’s apology, but getting the proud pegasus to apologize at all was an accomplishment in its own right.

If Rainbow’s willing to apologize, whatever she wants to talk about must be important.

Applejack gave a small smile. “It ain’t much, but Ah’ll take it,” she said before letting Rainbow into her home. The door squeaked upon its hinges as Applejack closed it shut and went into her kitchen. Rainbow followed, unusually silent.

“Take a seat at the table, Ah’ll get us some of mah freshly squeezed apple juice!” Applejack had a small, proud smirk on her face as she spoke, approaching the kitchen counter. “So, what did ya wanna talk about, Rainbow? Is it about them nerves on that Wonderbolt audition tomorrow? Ya know ya got it made!”

“Come on, AJ! You’d really think I’d get nervous?” Rainbow lied.

“It’s fine, Rainbow. Ah get nervous too! Why, when Ah think about all them trees Ah gotta buck each season, mah belly gets more twisted than a lasso rope used by a foal!”

“AJ. It’s not nerves.”

“Ya know what’s great for nerves? Apple juice! All ya need is a cup of freshly squeezed apple juice and those nerves die right down! Ah’m gonna get you a cup when you-”

“AJ!” Rainbow shouted, getting the rambling pony’s attention. “It’s not nerves!”

“Well, shoot. Then what is it, Rainbow? What did ya wanna talk about?” Applejack asked, curious. Rainbow looked down at the table, mumbling something incoherent.

“Ah’m sorry, sugercube, but ya gonna have to speak up.” Applejack explained, sitting down just across Rainbow at the table.

“It’s about Twilight...” Rainbow’s voice trailed off, her eyes darted around the room, finding any place where they could be on except her friend’s face.

“Yeah, what about Twi?” Applejack continued questioning.

“I...,” Rainbow started

“Ya....”

“I l-lik....”

“Ya lie? What did ya lie about?”

“I like Twilight!” Rainbow shouted the words in quick succession, shutting her eyes as she did so.

Applejack reeled back into her chair, her mouth hung agape. Questions filled her mind, she wanted to know everything that was to know. However, the only thing that escaped her lips were a soft, “oh...’

“Place the bird on the table, I’ll try to find a spell,” Twilight instructed, levitating several books of different sizes and shapes onto the table as well.

Fluttershy obeyed Twilight, setting the robin down before lowering herself and stroking its head.

“It’ll be okay, little one. Twilight here is great with magic. I’m sure she’ll find something for you,” she assured the bird before turning up to her unicorn friend, who was levitating and scanning her eyes through a copy of ‘Minor Magic Miracles and Miraculous Medicine’.

Twilight’s eyes darted upwards to see Fluttershy staring at her with her head cocked to one side. Hastily, Twilight turned her eyes back to the book.

“So, Fluttershy.” Twilight pretended to read the book, flipping the pages at random intervals. “Rainbow’s audition is tomorrow.”

“Yup! Isn’t it wonderful?” Fluttershy asked with a large smile, bringing her two forehooves together and pressing them against her chest.

“Oh great!” Twilight ceased her magic on the book, letting it fall to the floor. “You’re happy too!” she shouted in an spiteful tone.

Fluttershy swiftly lowered her hooves, the smile disappearing from her lips as she asked, “you’re not?”

“No!” Twilight paused. “W-Well, I mean, yes, but— what I meant to say was —” She took a deep breath in, composing her thoughts.

“Fluttershy, how do you feel about Rainbow’s one month stay in Cloudsdale?”

“Oh, I’ll miss her so much.”

“So you don’t want her to go too! See, I knew that I was—” Twilight interrupted, cutting into Fluttershy.

“Huh? No, Twilight! I’m really excited for her! It’s great!”

Twilight sat, stunned with her mouth hung wide open. Her mind quickly raced to find a reason — any reason — for Fluttershy to see that Rainbow’s move was a horrible idea.

“B-but what if she makes new friends!?” Twilight argued.

Fluttershy giggled softly, lifting up her hoof to cover her mouth. “That would be wonderful! Rainbow’s a really nice pony underneath all her... pride.”

“Okay, then do you think Rainbow can even get into the Wonderbolts? I heard the training’s pretty tough!”

“Twilight, Rainbow’s one of the best fliers in Equestria! I’ve known her since we were fillies and I’ve never known a better flier, or a more loyal friend, than her!”

“Ugh!” Twilight groaned, agitated. “I give up!” she admitted, trotting to the bird on the table. “I’ll just cast the spell and maybe I can get the riddles solved.”

Twilight focused the magic in her horn, a small green spark emitting from the top of her horn when Fluttershy spoke in a hushed tone.

“I’m sure it wont happen again.”

Twilight stopped her spell immediately, her concentration shattering. “It? What it? What’s it!?” she asked repeatedly, swinging around to stare at the butter-colored pegasus.

“Umm... there was this one time, when Rainbow was practising a trick, she accidentally flew in the direction the sun was in. The light was so bright, it blinded her and caused her to crash into my yard. I ran up to her to see if she was okay but she sprained a hoof. I bandaged it up but Rainbow just flew away, to practise her tricks I guess.” Fluttershy laughed softly at the memory. “Just like the Rainbow Dash I know. It’s also why Wonderbolt auditions are held early in the mornings and the stage is positioned away from the sunrise, to prevent accidents like that.”

Twilight’s eyes grew large, her mouth slowly widening into a grin.

Light got into her eyes. That’s it!

“Fluttershy, you’re a genius!”

Fluttershy jumped back at Twilight’s sudden outburst.

“T-Twilight, please don’t do that again!”

Twilight wasn’t listening any longer. She rapidly turned back to the bird and with a short burst of concentration and a huge green glow, it was done. The bird was on its feet, looking as if it had never experienced any harm in its life. It chirped happily, flapping its wings and taking off towards Fluttershy before perching itself on her mane.

“I’m going to Rarity’s! I need to get something! You can show yourself the way out, right?” Twilight didn’t wait for an answer before bolting out the door. “Great! Thanks!”

The pegasus stood, frozen in confusion on what had just happened.

“Was it something I said?” she murmured, looking up at the bird which had nestled itself comfortably inside her mane with only its head poking out of the pink locks. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Mr Birdie! Twilight really did do a great job in healing you!” With a spring in each step, Fluttershy showed herself the way out, making sure to close the library door as she exited.

“AJ, you know that I’m not talking about a ‘Just being friends’ kinda like, right?”

“Of course Ah know!”

Rainbow slumped back into the chair, releasing a large sigh.

“Well, then what’s the problem? Ah don’t see why you’re so upset.”

“Because I don’t know what to do now!” Rainbow explained.

“Aw shucks, sugercube. All ya gotta do is tell Twilight how ya feel about her!”

“I’m scar—” Rainbow closed her mouth, thinking carefully about what she was about to say next. “I mean... what if Twilight decides that she doesn’t wanna be my friend anymore?”

Applejack smirked at Rainbow’s slip-up, but decided not to ridicule her for now, it seems like it was the last thing she needed.

“Aw, come on, Rainbow! Ya know Twilight ain’t a pony to just abandon you! Just tell her ya like her!”

Rainbow shut her eyes tightly, biting her bottom lip.

“Yeah, there’s another problem, AJ.”

“What’s that?”

“Twilight.... doesn’t like me back.”

No words were said between either pony. Rainbow allowed her head to rest on the cloth-covered table, feeling devastated as the same phrase kept repeating in her head, like it had been doing since last night.

“I am not in love with Rainbow Dash!”

Applejack allowed the words to sink in, before sporting a smile.

“Now how can ya say that, Rainbow? It ain’t like you heard it from Twilight herself!”

Rainbow turned up, giving Applejack an exhausted, but angered, stare. Applejack immediately knew what the stare was saying, though she didn’t understand how it could be so.

“So, ya told Twilight?” Applejack asked to clarify what Rainbow meant.

“No...” Rainbow replied, turning back down to the table.

“Well then, how do ya know Twilight doesn’t like ya?”

Rainbow let out a long, drawn-out breath. “Yesterday, after Pinkie and I pranked you, we went over to Rarity’s. There, I overheard Twilight tell Rarity that she’s not in love with ‘Rainbow Dash’.”

“Well, maybe she didn’t mean it that way.” Applejack had no idea where she was taking this theory, all she wanted was to see her pegasi friend return to her confident self. It was extremely unusual to see Rainbow so... unsure.

“Oh yeah? What other way could she have meant it? Did she mean to say she didn’t like my cooking?” Rainbow’s voice started to increase in volume with each word, rage boiling within her.

“Now hold on just a god-darn second, Rainbow! What’re ya getting so worked up about!? I’m just try’na help!” Applejack defended herself.

Rainbow’s tensed shoulders drooped down as she spoke, “There’s just a lot going on right now. The Wonderbolt auditions. My feelings with Twilight.”

Once again, silence enveloped the two mares at the table until Applejack’s voice broke it.

“So, how’d it all start anyway?”

“How did what start?”

“Ya know, your feelings for Twi!”

“Oh, that. I don’t really know. I guess it was when Twilight and I started having Daring Do nights,” Rainbow explained casually. “It was all normal at first but the more nights we had, the more I wanted to just sit beside her. Then I would get all nervous when we were alone and when she was reading.”Unbeknownst to her, a warm smile started to appear on her face. “I didn’t want to admit I was falling in love with a mare. I mean, if word gets out, I would be the laughing stock of Ponyville!” She raised her arms in an exaggerated fashion before letting them fall back onto the table.

“Come now, Rainbow. Ya know we’ll never laugh at ya!”

Rainbow gave a skeptical stare.

“Not even a little?” Rainbow asked.

Applejack chuckled. “Alright, maybe just a little.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I knew it!”

“Now hold on! Let me finish! We might laugh at ya, but we would never hate ya! And Ah’m sure Twilight feels the same way!”

“So what am I supposed to do now, AJ?”

Rainbow? Asking me for advice? Applejack was tempted to pounce on this rare moment, to force Rainbow to admit that she had, for once, no idea what to do. However, she quickly tossed the idea away, knowing that it was not what Rainbow wanted, nor needed, right now.

“How are the auditions coming along?”

“What!? Applejack, why are you changing the subject!? Just answer the question! Do I tell her? Or—”

Applejack’s expression didn’t change as she repeated herself, slower this time. “How’s the training for the auditions coming along, Rainbow?”

“They’re going fine.” The pegasus in question quickly blurted out as she crossed her hooves.

“Do ya feel that you can make it in?”

“Yeah!” she yelled without a second thought. “I know I can! I got this in the bag!”

Applejack grinned on the inside. The Rainbow she knew was back, at least for now. However, her expression was still stoic upon hearing the answer.

“Well, then ya better decide whether ya gonna tell her. Remember the one month stay, sugercube. If ya don’t tell her now, it might be too late.”

Rainbow gripped her head tightly, groaning loud. “This is uncool! Everything’s in a mess!”

“Rainbow, this ain’t about being cool anymore. The choice is up to you. Nopony else can help ya choose.”

“I’m gonna lose Twilight. I’m gonna lose Twilight...” Rainbow chanted continuously.

“Listen to me, Rainbow.” Applejack tried to get through to her frantic friend.

“Oh this is so bad! I can’t lose, Twilight! What about those Daring Do nights!?” Rainbow leapt off the chair, pacing around the kitchen.

“Rainbow! Listen to me!”

If Rainbow heard Applejack, she didn’t acknowledge it.

“What if we never talk again? How am I supposed to focus on the auditions like this!?”

“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack shouted.

“What is it, huh, AJ? Do you think you can help me!? I have the auditions and this crazy situation to deal with!”

“Rainbow! If you would just listen to m—”

“No! I’m gonna lose Twilight! I... I need—”

“Ya ain’t gonna lose, Twilight!”

“Oh yeah!?” Rainbow shouted at the top of her lungs, “what do you know about losing somepony important!?”

Silence.

No words could be said by other side, the only sound for the first few seconds was Rainbow’s loud panting, her eyes opened wide and her teeth gritted in fury.

That was, until Applejack’s sobs echoed through the room. She felt so many emotions consume her at that moment. Anger, pain, guilt, devastation and some she couldn’t put her hoof on. All of them rushed into her and seem to shout in unison, yelling at her to scream, to call out to the world. However, she couldn’t manage it. She could barely even manage a whimper as her whole body trembled. Horrible, painful thoughts pushing herself into her mind, even though she tried to push them away.

As what she just said truly sunk in, Rainbow’s expression started to soften to one of regret. Her mouth moved but no words came out. She shook her head, and even though they both knew what it meant, it was too late.

“I’m-I’m sorry.” Was what Rainbow could muster out, taking small steps towards the crying mare. “A-Applejack, I didn’t mean—”

Applejack raised her hoof and Rainbow immediately froze where she stood. Tears could clearly be seen dripping down Applejack’s face, no matter how hard she tried to hide it with her hooves and hat. They flowed down her cheeks and dripped onto the table. Each sob stabbed Rainbow in the heart, forcing her to the brink of tears as well.

“It’s fine, Rainbow,” Applejack’s speech was mumbled and interrupted constantly with sobs.

“N-no, its not. Applejack, I’m so sorry,” Rainbow continued to apologize. Whatever worry about pride and reputation Rainbow had, had gone out the window. Her heart raced.

Am I gonna lose Applejack too?

“I’m alright.” Applejack took her hooves away from her face, laying the hat on the table. She turned up to show her tear-filled eyes and a broken smile. “See?”

“Applejack, I’m—”

“Ah know.” She nodded. “But ya gotta think about what you say, Rainbow. If ya don’t, ya could say something you don’t mean. And there ain’t no way to take back what ya said.”

“I... I know, AJ. Listen, I’m really sorry.”

Applejack brought her hoof up to her face, wiping the tears away.

“Ah forgive you, Rainbow. But... Ah need some time alone.” Applejack hopped off her chair, escorting Rainbow towards the main door.

“Are you sure? We’re still friends right?”

“Ah’m fine! Ah’m much stronger than this!” Applejack laughed, heartbroken.

Rainbow could see that the pony in front of her was lying, her heart still ridden with guilt.

“Come ‘ere, sugercube!” Applejack brought Rainbow in slowly for a hug. At any other time, Rainbow would have jumped back with her hooves high in the air yelling out ‘Ewww gross!’ but not this time. Rainbow needed the hug, and she wasn’t afraid to show it by hugging Applejack back tightly. “Now go on and make us proud!”

“Thanks, AJ.” Rainbow sped off into the skies as Applejack closed the door shut.

Once she was sure Rainbow was out of earshot, she pushed herself against the door and slid down slowly, her mind muddled with memories. Using the last of her avaliable strength, she whispered, “Ah miss them so much...”

Twilight rushed into the library, sweat dripping down her forehead as she raced up to the table where several books still sat. Reaching into her saddlebags, she pulled out a rectangular object covered with a bright purple cloth.

As she placed the object on the table, an evil smile crossed her lips. With a glow of her horn, a small bottle of ‘Perfect Polish’ and a light-blue cloth floated to her.

“If Rainbow doesn’t make the Wonderbolts. She’ll have to stay! Then we can have Daring Do nights and be friends—no, more than friends. We’ll never be apart.” She tilted the bottle of polish, allowing the thin, white solution to pour out onto the cloth before lowering the cloth down to the object, applying the polish in circles. “She means too much to me....”

Proofreading done by: writer

Chapter 3: Misspoken Plans

Temporary A.N. : There's quite a few errors here. All the proofreaders I knew were busy and I wanted to at least give you guys a chapter before school starts. Will get a proofreader on it ASAP :) Or if you spot any errors, I would greatly appreciate it if you could point it out in the comments. Either way I hope you enjoy this chapter !

Twilight’s loud snoring echoed throughout the library, her head rested comfortably just beside the object she had spent the whole night polishing. A string of drool led from the side of Twilight’s mouth all the way down to a small puddle which had formed on the table. Twilight groaned softly, her body shifting and her eyes slowly fluttering open.

“W-wha... what day is it?” Twilight awoke, her head rising from her table as her mouth stretched out into a loud yawn. The searing rays of light told Twilight that it was way past morning, possibly closer to the afternoon.

She looked down at the object she brought home from Rarity’s and immediately, everything shot back into her mind.

“Oh my gosh. Today’s the day!?” She rushed over to her calendar to check and, sure enough, today was Rainbow’s Wonderbolt audition.

Her breathing became short and stuttered, her eyes grew wide as she turned back to gaze at the glimmering item.

“Well then, nothing to worry,” Twilight assured herself. Her breathing quickly returned to normal and a sly smile grew on her face. She lightly pushed open the kitchen door, a spring in each step as she approached the cupboard to her left.

“Today’s going to be a great day!” Twilight reached up and swung the cupboard door open. She reached inside and pulled out a small plastic packet which has the word ‘Instant Cocoa’ printed on it. Quickly tearing the top of the pouch open, she hovered a cup over before pouring the brown powder into it.

“A little hot water...,” Twilight sung and filled the cup with the steaming water from her kettle. With a soft slurp, she took her first taste of the delicious cocoa. A taste she didn’t have time for yesterday with Fluttershy’s disturbance.

“Ahhh,” Twilight exclaimed, trotting back into the living room. “Now then, since I have nothing to worry about till the audition, I’ll see if I can figure out the riddle—”

The sound of hooves hitting her wooden door resonated through the library.

“Ugh! Come on!” Twilight yelled as loud as she could before walking towards the door, purposely making each step as loud as she could. “One minute! I just need one minute before I—” She quickly ceased her shouting when her eyes saw the pony who stood outside.

“R-Rainbow?”

“Oh, heya, Twi!” Rainbow greeted with a wide grin. “Sorry if I’m disturbing you at all.”

“N-no! It’s fine!” Twilight assured the pegasus.

“You’re coming for the auditions, aren’t you, Twilight?”

“Of course I am, Rainbow! I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

“Great!” Rainbow beamed. “You wanna come with the future Wonderbolt star? I’m going there right now.”

“H-huh? O-oh, no, Rainbow! N-not now!” Twilight’s mind raced to find an excuse, any excuse she could use so that she could put her plan into action. “I have to... figure out the riddles! That’s it! Then I’ll be right there! Just give me a bit of time!”

Rainbow noticed Twilight’s odd actions. How Twilight wouldn’t look her in the eye while she was talking and how animated Twilight was when she spoke, waving her hooves around to re-enact everything she said. She cocked her head to the side. “Okay... well, I’ll see you there, alright, Twi?”

“Y-yeah! It’s just on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest right? Near Fluttershy’s cottage?”

“Yeah! Don’t be late for the crowning of the future Wonderbolt!”

“I won’t!”

Twilight turned around, prepared to go back into her home to carry out her plan. However, Rainbow’s voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Wait!”

Twilight twisted her head back, staring back at Rainbow.

“Yeah, what is it?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow looked down at the ground beneath her, stomping it lightly with her hoof.

“I have... s-something to tell you.”

Twilight shut her eyes. The Cloudsdale stay. At least she’s going to be honest about it.

“I...” Rainbow started in a soft tone. “I...”

Come on, Rainbow. You just have to say it out and—

“I’ll see you there alright?” Rainbow finished her sentence in one short breath, not even looking into Twilight’s eyes.

Twilight spun back around, letting her head hang low as an exasperated sigh escaped her lips.

“Yeah...,” Twilight muttered under her breath. “See you there.”

Neither pony said another word as Twilight trotted into the library, closing the door shut.

Rainbow stood, her mind had already started to beat herself up.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! It was one phrase! Three words! How could you slip up like that!?

Rainbow resisted screaming out in anger as she took off high into the skies and towards the auditions she had waited so long for.

Rainbow was restless as she stood behind the large red curtains of the stage. Her whole body was trembling immensely as she continued to jog on the spot, sweat pouring down her forehead and dripping onto the teak floor below.

With a shaking hoof, she pulled away the right curtain slightly, just enough for her to peek out onto the wide stage and the crowd. Hundreds of ponies could be seen on the stands, cheering as one by one, the candidates flew onto the stage and performed their stunts. They were all hoping to impress the judges with their moves and the judges were none other than the Equestria famous Wonderbolts!

It didn’t help Rainbow’s nerves when she saw the twelve ponies dressed in the signature blue suit, sitting and scrutinizing every candidate's tricks and traits. The very sight of her idols made her stomach churn.

Can’t screw this up. Only chance Rainbow kept repeating the two sentences in her mind.

“Heya, Rainbow!”

Rainbow leapt up at the mention of her name, her heart doubling its rate.

“Ah! I-I don’t want to go yet!”

“Whoa there, sugercube. It’s just us.”

The pegasus turned around to see the familiar faces of her friends, all of them wearing a warm smile as they stared at her.

“Oh.” Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief. “Hey, girls. I was just... acting! Did you come to support me?”

“Absolutely, darling!” Rarity answered. “A friend would not miss when another friend is about to fulfill her lifelong dream!”

Rainbow’s cheeks grew a faint red. “You guys really think I got this?”

“Oh, most definitely,” Fluttershy added in her usual meek tone.

“Then after you get your dream. We. Can. Party!” Pinkie screamed, standing up on her two hooves with a giant grin plastered on her face.

“Heh, thanks girls!” Rainbow grinned back, but the grin soon faded as she noticed somepony was missing from the group. “Hey, any of you seen Twilight?”

“Twi? Ah don’t know. She should be here any second now!”

“R-right... I’m sure she won’t miss it!” Rainbow said with an obviously forced smile.

“Ya darn right she won’t!” Applejack responded, hugging the pegasus close.

“Ew! Come on! Hugs? Now?” Rainbow complained.

“Hugs always!” Pinkie shouted, her hooves extending and bringing all of her friends into a close hug. Seconds later, the hug was broken away as the ponies started to leave the backstage area.

“You make us proud, Rainbow!” Rarity spoke.

“Yeah! I’m gonna throw the biggest party for you, Dashie!”

“Oh... umm... n-no stress, alright?”

“We’ll see you after you win, right, Rainbow?”

“Yeah!” Rainbow answered. “Sure, AJ. Thanks girls! Enjoy the show!”

With these words, her friends soon vanished from sight. The announcer’s loud voice could clearly be heard speaking, “and now, for our second last candidate! Please welcome, Starstreak!”

Rainbow swore her gulp could be heard all across the stage as she watched the silver pegasus take off through the curtains. She was alone now. There was not a single pony left behind the curtains as she nervously awaited the inevitable mention of her name.

Twilight galloped towards the edge of the Everfree Forest with her saddlebags. The sound of ponies cheering and the sight of pegasi doing all sorts of dangerous stunts told her she was close. As she raced up the hill, she finally caught sight of the stage. Entire stands were filled with ponies screaming their lungs out, no doubt friends and family of the competitors.

Twilight’s eyes caught sight of Applejack and the others, watching intently at the curtains, all of them waiting for her cyan friend to rush out for her try to enter the Wonderbolts. She sneakily trotted behind the stands, towards the back of the stage, where she could finally put her plan into action.

Rainbow isn’t going to win this time! As Twilight approached the entrance to the back of the stage, she quickly ran through the plan in her head repeatedly. Oh Twilight, you’re a genius! There’s no way this plan could fail!

What the unicorn didn’t plan for was a muscular pony, dressed in a black suit and tie, standing and blocking the entrance to the backstage.

“Umm...excuse me, Mr Large guard...sir.” Twilight stared at the burly pony with a smile. The guard looked down at the purple mare, a frown on his face. “My friend is in there and I haven’t had the chance to support her yet. Would you please let me through so I can—”

“Nopony allowed back here. Beat it,” the guard replied, turning his head back up away from Twilight.

“B-But—”

“I said beat it”

Twilight immediately started taking steps back. The last thing she needed was to get in trouble now. For if she did, her plan would most certainly be ruined.

I need to get inside somehow! Twilight thought, her eyes darting around the entire area around her. From the big guard to the angled audience stand to her right. There has to be a— Her eyes soon landed on a mare who was sitting at the front of the stands, her eyes glued to the pegasus in the sky. To her left was a small purse, almost certainly containing valuables, and an unsuspecting stallion situated just behind her. It’s all too perfect!

Stealthily, Twilight levitated the purse and placed it just beside the stallion, grinning wide as she did so.

“It’s only a matter of time before—”

“Where’s my purse!?” the mare screamed at the top of her lungs, turning her head quickly to try and locate her bag. When she turned to her back, she produced a low growl. “You!”

The stallion turned his attention to the mare, who was giving him an angered stare. “W-what? What’s wrong, ma’m?”

The mare didn’t listen to what the stallion had to say. She stood up and snatched the purse right out from his side. “Security!” the mare yelled. “Security!”

It was all going according to plan. The guard swiftly galloped to the frantic mare, giving Twilight full entry to where she needed to be. Twilight didn’t waste any time, racing into the backstage, where she could finally ensure Rainbow doesn’t get a place in the Wonderbolts.

Back in the stands, Applejack couldn’t keep her eyes off the bickering ponies as the stallion frantically tried to defend himself. Her mind soon wandered off to another topic that bugged her mind.

Twilight still ain’t here... Where could that unicorn have run off to?

Come on, Rainbow. You can’t let your friends down! You got this!

The announcer’s booming voice spoke once again, “that was an amazing audition! Next up—”

You can’t let anyone down! You need this!

“Is, Ponyville’s own—”

You can’t let yourself down...

“Rainbow Dash!”

The name caused a large roar of applause as Rainbow stepped out into the sunlight, in full view of everypony, including the Wonderbolts. She lifted her right hoof to wave to the crowd and through all the noise, she could faintly pick up the encouraging words from her friends.

“You go Dashie!”

“Ya got this, Rainbow!”

“Show them grace and poise!”

Rainbow spreaded her wings, the light blue feathers seemed to reflect the intense sunlight of the evening sun. Posing just for a second, she took off into the sky, flying away from where she had came from, towards where a large cloud had been positioned for her. It was now or never. This was the start of her one and only chance to fulfill her dream.

Twilight watched as Rainbow trotted past the curtains and out of sight. She rushed forward to where Rainbow once stood, inches away from the drawn red fabrics covered the back of the stage.

“Alright. So far so good,” she whispered to herself.

Twilight’s horn glowed a familiar shade of purple as she lifted the key to her whole scheme out of her saddlebag.

“Here we go.” The edges of Twilight’s mouth stretched towards her ears as she laid the object on the floor. She stared at the perfectly polished surface, seeing a purple unicorn with a unkempt mane gazing back at her in it.

“Mirror mirror on the wall, guess who's gonna take a big fall?” She recited into the item at her hooves. The few, scattered lights around the room fed the mirror’s hungry appetite, reflecting any light that it could find around the back of the stage.

Twilight trotted up to where the two curtains met and pulled the right curtain slightly away, allowing her to peek past the judges and the audience stands, up to the bright orb rising in the sky.

“Perfect,” Twilight muttered.

Twilight diverted her gaze towards the pegasus in question, who was flying swiftly towards a huge cloud. She brought her head down towards the mirror, staring at its reflective sheen for a few seconds before picking it up.

“Alright.” Twilight started to adjust the mirror, hoping to get the most amount of sun to hit it as possible. Several adjustments later, the mirror glowed with an intense light, signalling that Twilight had found the perfect spot.

“Now all I have to do is wait for Rainbow to fly past the stage and I can turn this to blind her!” Twilight giggled playfully. “It’s the perfect plan!”

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed as she focused on the two large, fluffy balls in the sky.

“Alright, move one!” She psyched herself up, soaring forward so that she was just inches away from the first cloud. Without wasting another second, she flew upwards, knocking several pieces of the cloud away with a fierce buck of her hooves. She darted downwards, kicking away several tuffs of the huge cloud before racing to the right, repeating the same routine.

“Almost... and...,” Rainbow lifted her forehooves and pressed against the edges, smoothing them out. “Done.” She flew back a little, letting the judges and the audience marvel at her sculpture; a gigantic, detailed cloud formation of the Wonderbolt’s symbol. The crowd soon erupted in applause, but the Wonderbolts sat and stared as Rainbow dashed straight up into the sky.

“Move two!” Rainbow muttered, slipping her hooves to her side as she flew upwards. All of a sudden, a faint flash of light blue covered the entire sky. Everypony’s jaw dropped as they stared wide-eyed at the pegasus descending down from the heavens. “Buccaneer Blaze, check.”

Rainbow spun around, zipping over the crowd and towards the stage where she came from. She closed her eyes and gulped. “M-move three.”

Twilight braced herself, her eyes locked onto the pegasus who was flying closer and closer to her.

“Alright, this is it. Perfect timing. Just need to move this mirror a little to the left and then Rainbow will fail the audition,” Twilight planned out loud. She tilted the mirror a slight bit, still a small turn away from sabotaging her friend in the skies.

“A little more, Twilight, and she’ll be with you. All you have to do is make her fall,” Twilight paused, her eyes staring into space. “Make her fall and lose her only chance to make her dream come true. That’s all you have to do. R-ruin her dream... because that’s what friends do...,” her tone got a lot softer as she spoke, a stray tear flowing down her cheek. She turned up to see that Rainbow was close to flying past her. She only had a second more to turn the mirror.

You’re gonna lose her, Twi. Unless you—

“Ruin her dream... I know...”

There she is! Now! Turn it now! Turn the mirror n—

Crash.

The sound of the mirror shattering did well to shield Twilight’s loud sobs as she sat behind the curtains, large shard of shattered glass surrounding her. She lifted her right hoof and pressed it against her chest, feeling her heartbeat. She felt as if her heart had been ran through by a dagger. The pain she felt was immeasurable, the guilt she tried to ignore consumed her every thought.

How!? How could you even think of doing such a thing!? Twilight screamed in her mind. She’s your friend, Twilight! She’s your friend! No! She’s more than that! And you were willing to do that!? she continued to scold herself.

She was all alone. She wanted Rainbow to land from her audition, see her laying there with tears streaming down her face. She wanted to feel the warmth of Rainbow’s fur and feathers against her as the pegasus pulled her into a hug, but she knew that that was just a dream that will never be fulfilled.

Every single limb of her’s ached and she could only grit her teeth to try to divert it away. As an earth shattering boom shook the very ground she sat on, followed by the loudest applause Twilight had ever heard, she knew what had happened. There was no denying it now. She had just lost Rainbow Dash.

Twilight couldn’t take the cheering anymore. The happiness only deepened the wound she had. With a flash, Twilight, and all the shattered glass, was gone.

Rainbow descended down to her friends as she wore the biggest, and proudest, grin she could muster. Her friends leapt up to her, drawing her into a large hug.

“Oh come on, another hug?” Rainbow complained, rolling her eyes.

“You darn right, sugercube! You deserved it!” Applejack tightened her grip on Rainbow, her smile increasing in size.

“That was absolutely wonderful darling! And I must say, the Rainboom at the end surely secured your place!”

“Yeah, Dashie! That was almost as sweet as my cakes!” Pinkie released a long gasp. “Maybe... maybe even sweeter than my cakes!”

“Woo hoo, Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow recoiled a little at Fluttershy’s loud cheering. “You totally knocked the socks of those ponies! No candidate but you stands a chance!”

Rainbow, Rarity, Pinkie and Applejack glared silently at the shouting Fluttershy, who took quite a while to notice the silence. She quickly lowered herself, her cheeks blushing red. “I-I’m sorry... was I too loud?”

The barrage of compliments continued to shower Rainbow. However, Rainbow’s smile slowly disappeared once she noticed a certain pony was missing from the crowd.

“G-girls. Where’s Twilight?”

Applejack’s smile quickly disappeared. “Ah... Ah’m sorry to tell ya, Rainbow, but Twilight never showed up.”

“What do you mean she never showed up? She said she wouldn’t miss this for the world!” Rainbow shouted in distress.

“We thought she wouldn’t miss it as well,” Rarity added.

“Ah’m mighty sorry, Rainbow.”

Rainbow tilted her head downwards, no traces of happiness left within her.

“Ladies and gentlecolts!” The announcer’s voice blasted over the speakers. “The Wonderbolts have finished their discussion and would like to announce that only one pony has made it past the auditions!”

Rainbow stared blankly at the dirt underneath her hooves, her mind having wandered off to somewhere far away.

“That pegasus is... Rainbow Dash!”

The crowd exploded with a wave of cheers and congratulation. Applejack braced herself for Rainbow’s gloating, expecting her to fly onto stage with that arrogant look on her face. However, as she turned back down, she only saw Rainbow standing as still as a statue, not so much as twitching. Applejack lifted her right hoof to shake the pegasus a little, returning her to Equestria.

“You won! Rainbow, you won!”

“I did? G-great.” Rainbow’s shoulders drooped as she flew onto the stage, her eyes stuck onto the library that could be seen faintly in the distance.

“Rainbow Dash! You have won yourself a one month stay in Cloudsdale so that the Wonderbolts can judge you and your abilities! You could very well be the next Wonderbolt! How do you feel?” The announcer pushed the microphone into Rainbow’s mouth.

Rainbow blinked several times, her eyes glued to the treebrary. “G-great. I feel amazing,” she replied in a monotonous tone.

“You must be ecstatic!”

“Y-yeah, sure,” Rainbow continued, “electric. Can I go now? I’m kinda needed elsewhere.”

The announcer reeled back for a slight moment as the crowd released a unified gasp, Rainbow’s friends included. The announcer turned up to Spitfire, who gave a soft nod.

“Y-yes, Rainbow. You may leave this prem—”

A large gust of wind followed Rainbow as she sped off towards the library. Applejack stood with an eyebrow raised as she glanced at where the rainbow trail sped off to.

“Twilight? Twilight, you okay over here?” The library door squeaked on its hinges as Rainbow gave it a light push. Immediately, Rainbow could hear faint sobs coming from a floor above, causing her hooves to shake and her heart to beat even faster.

Rainbow ascended the steps slowly, her reflexes braced for the worst. “Twilight? You alright?”

At the top of the steps, Rainbow could see Twilight with her back turned towards her. Each sob stabbed Rainbow in the heart. She couldn’t help but feel... responsible. Her hooves trembled as she reached out to the unicorn. “Twilight?”

Twilight spun around, her eyes red from the tears, her teeth bared towards the pegasus.

“Why didn’t you tell me!?” Twilight bellowed. “Why!? Why why why why!?”

Rainbow leapt backwards, her lips shaking. “T-tell you!? Tell you what!?”

Rainbow saw a large book get tossed towards her, quickly ducking to dodge it. “Whoa! Twilight!”

Twilight didn’t have any remorse left. She continued to scream, “the one month stay in Cloudsdale! Why didn’t you tell me!?”

Rainbow’s eyes widened, her mouth opening as she whispered, “how did you know about that?”

Rainbow ducked once more to dodge a large book, which slammed against the wall with a loud ‘thud’.

“Does it matter!?”

“I-I wanted to! B-but it was so hard to say, Twilight. You have to understand!”

“Why didn’t you tell me, Rainbow!? Why!? What is it? You don’t think me as one of your friends!?”

No, Twilight. I don’t. I think of you as more than a friend. Rainbow had the whole reply planned out in her mind. You mean Equestria to me and I... I love you.

“No, Twilight! I don’t!” Rainbow froze as the four words repeated in her mind. Twilight stared as her mouth descended into a frown, her eyes squinting together to let out the tears that flowed. Rainbow couldn’t continue what she wanted so desperately so say, her mouth locked up upon seeing Twilight turn her head to one side. The silence seemed to last forever, only after Twilight started to speak, were they brought back to reality.

“Get out,” Twilight commanded in a cold tone.

“T-Twi, wait, let me explai—” Rainbow took a step forward, her entire body shivering.

“Get out!” Twilight’s horn glowed a bright purple as a similiar aura surrounded the pegasus. In a matter of seconds, Rainbow found herself on the cold ground outside.

“Wait! Twilight, please!” Rainbow crawled as fast as she could towards the door, but with a loud slam, the door was closed and the sound of tumblers turning signified that the door was truly locked.

Rainbow banged repeatedly on the door. “Twilight! Please!” Tears had started to flow down Rainbow’s face as well. “Please! Twilight! Open the door!” she begged.

The sun had started to set over the horizon, bringing with it the last light of day. Rainbow was bathed in the orange glow as she bashed on the door. “I’m begging you, please! Twilight! Twilight!!”

“Rainbow?”

Rainbow lifted her hooves to her face, hiding it from view. “H-heya, AJ...,” she spoke in a stuttered and mumbled voice.

“Rainbow, are ya, crying?” Applejack took a step forward but Rainbow responded with an immediate step back.

“I just... got something in my eyes.”

Applejack shook her head. “I ain’t buying it, Rainbow.”

Rainbow sniffed hard, tears dripping onto the ground. “You don’t have to.”

Without another word, Rainbow darted past Applejack, sending a gust of wind into the earth pony’s face.

Applejack took off after Rainbow, hoping to catch up to the speedy pegasus.

“Rainbow! You come back here! Rainbow!”

Rainbow didn’t acknowledge Applejack’s pleas, cutting through the air, her eyes grew foggy from all the tears she had cried. She could barely make out the outline of her cloud home, but she knew the layout by heart, she didn’t need sight to tell her where to fly. Rainbow sped into her room and threw herself onto her bed, her face dug deep into her pillow.

Applejack gazed up at the huge cloud home, as bright, twinkling stars hung behind it. Ain’t nothing I can do now. She ain’t coming down... I’m gonna make sure she’s alright tomorrow. she reluctantly told herself, trotting back towards the farm.

“Stupid!” Rainbow shouted into her pillow, muffling the word. “You’re an idiot, Rainbow! An idiot! Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! Dumb, useless, stupid pegasus!”

Rainbow lifted her head up, staring at the calm night outside her window. Her whimpers were soft, but each one carried an intense pain through her body. She could see the half-moon hung quietly in the sky, among the thousands of diamonds.

Rainbow lowered her right hoof to her blanket and pulled it up to her neck. Her sobs were the last noises she made before being pulled slowly into dreamland...

Twilight could do nothing but scream and shout, her horn glowing bright as she flung book after book against the walls of the library. It was barely any help to reduce the pain she felt deep within her. She slammed her head on the table, her loud cries of anger and anguish continuing through the wood.

After a few minutes, Twilight could feel her entire body aching. Her throat was sore and her eyes were searing from all the tears. She had so much more to cry out, but couldn’t, for there were no more tears left to cry.

Twilight picked herself off from the table, unknowingly sending the paper she had cried on to float to the floor. She trotted up to her room and ascended the steps beside her bed, accidentally stumbling against the bookshelf and sending the books avalanching off their positions and onto the ground below.

She would have immediately set about arranging the entire bookshelf if it was any other day. However, all Twilight wanted to do was to get some much needed rest. Her head was reeling from the day’s events as she laid on the bed.

It’s all over. Twilight gripped her pillow tightly, shutting her eyes as hard as she could. Rainbow’s gonna go to Cloudsdale and find a great stallion, maybe even one in the Wonderbolts. Images of Rainbow in a long flowing wedding dress crossed Twilight’s mind. Thoughts of her, sitting in the crowd, forced to watch the mare she loved stand on the podium with a grin on her face as she muttered to the stallion.

“I do.”

The thoughts made Twilight writhe in pain, forcing her right hoof up to her chest to try to ease the devastation of losing Rainbow.

With one final glance at the half-moon that hung in the sky, she felt her entire mind drift away. Fear and desolation ate up the last bits of her consciousness as she lay on the bed, lifeless, till sleep finally brought her to slumberland in solace.

For all she cared, she could have been pronounced dead.

Proofreading done by a close friend of mine (he doesn’t want to be mentioned).

Chapter 4: Afterthoughts

Rainbow hovered her trembling hoof inches away from the library’s wooden door.

M-maybe I should just go. Rainbow thought to herself as she retracted her hoof, but almost immediately extended it back to the spot it was before. N-no, Rainbow! You have to do this! You have to—

“Rainbow?”

The pony in question jolted away from her dream-like state, darting her head to her left to find the source of the voice.

“AJ?” Rainbow asked instinctively, staring at the orange Earth pony.

“Yeah, Rainbow. You alright? Ya look like ya’ve seen a ghost!” AJ’s eyes lowered to Rainbow’s packed saddlebags, her eyebrows furrowing quickly. “Ya...ya’re leaving?”

Rainbow looked down to the dirt beneath her hooves. She was silent, but AJ didn’t need Rainbow to say anything for her to understand the message.

“Why didn’t ya tell us?”

“I wanted to.” Rainbow sighed. “But it was just so hard. I’ve known you girls for so long now! Leaving Ponyville just... doesn’t feel right,” she explained. “Actually, I was supposed to leave an hour ago, I’m really late.”

“Then what in tarnation are ya still hanging around here for?”

“I... I need to, I mean I w-want to,” Rainbow dug at the ground with her right hoof, kicking dust up into the air. “I wanna say goodbye to Twilight before I go.”

“Wow, Twi must really mean something if she’s the only pony ya can say goodbye to.”

Rainbow jolted her head up into the air, staring right into AJ’s eyes.

“W-wait! I didn’t mean it like that! W-what I meant was—”

“Relax, Rainbow. Ah’m just teasing ya.” Rainbow quickly nodded several short times. “It ain’t that hard! Just trot in and say goodbye!”

Rainbow once again sunk her head down, letting out a huge breath. “I wish it were that easy...,” she muttered softly to herself.

Applejack craned her head forward and tilted it to one side, trying to make out what Rainbow had just said.

“Ah’m sorry, sugercube. What did ya say?”

“N-nothing!” Rainbow shouted, taking a few steps back. “Just... thinking out loud!”

Applejack shook her head, knowing all too well it was more than just a stray thought. She opened her mouth to press the matter, but Rainbow’s voice quickly interrupted her before she could begin.

“AJ, can you say goodbye to Twilight for me? And the rest?”

“Ah don’t get it, why don’t ya just say goodbye to her yourself?”

Rainbow quickly felt a stabbing pain in her chest. She resisted the urge to dart her hoof upwards to cling on to the last remnants of composure she had left, knowing that Applejack would interrogate her on it. She swung around, away from Applejack, spreading her wings as a tear flowed down her cheek.

“I... I’m late. Tell her I’ll see her in a month, alright?”

Applejack tried to trot forward, stopped in her tracks by Rainbow’s voice once more.

“And AJ?”

“Yeah?”

“I... didn’t think before I spoke. I’m sorry.” With one flap of her wings, Rainbow lifted herself into the sky, disappearing into the wide blue yonder as she blended with the clouds.

Applejack wanted to chase after her, wanted to catch her and ask questions, scream at her for what she had just said. However, she knew it would do nothing but damage her friendship with Rainbow. With the pegasus gone for a month, the last thing AJ wanted was her to leave on a bad note.

Applejack paced up and pushed open the door to Twilight’s library.

Late morning sunlight bathed the sleeping unicorn in her bed. Without warning, Twilight shot up from her bed, sweat rushing down her face with tears flowing from her eyes.

Why can’t I push the thoughts away? Twilight gripped her head, clenching her teeth tight. They need to go away!

The same few images continued to cross Twilight’s mind. Images of Rainbow in a long, flowing white gown, trotting up the aisle with the widest smile Twilight had ever seen. However, the smile only sent daggers into Twilight’s heart as she pressed her hoof tightly to her chest, just over where she could feel her heart beating. The pain she felt was unlike any other she had ever felt before.

I just need to take my mind off this. Just need to keep myself busy Twilight leapt off her bed, the images playing repeatedly in her head. Not a second later, she was met with the pile of books, toppled from the bookcase, which now stood empty beside her bed. I’ll...start from the living room and work my way up she organized everything in her mind, trotting down to the floor below.

The living room wasn’t any cleaner. Stray books and toppled tomes only served as a reminder as to what happened last night. Twilight tried to push the memories out of her mind, but her effort was futile. The memories slowly weakened her already vulnerable state, shattering her fragile mind.

Tears dripped off her chin and onto the floor below as her horn lit up, surrounding the toppled books with a pink aura before lifting them back onto the shelves they belonged.

There were no more thoughts that entered her mind. No more images or pictures of anything. Her heart was numb as well. Guilt, sadness, pain, all the emotions she should’ve felt, were gone. She could neither shed tears nor speak words as she continued to tidy up her library. What had destroyed her, had also left her empty within.

Before she knew it, there was only one piece of paper left on the floor. She picked it up, only to be greeted with the tear-stained paper of Celestia’s riddles.

“Riddle #1: Everypony sees themselves in me, but I don’t reflect. Everypony chases me, yet few are able to catch me. Everypony has me, yet most ponies lose me. What am I?” Twilight read the riddle once more to herself. “Uh huh. Yeah. I’ll solve this in my dreams.”

Twilight sat the paper down onto the table, turning to trot towards her kitchen when suddenly, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. W-wait a minute...

Twilight twisted her head back around, her eyes locked onto the paper fluttering on the table...

The wooden door squeaked on its hinges as Applejack pushed it open, revealing the first floor of the library, which was currently empty save for a few books which laid around on the floor. She proceeded to the staircase, ascending the steps to the floor above.

“Twi? Ya here, Twi?” Applejack shouted, hoping for a reply. Upon reaching the second floor, her eyes fell on Twilight, who was frantically scribbling words down on a piece of paper. “Twi?”

“Hey, AJ!’ Twilight called out to her friend, her gaze fixated on the paper she was writing on. “I did it!”

“Ya did... what?”

“I solved the first riddle!”

“The one Celestia gave ya?”

“Yes! It was so obvious! The answer was ‘Dreams’!”

Applejack took a few steps forward, making sure to not make any sudden movements.

“Umm, Twi?” Applejack continued to inch her way closer to the unicorn.

“I should’ve seen it! I mean, it was right there in front of me! I don’t know why the Princess would give me this riddle though, but it doesn’t matter! I did it! I figured it out!”

“Twi!” Applejack called out a second time. Twilight fell silent, looking at the Earth pony in her eyes, silence enveloping the two.

“Well? What’s up, AJ?” Twilight inquired.

Applejack shook her head. “Ah’m sorry. Ah just... didn’t expect you to listen to me so soon. Anyway, what happened last night? With Rainbow?”

Twilight turned her attention back to the paper, continuing to write, a frown on her face.

“Twilight? Did ya even he—”

Twilight cocked her head up to her window, gazing out as the sun reached its peak in the sky.

“Oh wow! Noon already? AJ! Get the girls! We’re going for lunch!”

“But Rainbow left and she sa—”

“Get the girls, AJ!” Twilight’s horn glowed the familiar purple hue as she spoke, covering Applejack entirely with her magic before tossing her out the door. “Okay, I’ll wait for you here! When you’ve gotten the girls, come find me! I’ll be here!” Twilight spoke rapidly before slamming the door shut.

Applejack sat on the ground, still for a few seconds, her mind trying to comprehend what had just happened. Reluctantly, she trotted off towards Sugercube Corner, hoping that Twilight would give her straight answer at lunch.

Several knocks echoed through the library, reaching Twilight’s ears and causing her to race down to the door, flinging it open. Just outside stood the familiar white unicorn who Twilight had helped three days ago.

“Hello, Rarity!” Twilight greeted, gazing past her to see her other friends standing behind, looking curiously at her.

“Why, hello, darling. Are you alright, Twilight?” Rarity asked.

“Of course I am! Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, it’s just that... Applejack told us that you were acting pretty odd.”

“AJ told us about how kooky you were!” Pinkie added, quickly receiving a glare from Rarity. However, Pinkie simply stood with a smile plastered onto her face.

“Kooky? I’m not kooky!” Twilight argued.

“Really? Applejack told us that as soon as she mentioned Rainb—”

“Oh wow! We better get going for lunch! You know, before it gets crowded!” Twilight galloped past her friends, heading straight down the street. The others quickly sped forward as well, hoping to catch up to the escaping unicorn.

Twilight darted down the street, stopping just outside a small restaurant with a large signboard that read “Saladhouse: Home of the Best Salads in Ponyville” hung right at the top. There were very few tables inside the establishment, most of them empty. The restaurant’s decor consisted of several vines which wrapped around the nearby railings and entrances, while the wallpaper was a fairly bright orange, accenting the intricate artwork which hung from the walls. The intoxicating smell of hayfries and veggie burgers filled Twilight’s nose, pulling her to the entrance just in front of a waiter.

“Table for how many ponies, madam?” the waiter asked in a posh tone.

“Si-I mean, five. Table for five.”

“Very well, this way please.”

As Twilight took her first steps into the restaurant, the other ponies soon caught up to her.

“Twilight! Why did you run off like that?”

“I got us a table! Come on!” Twilight ignored Rarity’s question, darting instead to the table before sitting down and lifting the menu right up to her face.

The other ponies swiftly settled down as well, all of their eyes shifting from the menu to Twilight.

“The table is pretty quiet without a certain pegasus here, isn’t it?” Rarity started, looking up to the ceiling as she spoke.

Twilight didn’t budge, the menu held high up to her face to block the stares of the four pairs of eyes. Rarity elevated her left hoof, using it to nudge Fluttershy before giving her a wink.

“O-oh yes. I do miss my best friend!” Fluttershy added, but yet again, Twilight didn’t have any reaction.

The others sighed, lowering their heads to the menu to take an actual look through the items available. Twilight calmly set her menu back down onto the table, raising her right hoof high into the air to signal that she was ready to take an order. Not a second later, a waiter was already present at the table, notepad in hoof.

“Ready to order, ma’am?”

“Yes! I would like a Lunight Salad please!” Twilight replied.

“And for the rest of you?” the waiter inquired, looking at the four ponies who were still looking through the menu.

“Ah’ll have the... Apple Salad!”

“I want the Candy Crouton Cranberry Salad!” Pinkie giggled. “That’s so fun to say! Candy Crouton Cranberry! Candy Crouton Cranberry! It’s almost as much fun to say as... Kumquat!”

Rarity quickly intervened, knowing full well what Pinkie did when she went on one of her tangents. “I’ll have the Exquisite Lettuce and Tomato Coleslaw with a touch of Red Wine Vinaigrette dressing please!”

“I’ll just have the carrots. Angel wants one when I go back home,” Fluttershy said in a meek tone, quickly passing the menu to Rarity.

“Is that all?”

“Yes, many thanks!” Rarity said with a warm smile, passing the collected menus back to him.

As if on cue, the silence returned. The atmosphere got thicker with each passing second, until Rarity finally spoke, cutting away at the awkward air.

“Well, it certainly is much quieter without Rainbow to chat with us!”

Twilight stared blankly at Rarity for a few seconds before changing her attention back down to the table.

“That’s it!” Applejack slammed her hoof onto the table, shocking everypony, including Twilight, into staring at her. “Ah wanna know how long you’ve been in love with Rainbow!”

“Hey!” Twilight recoiled. “That escalated pretty quickly! Why the sudden outburst!? And I’m not in ‘love’ with Rainbow because if Rarity hasn’t told you, I don’t believe in love!”

Pinkie’s laughter drew all the attention to the pink mare, her face twisted in intense mirth. After a few seconds, Pinkie regained enough composure to speak once more. “Silly Twilight! Love is all around you! Just look!” she pointed to a couple sitting at another table, their lips interlocked in a passionate kiss.

“Since Rarity didn’t tell you girls, I’ll say it again. Love is just a word made up by ponies who have nothing better to do with their lives than sit in front of each other all googly eyed!” Twilight explained.

“Excuse me, madams. But your food is here,” the waiter’s calm voice froze Applejack and Twilight in their aggressive position as he laid the respective plates down in front of the ponies.

“Twi! Tell me what happened last night!” Applejack demanded, leaning as far as she could across the table, into Twilight’s face.

“N-nothing happened last night, AJ! What in Equestria makes you think something ‘happened’!?” Twilight defended herself, sitting down to eat her meal.

“Oh, Ah don’t know. Maybe it was seeing Rainbow break down in front of yer house last night? Or maybe that she was standing outside yer house, an hour late for her training with the Wonderbolts, trying to find a way to say goodbye to ya!?”

Tense silence filled the table, all eyes locked onto the two bickering ponies. Applejack didn’t move an inch, her eyes piercing daggers towards Twilight. However, Twilight didn’t make eye contact, eating her salad slowly, chewing and slowing as if nothing had ever happened.

“Ugh, this salad isn’t the best,” Twilight remarked.

Applejack felt an almost un-pony like rage fill her at that moment. Her eyes widened and her hooves tensed, resisting the urge to tackle Twilight to the ground.

“Oh yeah! I love mine though! It’s all candy!” Pinkie added, wearing an innocent and unaware smile on her face.

Twilight picked up the last piece of lettuce before putting it in her mouth. “Now if you girls will excuse me.” Twilight reached into her saddlebag before pulling out several bits. “I have to go and figure out the last riddle. I’m already four days behind!” she nonchalantly said before trotting out the door.

Applejack stared at the unicorn with her mouth wide open. The anger in her boiled her blood. If it was audible, everypony would have heard her snap. Applejack took off towards the library, each step emitting the anger the other girls had never seen before.

Applejack slammed her hoof against the library’s door, forcing it open with a loud ‘thud’. She rushed in, her breaths deep and enraged as she took one step after another into Twilight’s home.

“Welcome to the Golden Oaks Library! How may I—” Twilight appeared, trotting down the steps.

“Twilight!” Applejack screamed, startling the unicorn. “Ah’m getting real tired of ya, Twi!”

Twilight quickly regained her composure, standing calmly near the steps. “What books would you like, AJ? Here for another apple bucking tec—”

“Don’t ya dare change the subject!” Applejack yelled as loud as she could. “Ah’ve had enough of ya avoiding my questions! Ah wanna know what happened last night! Ah wanna know what you did to Rainbow and Ah ain’t gonna leave til Ah get my answers!”

By now, Applejack was right in front of Twilight’s face, staring the unicorn down menacingly. Twilight locked her gaze, looking into Applejack’s lime-green eyes, not showing any sign of giving in.

“Twilight,” Applejack muttered through clenched teeth. “Ah ain’t leaving. Ya better tell me what ya did to Rainbow before Ah show you how angry Ah can really get.”

A lump appeared in Twilight’s throat as Applejack spoke, her hooves starting to shake a little. “Maybe I... overreacted.”

“By how much?”

“She didn’t tell me that she was going away for a month!”

“How much did ya overreact?” Applejack repeated her question.

“When she came, I started to freak out! I asked if she was ever gonna tell me. We had this fight and... and... R-Rainbow said I wasn’t her friend...”

“She said what?” Applejack’s mouth dropped in disbelief. “Ya must’ve heard it wrong, Twi! There ain’t no way that Rainbow would say such a thing!”

“Yeah? Well, she did!” Twilight yelled at the top of her lungs. “She said that I wasn’t her friend!”

“That can’t be! Rainbow wouldn’t say such a thing!” Applejack’s mind raced to find an explanation. She knew that Rainbow was headstrong, but she would never say something like this to any of her friends, Applejack knew it. Then she remembered what Rainbow told her in tears this very morning.

”I... didn’t think before I spoke. I’m sorry.”

“It was a mistake, Twi!”

“Mistake?”

“Yeah! Rainbow never meant to say that she ain’t your friend! She meant th—”

“Well, I don’t care what she meant. She’s gone and that’s all that matters!”

Applejack stood with her mouth agape.

“Rainbow’s gone.” Twilight turned away from Applejack, staring at a tall bookshelf right next to the staircase. “I don’t care about her.”

“Ah don’t believe you, Twi! Why are ya so stubbon!?”

“Stubbon!? Why are you treating me like the bad mare here, AJ!?” Twilight shouted with her gaze still on the books. “Rainbow was the one who didn’t tell me anything! And she just up and left! Years from now, she’ll be walking down the aisle at her wedding!” Twilight felt tears flowing down her cheeks. “She’ll be happily trotting towards the colt of her dreams! I might not even be invited, just because she didn’t tell me she was leaving for a month! Then she’ll be happy, she’ll move away and we’ll never talk again!” Sobs laced each of Twilight’s words. There was no hiding it now. “And I’m going to be forced to sit here, thinking if maybe, just maybe, she told me about her plans that we wouldn’t be apart!”

Twilight’s whimpers were quiet, but each one carried sadness Applejack had never seen Twilight succumb to before. Applejack was always there to offer advice to all of her friends, always knowing what to say. However, this time, she was dumbfounded. Each word that entered her mind seemed to only make the situation worse. For once, she was clueless.

“One moment,” Twilight whispered. “That was all it took for all our years of friendship to fall.”

Applejack walked up to Twilight, putting her hoof on her shoulder. “Ah’m... Ah’m sorry, Twi.”

Twilight lifted her own hoof up to Applejack’s.

“But ya know Rainbow still thinks of ya as a friend!”

“Maybe, maybe not. I’ll never know. A month later, it’ll be too late. It’ll be as if we never met.”

“You’re just overthinking things, Twi!”

Twilight kept silent.

“She’ll always be there for ya, and so will we. Ah don’t want you to forget that, alright?”

“I know you girls will be there for me.” Twilight stood up. “Thanks, AJ.”

Twilight wrapped her hooves around Applejack’s body. The hug was a small gesture, but one that was much needed for the unicorn’s weakening mental state.

“AJ, I need some time to myself, to think about things.”

“Ah understand. Go on. Ya know where to find me if ya need me.”

Twilight gave a nod before watching Applejack trot out the door. The library was quiet once again. No noise except for the birds, giving Twilight some much needed space to think. She trotted up to her bedroom, the one place she had yet to clean. With a glow of her horn, the books which had fallen off her bedside bookshelf started to fly up onto the bookshelf.

“Ugh maybe I just need to forget about her. Maybe Rainbow’s better off without a stupid unicorn after her.”

Through the barrage of books, Twilight’s eyes caught something.

“Wait a moment....” Twilight ceased her magic on the mountain of books. Instead, she brought up one specific book up to her face. The colorful cover of the book was a bittersweet reminder to Twilight of what she and Rainbow shared .However, there one recognizable feature which Twilight had forgotten about, was the soft blue feather sticking out at the top of it.

She froze on the spot, time seemed to slow down as memories of her time with Rainbow flashed through her mind.

””Daring Do sped through the damp caves, the boulder catching up with each passing second. The whole temple was crumbling down! The ceilings were dislodging and slamming down onto Daring, threatening to turn her into nothing more than a splat on the ground! And there it was, in sight, the exit. The glimmer of light was a symbol of hope, that she may see her partner, Raider, once again! She raced forward and-” Twilight slammed the book shut with her magic.

“And!? And what!? Twi!” Rainbow yelled, snuggled closely beside Twilight on a pile of mattresses, the library lights illuminating the two mares.

“Oh? Do you really wanna know?” Twilight teased.

“Come on, Twi! Don’t do this! Read it!”

“And what if I don’t?” Twilight mocked with a chuckle.

“Please, Twilight!” Rainbow begged.

“Oh? Are you... begging me? Is the Rainbow Dash begging me?”

“You know that I’ll get back at you for doing this to me, right?”

“You say that every time!”

“That’s because I will! You just wait, Twi! You just wait!”

“If you say so, Rainbow!”

Laughter echoed through the library. The warmth both mares felt at times was enough to brave even the toughest of winters. Once the giggling had died down, Twilight reopened the book.

“She raced forward and dived, barely managing to escape being crushed underneath the titanic rock. She was safe once again! Another successful adventure for...”

“Daring Do!” Both ponies said in unison.

“That. Was. Awesome!” Rainbow yelled out. “Daring Do is undeniably, undoubtedly...”

“Unstoppable!” Twilight shouted along with Rainbow.

“Hey, that’s my line!” Rainbow pointed out.

“Can it be our line?”

“No!”

“Come on!”

“No.”

“Please! Please please please please please!”

“Alright, alright! It’ll be our line!”

“Yes!” Twilight shouted, thinking she was victorious.

“You’ll have to pay me bits for using it though. I can’t just go around letting ponies use my trademark line willy-nilly!” Rainbow said with a smirk across her face.

Twilight couldn’t help herself but laugh, which quickly spread to Rainbow as well. The joyful atmosphere carried them till the morning sun rose over the horizon...

Twilight sat on her bed, running her hoof up and down the feather, feeling its soft texture. She gave a wide grin at the memory which played in her mind, one which did not fill her with pain, but instead, warmth. She lifted the feather out from the grips of the pages it was between, tucking it carefully behind her ear.

It seemed as if the feather was enchanted, giving Twilight a sudden burst of energy and motivation. She continued the clean-up as usual, except that this time, she was humming. She hummed tunes as she wiped the walls. A spring in each step as she mopped the floor. It was as if something had taken over Twilight as she cleaned the entire day away.

Twilight glanced out the window, the sun having been replaced with an almost full moon and the diamond stars glittering in the sky.

“It’s a beautiful night tonight!” Twilight told herself chirpily. “It’s a perfect night for a walk! I haven’t done that in a while!” She bounced down the steps, past the crystal clean library floors, before trotting out the door.

Twilight approached the Ponyville park fountain, the sound of rushing water getting louder with each step. She sat on the edge, a smile stretched across her lips as she swayed back and forth. Without warning, she felt a realization within her. She swiftly reached up to the blue feather on her ear and took it down, staring at it with a disgusted look.

At the same time, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy were trotting past the fountain together.

“Ah’m telling you, we need to be there for her!”

“Is it that bad?”

“Yeah! Rainbow leaving really hit her hard. Not to mention all that drama that happened just last night. It’s a lot for a pony to take,” Applejack explained.

“Umm, excuse me,” Fluttershy whispered. “But isn’t that Twilight over there?”

The others gave a quick turn of their heads to see that Fluttershy was right! Twilight was sitting at the edge of the fountain, a small blue feather in her hoof.

“Oh! We should go say hi!” Pinkie yelled out, but was quickly silenced by Rarity.

“I think we should wait and see what she’s up to.”

The others cautiously approached the fountain, making sure to stay out of sight but within earshot.

Twilight gave a heavy sigh, the feather gripped in her hoof.

“What’s the matter with me? You think a mare would learn...” Twilight pushed herself off the fountain’s edge.

”If there’s a prize for rotten judgment,” Twilight sung in a beautiful voice. ”I guess I’ve already won that.” Twilight took a few steps forward, staring intently at the feather she held. ”No mare is worth the aggravation.” With a flick of her hoof, she tossed the feather away from her, landing just on the edge of the fountain where she had sat moments ago. ”That’s ancient history, been there, done that!”

Rarity quickly trotted up to the feather, picking it up as they followed behind Twilight. They, too, started to sing harmoniously. ”Who’d you think you’re kidding? She’s worth Equestria to ya!” Twilight slumped herself down onto a nearby park bench. ”Try to keep it hidden, Twilight we can see right through you!”

”Oh no, no!” Twilight bursted out as the others continued. ”Twi, you can’t conceal it! We know how you feel, and who you’re thinking of!” As they sang, Rarity passed Fluttershy the feather, nudging her towards Twilight. Fluttershy hovered over the unicorn, dangling the feather in front of her face, but Twilight simply stood up again, trotting away, causing the pegasus to hang her head low with a sigh.

”No chance! No way! I won’t say it, no, no!” Twilight waved her hooves in front of her face, trotting past the trees in the park.

”You swoon, you sigh! Why deny it? Uh oh!” The others followed suit, trailing the unicorn.

”Too unrealistic! I won’t say I’m in love!” Twilight continued to deny in song. The other mares could only shrug as Twilight trotted past Rainbow’s former house. ”I never thought I’d have this feeling.” She gazed up to the floating cloud home, the rainbow fountains having been shut off. ”The scene looks so good in my thoughts.” A small poster fluttered by, advertising the Wonderbolt auditions in Ponyville. She picked it up with shaky hooves, continuing to sing, ”But her dreams outweigh all of my needs. And I still wanna cry my heart out!” She crushed the paper in her hoof before tossing it away.

”You keep on denying! Who you are and what you’re feeling.” The others continued the song, trailing right behind Twilight. "Twilight, we aren’t buying, cause we saw you hit the ceiling!” The feather was passed to Pinkie, who zipped further ahead of Twilight, laying the feather down onto the ground of the an empty field where she was sure to walk. ”Face it like a grown up! When you gonna own up? That you got, got, got it bad?” They watched intently as Twilight trotted closer to the feather.

”No chance! No way! I won’t say it, oh no!” Twilight’s eyes immediately caught sight of the feather. She leaned down to pick it up before holding it close to her heart, a dream-like smile sprayed across her lips.

”Give up! Give in! Check the grin, you’re in love!”

”This scene, won’t play!” Twilight quickly dropped the feather, galloping away back to her library. ”I won’t say I’m in love!” Applejack swiftly swept the feather off the ground, racing after Twilight.

”Twi, come to grips! Read our lips! You’re in love!” Applejack handed the feather over to Fluttershy, whispering in her ear.

”You’re way off base, I won’t say it!” Twilight pushed open the door to her library, racing up the steps.

”She won’t say she’s in love!” Fluttershy darted upwards to Twilight’s bedroom window, reaching it to place the feather on Twilight’s bed.

”Get off my case, I won’t say it!” Twilight sprinted up the next flight of steps to her bedroom, approaching her bed.

Fluttershy hovered just outside Twilight’s window, continuing the song in her melodic tone.”Twi, please just see. It’s okay, you’re in love”

Twilight gawked at the flawless and familiar blue feather laying on her bed, under the glow of the moonlight. She scooped it up in her hoof, and almost instantly, all of her doubts seemed to flow away. On her face grew a smile, a special grin she only wore during ‘Daring Do nights’ as she lay on the soft mattresses, leaning against Rainbow.

”At least out loud...” Twilight slipped the feather to the back of her ear. ”I won’t say I’m in...” She lowered herself onto her bed, her head resting comfortably on her pillow before drifting off, beaming. ”...love.”

Fluttershy looked down at her friend’s anxious faces before landing and giving a reassuring nod. They gathered around, rejoicing that, even though it was just for tonight, they could rest easy knowing that Twilight could finally sleep without staining her pillow with tears.

Just as they were about to part ways and head home, Applejack turned around and spoke towards the library, staring up at Twilight’s bedroom window, “good night, Twi. A real good night this time.”

Proofreading done by Jay!

Shouldn't get the joy away from you people! Here's the song I was referencing

Chapter 5: Lost On Various Emotions

Twilight tossed the blanket aside as her mouth extended to let out a large yawn. She sat up slowly, bringing her hooves up to rub her eyes. Reaching her left hoof up higher, she ran it through her mane.

“Ugh, what a dream. It almost seemed so—” Twilight felt something strange just behind her ear. It was small and the texture was much smoother than her mane. She gripped the odd object and brought it down to her eyes. “—real...” In her hoof gripped the familiar light blue feather. It’s cyan hue reminded Twilight of what had happened in the past four days. How everything had went wrong. Her brain urged her to put it down, to leave it forgotten inside a book. However, Twilight ignored those thoughts. Instead, she tucked the feather nicely at the back of her ear before leaping out of the bed with a smile.

Twilight trotted down the stairs, a spring in each step. She turned towards her kitchen, opening the squeaking door with a grin. With a glow of her horn, she swung open her cupboard, levitating down a cup and a packet of powdered cocoa. Tearing open the top of the packet, she emptied the contents into the cup before adding the boiling hot water from her kettle. Twilight floated the cup to her mouth, taking a deep sip before trotting back to the table in her living room.

“Alright. Morning, done!” she said joyfully, staring at the Princess’s letter. “Now for the last riddle. ‘I am the force that drags two ponies together, yet my bond strengthens when they are further apart. Everypony seeks to find me, but I have been found by only a few. I can make a pony question his or her life, yet I am also able to give a pony a reason to live. What am I?’” Twilight read out loud. Before she could even get a second of thought in, there came a loud knock from her door.

“Coming!” Twilight shouted, rushing to the library’s wooden door and swinging it open. She was greeted with the sight of all five of her friends outside her door, beaming.

“Heya, Twi!” Applejack greeted.

“Look, girls. About lunch yesterday. I’m so sorry!” Twilight started to apologize, the very memory of how she acted yesterday fresh in her mind.

“Twilight, stop. We have something to say.” Rarity told Twilight, her smile vanishing.

“Twi, you shouldn’t be afraid of being in love!” Pinkie said, her smile only growing wider.

“P-Pinkie’s right. Love is a beautiful thing,” Fluttershy continued.

“And no matter what you may have told me four days ago, on Wednesday, I already knew you were in love,” Rarity added.

“And that ain’t nothing to be ashamed of, sugercube! Ya shouldn’t be running off and denying it!” Applejack trotted closer to Twilight, whispering into her ear, “truth be told, Rainbow loves ya too.”

Twilight’s eyes grew twice their size, her hooves getting weak. “S-s-she... she does?”

All of them gave a confident nod. “She came to my place two days ago. And mare, oh mare, Ah hadn't seen Rainbow so conflicted since Celestia knows when!” Applejack explained, immediately turning to Pinkie after she was done. “Sorry, Pinkie. Ah know Ah Pinkie promised Rainbow, but Twi needs to know.”

“It’s okay, AJ. I forgive you,” Pinkie replied.

Applejack opened her mouth to continue her speech, but was suddenly interrupted by Pinkie, who was now up in her face. “But just this one time. Break another Pinkie promise and you’ll lose my trust.”

“Ah got—”

“Forever!”

“Ah got it!” Applejack yelled, pushing Pinkie to the side. “Twi, Ah think Ah speak for all of us when Ah say ‘Go for it’!”

Twilight tilted her head down slightly, just enough to hide the bottom half of her face from the five ponies. She brought her right hoof up to rub at her left hoof. “A-are you girls really okay with Rainbow and I becoming a couple?”

“Darling, we’re more than okay with it!”

“Yeah! Plus, that means that’s yet another day to throw a party!”

“And if two of my dear friends are happy together, that’s all we can ask for.”

Twilight couldn’t hold it in any longer. Tears had started to drip out of her eyes, rolling down her cheeks and onto the floor below.

“I... I’m the luckiest mare on Equestria to have friends like you girls,” Twilight barely managed to stutter out. The others rushed forward, pulling Twilight into a huge group hug.

“Now go and get her!” Applejack spoke in a commanding tone.

“W-wait. How? It’s too late... Rainbow’s in Cloudsdale and I don’t know how to stay there long enough to tell her.”

“What about that cloud walk spell?” Fluttershy suggested.

“I... guess I could. But it’ll only last an hour.”

“Why don’t ya recast it?”

Twilight shook her head. “Unicorns can’t renew existing enchantments. The enchantment has to end before the same one can be applied.”

“Well, it shouldn’t take an hour, Twilight,” Rarity reasoned.

“Yeah. I mean, how hard can it be, right?”

“Ugh! How can it be this hard!?” Twilight complained, pacing nervously on the streets of Cloudsdale, just outside the stadium.

“Okay, Twilight. It’s easy. All you have to do is to just say ‘Rainbow, I love you.’ See! It wasn’t that hard! ….What if something goes wrong!? Ugh!” Twilight slumped down onto the ground, her hooves hiding her face. “It’s. Just. Three. Words!” she yelled out into her hooves.

“I love you. Is that so hard?” Twilight sighed. “I’m just not prepared for this. Math, easy! Magic, piece of cake! So how can three words defeat you!?” she pushed herself upright, staring at the many ponies wandering around a short distance away from her. Some were sitting down, enjoying their meal from a cafe while several others were trotting past a fairly large clocktower, made entirely of clouds, which stood in the middle of the district.

Twilight looked upwards at the face and hands of the clock and immediately, a look of horror washed over her. “I have ten minutes left on my cloud-walk spell!? How did I waste fifty minutes on this!?” she turned towards the large stadium. “Now or never,” she whispered to herself, forcing her hooves to take step after step closer to the stadium.

Upon nearing the stadium, the sound of Spitfire’s shouting was clear as day. Twilight forced herself closer until she was just a step away from the entrance. “Now go in.” She stepped past the entrance with her right hoof, but swiftly took it back out. “I said go in!” This time, she tried to enter with her left hoof. However, the results were the same. She pulled her left hoof back out in a second.

Turning to her right, she slumped against the wall of the stadium.

“Okay, what do I say again? ‘I love you’? Is that too simplistic? The books I’ve read on love says that love is something nopony can understand! There’s no way I can say it so simply! What about... ‘Rainbow, you know that I’ve had feelings for you for a long time, and...”

“No no no no!” Twilight gripped her head in frustration. “Okay, what if—” She took another glance towards the clocktower, showing her that five minutes have passed. “What!?” Twilight screamed out. “I’ve got five minutes left. Okay Twilight. Pull yourself together. Let’s go.”

Twilight stepped in, taking another huge breath before putting next hoof past the entrance. With what willpower she could summon, she brought herself into the stadium. A few steps in and she could already see Spitfire commanding loudly at the Wonderbolts. The pegasi were in the air, soaring through the skies and attempting different maneuvers. No doubt practising for their next show. She trotted slowly inside, sweat dripping down her forehead and her throat quickly becoming dry.

Once she was sure she was within Spitfire’s earshot, she called out, “Spitfire?”

Spitfire didn’t respond, continuing to shout out commands to the ponies above.

“Ummm, Spitfire?” Twilight repeated, slightly louder.

“I want to see those wings work! Now move it slackers!”

“Spitfire!” Twilight screamed. The pony in question finally turned around, a shocked look on her face.

“Hey, no ponies allowe— wait. I know you! You’re that student of Celestia, aren’t you?”

“Yes, ma’m. My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“So what brings you around here?” Spitfire asked, her eyes directing downwards to Twilight’s hooves. “And how are you—”

“Cloud-walking spell. And I’m here because I need to talk to Rainbow Dash.”

“I’m sorry, Twilight Sparkle. But you aren’t even supposed to be here. And Rainbow Dash is busy right now.”

“Please, ma’m. It’s really important,” Twilight pleaded.

Spitfire wanted to decline, but the look in Twilight’s eyes told Spitfire that this was no small matter. She let out a sigh, turning around to the ponies zipping through the sky.

“Rainbow Dash! Down here now!” she commanded. Without missing a beat, Rainbow Dash soared down, landing perfectly in front of the captain.

“Yes, cap?”

“There’s a friend here who wants to talk to you, says its important.” Spitfire stepped aside, revealing Twilight to Rainbow.

Rainbow recoiled slightly, taking a step back. Her cheeks glew a hot red as she turned her head away.

“Make it quick, Twilight Sparkle,” Spitfire ordered.

“Yes, ma’m.”

Spitfire spread her wings, taking to the skies above.

Tense silence enveloped the two mares. Twilight desperately tried to get Rainbow to look her in her eyes, but Rainbow wouldn’t budge. It looked as if the cyan pegasus had frozen solid, her breathing becoming slow and heavy.

“R-Rainbow. Please, look at me,” Twilight begged. Rainbow didn’t move at first, but after a few seconds, she tilted her head up slightly to stare Twilight in her eyes.

Twilight had never seen Rainbow so silent. Usually she would be shooting a barrage of words. What scared her the most, however, was the look in Rainbow’s eyes. A look of... fear.

“Rainbow, I... I’m here to tell you something. But first, I have to say sorry. I’m sorry for what I shouted, for what I screamed at you two days ago. I was angry that you didn't tell me you were going to leave, that the ‘reward’ for you achieving your dream, was for me to lose mine.”

Secretly, Spitfire had ushered all the Wonderbolts out of the stadium upon hearing Twilight’s words.

“Twilight, I—”

“I didn’t understand why I was so angry at you achieving your dream,” Twilight continued, completely ignoring Rainbow’s interruption. “Actually, I think I did. I just refused to admit it. Months of Daring Do nights, years of being with you, seeing you!” Tears started to stream down Twilight’s face. “Wanting to be with you! Dreaming that maybe one day, our happiness can move on past those nights!”

Rainbow was frozen solid. She didn’t dare to move or say a word. It wasn’t like she knew what to do or say anyway. All she could do was watch helplessly as Twilight continued to confess, stripping away any defences she may have one had.

“I kept telling myself it wasn’t true! And I was just so blind to not see what you wanted me to see! Rainbow, I’m so sorry! I was selfish in trying so hard to stop your dream from coming true, all because I couldn’t say three words!” Twilight took a deep breath in, stomping her hoof with every few words. “Well, I’m not waiting anymore. It took me losing you to see how badly I messed up. No more.”

Rainbow was trembling as well, her heart racing and tears at the edge of her eyelids.

“Rainbow.” Twilight stomped her hoof to the ground. “I.” Stomp. “Lov—” With the next stomp, she felt the ground beneath her separate. She felt the sudden rush of wind through her mane. She felt the weightlessness of her body and her hooves dangling in the air in front of her. Her eyes were wide open and she could feel the feather behind her ear slipping away, disappearing into the wild blue yonder. Her gaze locked onto the shrinking city that she once stood on and without warning, she felt as if time itself slowed down around her.

I wonder if I did it right? she thought as she fell from the sky. Wonder if she would come to save me? I don’t blame her if she doesn’t. That just means I did it wrong. After all, I didn’t even get to say the words that mattered. It should’ve been so easy. ‘Rainbow, I lo—’

Twilight felt her body jerk forward. Something had stopped her fall, but her eyes were closed shut from the sudden impact to notice what it was. Slowly, her eyelids fluttered open and as her vision focused, she almost couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Against the shining sun which hung in the sky was the familiar six-colored mane.

“Rainbow...,” Twilight whispered out. She suddenly realized that her forehooves were wrapped around Rainbow’s neck as the pegasus carried her through the sky. “Rainbow, I—”

“I know, Twi.” Rainbow didn’t even look down. There was a heartwarming smile drawn across Rainbow’s lips, a smile Twilight had only seen when they were sitting together during Daring Do nights.

“I see it now,” Twilight thought out loud.

“What do you see?” Rainbow asked, curious.

“The answer to the second riddle. The answer was staring me right in my face.”

Rainbow let out a chuckle as they flew through the air. “Took you long enough.”

“Wait, what? You knew?” Twilight exclaimed in disbelief.

“Of course! I knew when I read it, Twi! I kept trying to tell you but you kept going on and on about biscuits and stuff.” Rainbow laughed once again. “But it doesn’t matter. You figured it out.”

Twilight brought her face closer to Rainbow’s chest, her eyes closed tight as her mane danced in the wind.

Rainbow landed alone in the middle of the stadium, just in front of Spitfire.

“Captain! I have a question!” Rainbow shouted.

“What is it, rookie?”

“May Twilight Sparkle watch our routine?”

“Twilight Sparkle? Where is she?”

Rainbow lifted her hoof, pointing towards a bright purple hot-air balloon floating a short distance away.

Spitfire smirked slightly. “Very well, rookie. Your friend can watch. But just this once and you’ll have to do extra work to make up for this!”

“Ma’m, yes ma’m!” Rainbow saluted before soaring up to the hot-air balloon.

“So I can watch?” Twilight inquired.

“Yeah, you can!”

“Great! Well, you better get down there. I don’t want to get you into more trouble than you’re already in.”

“Before I go....” Rainbow gripped Twilight’s head, pulling her lips to meet hers. Twilight’s eyes shot open, but she slowly melted into the kiss, closing her eyes and hugging Rainbow tightly. After what seemed like an eternity, Twilight parted her lips with Rainbow’s, her cheeks glowing a burning red.

“That was... n-nice.”

“Y-yeah. Oh and Twi.” Rainbow shifted her head down to her wing, pulling out a bright blue feather and tucking it safely behind Twilight’s ear. “Try not to lose this one, alright? I can’t keep passing you my feathers! They could be worth a fortune in a few years!”

Twilight giggled, bringing her hoof up to her mouth. “I’ll try not to.”

“Rainbow Dash! Down here, now!” Spitfire’s voice roared from below.

“Well, better get going.” Rainbow started to fly downwards, but she stopped just a second later. “Oh right. Can we have a Daring Do night tonight?”

“But what about your training?”

“Well, I do need to come back here tomorrow, but it’ll be worth it. Even if I do have to fly to Ponyville and back.”

Twilight gave a gleeful grin and a nod. “Then let’s have one tonight.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Spitfire’s voice bellowed.

“Gotta go, bye!” Rainbow dashed downwards to the rest of the Wonderbolts.

Twilight rested her head on her hooves, staring down at Rainbow with a dream-like gaze before muttering those words she wanted to say out loud for so long.

“Rainbow, I love you.”

Author's Note

This story, from the start to the end, was planned months before ‘Wonderbolt Academy’. As such, the story written here does not follow the ‘Wonderbolt Academy’ concept. Nevertheless I hoped you enjoy it!

Epilogue

Twilight stood on her balcony, the signature blue feather tucked safely behind her right ear. She stared up at the bright full moon, awaiting the pony she had missed so much. Suddenly, a light silhouette appeared in the sky, getting larger and larger with each passing second. Not long after, the shadow landed, revealing it to be the pony that Twilight was so anxious for.

“Ready for Daring Do night?” Twilight asked.

“You bet!” Rainbow responded, trotting into the treebrary with Twilight shutting the balcony door behind her.

As she stepped inside, Rainbow could already see that Twilight was fully prepared. From the plates of biscuits to the two cups of steaming hot cocoa. The corner where Rainbow and Twilight would lay was filled to the brim with cushions and the familiar cover of the Daring Do book, ‘Daring Do and the Feather of Dreams’, sat on the table just in front of it.

“Wow, you really prepared everything, huh?”

“Well, not everything.” Twilight’s horn glowed a faint purple as she levitated Celestia’s letter and any leftover papers into a drawer nearby.

“What about your letter to Celestia? I mean, you have the answers right? Don’t you need to send it as soon as you can?”

Twilight trotted to the cushions, sitting on them before turning towards Rainbow. “It can wait.”

Rainbow smiled warmly, flying towards the corner and snuggling close to Twilight.

“Oh! I almost forgot!” Twilight exclaimed. Her horn once again glowed and instantly, the lights in the library went dark. Rainbow couldn't even see her own hooves in front of her face.

“T-Twi? What’s going on?”

Just as Rainbow asked, a faint light appeared between her and Twilight. Rainbow turned to see a small candle sitting on the table in front of them. The dancing flame illuminating both of their faces lightly.

“Ready?”

“Ready.” Twilight levitated the book the book up but suddenly slammed her hoof against her forehead.

“What’s wrong?” Rainbow inquired, worried.

“I took out the feather, remember? I don’t remember where we stopped at!” Twilight hung her head low, her cheeks turning a dark shade of red.

“Hey.” Rainbow leaned in close and gave Twilight a slight peck on her cheek. “Let’s just start over.”

“W-what? B-but—”

“Come on,” Rainbow urged.

Twilight looked at Rainbow, confirming that Rainbow was not joking at all. She took a deep breath in. “Alright then, Rainbow.”

Rainbow spread her wings out, pulling Twilight closer to her. Twilight froze upon feeling Rainbow’s warm wings hit her back, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Twi?”

“Y-yeah?”

“Why do you care so much about that stupid feather anyway?” Rainbow asked, staring at the blue feather behind Twilight’ ear.

“You’re right. It is a stupid feather.” In one swift motion, Twilight turned her head and pecked Rainbow on her cheek. “But it’s your stupid feather.”

Rainbow kept silent, rolling her eyes in feign irritation.

“Ready to start?”

“Ready as ever!” Rainbow answered, staring at the light of the flame dance off the purple mare’s beautiful face.

“Okay.” Twilight begun, “chapter 1: Starting Anew. Daring Do had just finished her most recent adventure, one that challenged who she trusted and who she could let go. She sat in her apartment, ready for the next task at hand because she finally had a new accomplice to take on the world’s challenge with her! She was too absorbed into her thoughts to hear the knocking at the door...”