Stubbornness of Pain

Chapter 5: Twilight's Heavy Words

The leaning bed was a strange feeling to sleep in, but the fact that it was impossible to sleep away from each other and instead literally on top of each other felt even more awkward. It wasn’t uncomfortable or so, it was the exactly opposite, the bed was soft and wide and its thick dark blue cover rapped around them kept them warm. Rainbow Dash was laying on top of Twilight, having her head over her shoulder and resting right next to Twilight’s, which she had a peaceful look on to and resting on her giant white pillow. Twilight’s warm back was against Rainbow Dash’s chest and sometimes when Rainbow Dash moved, Twilight’s mane tickled her neck. It was dark in the whole house and a layer of coldness was flouting in every room that came from the outside through damaged areas on the tree. The sky outside didn’t have a single cloud on it and the moon shined bright together with stars over what was left of Ponyville.

A medium thick fog was slowly passing by the town which came from Everfree Forest. Rainbow Dash waked up by a chill running down her spin and that continued through her legs. She looked tiredly outside the window, seeing the grey fog outside and above it the moon in the clear black sky. Carefully she turned her head back to the rest of the house, seeing that everything stood in shadows. It was really quiet but regardless of that so could Rainbow Dash hear strange noises that were similar to whispers. It wasn’t disturbing she thought though, she could feel that it was caused by the fog outside and that it was the mist that made these sounds while slowly flouting around. She looked down at Twilight that was sleeping deeply and smiled in her tiredness when she saw that Twilight was dreaming something. It couldn’t be a nightmare Rainbow Dash knew, Twilight was to calm and only twitched in small movements time to time. Rainbow Dash lay back down onto Twilight, placing her mouth next to her ear and whispered extremely slow and quiet.
“Twilight… are you sleeping?”

Not a single reaction did she get from Twilight and at the same time she got her answer.
Rainbow Dash then gasped and went back to sleep to pass over to the morning and when the morning arrived, a grey and timeless day stood upon them. The sky was once again filled with clouds but this time they were grey and depressing and not dark as ash. It wasn’t much better but at least it was something new for once, the fog from the night was still flouting outside and this time, more dense and thick then what Rainbow Dash saw under the night. Rainbow Dash stayed in bed on Twilight and just turned her head to the window and stared out. She let a little sigh pass through her jaws as she thought it looked like they were floating on clouds when it wasn’t much else to see out the window then the mist. It was like she was in her own little cloud house.

“Are you awake Dash?”
Twilight then all the suddenly asked rather silent so she wouldn’t have waked up Rainbow Dash if it now was so she was sleeping.
“Yes… I just woke up.”
Rainbow Dash reply just as quiet with another light sigh and later after have made a couple of breaths she asked.
“You then… how long have you been awake?”
“Quite some time actually… but I didn’t want to disturb you so I stayed in bed.”
Twilight said and Rainbow Dash was just about to get of the bed while saying.
“You didn't need to do that for me... here I move.”
“No stay... please.”
Twilight then added immediately which surprised Rainbow Dash but she did do like Twilight said and slowly laid back down again on her.

Both of them were quiet for some time without a single word being uttered, but Twilight then said with heavy words.
“I... don’t know why I have realized this so late but... it's only you and me left.... have you thought about that?”
Rainbow Dash didn't say anything right away, she just continued to stare out the window before adding.
“Yes... I have... and I'm sorry to be the last one with you... I can understand if you wanted somepony else to have my place.”
“Why are you so hard on yourself?”
Twilight asked and leered back at Rainbow Dash who didn't delay with an answer.
“Because... I'm not to any help... I'm just in the way... I been it sense the start.”
“Those words in the cave really got into you... didn't they... just so you know... I'm happy to have you at my side... please... hold me... it's cold.”
When Twilight was done talking, Rainbow Dash did just like she said. She pushed her front hoofs under Twilight's belly and squeezed herself into her.

“What are we going to do today?”
Rainbow Dash asked calmly and actually at peach with her mind.
“To be honest... I have no idea... I need to think... maybe study in some of the books I have in a mess downstairs... but other than that... I think it's just a good idea for us to stay low for one or two days and gather our strength back.”
Twilight said with a neutral voice and laying completely still.
“What do you want me to do?”
Rainbow Dash asked curiously while pushing her head forwards so it appeared at the side of Twilight’s.
“I want you to just relax... you have after all a large amount of unhealed wounds on your body... it must be painful.”
Rainbow Dash shivered by getting a random image in front of her of how Pinkie Pie looked like when she found her, that must’ve been pure pain Dash thought.

Other than that Rainbow Dash couldn't say that she liked the whole idea of not doing anything, but she also thought how Twilight actually was right in her words and decided in that to reply.
“If that’s what you want me to do… I might as well.”
Twilight was satisfied with what Rainbow Dash said and sighed happily while just relaxing together with her. For a little bit longer they both stayed in bed, they just enjoyed the silent and the unstressed feeling.
“I was thinking in to go downstairs and get started… soooo… could you let me go?”
Twilight asked and though she saw Rainbow Dash’s upcoming words at first as a joke, so realized she that Dash was fully serious.
“I could never let you go.”
“But what if you have to?”
Twilight asked but Rainbow Dash didn't say anything, she could simply not find any words to use.
“Dash... we need to be strong... remember that... stay in bed a bit longer and just rest... I'm downstairs if you need me... just come down when you feel to”
Twilight then said knowing how hard her earlier question must’ve been, Rainbow Dash didn't let go off Twilight immediately, instead she continued to hold her firmly for a moment in silent but in the end, she pulled away her hoofs around Twilight and stood up so she could get off the bed.

Twilight then crawled off the beds edge under Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dash just stared at her a little bit scared for some reason.
“Try to relax... if there is any pony that should do that... it's you.”
Twilight said with a small smile and then finally went downstairs. After she was gone, Rainbow Dash just tipped over back on to the bed miserable. For some reasons she felt sick, almost like she wanted to throw up and quietly said to herself.
“I feel awful.”
She started to roll around, trying to flatten out the sheets under her and making the bed her own now when she was alone.
But Rainbow Dash had trouble to relax which was strange, she had felt so calm and at ease while Twilight was with her just a second ago. Dash could also hear from downstairs how Twilight already was moving her books in full speed, it must’ve been difficulty for her to see her house such as it is. But she did also regardless of how her house looked like, seem to handle it rather good.
When Rainbow Dash looked out the window, she could barely see over to the next house thanks to the thick fog. It was almost like jelly that you could push around, she even wondered if you could breathe outside in that stuff.

Rainbow Dash gave it another one or two tries to relax and maybe even fall asleep again for a shorter nap, but it was impossible. Her whole body tingled like she was nervous, but she actually only did so because she couldn’t stay still for another moment, she needed to do something she felt. In a loud and annoyed sigh she threw her head up in the air, staring at the celling for a half second before stepping of the bed. Rainbow Dash went downstairs to see what Twilight was doing and saw that she currently stood on her hind legs, leaning towards one of her many bookshelves and looking as far back she could in it.
“You really couldn’t get any more rest?”
Twilight asked rather surprised when she saw Rainbow Dash and all Dash did was to shake her head.
“Everything is in a complete mess… I don’t even know where to start… but I do know what to look for… I hope.”
Twilight said and turned back her head to the darkness of the shelf. Rainbow Dash continued to stay silent and only watched Twilight use her magic to grab a group of books all around her and made them all circulate her while she flipped some pages in them when them passed by.

She then just threw all of the books in the shelf in front of her and jumped down. Without saying anything, Twilight kept a concentrated face while passing by Rainbow Dash and walking upstairs to her other books she had there. Again Rainbow Dash could hear how Twilight moved books everywhere and bumped them in to other objects. She was really looking for something but what, was a mystery, all Dash did was to hope it would actually help them in the end because Dash herself had no idea of what they could do. Rainbow Dash went up to a window next to the door out and was really amazed in how thick the fog really was. She even decided to go outside, knowing that there was no chance for her to be seen by any Changelings if they didn't stand right in front of her. But when she opened the door she immediately heard from upstairs.
“Dash?!”
Twilight just in a second later appeared half way down the stairs behind Rainbow Dash and continued right away when Rainbow Dash had turned around.
“What are you doing?!”
“Don't worry... I'm just outside the house... I won't go any further than that... I would never leave you alone.”
Twilight looked most unsure and even a bit twitchy, she moved her legs awfully a lot in place and then finally said.
“But... but what if you get seen?!”
“In this fog... don't worry... they must then stand right outside the door and if they did... they would just be hearing us talking right now.”
Rainbow Dash said rather amused in how silly she thought Twilight was, but Rainbow Dash could at the same time understand why.

Twilight stayed a bit on edge even after what Rainbow Dash said, she looked out the window next to the door at the fog and then added.
“I guess you're right... but please... do stay close.”
“Just call for me and I be there.”
Rainbow Dash said immediately after with a determined nod and smile.
She then went outside and looked discretely at Twilight that still held an edgy facial expression.
Rainbow Dash closed the door behind her and took a deep breath, the mist was warm but the ground was wet and cold. The air Dash pulled in to her lungs was fresh and bracing.
It was just like it had been raining by the smell she felt and Dash just took her time to take a calm lap around Twilight’s house. She didn't see anything else either then the house, if she looked to a different direction, the mist just made a grey wall that stopped her sight only a couple of steps away.
When she then was bored and had reached the entrance again to the house, she pulled out her wings carefully and looked up.

The pain in her wing was almost completely gone, only small itching stings that felt just like muscle soreness was left. The rest of her body felt just fine, some areas hurt more than others but overall, only one or two more days would have even out that also. She jumped up in the air and flew very slowly another lap around the tree. Rainbow Dash smiled big for herself in that she could fly without major pain and at the same time, realize how much she actually loved to fly. It was her whole life, it was what she was made to do, she only wished she could launch herself up to the sky and fly above the clouds once more where the sun was visibly. But she would never leave Twilight, no matter how much she desired freedom around her. She continued to fly some more around the tree till she found how silly it actually was of her and then landed on a thick branch. The branch was just outside the window she yesterday together with Twilight sat on its frame and stared at Canterlot in the distance.

Rainbow Dash did look towards where Canterlot was, but she couldn't even see the slightest part of the mountain it was built on, she could barely even see the ground from where she was. Anyway, regardless of there not being too much to see or do, Rainbow Dash laid down on the branch and felt warm inside by her little flight. There wasn't much more that happen that day, Twilight was inside, working with her books in search of something unknown and Rainbow Dash was resting outside. Towards the night at sunset when it was like the fog got so thick that not even light could pass through it but actually only was the sun falling over the horizon. The window not far from where Rainbow Dash was at open and there stood Twilight.
She only stared amused at Rainbow Dash not looking to bother, Rainbow Dash swallowed unsure if she really wanted to know but she asked warily anyway.
“Made... any progress?”
Twilight's amused face faded away to a neutral expression while she was shaking her head and looked down.

Rainbow Dash sighed in a hopeless breath and felt how every wound on her body twitched.
“Well... maybe not completely empty hoofed.”
Added Twilight for herself but loud enough for Rainbow Dash to hear.
“So... you have a plan?”
Dash asked immediately rather curiously and Twilight just kept her neutral facial expression and only continued to look down.
Twilight was quiet for a while but she finally then said.
“I'm not sure... I have though one thing in mind but I don't want say anything till I'm completely sure... I think I need to sleep over it.”
Rainbow Dash nodded slowly in that she accepted Twilight's decision and then just looked out in the empty space in front of her.

“How about you then... how do you feel?”
Twilight asked but Rainbow Dash didn't answer her, she only starred away like she didn't hear her. Twilight sighed a bit depressed with her eyes stuck onto Dash and then said.
“Well... I was just thinking into go to bed... the cold is so much worse when the sun disappear... just come in when you want.”
Twilight was then just about to close the window but Rainbow Dash turned her head immediately towards her and said rather loud.
“Wait... I join you.”
Twilight stopped and looked up at Dash who right away made her way down to the window and quickly jumped in. Twilight then finally closed the window and both of them made their way over to the bed. They then stopped in front of it and while looking with a small trace of the colour pink by blushing on Twilight's cheeks, she asked.
“Are we... going to sleep the same way as last night?”
Rainbow Dash was close to blush herself, but she instead jumped up on the bed and said.
“I... think there is a way for us to sleep next to each other instead of on top... give me just a second.”

Rainbow Dash grabbed Twilight's enormous pillow with her mouth and pulled it away from where it was. She then started according to Twilight, making a fuddle with the sheets and the cover and not seeing at all what she tried to accomplice.
Twilight gave Rainbow Dash a strange look but that look went quickly away when Twilight actually saw the results. Rainbow Dash had placed and used the size of the pillow like a own, small bed itself on the leaning real one and then placed the sheets and the cover on it.
“There.”
She then said simply and laid down furthest in with her back against the some weird angled headboard of the bed.
“And now... you can just lay down right in front of me.”
Rainbow Dash said surprised in that her idea actually worked. Twilight stepped up on the bed and crawled under the cover on the pillow and made herself comfortable.

“You’re right... this worked really well.”
Twilight said and looked directly into Rainbow Dash's eyes, Rainbow Dash smiled but she then saw something she hadn't thought about. She and Twilight maybe didn't need to sleep on top of each other to fit any more but they still needed to be close to each other, really close in fact.
They had almost their noses touching and when Rainbow Dash notice this, she couldn't hold it in and blushed her whole face pink and light red.
“T-this... maybe wasn’t such a great idea after all.”
She said and tried to look away though it was close into impossible. Twilight placed a hoof in front of her mouth and started to giggle rather uncontrollable with her eyes closed. Rainbow Dash blushed even more and had to close her eyes by embarrassment and then say.
“Please stop.”
But it didn't help, Twilight only continued and in her unawareness she accidentally slide even closer to Rainbow Dash.

They were now literally touching noses and the only place to look was in to the other ones eyes. Both of them went completely silent, not saying a single word for a long time.
Twilight pretended to cough a couple of times to neutralize the remaining giggles stuck in her throat and after that, silence once again surrounded them.
“This is so awkward.”
Rainbow Dash after some time said but Twilight added quickly with a grin and with some maliciousness in her voice.
“Only if you look at it like that... then yes.”
Rainbow Dash dared to look at Twilight a bit more normal after what she said but only for a short moment. Because the next thing Rainbow Dash saw her do was to reach around her hoofs around her and hug her close up to. Dash went still like a statue when she got Twilight's chest pushed in to her own and how they rested their cheeks against each other.
“Still awkward?”
Twilight then whispered into Rainbow Dash's ear after have let some time pass in their hug.
“Oddly enough... no... not the slightest.”
Rainbow Dash answered her with also a whispering voice which made Twilight get a warming smile on her mouth.

They then decided to stay quiet for some time, close to a half hour passed without any of them saying a single word or move more than their breathing torsos against each other. They both could feel the other ones heart beating in their chest, making the situation all strange.
“Twilight?”
Rainbow Dash finally said very unsure and Twilight answered her of course.
“Yes?”
It took actually a while for Rainbow Dash to say what she wanted but that was understandable, it was after all a really emotional thing Dash wanted to express.
“Can't... can't we just tomorrow leave this place... forever... and travel together far away were we can be safe?”
“Dash... how can you say that... of course we can't do that.”
Twilight answered and said it at in a way like it was obvious.
“God dammit Twilight!”
Rainbow Dash immediately shouted after she got Twilight’s answer which surprised Twilight greatly.

“Why do we make ourselves endure this... we don't deserve it!”
Rainbow Dash continued and this time, while crying lightly, but Twilight had found Dash's words insulting and she didn't care for the moment that she was crying.
“We don't deserve it?!”
Twilight shouted back and quickly left her grasp of Rainbow Dash and stood up in the bed.
She then looked down at Rainbow Dash with an extremely frustrated look on her and continued to yell at her.
“Our friends then hmm... what do they deserve... they died for us... they died so we could get here and now... you just want to run away... to safety!”
Rainbow Dash started immediately to cry even more but Twilight didn't care at all, Rainbow Dash even on the look of it, tried to protect herself from Twilight's words like they being knifes thrown at her.
“Look at me.”
Twilight said with an angry face but Dash didn't look up, she only cried with her head down, letting her tears making small wet circles on the pillow she was laying on.

“Look at me!”
She repeated, shouting this time and that actually scared Rainbow Dash so much so she couldn't deny looking up. Her eyes was red and tears was pouring down her cheeks, her front legs that she pushed up her front body was shaking and she also made loud whimpering together with everything. Twilight pushed away all feelings that had the slightest trace of sympathy in them, she stared at Rainbow Dash angry, shaking her head slowly and then say extremely disappointed.
“I know it's not true... but I really wished right now that you were a Changeling... transformed into the form of Rainbow Dash... because I would’ve never believed that the real Rainbow Dash... Rainbow Dash who is the one welding the Element of Loyalty... would show the least loyalty to her friends that loved her so much.”
Rainbow Dash got completely quiet, not a single sound came from her but her tears continued though to pass down her face. She stared up at Twilight like a little scared filly, but Twilight wasn't done yet, she had more to say and with this time, her own tears passing through her eyes and down her angry face.
“If running away is what you really want... then I won't stop you... I can't decide over you... only you can... but mark this... I won't stop till I have succeeded to take down Chrysalis... or till I have died trying... you know where the door is... I think its best that you leave already tonight.”

Twilight got more and more tears to show themselves, but not even close to what Rainbow Dash had, without any hesitate she then jumped down from the bed and walked downstairs in a fast pace. The sound of the door out opening echoed through the darkness and then, everything went quiet again. Rainbow Dash was now alone and in a quick series of breathing that got louder and heavier for every time, she broke out in pure grief by the loneliness. She shoved her head down in to the bed among its sheets and covers and just screamed out. She cried so much that she almost felt dehydration and how that made her extremely tired and weak. Dash cried so hard that she barley could breath, but her body didn't tell her to do anything else then that. For minutes she did this and heard over the time how the wind swept through the open door downstairs over and over again, making her wish it was Twilight that was returning every single time.

But Rainbow Dash heard then something else all the suddenly and that wasn't coming from downstairs. At first she didn't care what it was, but she then realized it was coming somewhere beneath the bed. She looked up and tried to make out what the sound was while breathing irregular and confused but it had a strange and unfamiliar tone to itself. In a quick move Rainbow Dash wiped of her face and crawled to the edge of the bed towards the sound. She then leaned out of the bed so far that she could look under it and what she saw there made her face broke out in pure shock.
It was her Element of Harmony, just lying there in the darkness, Twilight must’ve putted it there when she got away from the Changelings in Everfree Forest. But it was also her Element that was making the sound she had heard, it was shaking brutally and even glowed light red in the shadows.
Rainbow Dash wiped of her face once more so she could see more clearly and then she slowly reached her hoof towards the necklaces.

The little red lightning on it gave away heat Rainbow Dash felt before she even touched it and when she did touch it, an incredible bright flash struck her eyes that both hurt and made her fall of the bed. She hit her head and moaned quickly for herself while recover from the impact with the floor. Slowly she then rolled over to her belly and when she saw her Element of Harmony again, she felt how the flash just a second ago had images in it.
Tears stopped to pass through Dash's eyes in matter of seconds and she just stared at the vibrating and glowing lighting on the floor. It was like the little gem stared back at her, in to her soul and also spoke to her. Rainbow Dash crawled closer with an intense and focused face and having both her mouth and eyes wide open. She then stopped and became absolutely still and just continued to stare at the little red shaped lightning. Not long after that, her Element of Harmony then all the sudden also went completely still and dead with its glowing light fading away. Shortly it was as at its normal state but Rainbow Dash felt how it had given her something.

Frightened she looked over to the stairs down in a twitch and held a facial expression of panic.
Rain then without the slightest expectation started to fall and it was rather a heavy downfall of it also.
“Twilight... something have happened to her!”
Rainbow Dash said and threw herself up on all her legs and rushed downstairs to the slamming door out to the rain.
“Why did I leave her alone?!”
She said to herself on the way down and when she reached the first floor, she grabbed her halberd next to the door and sprinted out.
“Twilight... Twilight!”
She immediately started to yell when she got out and looked all around her but there was no Twilight to be found anywhere.
“Where can she be?”
Rainbow Dash asked herself worried sick and while she passed her gaze random to the north, a giant lightning struck pass the clouds right in front of her eyes. Thanks to the thick fog, the lightning’s flash barely lightened up anything, but what it did light up was the contour of Canterlot in a dark shadow behind the mist. Rainbow Dash stuck her head towards its direction and stood still for a long time, she got soaking wet immediately and right after a deep swallow, she said.
“I know where she is.”