The TwiDash Projectby batsChaptersPrologue (Read it and Weep) by batsA Good Holiday (Hearts and Hooves Day) by batsA Way to Make Her Smile (A Friend in Deed) by Subsolar DriftBusy, Busy (Putting Your Hoof Down) by batsFuture Twilight and Future Rainbow (It's About Time) by Subsolar DriftDragged-On Quest (Dragon Quest) by batsPrologue (Read it and Weep) by bats“Did ya get all that?” Spike turned away from sweeping up a pile of dust and raised an eyebrow at Rainbow Dash. “Yeah?” “Great! You write the letter, I gotta finish this book!” In a multicolor blur, the pegasus was gone, leaving Twilight and Spike to share an amused smile. Spike resumed dusting, chuckling to himself. “That pony is crazy.” The unicorn giggled, hiding her mouth behind a hoof. “She’s excited to read, Spike! And I’m excited for her. Oh, I can’t wait for her to finish! I’ve wanted to talk to somepony about Daring Do for ages.” “Yeah, well you’re crazy, too.” She directed a glare at the back of the dragon’s scaly head, before turning her attention to the library shelves. Even though it was the middle of the night, Twilight’s mind was filled with fond memories of the adventurous heroine. “I think I’ll re-read one of the…later…ones…” Her eyes came to rest on the empty shelf that used to contain the entirety of her favorite series. “Did, uh, did you see Rainbow Dash take all of them?” Full dustbin in claw, the little dragon waddled up to Twilight. “What?” He scanned the shelf. “Huh. That’s amazing. Rainbow Dash sure is fast.” The unicorn’s grimace of annoyance lasted only a moment before she was struck by a laughing fit. Spike regarded the mare flatly. “You okay, Twilight? Maybe you should lie down; it is the middle of the night.” Sticking her tongue out at her number one assistant, Twilight headed towards the loft. “So Rainbow’s really excited to read. It’s nice. Maybe the two of us could bond over it. I’m sure I can get a friendship report to the princess out of that.” She got to her bed and pulled back the sheets in a glow of magenta magic. “You should go back to sleep, too, Spike.” He waved a claw dismissively as he headed downstairs with the loaded dust bin. “Sure, sure. Don’t wait up for me.” Twilight climbed into bed and smiled. Out of all of her friends, Rainbow Dash was the one she had seen the least of; the daredevil always had her head literally in the clouds, doing her job or practicing stunts. Despite the lack of contact, she greatly admired and respected the brave and brash mare. It would certainly be nice to see the quieter side of her friend and talk about books with somepony who was excited about reading. Grinning to herself, Twilight settled down on her pillow and drifted back to sleep. A contented sigh escaped Rainbow Dash’s lips as she flopped back on her bed. She immediately grabbed the next book in the series with her teeth and cracked it open. “Daring Do and the Griffin’s Goblet,” she read aloud. The pegasus grinned and hugged the book to her chest, kicking her hindlegs with excitement. “Awesome!” she squeaked. Turning to the first page, she felt her eyelids droop and try as she might to focus, the words in front of her began to blur. “Dang it,” she grumbled, tossing the hardback down on top of the mighty stack of ‘borrowed’ Daring Do books, “I wanna read—” a long, strained yawn interrupted her monologue, “—All of ‘em right now…” As she collapsed onto her bed with a huff, the blue mare fell into contemplation, her voice lowering to a mutter. “I have been awake for two days readin’ the Sapphire Statue…” she yawned again. “Man, who’da thought reading could be so awesome?” Clicking off the light and settling down under the covers of her rainbow-emblazoned cloud bed, Rainbow Dash let her heavy eyes slide shut. As her mind started to drift, she realized she had an answer to her rhetorical question. Twilight thought reading was awesome. A gentle smile pulled at the corner of the pegasus’ mouth. Twilight had given her the book and had been absolutely right to do it. ’Twilight’s been pretty great the last couple days, hasn’t she?’ Rainbow mused, ’What’d she say? ‘Just because you’re athletic doesn’t mean you aren’t smart’? And yesterday she said I was like Daring…’adventurous, fierce, and undeniably, unquestionably, unstoppable.’’ The smile deepened as she felt herself flush with pride. She had waved Twilight away with a hoof, but the unicorn had meant it. And after reading the book, it felt like an even bigger compliment. “Twilight sure is a good friend,” she mumbled into her darkened bedroom. “I’ll go thank her for real in the morning.” Yawning again, Rainbow Dash rolled onto her side and was soon filling her cloud home with the steady rumble of her snores. Twilight woke up to the sounds of chirping birds outside her windows. Stretching out her back, she hopped off her bed and cantered to the bathroom, intent on getting her morning routine underway. As she brushed her teeth and combed her mane, she replayed the events of the previous night through her head. She grinned around the brush in her mouth; if Rainbow Dash had taken the entire stack of Daring Do novels, nopony would see hide nor mane of the daredevil for quite a while. She was pulled from her reverie by a knock on the door downstairs. “Spike!” she called, “Can you get that?” After a few moments of silence broken only by continued knocking, Twilight huffed and spat the toothpaste out of her mouth and into the sink. She trotted quickly down the stairs and opened the front door in a haze of magic. “Oh. Hello Rainbow Dash.” “Mornin’ Twilight.” The blue mare’s voice was upbeat to match her bouncing canter as she entered the library. “I wanted to come by and thank you again.” The unicorn smiled and raised an eyebrow. “You’re welcome, but this is a library; anypony can check out a book.” She swiveled her head as she spoke, trying to locate a certain too-lazy-to-answer-the-door dragon. “Or several books, as the case may be.” A sigh of exasperation escaped her lips when she looked into the kitchen. Spike was splayed out under the table, surrounded by several empty bags of gem-chip cookies, his round belly looking distended and the labored effort of breathing straining his gentle snores. She trotted in and peered under the table, prodding him with a hoof. “Huh-what?” Bleary green eyes regarded violet. His purple and green face was covered in crumbs. “Don’t wait up, huh?” Twilight deadpanned. She was answered by sheepish chuckles. Spike clutched his stomach and groaned. “Go on. Better try to sleep that off. In your basket this time.” Getting unsteadily to his feet, the dragon hobbled towards the stairs. Cantering towards the kitchen, Rainbow Dash waved at him. “Hey Spike. You send my letter?” He groaned again. Chuckling, the pegasus entered the kitchen as Twilight levitated the torn open cookie bags and a generous helping of crumbs into a garbage can. “So, uh, I didn’t want to thank you for lending me the books, Twilight. I mean, thanks for that, but that’s not why I came over.” “Oh?” The unicorn’s question was punctuated by a gurgle from her stomach. “Erm. Care for some breakfast?” “Yeah, sure.” Sitting at the table, she watched Twilight levitate a few bowls and spoons from the cupboard along with a box of oat cereal over to the wood surface. The purple mare grabbed a bottle of milk from the fridge and sat opposite her friend. Cereal and milk poured into their bowls, Twilight levitated a mouthful to her face. “So what I wanted to thank you for was everything else. For giving me that book in the first place. And for what you said to me.” Twilight halted the spoon halfway to her mouth. “You’re welcome, but, uh, what did I say to you?” Foregoing the offered spoon, Rainbow tipped the bowl back and guzzled down half her breakfast, sighing in satisfaction and wiping her face on a hoof. “You said I was smart.” She tipped the bowl back again. Trying her best to focus on her own food instead of her friend’s barbaric eating habits, Twilight said, “Well, you’re welcome, but of course you’re smart, Rainbow. Being smart isn’t all about reading, or memorizing things. You’re quick-witted, you can think well under pressure, and you’re good at managing several things at once. Leading the weather team takes a lot of coordination and planning, and from some of the stunts I’ve seen you do I know you have a strong understanding of flight mechanics and physics. You might not know all the math, but you understand the concepts underneath the math, which is more than can be said for a lot of ponies in academia.” Rainbow Dash beamed with gratification at Twilight’s compliments, a strong urge to boastfully accept the words as obvious fact working its way into her system. A lingering sense of melancholy stopped her. “…Nopony’s ever said I was smart before, without tryin’ to make fun of me.” The unicorn frowned, setting her spoon back in the bowl of cereal. “What do you mean? Why would somepony make fun of you?” The pegasus sighed, pushing away her empty bowl. “You remember those two stallions at the Best Young Flyer competition, right?” At Twilight’s nod, she continued. “When I was a filly I got made fun of a lot, by them an’ other foals at school. They called me ‘Rainbow Crash’ ‘cause of how often I’d crash into things when practicing, but that was only part of it. I got called ‘Egghead’ a lot, since I got good marks on all the written tests.” She winced as she said it, her mind making a quick association. She looked up at Twilight, her eyes bright with sudden concern. “You know when I call you an Egghead, I don’t mean it as a bad thing, right? You’re really smart and you like studying. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just not really me, y’know?” “I guess so, Rainbow.” She took the last few bites of her cereal. “It’d be like somepony calling me a jock I guess. But I think I’d just look at them like they’d lost their mind instead of being insulted.” “Yeah…” Rainbow frowned, her head and ears drooping. “I guess it just got wrapped up in all the other names. When they’re all meant to be insults, it’s hard to notice if one of ‘em is silly.” The unicorn nodded, but her frown deepened. “Was there more than just ‘Rainbow Crash’ and ‘Egghead’?” The blue mare began fidgeting, tracing her forehooves over the knotted swirls and lines of grain running through the surface of the wooden table. “…Well, there were other names they used in order to call me clumsy and small. ‘Sprainbow’. ‘Halfpint’. That sorta stuff. And some others for doing well on tests like ‘teacher’s pet.’ They also…erm…” She fell quiet, watching her hooves. Twilight noticed Rainbow Dash’s wings twitch slightly against her sides. Growing concerned for the mare’s comfort level, the unicorn injected a soft kindness into her voice. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it.” “No…No, it’s okay.” She looked up from the table at her friend. She reminded herself of how supportive Twilight had been and put some strength back into her voice. “They, uh, they called me a fillyfooler a lot, too.” Twilight blinked. “Really?” Her brows knit. “Why? And how is that an insult?” It was Rainbow’s turn to be confused. She scratched the top of her head with a hoof. “Foals call tom-colts fillyfoolers all the time, Twilight. They call colts that like girly things coltcuddlers, too. At least, they did when I was a filly. Come to think of it, I haven’t really heard it around here in Ponyville. Huh. Maybe it’s a pegasus thing?” Twilight shrugged. “I didn’t ever hear that in Canterlot. Why would it be an insult to be gay?” Rainbow shifted in her seat, somewhat bewildered by the direction the conversation had veered off in. “Well, I guess the idea was gay colts are supposed to act more like mares and gay mares more like colts. It doesn’t make a lotta sense to me, either.” “So why’d it bother you?” The pegasus’ mouth opened, but nothing came out. Her brow knit and she sat back in her chair, eyes growing distant and introspective. Twilight watched the mare and got the impression she was battling with something. Eventually, Rainbow Dash looked back up at her, a sense of resolution hardening her eyes. “I guess ‘cause it was kinda true. I figured out pretty young that I liked mares and stallions and everypony acted like that sort of thing was really weird and wrong. I guess the fact that they were right about one thing made everything else sting that much more.” Twilight nodded slowly, her face still drawn with concern. “That’s all sounds so awful....it’s terrible you had such a rough time as a filly, Rainbow. I know what it’s like to be picked on, though. I can relate to the whole ‘teacher’s pet’ thing,” the blue mare grinned despite herself; the personal student of Princess Celestia was probably the schoolyard bully’s holy grail, “And I got called ‘brainy,’ and ‘know-it-all,’ but I just thought it was jealousy. I tried to ignore it and keep to myself.” She frowned sadly, looking down at the table. “Of course, it’s probably why I didn’t really have any friends before I met you girls.” The pegasus nodded. “Sounds like you know exactly what it’s like.” A small smile graced her features. “Thanks again, Twilight. For being such a good friend and listening to me. And, uh, for not making a big deal about my sexuality. I haven’t told a lot of ponies…” Twilight smirked. “Well, even if I was raised somewhere like Cloudsdale, it would be hypocritical of me to make a big deal out of it; I’m not interested in stallions at all.” After a moment of silence, Rainbow began snickering. “And here I was worried you’d think I was a pervert or somethin’.” Twilight joined her friend’s laughter. Standing from the table, the blue pony grabbed both bowls and set them on her back, cantering over to the sink. “Well thanks a lot, Twilight. You’ve really been there for me the last couple days. I’ll try to remember that I can trust you with this sorta stuff and not get it thrown back in my face.” As Twilight stood from the table, she was caught in a hug. “You’re pretty awesome, Egghead.” The unicorn smiled and returned the hug. “You’re awesome, too.” Rainbow puffed out her chest and headed back into the library with a bounce in her step. “Of course I am! Now if you’ll excuse me, the Griffin’s Goblet has been callin’ me all morning. Later, Twi’!” The mare opened the door, glancing over her shoulder at her lavender friend. For a brief moment they stood frozen in place. Neither noticed that the other was giving them an appraising look. Then, in a streak of color, Rainbow Dash was gone. Twilight headed back to the sink and began to rinse the two bowls, smiling broadly to herself. Her hopes of bonding with Rainbow had come true much faster than she had expected, whether it was over books or not, and she was thrilled at the prospect of deepening her friendship even further. A small sigh escaped her lips as she set the bowls in the strainer to dry. It was pleasing that Rainbow had confided in her about her sexuality, but it was a shame she’d probably never be interested in a pony like Twilight. That mare was awfully pretty. A Good Holiday (Hearts and Hooves Day) by bats“I…don’t suppose we could borrow that book for a little while…do ya?” Smiling broadly, Twilight floated the Hearts and Hooves Day book down to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Of course you can!” She turned her attention back to her saddlebag, grabbing a second tome in a glow of magenta. “I have another book here that I think you’ll…” The filly threesome had disappeared. A quick look around the street confirmed the unicorn was alone. Grimacing in annoyance, Twilight sighed and cracked open the book before continuing her trek back to the library. “Ya know, if you read and walk at the same time you’re gonna knock somepony over, Twilight.” The purple mare jumped, dropping the book to the ground. Her eyes scanned up, finding Rainbow Dash hovering a few feet above her. The pegasus snickered. “You’re a riot.” Smirking and shaking her head, Twilight grasped the book in a haze of magic and put it back in her saddlebag. “Good afternoon, Rainbow Dash. What’re you up to?” The pegasus flipped over on her back, flying upside down. “Not much. Figured I’d find out what my favorite Egghead was doin’ today.” “Well, I was reading a book about the history of Hearts and Hooves Day, but I loaned it out to Sweetie Belle and her friends.” The mare shook her head slowly, resuming her canter towards the library. “Why do I suddenly feel like that was a terrible mistake?” “Seriously Twi’?” Rainbow Dash flicked her wings and spun through the air, hovering next to Twilight and matching her pace. “A history book? D’you always spend holidays reading about them?” “Hey, I like reading. I thought maybe you’d learned how to appreciate that.” She gently shoulder-checked her flying friend, shooting the blue pony a smirk. “Well, yeah, Daring Do is awesome and I’m sure you have a ton of other books like that, but history?” A few exaggerated retching sounds earned her another shoulder-check. Chuckling, she bumped into Twilight. They traded blows the remainder of the walk, giggling as they went. “So how is Daring treating you? Finish Griffin’s Goblet yet?” Twilight asked between strikes and fits of laughter. “Days ago.” “So how’d you like it?” A bit too forceful of a charge sent both mares tumbling to the ground. Dusting herself off with a large grin on her face, Rainbow grew distant and mumbled, “Eh, it wasn’t good.” Twilight frowned, her ears falling back. The pegasus flashed a playful eye at her before cracking an even wider smile. “It was awesome!” She leapt back into the air, flying up in a looping backflip before hovering just off the ground. “It was even better than Sapphire Statue! When I was done I wanted to crash into your window just to talk to you about it, but it was like, three in the morning.” Twilight opened the door to Golden Oaks Library with a small effort of will, Rainbow’s infectious enthusiasm adding a bounce to her step. “Well, wanna talk about it now? I’ve wanted somepony to talk to about Daring Do for ages!” “Okay, but no spoilers, Egghead, I’m only halfway through the Cannibal’s Crown.” The blue mare followed her friend through the library’s main room and into the kitchen. Twilight put on a pot of coffee to brew sat at the table. Rainbow sat opposite her, wings wide and twitching with keen interest. “So where do we start?” “How about Daring’s escape at the end of Sapphire Statue?” “Oh my gosh, yes!” A grinding rumble shook the library, dragging the two mares from their conversation. Rainbow flapped her wings and lifted from the kitchen table, whipping into the main library. “What was that?” Twilight trotted up to join the blue mare hovering at the window. “Can you see anything?” “It…kinda looks like that house over there is moving…” The slowly-drifting house moved across the roofline. It eventually halted and the low vibrations ceased. “That was weird.” Her magenta eyes scanned the rooftops of Ponyville and settled on the clock tower. “Wow, we’ve been talkin’ about Daring Do for almost two hours, Twi’.” “Really?” The unicorn glanced at the clock on the wall. “I guess we have. I didn’t notice at all; Daring Do is so fun to talk about.” Rainbow Dash back flipped and landed with her chest puffed out and a smirk on her lips. “Time flies when you’re talkin’ to the Rainbow Dash.” Twilight giggled and shook her head. The blue mare’s expression softened to a more genuine smile. “And the Twilight Sparkle, apparently. That was a lot of fun, Twilight.” “It was. You wanna sit back down and keep talking? We were just about to get to the part where Daring invaded the griffin warcamp.” Rainbow Dash grew quiet and watched the clock-tower through the window, a small stillness silencing the library. When she spoke, some of the bravado had drained from her voice. She seemed subdued to Twilight; not as nervous as she’d seen the pegasus during the Best Young Flyer competition, but with a vulnerability that was rarely present. “…Twilight, wanna go to dinner with me?” The purple mare raised an eyebrow, studying her friend’s change in demeanor. “Sure; it’s getting close to dinner anyway and I’d like to keep talking. Want me to get Spike to whip something up?” Rainbow’s wings fidgeted. “I meant, like, to a restaurant.” She turned to face Twilight, but couldn’t meet her eyes. “It uh, would be a good day for it.” Twilight’s eyes widened and she took a step back. “Rainbow…are you asking me out on a date?” The pegasus continued to fidget but flashed a tentative smile. Before she could help herself, Twilight blurted out, “Why?” Furrowing her brow, Rainbow asked, “Why not? You’re smart, you’re fun to hang out with and talk to, you’re really pretty,” Twilight felt her face grow warm, “Why wouldn’t I ask you out?” The unicorn cleared her throat, shuffling her hooves on the wooden floor. A small pout graced her reddened muzzle as she met Rainbow’s gaze. “But we’re so different. You shouldn’t be interested in somepony like me…you should want a mare or colt who can keep up with you. An athlete.” The pegasus rolled her eyes and looked back out the window. “That sounds like fun; going out with somepony I’ll always wanna compete with. Every walk in the park turning into a race, every dinner a hoof-wrestle…” The daredevil’s voice dropped, colored with imperfectly hidden reproach. “You just had to say you’re not interested.” Twilight swallowed thickly, cantering resolutely up to Rainbow Dash. She set a hoof on the mare’s shoulder. “I’d love to go to dinner with you.” The blue pony straightened up, her wings fluttering against her sides. Her squeaked out response of, “Cool,” was not as suave as she would have liked, but Twilight didn’t let on that she noticed if she had. Grinning foolishly, Twilight trotted to her desk and levitated a saddlebag over her neck. “You just surprised me. To be honest, I kinda started thinking about it after we had that chat the other day, but I wasn’t expecting you to be interested in somepony like me.” “Oh yeah,” Rainbow smirked, “A foxy mare who I know I can have fun with, talk to about anything, and apparently has the hots for me already? Totally not my type. What was I thinking?” Giggling, Twilight bumped the pegasus with her shoulder on her way to the door. “Come on then, sarcastic one. Let’s go to dinner. This has already been one of the best Hearts and Hooves Days I can remember; let’s not stop now.” The unicorn locked the door behind them, humming tunelessly to herself. She turned to find her date staring at her. “What?” “…This is one of the best Hearts and Hooves Days I can remember, too.” Beckoning dramatically with a hoof, Rainbow waited for the purple mare to join her. The two fell in line together, trotting off towards the town. Rainbow thought she heard a lingering scream of ‘no’ on the breeze from Sweet Apple Acres, but it was easy to ignore. Her mind was too busy shouting ‘yes.’ Author's Note Happy Hearts and Hooves Day everyone! This is a departure for me, writing vignettes. I've been obsessed with the idea of The Twidash Project since I first saw The AppleDash Project by bookplayer. Such an interesting approach to shipping. So, I talked to my buddy Subsolar Drift and we decided to try and take it on. Hope you enjoy. As always, let me know what you think, good or bad. Updates on this will be somewhat sporadic, since it's two of us writing different parts, but expect an episode or so a week before we run out of 'em. I hope everyone has a lovely holiday. Twidash forever. A Way to Make Her Smile (A Friend in Deed) by Subsolar Drift“Yeah! He doesn’t wanna be bothered by your over-the-top super-hyper antics!” “Rainbow!” Twilight admonished, shooting a glare towards the pegasus sprawled out on the stairs. “No, no. It’s okay Twilight. I get what you’re saying. What you’re both saying. And I guess I can leave Cranky alone.” Pinkie sighed. Twilight smiled, pleased by the unusual maturity her friend had. “Right after he accepts my apology!” Pinkie finished with a smile, hopping away and out the front door. With a groan, Twilight let her head fall into her book in exasperation. “Don’t worry Twi’! With Pinkie, things have a way of working out.” Rainbow chuckled. “That mare is so random. One minute she’s listening to advice, the next she’s back to her own way.” Twilight rubbed her temples with a hoof. “It’s crazy.” “It’s Pinkie Pie,” Dash simply said, returning to her book. Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but thought better of it, instead continuing to read. Her eyes moved over the page, but she couldn’t concentrate. Her focus gone, she groaned and shut the book, drawing a look from Rainbow Dash. “Hey, what’s up?” Dash said, putting her book down and moving over to Twilight. “Oh, it’s nothing. I just can’t concentrate anymore. I’m too distracted thinking about what Pinkie might be doing to that poor donkey.” They both were quiet for a moment, then shuddered in unison. “Wouldn’t want to be him.” Dash said, Twilight nodding in agreement. “Well, since you’re already distracted, I hope you won’t mind more distractions.” Twilight blushed as Rainbow placed a hoof on her shoulder. Rainbow’s eyes grew bright with an idea and she went on. “In fact, I wanna take you out today on another date!” Twilight’s face darkened, her cheeks the shade of Cheerilee. “W-well, I’d love to.” “Yes!” Pumping her hoof in the air, she took off into a loop-de-loop. “I get to go on another date with the cutest mare in town!” She landed and pulled Twilight into her embrace. “Thanks Twi. I’ll see you soon, I just gotta go set some stuff up. I’ll be back in...” Dash paused for a second to think, “...About two hours to take you out!” With that, the pegasus was gone in a multi-colored blur, leaving Twilight sitting there, her face still warm. One hour and fifty-nine minutes later, a knock echoed through the library as Twilight was walking down the stairs. Going to the door, she opened it and sure enough, there was Rainbow Dash with her usual grin. “Hey there Twi’. All ready to go?” Twilight nodded, and the two set off together side by side. “So, where are we going?” Twilight asked as they walked through the town square. “That’s for me to know,” Rainbow smirked, “And for you to find out!” The two mares chatted a little as they walked, but Twilight was lost in speculation wondering where Dash could be taking her. Every time they passed a restaurant or cafe Twilight frowned a little, another guess about their destination wrong. Twilight had assumed that Rainbow would be taking her out to lunch, so she hadn’t eaten and was beginning to get hungry. Finally when her stomach grumbled, Rainbow Dash laughed. “Hungry Twi’?” She chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m pretty starved too. Good thing we’ll be eating soon!” They continued on their way, now almost out of town. Realization dawned on Twilight. “Dash, are we going to have a picnic?” Dash could only grin. “Bingo! We’ve been in that library for hours. We need some good old sunshine and fresh air!” She spread her wings and gave a quick spin before returning to the ground. The buildings became more and more sparse as they walked until they were in the countryside. Here, Rainbow abandoned the path, choosing instead to walk through the fields towards a large hill. Twilight followed her to the top and gazed down on the clearing below. On the far side Whitetail Wood began, trees providing shade over a small lake. Wild flowers bloomed in the grass and a picnic was laid out in the sun. Rainbow Dash promptly took off and flew down to the basket and began to remove the food within. With a pop, Twilight teleported right next to Dash and looked over the food the pegasus had begun to unpack. Picking up a sandwich in her magic, Twilight asked “I thought you didn’t really like daisy sandwiches?” “Meh,” said Dash, giving the hovering sandwich a glance as Twilight took a bite of it. “This is a date Twi’. It’s about you, so I got things you enjoy.” Twilight blushed and gave Dash a hug. “Hugging me already? You haven’t seen anything yet, Sparkle.” Twilight raised her eyebrow at this, prompting another laugh from Dash. Finally, Dash reached into the basket and carefully removed a box that Twilight would never forget. Her jaw dropped along with the forgotten daisy sandwich as she stared in awe at the wonder that Dash had procured. In Dash’s hooves laid a box of Pony Joe’s Donuts. Pony Joe’s Donuts weren’t regular old donuts. They were widely renowned as some of the best donuts in the world. Only one pony knew how to make them, and they were undoubtedly Twilight’s favorite food in the world. Before Dash knew what was happening, she was tackled by Twilight getting pulled into a bone crushing hug. “Dash! You flew to Canterlot to get me Pony Joe’s?! I haven’t had one of his donuts since the Gala!” A tinge of pink rising to her cheeks, Dash nodded. “I remember how much you gushed about them and flew to go get you some.” “That’s so sweet of you!” Twilight beamed. She leaned forward and kissed Dash. Caught by surprise, the pegasus was still for a moment before melting into Twilight’s lips. Warmth spread between them as the couple shared their first kiss. The sound of fireworks boomed through the air, startling Twilight and Dash into breaking apart. Instants later, cheers of glee echoed through the clearing. Both ponies looked at each other for a moment before simply sighing, “Pinkie Pie.” Author's Note Subsolar Drift: Hello Everyone! I guess this is my formal introduction to most of you. I’m Subsolar Drift, the co-author to this project. First of all, I’m sorry for the delay. I hope to provide faster chapters in the future. Thank you all for giving my work a read, and I hope you’ve enjoyed it. bats: pssst...Hi guys. Next chapter's mine; should be up sometime next week. Busy, Busy (Putting Your Hoof Down) by bats“So Rainbow…what is this?” Twilight’s voice was quiet and timid. She slowly shut the thick book floating in front of her and set it on the floor next to her pillow. Their private reading nook just off the main room of the library suddenly felt massive. Rainbow Dash glanced up from her own book, dragging herself from a low recline to a sitting position. “Whassat, Twi’?” The unicorn inhaled deeply through her snout. “…This. Us. What are we?” Frowning slightly, she scooched herself around to face her mare…to face Rainbow Dash. “It’s been three weeks since you asked me to dinner on Hearts and Hooves Day. We’ve been out a few times since then...,” her face flushed warm and a small smile broke through her stern expression as memories of a picnic flashed through her head. “Now…what are we?” A shiver of apprehension raced up the pegasus’ spine. She swallowed thickly and laid her ears flat. “Well, Twi’, uh…what do you want us to be?” She ran a hoof through her mane and took a tentative step off the floor pillow, the five feet separating the ponies an almost unfathomable distance. Her heart thundered in her chest and her mouth ran dry. She cleared her throat and forced her breathing to even out. ‘C’mon, Rainbow Dash,’ she berated herself, ‘You weren’t this nervous when you asked her out.’ Rainbow steeled her nerves and took another step. She inhaled sharply and forced the air through her voice box, words spilling out in a torrent. “’Cause I’ve had a great time with you and wanna keep seein’ you like this. You’re awesome, and funny, and smart, and cute, and-and, Twilight will you be my special somepony?” The mare gulped in a breath of air and smiled earnestly. Twilight climbed to her hooves. “Rainbow Dash,” she said breathlessly, a warm grin spread across her muzzle, “I’d love to be your special somepony.” In two steps they were hugging each other around the middle, muzzles pressed together in a relieved kiss. Twilight giggled and nuzzled Rainbow’s cheek. “I’ve never had a special somepony before.” Coughing nervously, Rainbow’s face grew hot. “I…haven’t had one either. Not really.” Twilight’s smile widened and she stepped back from the hug, her forelegs clacking to the floor. “Well then, it’ll be a new adventure for the both of us!” “Oh barf.” Rainbow rolled her eyes heavily, shooting Twilight an impish smirk. “Let’s just keep doin’ what we’ve been doin’. Only we’re marefriends now.” A flash of recognition flashed across her eyes and her jaw went slack. A dopey grin pulled at her lips. “We’re marefriends now…” Shaking her head slowly, Twilight socked Rainbow in the shoulder. “Oh barf.” Their shared chuckle slowly resolved into fond grins, quietly regarding each other in the cozy little reading nook. Twilight’s smile slowly faded and she laid her ears flat, glancing at the floor. “So, uh…should we tell the girls? I mean, if we’re a couple now…” Rainbow Dash inhaled sharply, a crease forming in her brow. “…Y-yeah, alright.” Twilight opened her mouth to respond, concern written across her features, but Rainbow talked over her. “I’ve been slowly comin’ out to some ponies. I told AJ, Pinkie, and a few of my co-workers a little while ago when we set up that big rain for the farm. I think all that fillyfooler stuff really was just a Cloudsdale thing.” She tried to smile, but Twilight thought it looked a bit closer to a grimace. “Only if you’re comfortable. We could wait if you’d rather.” A brief pause was followed by a resolute shake of her head. “They’ll all understand. Ponyville’s different than Cloudsdale. Lyra and Bon Bon have been together for years and nopony bats an eye at them.” A genuine look of happiness cut through the pegasus’ face. “This’ll turn out awesome, I know it.” Confidence radiating from her frame, Rainbow Dash strutted to the door. Grinning, Twilight grabbed a saddlebag. She arrived at the door and kissed her marefriend’s cheek. Opening the door in a glow of magic, the unicorn said, “Who should we go see first?” “Let’s go to Fluttershy’s. She’s known about my sexuality since I was a filly.” The pair set off across the town, avoiding the busy market, on their way towards the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. Their quiet trot turned to playful shoulder-checks and giggles. They almost walked past the cottage, too wrapped up in their game. Twilight knocked on the door and waited. “Hmm…I don’t think she’s home.” Twilight frowned, knocking again. Rainbow Dash peered through the window. “D’you see her?” “No, but it looks like Angel’s gone off the deep end. He’s throwing food pellets at a beaver and snuggling a book.” The mare’s eyes widened and she quickly ducked her head. “Oh man, I think he saw me! Let’s go; we can tell Fluttershy later!” She scrambled away from the door and threw herself into a bush. Twilight frowned and followed the rapidly retreating pegasus. “What’s the matter?” Poking her head out of the bush, Rainbow said, “I may have called Angel a puffy rat the last time I saw him…and he may have thrown a kitchen knife at my head.” Twilight snorted. “Let’s go back into town. AJ should be in the market, Pinkie and Rarity are probably working, and maybe we’ll run into Fluttershy.” “Alright then. Get out of that bush and let’s go.” For a moment the bush shook but no daredevil emerged. “Um…” Rainbow’s eyes darted back and forth. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “…my tail’s stuck.” After several minutes of magical help, a red-faced Rainbow Dash marched solemnly alongside her marefriend back into Ponyville. They stopped by an empty Carousel Boutique and were told Pinkie Pie was on lunch break by Mrs. Cake. Thankfully, Applejack was right where she was supposed to be and they joined the queue. The farm pony grinned when they got to the front, tipping her hat. “Well howdy, you two! Y’all need some apples?” Twilight’s refutation was preempted by a growl from Rainbow’s belly. “Er…sure!” She eyed Rainbow Dash with amusement and floated a few bits from her bag. “You got a minute, Applejack? Rainbow and I have something we want to share with you.” Applejack grimaced apologetically, her eyes darting to the twisting line of ponies behind the pair. “I’m afraid I’m a might bit busy at the moment, Twi.’ I don’t s’pose it could wait a few hours?” Rubbing her face with a hoof, Rainbow huffed and slowly cantered away. Applejack raised a brow. “She alright?” “We’ve just been having trouble finding anypony today.” “Well, I saw Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity wanderin’ around the market earlier.” Eyes narrowed, she scanned the streets. The mare standing behind Twilight cleared her throat pointedly. “I’m sorry, Twi’, I really need to be workin’. See ya later?” Twilight nodded ruefully and cantered over to her sulking marefriend. “Applejack said she saw Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy earlier. Wanna go look for them?” Sighing heavily, hoof still massaging the bridge of her muzzle, Rainbow shook her head. “Let’s just go back to the library. We’ll try again tomorrow.” With a nod from Twilight, they set off at a sedate pace. A sly smirk edged out Rainbow Dash’s exasperation. “…Plus, I hear kissing your marefriend’s even better than kissing your date.” The pace became a lot less sedate. “Nopony pushes new Fluttershy around! Nopony!” The cab driver grimaced and took off like a shot. Twilight and Rainbow Dash blinked rapidly at the top of the hill. Twilight scratched the back of her head. “Was that…Fluttershy?” “It…kinda sounded like her. Hey look, there’re Pinkie Pie and Rarity.” They hurried down to meet their friends currently talking in hushed tones, Rainbow flying a few feet above and to the left of her marefriend. “Hey guys, what’s up?” Rarity turned and gave them a smile tinged with concern. “Oh hello Rainbow, Twilight. Fluttershy seems to have taken our advice about standing up for herself a bit too far.” Rainbow snorted derisively, folding her forelegs across her chest. “Fluttershy? Standing up for herself too much? What’d she do, forget to say ‘excuse me?’” Pinkie Pie and Rarity exchanged a worried look. Clearing her throat, Twilight stepped forward. “Anyway, do you girls have a minute? Rainbow and I wanted to talk to you.” Pinkie nodded vigorously, then paused. The line of terrified ponies had reformed in Sugarcube Corner and were all facing her expectantly. “Uhh…actually, I need to get back to work.” Rarity started. “My goodness! I came down here to get a muffin before finishing a dress order! I must be going. Another time dears?” The two ponies departed at a gallop. Rainbow Dash’s exasperated cry made the ponies in line jump. They breathed a collective sigh of relief; for a moment they thought Fluttershy had come back. Grumbling pegasus in tow, Twilight headed out towards Sweet Apple Acres. They found their friend hard at work in the orchards. A warm greeting died in their throats when the farm pony distractedly waved them off. Rainbow Dash scowled and flew up to a bare tree. Frowning, Twilight pleaded, “Come on, Applejack, we just need a minute; this is important to us.” Applejack huffed. “Listen you two, I’m sorry for beggin’ off on ya yesterday, but I’m just too busy to stop right now.” A powerful pistoning of her legs sent a shower of apples raining into buckets. “If I don’t finish buckin’ this orchard the apples are gonna start turnin’ on the branches. Can’t it wait?” Twilight massaged her aching forehead. “I understand that this is a bad time of year for you, Applejack. We’ll just…come back another time?” “Oh for crying out loud!” Rainbow Dash leapt from the branch she was using as a couch and landed heavily on the packed dirt. “Twilight and I are dating okay!” “Oh!” The farmers eyes went wide. “…Oh? Ohhh….” She cleared her throat. Rainbow grabbed Twilight around the middle with a wing and they put on matching forced grins. “Well, alright then. Y’all do make a mighty fine lookin’ couple.” Hesitantly, she pulled the two into an awkward hug. “This weren’t over that whole readin’ thing last month, was it?” “No,” they answered together. The two exchanged a sheepish glance then said in tandem, “Well, sorta.” “Dangit. I owe Pinkie Pie ten bits.” She turned back to the orchard. “I’m sorry, but I really gotta get back ta buckin’. I’m happy for y’all; don’t do nothin’ I wouldn’t do.” She smirked at the matching blushes that crossed her friend’s faces. “Y’all are even startin’ to look alike.” She bucked the next tree. “Now git, you lovebirds.” Cantering back towards the road, Twilight said, “Well, that wasn’t so bad.” Smirking, Rainbow Dash bumped the unicorn gently. “Speak for yourself, I wanna nap.” Twilight giggled. “Try for the others tomorrow then?” “Can’t. Gotta go out to Cloudsdale and bring in a bunch of clouds for the day after. Orders call for dark and moody.” She frowned. “Dunno why.” “Well, day after tomorrow then?” Rainbow grinned and winked. “It’s a date.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Why is Fluttershy’s house all boarded up?” “And why are Rarity and Pinkie hugging her and laughing?” “We missed something.” “We totally missed something.” Rainbow glided through the air and landed in front of the embracing mares. “Hey guys.” Fluttershy grinned. “Hi Rainbow Dash! Hi Twilight! I haven’t seen you two in days.” Rainbow glared venomously. “What brings you around?” Twilight opened her mouth only to be cut off. “Oh, yes!” Rarity chimed, “You’ve had news to share, haven’t you?” Twilight nodded, opening her mouth to— “Ooh! Is it a surprise?! I love surprises! Is it a surprise party?! Oh, wait, if you told me it was a surprise party then it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore, silly me! Is it a—” “Gaaaaah!” screamed Rainbow Dash, falling to the ground and covering her face with her hooves. “You ponies are gonna kill me!” Pinkie fell silent and the three stared expectantly at the grumbling mare. Twilight cleared her throat, brow furrowed and pawing the ground nervously with a hoof. “Well, uh…you see girls, Rainbow Dash and I have kinda been…well…” Rainbow Dash sat up, looking more annoyed than apprehensive. “Twilight’s my special somepony.” Rarity and Pinkie Pie instantly began babbling animatedly, talking over each other as they swarmed the pair, hugging tightly, pinching cheeks, and fussing with manes, darting back and forth between the couple. Rainbow and Twilight became more bewildered as they went on. “Oh, that’s simply marvelous news—” “I totally knew it! I think I’m getting ten bits outta AJ! Oh, this totally calls for a party! I’ll need to get a cake and—” “And I’ll make matching dresses! You’ll look simply darling in them—” “And streamers and balloons and punch and cookies and—” “Rainbow, have you considered getting a perm? These locks would be to die-for done up in curls! Oh you have to let me—” “And cotton candy and ice cream and pie and we’ll invite everypony and—” Rainbow Dash hugged Twilight in terror. “Twilight! Make it stop!” In a glow of magenta magic, Rarity and Pinkie Pie were scooped off the ground and deposited somewhat roughly next to Fluttershy. They both chuckled with embarrassment and slunk back a step. The meek pegasus had been silent, a thin and neutral line on her lips. Rainbow, still hugging Twilight cheek to cheek, gave her friend a hopeful look. “…Are…are you alright with it, Fluttershy?” Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed sharply. Shoulders squared, back straight, and head lowered, she huffed, “No, I’m not alright with it!” Rarity and Pinkie exchanged worried, but knowing glances. Eyes glared, Fluttershy marched straight up to the pair and shoved her muzzle in their faces. “I’m thrilled!” She hugged them both fiercely around their necks, a brilliant smile on her face. Her quiet voice was filled with excitement. “I’m so happy for you two! I thought that maybe, I mean, when I heard Dashie was finally coming out to everypony, and, maybe she’d found somepony, and, oh this is wonderful!” Pinkie and Rarity expelled held breaths and joined the outside of the hugging pile. Twilight and Rainbow Dash, now squashed cheek to cheek, read the bewilderment in each other’s too-close gaze. “Totally missed something,” Rainbow wheezed. Author's Note Here we go, more Twidash Project from bats. Not sure who's covering In Time, though. If you're interested, I've started posting production blogs on Sundays that give a status update on the assorted things I'm working on, including The Twidash Project. You can check my user page on Sundays, the spiffy new blog roll on the side of these stories that's all cool and junk, or follow me if you so desire. Peace out. Future Twilight and Future Rainbow (It's About Time) by Subsolar DriftIt was around eleven when the train finally arrived at the Ponyville station. Yawning, Twilight got off the train with Spike fast asleep on her back. Pinkie, somehow still wide awake, bounced off behind them. "Thanks, Twilight," she said with a grin. "That was a lot of fun!" Twilight rolled her eyes. "No problem, Pinkie," she sighed. "I'm going to take Spike home now. I'll see you later." "Alrighty! Enjoy your sleep!" Still grinning Pinkie hopped away. Twilight yawned as she set off at an easy walk. she blinked slowly, trying to keep her eyes open as she made her way through the still waking town. Her mind drifted to her cozy bed and she moved a little faster. Dazed, she briefly acknowledged the greetings of the ponies who passed her. A smile warmed her face when at last she returned to her home. With a sigh of relief she pulled open the door and stepped inside, ready to catch up on a week's worth of sleep. Twilight stopped as she stepped into a disaster zone. Papers, books, telescopes, charts, and graphs were strewn all over the floor and on every visible surface. Not an inch of the floor was visible under the sea of paper. Mugs of half finished coffee were littered about, often next to the remains of a daisy sandwich. With a groan, Twilight cleared a small path to the stairs. She trudged her way to her room, hooves dragging as she reached her bed. Ignoring the papers and general mess around her, she lifted Spike off her back and tucked him into his basket, only then allowing herself to collapse into bed. She was out in under a minute, not even bothering to shut the curtains. A noise from downstairs woke Twilight from her slumber. She sat up with a groan and rubbed her eyes. Disoriented, she looked around. The room wasn't how she left it. The curtains were shut, the floor was absent of papers and various scientific tools that had been left there, and a blanket had been placed over her. Still half asleep, Twilight shrugged the blanket off and pulled herself out of bed. She shuffled to the bathroom and got herself a glass of water. Thirst quenched, she turned to go back to bed but stopped when her reflection caught her eye. With a snort she pulled off the bandage and eyepatch that were still dangling from her hair. She picked up her hairbrush and pulled it through her mane, until it was in it's proper style. Twilight pulled out a small band-aid from her medicine cabinet and placed it over the paper cut on her cheek. She stripped the stealth suit off and tossed it in the trash can. Yawning, Twilight left the bathroom and headed back to her room. A small thud followed by whispered grumbles came from downstairs. Twilight paused. There were more sounds of movement from below. Twilight gave a longing glance towards her room then headed downstairs to see Spike. If she was going to sleep more she should at least let him know. Twilight came to a halt halfway down. Before her was Rainbow Dash in a significantly cleaner living room. She was picking up a stack of books that had fallen off a shelf. "Rainbow?" Twilight managed, startling the pegasus and causing her to drop the books. "Gah!" Dash cried, turning to see who had said her name. "Oh, it's just you, Twi," she sighed. With a smile she flew over and gave Twilight a kiss on the cheek. "It's good to see you up an at it after all that disaster stuff." Dash landed and wrapped a wing around her. "Pinkie told me about what happened at the archives so I thought I'd swing by and make sure you're feeling better." "Oh, thanks," Twilight started, "that's really kind of you, but why were you cleaning up this mess? I should be doing that." Dash shrugged. "You're my marefriend so I thought I might as well do something while you were asleep." She frowned before continuing, "It's the least I can do after the way I treated you this last week." "What?" Twilight asked, befuddled. "You were freaking out and worrying and I didn't talk to you about it. I wasn't there for you. Not to mention that I laughed at you and was screwing with you when you obviously weren't feeling well." Dash landed and wrapped Twilight in a hug. "I'm sorry." "No, no, no!" Twilight protested. "I'm the one who should be sorry! I sent you off on an Equestria wide wild goose chase, ignored you for a whole week, and have been acting like a madpony." "Well then, we both screwed up," Dash replied. Twilight opened her mouth to fight the issue further, but thought better of it. "I guess we did." She grinned and continued, "then we'll have to clean the library together as punishment." "It's not punishment if I get to do it with you," Dash chuckled. "Good," Twilight yawned. "Then let's take a nap together because I'm tired and don't really want to do this right now." "Sounds like a plan to me!" Author's Note So...after ignoring this for far longer than appropriate, Subsolar comes through with an update. I'll devote some more time to this project than I have been. Got a lot of episodes to go to get to current. Dragged-On Quest (Dragon Quest) by bats“You’re more than friends!” Spike held a claw to his mouth, choked up with emotion. “You’re my family.” Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow hugged him from all sides while he cradled the phoenix egg. They broke apart and grinned at each other. Rarity let out a breath and slumped to the ground. “Ohh, too much running…” Rainbow rolled her eyes, settling down on her hooves. “I’m just glad we’re outta that costume.” Rarity shot back up. “What was wrong with the costume? We blended in perfectly with the other dragons, and there was plenty of room.” “Nah, it was fine, just…cramped after a while, ya know?” As she spoke, Rainbow cast a glance at Twilight, then turned away quickly. Twilight caught the look and raised an eyebrow. She took a tentative step forward. “Hey, Rai—” “Cramped?” Rarity scoffed. “I thought it was perfectly roomy.” “You did have the tail.” “Girls,” Twilight interjected, “the costume worked well for what we set out to do, but even if we were just walking without a costume, we’ve been all over Equestria and at the top of a volcano. We were bound to get a little uncomfortable.” Rainbow sat on her haunches and crossed her forelegs, looking away. She mumbled something indistinct, and Twilight swore she could see a tinge of color on her marefriend’s face despite the low evening light. Her brow furrowed. “Yes, well, it certainly was a tiring ordeal, I’ll give you that.” Rarity sat down and patted her mane. “I’m glad it’s over now and we can go home; I miss my bed dreadfully.” She glanced around the clearing and frowned. “Erm…where are we, anyway?” “We’re just outside of Whitetail Wood.” Rarity’s eyes widened. “That far? That’s quite the distance to teleport, even by oneself. Why here?” Rainbow’s ears flicked at the mention of the woods, and she looked around the twilit stretch of meadow. She could see a lake off in the distance, next to the start of the woods, and a little hill within trotting distance. A smile spread across her muzzle as memories cycled through her thoughts: a blanket stretched out in the wildflowers, daisy sandwiches, the tantalizing smell of donuts, and most importantly, Twilight’s hooves around her neck, drawing her into their first kiss. “…We needed to go somewhere safe, and it was the first place I thought of.” Rainbow’s smile widened. She turned her head and found Twilight looking at her. Twilight’s small smile faltered; Rainbow’s returned grin was strained, and her marefriend looked away, pawing at the ground. “Well, we’re hardly far at all from home, then.” Rarity let out a satisfied sigh and stood up. “I can hear my bed calling me. Shall we bid this quest adieu and go home, Spi—?” They turned to Spike. He lay on his back, holding the egg to his chest and snoring. “Aww, Spikey-wikey does still suck his claw!” Twilight giggled and scooped him up in her magic, draping him over her back. He muttered in his sleep and hugged the egg closer. “C’mon, let’s go home,” she said. They crested the hill and caught sight of Ponyville in the distance. A bounce entered Rarity’s canter as they headed back to town, while Twilight took careful steps to avoid spilling Spike. Rainbow walked at a subdued pace at her side, and Twilight kept trying to catch her marefriend’s eye. Her brow knit as they went. They crossed the bridge separating Ponyville proper from the outlying farmland, and Rarity bounded towards her front door. “Oh, home sweet home,” she marveled. “I can practically taste my sleep mask!” She started and turned to her friends, smiling. “I certainly had an experience the last few days. You two take care! We’ll have to actually go to breakfast soon!” They waved as Rarity let herself inside, and Twilight turned to Rainbow. She rubbed her knee with a hoof. “…I should get Spike to bed.” Rainbow nodded. “I’ll walk with you.” She flashed Twilight a grin, and looked away. Twilight’s frown deepened, and they walked in silence across the town, empty in the darkening night. Twilight opened the door to the library ahead of them, carefully crossing the threshold to avoid making extra noise. Rainbow trotted in after and stopped at the foot of the stairs, while Twilight went up to her bedroom. She tucked Spike into his basket, grinning at him as he clutched the phoenix egg, before turning back towards the stairs and her waiting marefriend. She paused mid-step, her mind racing through a whole host of mixed signals thrown at her since they’d gotten out a danger. She let out a sigh and looked at her bed; a significant portion of her wanted to collapse on her mattress and deal with whatever the heck was going on with Rainbow in the morning. She shook her head and clacked down the stairs. Rainbow sat by the fireplace, looking subdued and withdrawn, making her clench her jaw. She took a deep, steadying breath, and turned to her marefriend. “Is everything okay, Rainbow? You’ve been acting…funny.” Rainbow glanced up, but didn’t make eye contact. Twilight raised an eyebrow; Rainbow was definitely blushing. She looked around the room, trying to find something to focus on, before pressing on. “You can talk to me. What’s bothering you?” Rainbow took a deep breath. She drew her head up and met Twilight’s gaze head on, the dots of pink on her cheeks deepening. “Twilight…I just spent, like, three days staring at your ass.” Twilight blinked. “…Oh.” “Don’t get me wrong, it was great at first.” A coy smile broke through her expression for a moment, before she looked away again. “But Rarity was right there, and there was nowhere else to look, and you’re so damn hot, and I couldn’t touch you, and—” she rubbed her face with both hooves “—gah, I’m sorry; this is totally, like, not appropriate…” Rainbow stood to leave, staring at the floor, but Twilight stepped in front of her. Rainbow looked up and found Twilight half turned away, her face rosy and a smile on her lips. “…Were you really that…bothered by me?” Rainbow’s brow knit. Twilight’s smile widened and she looked at Rainbow obliquely. “I didn’t know I could have that effect on anypony…Makes me feel nice.” Shaking her head, Rainbow stared at her marefriend. “Seriously?” She marched forward. Taken by surprise, Twilight backed up until she bumped into a bookshelf. Rainbow, half crouched and bumping their snouts together, looked her in the eye. “I mean, yeah, Twi’, I’m totally into you ‘cause you’re fun to be around, and we can talk about stuff for hours, and all that junk, but do you really think this’d work out if I didn’t think you’re hot?” Twilight meeped, pressed against the bookshelf with Rainbow flooding her vision. She could feel her marefriend’s breaths on her muzzle, and her heart sped up. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “You’re just…so amazing looking, it’s hard to accept you’d like plain old me like that.” Rainbow stepped back, and Twilight felt eyes roving across her body. “Twilight Sparkle. You are anything but plain.” A tense silence gripped the room as they stared at each other. Twilight leapt forward and wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow’s waist, kissing her face and neck. Rainbow stumbled back, spreading her wings for balance, and Twilight’s hooves brushed over her feathers. They toppled to the floor with Twilight nipping at her coat. “Damn, Twi’…” “You’re so beautiful, Rainbow, kiss me.” “Mnf.” Rainbow leaned her head back, locking gazes with Twilight. “Bedroom?” Twilight darted back to Rainbow’s neck. “Spike’s asleep.” Leaning up, Rainbow guided Twilight with her until she was half prone. “Damn. Where then?” “Bathtub.” Rainbow slipped and fell back to the floor. Twilight stayed with her, kissing and biting. “Wait—seriously?” “You have a better idea?” “…Awesome~!” Author's Note Much shorter of a wait between this chapter and the last than the one before. Let's try to keep things closer to this pace.
Prologue (Read it and Weep) by bats“Did ya get all that?” Spike turned away from sweeping up a pile of dust and raised an eyebrow at Rainbow Dash. “Yeah?” “Great! You write the letter, I gotta finish this book!” In a multicolor blur, the pegasus was gone, leaving Twilight and Spike to share an amused smile. Spike resumed dusting, chuckling to himself. “That pony is crazy.” The unicorn giggled, hiding her mouth behind a hoof. “She’s excited to read, Spike! And I’m excited for her. Oh, I can’t wait for her to finish! I’ve wanted to talk to somepony about Daring Do for ages.” “Yeah, well you’re crazy, too.” She directed a glare at the back of the dragon’s scaly head, before turning her attention to the library shelves. Even though it was the middle of the night, Twilight’s mind was filled with fond memories of the adventurous heroine. “I think I’ll re-read one of the…later…ones…” Her eyes came to rest on the empty shelf that used to contain the entirety of her favorite series. “Did, uh, did you see Rainbow Dash take all of them?” Full dustbin in claw, the little dragon waddled up to Twilight. “What?” He scanned the shelf. “Huh. That’s amazing. Rainbow Dash sure is fast.” The unicorn’s grimace of annoyance lasted only a moment before she was struck by a laughing fit. Spike regarded the mare flatly. “You okay, Twilight? Maybe you should lie down; it is the middle of the night.” Sticking her tongue out at her number one assistant, Twilight headed towards the loft. “So Rainbow’s really excited to read. It’s nice. Maybe the two of us could bond over it. I’m sure I can get a friendship report to the princess out of that.” She got to her bed and pulled back the sheets in a glow of magenta magic. “You should go back to sleep, too, Spike.” He waved a claw dismissively as he headed downstairs with the loaded dust bin. “Sure, sure. Don’t wait up for me.” Twilight climbed into bed and smiled. Out of all of her friends, Rainbow Dash was the one she had seen the least of; the daredevil always had her head literally in the clouds, doing her job or practicing stunts. Despite the lack of contact, she greatly admired and respected the brave and brash mare. It would certainly be nice to see the quieter side of her friend and talk about books with somepony who was excited about reading. Grinning to herself, Twilight settled down on her pillow and drifted back to sleep. A contented sigh escaped Rainbow Dash’s lips as she flopped back on her bed. She immediately grabbed the next book in the series with her teeth and cracked it open. “Daring Do and the Griffin’s Goblet,” she read aloud. The pegasus grinned and hugged the book to her chest, kicking her hindlegs with excitement. “Awesome!” she squeaked. Turning to the first page, she felt her eyelids droop and try as she might to focus, the words in front of her began to blur. “Dang it,” she grumbled, tossing the hardback down on top of the mighty stack of ‘borrowed’ Daring Do books, “I wanna read—” a long, strained yawn interrupted her monologue, “—All of ‘em right now…” As she collapsed onto her bed with a huff, the blue mare fell into contemplation, her voice lowering to a mutter. “I have been awake for two days readin’ the Sapphire Statue…” she yawned again. “Man, who’da thought reading could be so awesome?” Clicking off the light and settling down under the covers of her rainbow-emblazoned cloud bed, Rainbow Dash let her heavy eyes slide shut. As her mind started to drift, she realized she had an answer to her rhetorical question. Twilight thought reading was awesome. A gentle smile pulled at the corner of the pegasus’ mouth. Twilight had given her the book and had been absolutely right to do it. ’Twilight’s been pretty great the last couple days, hasn’t she?’ Rainbow mused, ’What’d she say? ‘Just because you’re athletic doesn’t mean you aren’t smart’? And yesterday she said I was like Daring…’adventurous, fierce, and undeniably, unquestionably, unstoppable.’’ The smile deepened as she felt herself flush with pride. She had waved Twilight away with a hoof, but the unicorn had meant it. And after reading the book, it felt like an even bigger compliment. “Twilight sure is a good friend,” she mumbled into her darkened bedroom. “I’ll go thank her for real in the morning.” Yawning again, Rainbow Dash rolled onto her side and was soon filling her cloud home with the steady rumble of her snores. Twilight woke up to the sounds of chirping birds outside her windows. Stretching out her back, she hopped off her bed and cantered to the bathroom, intent on getting her morning routine underway. As she brushed her teeth and combed her mane, she replayed the events of the previous night through her head. She grinned around the brush in her mouth; if Rainbow Dash had taken the entire stack of Daring Do novels, nopony would see hide nor mane of the daredevil for quite a while. She was pulled from her reverie by a knock on the door downstairs. “Spike!” she called, “Can you get that?” After a few moments of silence broken only by continued knocking, Twilight huffed and spat the toothpaste out of her mouth and into the sink. She trotted quickly down the stairs and opened the front door in a haze of magic. “Oh. Hello Rainbow Dash.” “Mornin’ Twilight.” The blue mare’s voice was upbeat to match her bouncing canter as she entered the library. “I wanted to come by and thank you again.” The unicorn smiled and raised an eyebrow. “You’re welcome, but this is a library; anypony can check out a book.” She swiveled her head as she spoke, trying to locate a certain too-lazy-to-answer-the-door dragon. “Or several books, as the case may be.” A sigh of exasperation escaped her lips when she looked into the kitchen. Spike was splayed out under the table, surrounded by several empty bags of gem-chip cookies, his round belly looking distended and the labored effort of breathing straining his gentle snores. She trotted in and peered under the table, prodding him with a hoof. “Huh-what?” Bleary green eyes regarded violet. His purple and green face was covered in crumbs. “Don’t wait up, huh?” Twilight deadpanned. She was answered by sheepish chuckles. Spike clutched his stomach and groaned. “Go on. Better try to sleep that off. In your basket this time.” Getting unsteadily to his feet, the dragon hobbled towards the stairs. Cantering towards the kitchen, Rainbow Dash waved at him. “Hey Spike. You send my letter?” He groaned again. Chuckling, the pegasus entered the kitchen as Twilight levitated the torn open cookie bags and a generous helping of crumbs into a garbage can. “So, uh, I didn’t want to thank you for lending me the books, Twilight. I mean, thanks for that, but that’s not why I came over.” “Oh?” The unicorn’s question was punctuated by a gurgle from her stomach. “Erm. Care for some breakfast?” “Yeah, sure.” Sitting at the table, she watched Twilight levitate a few bowls and spoons from the cupboard along with a box of oat cereal over to the wood surface. The purple mare grabbed a bottle of milk from the fridge and sat opposite her friend. Cereal and milk poured into their bowls, Twilight levitated a mouthful to her face. “So what I wanted to thank you for was everything else. For giving me that book in the first place. And for what you said to me.” Twilight halted the spoon halfway to her mouth. “You’re welcome, but, uh, what did I say to you?” Foregoing the offered spoon, Rainbow tipped the bowl back and guzzled down half her breakfast, sighing in satisfaction and wiping her face on a hoof. “You said I was smart.” She tipped the bowl back again. Trying her best to focus on her own food instead of her friend’s barbaric eating habits, Twilight said, “Well, you’re welcome, but of course you’re smart, Rainbow. Being smart isn’t all about reading, or memorizing things. You’re quick-witted, you can think well under pressure, and you’re good at managing several things at once. Leading the weather team takes a lot of coordination and planning, and from some of the stunts I’ve seen you do I know you have a strong understanding of flight mechanics and physics. You might not know all the math, but you understand the concepts underneath the math, which is more than can be said for a lot of ponies in academia.” Rainbow Dash beamed with gratification at Twilight’s compliments, a strong urge to boastfully accept the words as obvious fact working its way into her system. A lingering sense of melancholy stopped her. “…Nopony’s ever said I was smart before, without tryin’ to make fun of me.” The unicorn frowned, setting her spoon back in the bowl of cereal. “What do you mean? Why would somepony make fun of you?” The pegasus sighed, pushing away her empty bowl. “You remember those two stallions at the Best Young Flyer competition, right?” At Twilight’s nod, she continued. “When I was a filly I got made fun of a lot, by them an’ other foals at school. They called me ‘Rainbow Crash’ ‘cause of how often I’d crash into things when practicing, but that was only part of it. I got called ‘Egghead’ a lot, since I got good marks on all the written tests.” She winced as she said it, her mind making a quick association. She looked up at Twilight, her eyes bright with sudden concern. “You know when I call you an Egghead, I don’t mean it as a bad thing, right? You’re really smart and you like studying. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just not really me, y’know?” “I guess so, Rainbow.” She took the last few bites of her cereal. “It’d be like somepony calling me a jock I guess. But I think I’d just look at them like they’d lost their mind instead of being insulted.” “Yeah…” Rainbow frowned, her head and ears drooping. “I guess it just got wrapped up in all the other names. When they’re all meant to be insults, it’s hard to notice if one of ‘em is silly.” The unicorn nodded, but her frown deepened. “Was there more than just ‘Rainbow Crash’ and ‘Egghead’?” The blue mare began fidgeting, tracing her forehooves over the knotted swirls and lines of grain running through the surface of the wooden table. “…Well, there were other names they used in order to call me clumsy and small. ‘Sprainbow’. ‘Halfpint’. That sorta stuff. And some others for doing well on tests like ‘teacher’s pet.’ They also…erm…” She fell quiet, watching her hooves. Twilight noticed Rainbow Dash’s wings twitch slightly against her sides. Growing concerned for the mare’s comfort level, the unicorn injected a soft kindness into her voice. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it.” “No…No, it’s okay.” She looked up from the table at her friend. She reminded herself of how supportive Twilight had been and put some strength back into her voice. “They, uh, they called me a fillyfooler a lot, too.” Twilight blinked. “Really?” Her brows knit. “Why? And how is that an insult?” It was Rainbow’s turn to be confused. She scratched the top of her head with a hoof. “Foals call tom-colts fillyfoolers all the time, Twilight. They call colts that like girly things coltcuddlers, too. At least, they did when I was a filly. Come to think of it, I haven’t really heard it around here in Ponyville. Huh. Maybe it’s a pegasus thing?” Twilight shrugged. “I didn’t ever hear that in Canterlot. Why would it be an insult to be gay?” Rainbow shifted in her seat, somewhat bewildered by the direction the conversation had veered off in. “Well, I guess the idea was gay colts are supposed to act more like mares and gay mares more like colts. It doesn’t make a lotta sense to me, either.” “So why’d it bother you?” The pegasus’ mouth opened, but nothing came out. Her brow knit and she sat back in her chair, eyes growing distant and introspective. Twilight watched the mare and got the impression she was battling with something. Eventually, Rainbow Dash looked back up at her, a sense of resolution hardening her eyes. “I guess ‘cause it was kinda true. I figured out pretty young that I liked mares and stallions and everypony acted like that sort of thing was really weird and wrong. I guess the fact that they were right about one thing made everything else sting that much more.” Twilight nodded slowly, her face still drawn with concern. “That’s all sounds so awful....it’s terrible you had such a rough time as a filly, Rainbow. I know what it’s like to be picked on, though. I can relate to the whole ‘teacher’s pet’ thing,” the blue mare grinned despite herself; the personal student of Princess Celestia was probably the schoolyard bully’s holy grail, “And I got called ‘brainy,’ and ‘know-it-all,’ but I just thought it was jealousy. I tried to ignore it and keep to myself.” She frowned sadly, looking down at the table. “Of course, it’s probably why I didn’t really have any friends before I met you girls.” The pegasus nodded. “Sounds like you know exactly what it’s like.” A small smile graced her features. “Thanks again, Twilight. For being such a good friend and listening to me. And, uh, for not making a big deal about my sexuality. I haven’t told a lot of ponies…” Twilight smirked. “Well, even if I was raised somewhere like Cloudsdale, it would be hypocritical of me to make a big deal out of it; I’m not interested in stallions at all.” After a moment of silence, Rainbow began snickering. “And here I was worried you’d think I was a pervert or somethin’.” Twilight joined her friend’s laughter. Standing from the table, the blue pony grabbed both bowls and set them on her back, cantering over to the sink. “Well thanks a lot, Twilight. You’ve really been there for me the last couple days. I’ll try to remember that I can trust you with this sorta stuff and not get it thrown back in my face.” As Twilight stood from the table, she was caught in a hug. “You’re pretty awesome, Egghead.” The unicorn smiled and returned the hug. “You’re awesome, too.” Rainbow puffed out her chest and headed back into the library with a bounce in her step. “Of course I am! Now if you’ll excuse me, the Griffin’s Goblet has been callin’ me all morning. Later, Twi’!” The mare opened the door, glancing over her shoulder at her lavender friend. For a brief moment they stood frozen in place. Neither noticed that the other was giving them an appraising look. Then, in a streak of color, Rainbow Dash was gone. Twilight headed back to the sink and began to rinse the two bowls, smiling broadly to herself. Her hopes of bonding with Rainbow had come true much faster than she had expected, whether it was over books or not, and she was thrilled at the prospect of deepening her friendship even further. A small sigh escaped her lips as she set the bowls in the strainer to dry. It was pleasing that Rainbow had confided in her about her sexuality, but it was a shame she’d probably never be interested in a pony like Twilight. That mare was awfully pretty.
A Good Holiday (Hearts and Hooves Day) by bats“I…don’t suppose we could borrow that book for a little while…do ya?” Smiling broadly, Twilight floated the Hearts and Hooves Day book down to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Of course you can!” She turned her attention back to her saddlebag, grabbing a second tome in a glow of magenta. “I have another book here that I think you’ll…” The filly threesome had disappeared. A quick look around the street confirmed the unicorn was alone. Grimacing in annoyance, Twilight sighed and cracked open the book before continuing her trek back to the library. “Ya know, if you read and walk at the same time you’re gonna knock somepony over, Twilight.” The purple mare jumped, dropping the book to the ground. Her eyes scanned up, finding Rainbow Dash hovering a few feet above her. The pegasus snickered. “You’re a riot.” Smirking and shaking her head, Twilight grasped the book in a haze of magic and put it back in her saddlebag. “Good afternoon, Rainbow Dash. What’re you up to?” The pegasus flipped over on her back, flying upside down. “Not much. Figured I’d find out what my favorite Egghead was doin’ today.” “Well, I was reading a book about the history of Hearts and Hooves Day, but I loaned it out to Sweetie Belle and her friends.” The mare shook her head slowly, resuming her canter towards the library. “Why do I suddenly feel like that was a terrible mistake?” “Seriously Twi’?” Rainbow Dash flicked her wings and spun through the air, hovering next to Twilight and matching her pace. “A history book? D’you always spend holidays reading about them?” “Hey, I like reading. I thought maybe you’d learned how to appreciate that.” She gently shoulder-checked her flying friend, shooting the blue pony a smirk. “Well, yeah, Daring Do is awesome and I’m sure you have a ton of other books like that, but history?” A few exaggerated retching sounds earned her another shoulder-check. Chuckling, she bumped into Twilight. They traded blows the remainder of the walk, giggling as they went. “So how is Daring treating you? Finish Griffin’s Goblet yet?” Twilight asked between strikes and fits of laughter. “Days ago.” “So how’d you like it?” A bit too forceful of a charge sent both mares tumbling to the ground. Dusting herself off with a large grin on her face, Rainbow grew distant and mumbled, “Eh, it wasn’t good.” Twilight frowned, her ears falling back. The pegasus flashed a playful eye at her before cracking an even wider smile. “It was awesome!” She leapt back into the air, flying up in a looping backflip before hovering just off the ground. “It was even better than Sapphire Statue! When I was done I wanted to crash into your window just to talk to you about it, but it was like, three in the morning.” Twilight opened the door to Golden Oaks Library with a small effort of will, Rainbow’s infectious enthusiasm adding a bounce to her step. “Well, wanna talk about it now? I’ve wanted somepony to talk to about Daring Do for ages!” “Okay, but no spoilers, Egghead, I’m only halfway through the Cannibal’s Crown.” The blue mare followed her friend through the library’s main room and into the kitchen. Twilight put on a pot of coffee to brew sat at the table. Rainbow sat opposite her, wings wide and twitching with keen interest. “So where do we start?” “How about Daring’s escape at the end of Sapphire Statue?” “Oh my gosh, yes!” A grinding rumble shook the library, dragging the two mares from their conversation. Rainbow flapped her wings and lifted from the kitchen table, whipping into the main library. “What was that?” Twilight trotted up to join the blue mare hovering at the window. “Can you see anything?” “It…kinda looks like that house over there is moving…” The slowly-drifting house moved across the roofline. It eventually halted and the low vibrations ceased. “That was weird.” Her magenta eyes scanned the rooftops of Ponyville and settled on the clock tower. “Wow, we’ve been talkin’ about Daring Do for almost two hours, Twi’.” “Really?” The unicorn glanced at the clock on the wall. “I guess we have. I didn’t notice at all; Daring Do is so fun to talk about.” Rainbow Dash back flipped and landed with her chest puffed out and a smirk on her lips. “Time flies when you’re talkin’ to the Rainbow Dash.” Twilight giggled and shook her head. The blue mare’s expression softened to a more genuine smile. “And the Twilight Sparkle, apparently. That was a lot of fun, Twilight.” “It was. You wanna sit back down and keep talking? We were just about to get to the part where Daring invaded the griffin warcamp.” Rainbow Dash grew quiet and watched the clock-tower through the window, a small stillness silencing the library. When she spoke, some of the bravado had drained from her voice. She seemed subdued to Twilight; not as nervous as she’d seen the pegasus during the Best Young Flyer competition, but with a vulnerability that was rarely present. “…Twilight, wanna go to dinner with me?” The purple mare raised an eyebrow, studying her friend’s change in demeanor. “Sure; it’s getting close to dinner anyway and I’d like to keep talking. Want me to get Spike to whip something up?” Rainbow’s wings fidgeted. “I meant, like, to a restaurant.” She turned to face Twilight, but couldn’t meet her eyes. “It uh, would be a good day for it.” Twilight’s eyes widened and she took a step back. “Rainbow…are you asking me out on a date?” The pegasus continued to fidget but flashed a tentative smile. Before she could help herself, Twilight blurted out, “Why?” Furrowing her brow, Rainbow asked, “Why not? You’re smart, you’re fun to hang out with and talk to, you’re really pretty,” Twilight felt her face grow warm, “Why wouldn’t I ask you out?” The unicorn cleared her throat, shuffling her hooves on the wooden floor. A small pout graced her reddened muzzle as she met Rainbow’s gaze. “But we’re so different. You shouldn’t be interested in somepony like me…you should want a mare or colt who can keep up with you. An athlete.” The pegasus rolled her eyes and looked back out the window. “That sounds like fun; going out with somepony I’ll always wanna compete with. Every walk in the park turning into a race, every dinner a hoof-wrestle…” The daredevil’s voice dropped, colored with imperfectly hidden reproach. “You just had to say you’re not interested.” Twilight swallowed thickly, cantering resolutely up to Rainbow Dash. She set a hoof on the mare’s shoulder. “I’d love to go to dinner with you.” The blue pony straightened up, her wings fluttering against her sides. Her squeaked out response of, “Cool,” was not as suave as she would have liked, but Twilight didn’t let on that she noticed if she had. Grinning foolishly, Twilight trotted to her desk and levitated a saddlebag over her neck. “You just surprised me. To be honest, I kinda started thinking about it after we had that chat the other day, but I wasn’t expecting you to be interested in somepony like me.” “Oh yeah,” Rainbow smirked, “A foxy mare who I know I can have fun with, talk to about anything, and apparently has the hots for me already? Totally not my type. What was I thinking?” Giggling, Twilight bumped the pegasus with her shoulder on her way to the door. “Come on then, sarcastic one. Let’s go to dinner. This has already been one of the best Hearts and Hooves Days I can remember; let’s not stop now.” The unicorn locked the door behind them, humming tunelessly to herself. She turned to find her date staring at her. “What?” “…This is one of the best Hearts and Hooves Days I can remember, too.” Beckoning dramatically with a hoof, Rainbow waited for the purple mare to join her. The two fell in line together, trotting off towards the town. Rainbow thought she heard a lingering scream of ‘no’ on the breeze from Sweet Apple Acres, but it was easy to ignore. Her mind was too busy shouting ‘yes.’ Author's Note Happy Hearts and Hooves Day everyone! This is a departure for me, writing vignettes. I've been obsessed with the idea of The Twidash Project since I first saw The AppleDash Project by bookplayer. Such an interesting approach to shipping. So, I talked to my buddy Subsolar Drift and we decided to try and take it on. Hope you enjoy. As always, let me know what you think, good or bad. Updates on this will be somewhat sporadic, since it's two of us writing different parts, but expect an episode or so a week before we run out of 'em. I hope everyone has a lovely holiday. Twidash forever.
A Way to Make Her Smile (A Friend in Deed) by Subsolar Drift“Yeah! He doesn’t wanna be bothered by your over-the-top super-hyper antics!” “Rainbow!” Twilight admonished, shooting a glare towards the pegasus sprawled out on the stairs. “No, no. It’s okay Twilight. I get what you’re saying. What you’re both saying. And I guess I can leave Cranky alone.” Pinkie sighed. Twilight smiled, pleased by the unusual maturity her friend had. “Right after he accepts my apology!” Pinkie finished with a smile, hopping away and out the front door. With a groan, Twilight let her head fall into her book in exasperation. “Don’t worry Twi’! With Pinkie, things have a way of working out.” Rainbow chuckled. “That mare is so random. One minute she’s listening to advice, the next she’s back to her own way.” Twilight rubbed her temples with a hoof. “It’s crazy.” “It’s Pinkie Pie,” Dash simply said, returning to her book. Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but thought better of it, instead continuing to read. Her eyes moved over the page, but she couldn’t concentrate. Her focus gone, she groaned and shut the book, drawing a look from Rainbow Dash. “Hey, what’s up?” Dash said, putting her book down and moving over to Twilight. “Oh, it’s nothing. I just can’t concentrate anymore. I’m too distracted thinking about what Pinkie might be doing to that poor donkey.” They both were quiet for a moment, then shuddered in unison. “Wouldn’t want to be him.” Dash said, Twilight nodding in agreement. “Well, since you’re already distracted, I hope you won’t mind more distractions.” Twilight blushed as Rainbow placed a hoof on her shoulder. Rainbow’s eyes grew bright with an idea and she went on. “In fact, I wanna take you out today on another date!” Twilight’s face darkened, her cheeks the shade of Cheerilee. “W-well, I’d love to.” “Yes!” Pumping her hoof in the air, she took off into a loop-de-loop. “I get to go on another date with the cutest mare in town!” She landed and pulled Twilight into her embrace. “Thanks Twi. I’ll see you soon, I just gotta go set some stuff up. I’ll be back in...” Dash paused for a second to think, “...About two hours to take you out!” With that, the pegasus was gone in a multi-colored blur, leaving Twilight sitting there, her face still warm. One hour and fifty-nine minutes later, a knock echoed through the library as Twilight was walking down the stairs. Going to the door, she opened it and sure enough, there was Rainbow Dash with her usual grin. “Hey there Twi’. All ready to go?” Twilight nodded, and the two set off together side by side. “So, where are we going?” Twilight asked as they walked through the town square. “That’s for me to know,” Rainbow smirked, “And for you to find out!” The two mares chatted a little as they walked, but Twilight was lost in speculation wondering where Dash could be taking her. Every time they passed a restaurant or cafe Twilight frowned a little, another guess about their destination wrong. Twilight had assumed that Rainbow would be taking her out to lunch, so she hadn’t eaten and was beginning to get hungry. Finally when her stomach grumbled, Rainbow Dash laughed. “Hungry Twi’?” She chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m pretty starved too. Good thing we’ll be eating soon!” They continued on their way, now almost out of town. Realization dawned on Twilight. “Dash, are we going to have a picnic?” Dash could only grin. “Bingo! We’ve been in that library for hours. We need some good old sunshine and fresh air!” She spread her wings and gave a quick spin before returning to the ground. The buildings became more and more sparse as they walked until they were in the countryside. Here, Rainbow abandoned the path, choosing instead to walk through the fields towards a large hill. Twilight followed her to the top and gazed down on the clearing below. On the far side Whitetail Wood began, trees providing shade over a small lake. Wild flowers bloomed in the grass and a picnic was laid out in the sun. Rainbow Dash promptly took off and flew down to the basket and began to remove the food within. With a pop, Twilight teleported right next to Dash and looked over the food the pegasus had begun to unpack. Picking up a sandwich in her magic, Twilight asked “I thought you didn’t really like daisy sandwiches?” “Meh,” said Dash, giving the hovering sandwich a glance as Twilight took a bite of it. “This is a date Twi’. It’s about you, so I got things you enjoy.” Twilight blushed and gave Dash a hug. “Hugging me already? You haven’t seen anything yet, Sparkle.” Twilight raised her eyebrow at this, prompting another laugh from Dash. Finally, Dash reached into the basket and carefully removed a box that Twilight would never forget. Her jaw dropped along with the forgotten daisy sandwich as she stared in awe at the wonder that Dash had procured. In Dash’s hooves laid a box of Pony Joe’s Donuts. Pony Joe’s Donuts weren’t regular old donuts. They were widely renowned as some of the best donuts in the world. Only one pony knew how to make them, and they were undoubtedly Twilight’s favorite food in the world. Before Dash knew what was happening, she was tackled by Twilight getting pulled into a bone crushing hug. “Dash! You flew to Canterlot to get me Pony Joe’s?! I haven’t had one of his donuts since the Gala!” A tinge of pink rising to her cheeks, Dash nodded. “I remember how much you gushed about them and flew to go get you some.” “That’s so sweet of you!” Twilight beamed. She leaned forward and kissed Dash. Caught by surprise, the pegasus was still for a moment before melting into Twilight’s lips. Warmth spread between them as the couple shared their first kiss. The sound of fireworks boomed through the air, startling Twilight and Dash into breaking apart. Instants later, cheers of glee echoed through the clearing. Both ponies looked at each other for a moment before simply sighing, “Pinkie Pie.” Author's Note Subsolar Drift: Hello Everyone! I guess this is my formal introduction to most of you. I’m Subsolar Drift, the co-author to this project. First of all, I’m sorry for the delay. I hope to provide faster chapters in the future. Thank you all for giving my work a read, and I hope you’ve enjoyed it. bats: pssst...Hi guys. Next chapter's mine; should be up sometime next week.
Busy, Busy (Putting Your Hoof Down) by bats“So Rainbow…what is this?” Twilight’s voice was quiet and timid. She slowly shut the thick book floating in front of her and set it on the floor next to her pillow. Their private reading nook just off the main room of the library suddenly felt massive. Rainbow Dash glanced up from her own book, dragging herself from a low recline to a sitting position. “Whassat, Twi’?” The unicorn inhaled deeply through her snout. “…This. Us. What are we?” Frowning slightly, she scooched herself around to face her mare…to face Rainbow Dash. “It’s been three weeks since you asked me to dinner on Hearts and Hooves Day. We’ve been out a few times since then...,” her face flushed warm and a small smile broke through her stern expression as memories of a picnic flashed through her head. “Now…what are we?” A shiver of apprehension raced up the pegasus’ spine. She swallowed thickly and laid her ears flat. “Well, Twi’, uh…what do you want us to be?” She ran a hoof through her mane and took a tentative step off the floor pillow, the five feet separating the ponies an almost unfathomable distance. Her heart thundered in her chest and her mouth ran dry. She cleared her throat and forced her breathing to even out. ‘C’mon, Rainbow Dash,’ she berated herself, ‘You weren’t this nervous when you asked her out.’ Rainbow steeled her nerves and took another step. She inhaled sharply and forced the air through her voice box, words spilling out in a torrent. “’Cause I’ve had a great time with you and wanna keep seein’ you like this. You’re awesome, and funny, and smart, and cute, and-and, Twilight will you be my special somepony?” The mare gulped in a breath of air and smiled earnestly. Twilight climbed to her hooves. “Rainbow Dash,” she said breathlessly, a warm grin spread across her muzzle, “I’d love to be your special somepony.” In two steps they were hugging each other around the middle, muzzles pressed together in a relieved kiss. Twilight giggled and nuzzled Rainbow’s cheek. “I’ve never had a special somepony before.” Coughing nervously, Rainbow’s face grew hot. “I…haven’t had one either. Not really.” Twilight’s smile widened and she stepped back from the hug, her forelegs clacking to the floor. “Well then, it’ll be a new adventure for the both of us!” “Oh barf.” Rainbow rolled her eyes heavily, shooting Twilight an impish smirk. “Let’s just keep doin’ what we’ve been doin’. Only we’re marefriends now.” A flash of recognition flashed across her eyes and her jaw went slack. A dopey grin pulled at her lips. “We’re marefriends now…” Shaking her head slowly, Twilight socked Rainbow in the shoulder. “Oh barf.” Their shared chuckle slowly resolved into fond grins, quietly regarding each other in the cozy little reading nook. Twilight’s smile slowly faded and she laid her ears flat, glancing at the floor. “So, uh…should we tell the girls? I mean, if we’re a couple now…” Rainbow Dash inhaled sharply, a crease forming in her brow. “…Y-yeah, alright.” Twilight opened her mouth to respond, concern written across her features, but Rainbow talked over her. “I’ve been slowly comin’ out to some ponies. I told AJ, Pinkie, and a few of my co-workers a little while ago when we set up that big rain for the farm. I think all that fillyfooler stuff really was just a Cloudsdale thing.” She tried to smile, but Twilight thought it looked a bit closer to a grimace. “Only if you’re comfortable. We could wait if you’d rather.” A brief pause was followed by a resolute shake of her head. “They’ll all understand. Ponyville’s different than Cloudsdale. Lyra and Bon Bon have been together for years and nopony bats an eye at them.” A genuine look of happiness cut through the pegasus’ face. “This’ll turn out awesome, I know it.” Confidence radiating from her frame, Rainbow Dash strutted to the door. Grinning, Twilight grabbed a saddlebag. She arrived at the door and kissed her marefriend’s cheek. Opening the door in a glow of magic, the unicorn said, “Who should we go see first?” “Let’s go to Fluttershy’s. She’s known about my sexuality since I was a filly.” The pair set off across the town, avoiding the busy market, on their way towards the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. Their quiet trot turned to playful shoulder-checks and giggles. They almost walked past the cottage, too wrapped up in their game. Twilight knocked on the door and waited. “Hmm…I don’t think she’s home.” Twilight frowned, knocking again. Rainbow Dash peered through the window. “D’you see her?” “No, but it looks like Angel’s gone off the deep end. He’s throwing food pellets at a beaver and snuggling a book.” The mare’s eyes widened and she quickly ducked her head. “Oh man, I think he saw me! Let’s go; we can tell Fluttershy later!” She scrambled away from the door and threw herself into a bush. Twilight frowned and followed the rapidly retreating pegasus. “What’s the matter?” Poking her head out of the bush, Rainbow said, “I may have called Angel a puffy rat the last time I saw him…and he may have thrown a kitchen knife at my head.” Twilight snorted. “Let’s go back into town. AJ should be in the market, Pinkie and Rarity are probably working, and maybe we’ll run into Fluttershy.” “Alright then. Get out of that bush and let’s go.” For a moment the bush shook but no daredevil emerged. “Um…” Rainbow’s eyes darted back and forth. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “…my tail’s stuck.” After several minutes of magical help, a red-faced Rainbow Dash marched solemnly alongside her marefriend back into Ponyville. They stopped by an empty Carousel Boutique and were told Pinkie Pie was on lunch break by Mrs. Cake. Thankfully, Applejack was right where she was supposed to be and they joined the queue. The farm pony grinned when they got to the front, tipping her hat. “Well howdy, you two! Y’all need some apples?” Twilight’s refutation was preempted by a growl from Rainbow’s belly. “Er…sure!” She eyed Rainbow Dash with amusement and floated a few bits from her bag. “You got a minute, Applejack? Rainbow and I have something we want to share with you.” Applejack grimaced apologetically, her eyes darting to the twisting line of ponies behind the pair. “I’m afraid I’m a might bit busy at the moment, Twi.’ I don’t s’pose it could wait a few hours?” Rubbing her face with a hoof, Rainbow huffed and slowly cantered away. Applejack raised a brow. “She alright?” “We’ve just been having trouble finding anypony today.” “Well, I saw Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity wanderin’ around the market earlier.” Eyes narrowed, she scanned the streets. The mare standing behind Twilight cleared her throat pointedly. “I’m sorry, Twi’, I really need to be workin’. See ya later?” Twilight nodded ruefully and cantered over to her sulking marefriend. “Applejack said she saw Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy earlier. Wanna go look for them?” Sighing heavily, hoof still massaging the bridge of her muzzle, Rainbow shook her head. “Let’s just go back to the library. We’ll try again tomorrow.” With a nod from Twilight, they set off at a sedate pace. A sly smirk edged out Rainbow Dash’s exasperation. “…Plus, I hear kissing your marefriend’s even better than kissing your date.” The pace became a lot less sedate. “Nopony pushes new Fluttershy around! Nopony!” The cab driver grimaced and took off like a shot. Twilight and Rainbow Dash blinked rapidly at the top of the hill. Twilight scratched the back of her head. “Was that…Fluttershy?” “It…kinda sounded like her. Hey look, there’re Pinkie Pie and Rarity.” They hurried down to meet their friends currently talking in hushed tones, Rainbow flying a few feet above and to the left of her marefriend. “Hey guys, what’s up?” Rarity turned and gave them a smile tinged with concern. “Oh hello Rainbow, Twilight. Fluttershy seems to have taken our advice about standing up for herself a bit too far.” Rainbow snorted derisively, folding her forelegs across her chest. “Fluttershy? Standing up for herself too much? What’d she do, forget to say ‘excuse me?’” Pinkie Pie and Rarity exchanged a worried look. Clearing her throat, Twilight stepped forward. “Anyway, do you girls have a minute? Rainbow and I wanted to talk to you.” Pinkie nodded vigorously, then paused. The line of terrified ponies had reformed in Sugarcube Corner and were all facing her expectantly. “Uhh…actually, I need to get back to work.” Rarity started. “My goodness! I came down here to get a muffin before finishing a dress order! I must be going. Another time dears?” The two ponies departed at a gallop. Rainbow Dash’s exasperated cry made the ponies in line jump. They breathed a collective sigh of relief; for a moment they thought Fluttershy had come back. Grumbling pegasus in tow, Twilight headed out towards Sweet Apple Acres. They found their friend hard at work in the orchards. A warm greeting died in their throats when the farm pony distractedly waved them off. Rainbow Dash scowled and flew up to a bare tree. Frowning, Twilight pleaded, “Come on, Applejack, we just need a minute; this is important to us.” Applejack huffed. “Listen you two, I’m sorry for beggin’ off on ya yesterday, but I’m just too busy to stop right now.” A powerful pistoning of her legs sent a shower of apples raining into buckets. “If I don’t finish buckin’ this orchard the apples are gonna start turnin’ on the branches. Can’t it wait?” Twilight massaged her aching forehead. “I understand that this is a bad time of year for you, Applejack. We’ll just…come back another time?” “Oh for crying out loud!” Rainbow Dash leapt from the branch she was using as a couch and landed heavily on the packed dirt. “Twilight and I are dating okay!” “Oh!” The farmers eyes went wide. “…Oh? Ohhh….” She cleared her throat. Rainbow grabbed Twilight around the middle with a wing and they put on matching forced grins. “Well, alright then. Y’all do make a mighty fine lookin’ couple.” Hesitantly, she pulled the two into an awkward hug. “This weren’t over that whole readin’ thing last month, was it?” “No,” they answered together. The two exchanged a sheepish glance then said in tandem, “Well, sorta.” “Dangit. I owe Pinkie Pie ten bits.” She turned back to the orchard. “I’m sorry, but I really gotta get back ta buckin’. I’m happy for y’all; don’t do nothin’ I wouldn’t do.” She smirked at the matching blushes that crossed her friend’s faces. “Y’all are even startin’ to look alike.” She bucked the next tree. “Now git, you lovebirds.” Cantering back towards the road, Twilight said, “Well, that wasn’t so bad.” Smirking, Rainbow Dash bumped the unicorn gently. “Speak for yourself, I wanna nap.” Twilight giggled. “Try for the others tomorrow then?” “Can’t. Gotta go out to Cloudsdale and bring in a bunch of clouds for the day after. Orders call for dark and moody.” She frowned. “Dunno why.” “Well, day after tomorrow then?” Rainbow grinned and winked. “It’s a date.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Why is Fluttershy’s house all boarded up?” “And why are Rarity and Pinkie hugging her and laughing?” “We missed something.” “We totally missed something.” Rainbow glided through the air and landed in front of the embracing mares. “Hey guys.” Fluttershy grinned. “Hi Rainbow Dash! Hi Twilight! I haven’t seen you two in days.” Rainbow glared venomously. “What brings you around?” Twilight opened her mouth only to be cut off. “Oh, yes!” Rarity chimed, “You’ve had news to share, haven’t you?” Twilight nodded, opening her mouth to— “Ooh! Is it a surprise?! I love surprises! Is it a surprise party?! Oh, wait, if you told me it was a surprise party then it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore, silly me! Is it a—” “Gaaaaah!” screamed Rainbow Dash, falling to the ground and covering her face with her hooves. “You ponies are gonna kill me!” Pinkie fell silent and the three stared expectantly at the grumbling mare. Twilight cleared her throat, brow furrowed and pawing the ground nervously with a hoof. “Well, uh…you see girls, Rainbow Dash and I have kinda been…well…” Rainbow Dash sat up, looking more annoyed than apprehensive. “Twilight’s my special somepony.” Rarity and Pinkie Pie instantly began babbling animatedly, talking over each other as they swarmed the pair, hugging tightly, pinching cheeks, and fussing with manes, darting back and forth between the couple. Rainbow and Twilight became more bewildered as they went on. “Oh, that’s simply marvelous news—” “I totally knew it! I think I’m getting ten bits outta AJ! Oh, this totally calls for a party! I’ll need to get a cake and—” “And I’ll make matching dresses! You’ll look simply darling in them—” “And streamers and balloons and punch and cookies and—” “Rainbow, have you considered getting a perm? These locks would be to die-for done up in curls! Oh you have to let me—” “And cotton candy and ice cream and pie and we’ll invite everypony and—” Rainbow Dash hugged Twilight in terror. “Twilight! Make it stop!” In a glow of magenta magic, Rarity and Pinkie Pie were scooped off the ground and deposited somewhat roughly next to Fluttershy. They both chuckled with embarrassment and slunk back a step. The meek pegasus had been silent, a thin and neutral line on her lips. Rainbow, still hugging Twilight cheek to cheek, gave her friend a hopeful look. “…Are…are you alright with it, Fluttershy?” Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed sharply. Shoulders squared, back straight, and head lowered, she huffed, “No, I’m not alright with it!” Rarity and Pinkie exchanged worried, but knowing glances. Eyes glared, Fluttershy marched straight up to the pair and shoved her muzzle in their faces. “I’m thrilled!” She hugged them both fiercely around their necks, a brilliant smile on her face. Her quiet voice was filled with excitement. “I’m so happy for you two! I thought that maybe, I mean, when I heard Dashie was finally coming out to everypony, and, maybe she’d found somepony, and, oh this is wonderful!” Pinkie and Rarity expelled held breaths and joined the outside of the hugging pile. Twilight and Rainbow Dash, now squashed cheek to cheek, read the bewilderment in each other’s too-close gaze. “Totally missed something,” Rainbow wheezed. Author's Note Here we go, more Twidash Project from bats. Not sure who's covering In Time, though. If you're interested, I've started posting production blogs on Sundays that give a status update on the assorted things I'm working on, including The Twidash Project. You can check my user page on Sundays, the spiffy new blog roll on the side of these stories that's all cool and junk, or follow me if you so desire. Peace out.
Future Twilight and Future Rainbow (It's About Time) by Subsolar DriftIt was around eleven when the train finally arrived at the Ponyville station. Yawning, Twilight got off the train with Spike fast asleep on her back. Pinkie, somehow still wide awake, bounced off behind them. "Thanks, Twilight," she said with a grin. "That was a lot of fun!" Twilight rolled her eyes. "No problem, Pinkie," she sighed. "I'm going to take Spike home now. I'll see you later." "Alrighty! Enjoy your sleep!" Still grinning Pinkie hopped away. Twilight yawned as she set off at an easy walk. she blinked slowly, trying to keep her eyes open as she made her way through the still waking town. Her mind drifted to her cozy bed and she moved a little faster. Dazed, she briefly acknowledged the greetings of the ponies who passed her. A smile warmed her face when at last she returned to her home. With a sigh of relief she pulled open the door and stepped inside, ready to catch up on a week's worth of sleep. Twilight stopped as she stepped into a disaster zone. Papers, books, telescopes, charts, and graphs were strewn all over the floor and on every visible surface. Not an inch of the floor was visible under the sea of paper. Mugs of half finished coffee were littered about, often next to the remains of a daisy sandwich. With a groan, Twilight cleared a small path to the stairs. She trudged her way to her room, hooves dragging as she reached her bed. Ignoring the papers and general mess around her, she lifted Spike off her back and tucked him into his basket, only then allowing herself to collapse into bed. She was out in under a minute, not even bothering to shut the curtains. A noise from downstairs woke Twilight from her slumber. She sat up with a groan and rubbed her eyes. Disoriented, she looked around. The room wasn't how she left it. The curtains were shut, the floor was absent of papers and various scientific tools that had been left there, and a blanket had been placed over her. Still half asleep, Twilight shrugged the blanket off and pulled herself out of bed. She shuffled to the bathroom and got herself a glass of water. Thirst quenched, she turned to go back to bed but stopped when her reflection caught her eye. With a snort she pulled off the bandage and eyepatch that were still dangling from her hair. She picked up her hairbrush and pulled it through her mane, until it was in it's proper style. Twilight pulled out a small band-aid from her medicine cabinet and placed it over the paper cut on her cheek. She stripped the stealth suit off and tossed it in the trash can. Yawning, Twilight left the bathroom and headed back to her room. A small thud followed by whispered grumbles came from downstairs. Twilight paused. There were more sounds of movement from below. Twilight gave a longing glance towards her room then headed downstairs to see Spike. If she was going to sleep more she should at least let him know. Twilight came to a halt halfway down. Before her was Rainbow Dash in a significantly cleaner living room. She was picking up a stack of books that had fallen off a shelf. "Rainbow?" Twilight managed, startling the pegasus and causing her to drop the books. "Gah!" Dash cried, turning to see who had said her name. "Oh, it's just you, Twi," she sighed. With a smile she flew over and gave Twilight a kiss on the cheek. "It's good to see you up an at it after all that disaster stuff." Dash landed and wrapped a wing around her. "Pinkie told me about what happened at the archives so I thought I'd swing by and make sure you're feeling better." "Oh, thanks," Twilight started, "that's really kind of you, but why were you cleaning up this mess? I should be doing that." Dash shrugged. "You're my marefriend so I thought I might as well do something while you were asleep." She frowned before continuing, "It's the least I can do after the way I treated you this last week." "What?" Twilight asked, befuddled. "You were freaking out and worrying and I didn't talk to you about it. I wasn't there for you. Not to mention that I laughed at you and was screwing with you when you obviously weren't feeling well." Dash landed and wrapped Twilight in a hug. "I'm sorry." "No, no, no!" Twilight protested. "I'm the one who should be sorry! I sent you off on an Equestria wide wild goose chase, ignored you for a whole week, and have been acting like a madpony." "Well then, we both screwed up," Dash replied. Twilight opened her mouth to fight the issue further, but thought better of it. "I guess we did." She grinned and continued, "then we'll have to clean the library together as punishment." "It's not punishment if I get to do it with you," Dash chuckled. "Good," Twilight yawned. "Then let's take a nap together because I'm tired and don't really want to do this right now." "Sounds like a plan to me!" Author's Note So...after ignoring this for far longer than appropriate, Subsolar comes through with an update. I'll devote some more time to this project than I have been. Got a lot of episodes to go to get to current.
Dragged-On Quest (Dragon Quest) by bats“You’re more than friends!” Spike held a claw to his mouth, choked up with emotion. “You’re my family.” Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow hugged him from all sides while he cradled the phoenix egg. They broke apart and grinned at each other. Rarity let out a breath and slumped to the ground. “Ohh, too much running…” Rainbow rolled her eyes, settling down on her hooves. “I’m just glad we’re outta that costume.” Rarity shot back up. “What was wrong with the costume? We blended in perfectly with the other dragons, and there was plenty of room.” “Nah, it was fine, just…cramped after a while, ya know?” As she spoke, Rainbow cast a glance at Twilight, then turned away quickly. Twilight caught the look and raised an eyebrow. She took a tentative step forward. “Hey, Rai—” “Cramped?” Rarity scoffed. “I thought it was perfectly roomy.” “You did have the tail.” “Girls,” Twilight interjected, “the costume worked well for what we set out to do, but even if we were just walking without a costume, we’ve been all over Equestria and at the top of a volcano. We were bound to get a little uncomfortable.” Rainbow sat on her haunches and crossed her forelegs, looking away. She mumbled something indistinct, and Twilight swore she could see a tinge of color on her marefriend’s face despite the low evening light. Her brow furrowed. “Yes, well, it certainly was a tiring ordeal, I’ll give you that.” Rarity sat down and patted her mane. “I’m glad it’s over now and we can go home; I miss my bed dreadfully.” She glanced around the clearing and frowned. “Erm…where are we, anyway?” “We’re just outside of Whitetail Wood.” Rarity’s eyes widened. “That far? That’s quite the distance to teleport, even by oneself. Why here?” Rainbow’s ears flicked at the mention of the woods, and she looked around the twilit stretch of meadow. She could see a lake off in the distance, next to the start of the woods, and a little hill within trotting distance. A smile spread across her muzzle as memories cycled through her thoughts: a blanket stretched out in the wildflowers, daisy sandwiches, the tantalizing smell of donuts, and most importantly, Twilight’s hooves around her neck, drawing her into their first kiss. “…We needed to go somewhere safe, and it was the first place I thought of.” Rainbow’s smile widened. She turned her head and found Twilight looking at her. Twilight’s small smile faltered; Rainbow’s returned grin was strained, and her marefriend looked away, pawing at the ground. “Well, we’re hardly far at all from home, then.” Rarity let out a satisfied sigh and stood up. “I can hear my bed calling me. Shall we bid this quest adieu and go home, Spi—?” They turned to Spike. He lay on his back, holding the egg to his chest and snoring. “Aww, Spikey-wikey does still suck his claw!” Twilight giggled and scooped him up in her magic, draping him over her back. He muttered in his sleep and hugged the egg closer. “C’mon, let’s go home,” she said. They crested the hill and caught sight of Ponyville in the distance. A bounce entered Rarity’s canter as they headed back to town, while Twilight took careful steps to avoid spilling Spike. Rainbow walked at a subdued pace at her side, and Twilight kept trying to catch her marefriend’s eye. Her brow knit as they went. They crossed the bridge separating Ponyville proper from the outlying farmland, and Rarity bounded towards her front door. “Oh, home sweet home,” she marveled. “I can practically taste my sleep mask!” She started and turned to her friends, smiling. “I certainly had an experience the last few days. You two take care! We’ll have to actually go to breakfast soon!” They waved as Rarity let herself inside, and Twilight turned to Rainbow. She rubbed her knee with a hoof. “…I should get Spike to bed.” Rainbow nodded. “I’ll walk with you.” She flashed Twilight a grin, and looked away. Twilight’s frown deepened, and they walked in silence across the town, empty in the darkening night. Twilight opened the door to the library ahead of them, carefully crossing the threshold to avoid making extra noise. Rainbow trotted in after and stopped at the foot of the stairs, while Twilight went up to her bedroom. She tucked Spike into his basket, grinning at him as he clutched the phoenix egg, before turning back towards the stairs and her waiting marefriend. She paused mid-step, her mind racing through a whole host of mixed signals thrown at her since they’d gotten out a danger. She let out a sigh and looked at her bed; a significant portion of her wanted to collapse on her mattress and deal with whatever the heck was going on with Rainbow in the morning. She shook her head and clacked down the stairs. Rainbow sat by the fireplace, looking subdued and withdrawn, making her clench her jaw. She took a deep, steadying breath, and turned to her marefriend. “Is everything okay, Rainbow? You’ve been acting…funny.” Rainbow glanced up, but didn’t make eye contact. Twilight raised an eyebrow; Rainbow was definitely blushing. She looked around the room, trying to find something to focus on, before pressing on. “You can talk to me. What’s bothering you?” Rainbow took a deep breath. She drew her head up and met Twilight’s gaze head on, the dots of pink on her cheeks deepening. “Twilight…I just spent, like, three days staring at your ass.” Twilight blinked. “…Oh.” “Don’t get me wrong, it was great at first.” A coy smile broke through her expression for a moment, before she looked away again. “But Rarity was right there, and there was nowhere else to look, and you’re so damn hot, and I couldn’t touch you, and—” she rubbed her face with both hooves “—gah, I’m sorry; this is totally, like, not appropriate…” Rainbow stood to leave, staring at the floor, but Twilight stepped in front of her. Rainbow looked up and found Twilight half turned away, her face rosy and a smile on her lips. “…Were you really that…bothered by me?” Rainbow’s brow knit. Twilight’s smile widened and she looked at Rainbow obliquely. “I didn’t know I could have that effect on anypony…Makes me feel nice.” Shaking her head, Rainbow stared at her marefriend. “Seriously?” She marched forward. Taken by surprise, Twilight backed up until she bumped into a bookshelf. Rainbow, half crouched and bumping their snouts together, looked her in the eye. “I mean, yeah, Twi’, I’m totally into you ‘cause you’re fun to be around, and we can talk about stuff for hours, and all that junk, but do you really think this’d work out if I didn’t think you’re hot?” Twilight meeped, pressed against the bookshelf with Rainbow flooding her vision. She could feel her marefriend’s breaths on her muzzle, and her heart sped up. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “You’re just…so amazing looking, it’s hard to accept you’d like plain old me like that.” Rainbow stepped back, and Twilight felt eyes roving across her body. “Twilight Sparkle. You are anything but plain.” A tense silence gripped the room as they stared at each other. Twilight leapt forward and wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow’s waist, kissing her face and neck. Rainbow stumbled back, spreading her wings for balance, and Twilight’s hooves brushed over her feathers. They toppled to the floor with Twilight nipping at her coat. “Damn, Twi’…” “You’re so beautiful, Rainbow, kiss me.” “Mnf.” Rainbow leaned her head back, locking gazes with Twilight. “Bedroom?” Twilight darted back to Rainbow’s neck. “Spike’s asleep.” Leaning up, Rainbow guided Twilight with her until she was half prone. “Damn. Where then?” “Bathtub.” Rainbow slipped and fell back to the floor. Twilight stayed with her, kissing and biting. “Wait—seriously?” “You have a better idea?” “…Awesome~!” Author's Note Much shorter of a wait between this chapter and the last than the one before. Let's try to keep things closer to this pace.
