The Perfect Match
Twilight carefully settled her wings as she meditated, sinking slowly into her magic. What with the coronation and everything else, she hadn't had a chance to meditate since becoming an alicorn, and she really wanted to find out how much her magic had changed due to becoming one.
As she sank into her magic, nothing really felt different at first. Her own magic seemed the same as always. However, she could feel it stretching outward in five directions, coming into contact with unfamiliar energies. Curious, she let her awareness flow along one path to see where it led her.
The first physical sensation to avail her mind was the taste of sugar, followed by the scent of baking goods. She saw a kitchen, bouncing around violently as cooking trays flew about in hooves. Then she heard singing, seeming to echo within her own head.
"-baking these treats is such a cinch, add a teaspoon of vanilla-"
As Twilight lost her grip on the sensations, she fell back into her own magic, but a small smile appeared on her face. She hoped Pinkie Pie didn't mind her unintentional observation of her baking. Watching the connection she'd flowed down within her magic, she saw that the lavender of her own energies blended with a bright, happy pink. When she extended her awareness to touch it, she began to laugh as though it tickled.
Lifting her awareness out of her magic, she gazed upon the connections. She understood what it was now. Somehow, by becoming an alicorn, she could feel her friends magic and - to an extent - their awareness. It probably had something to do with the Elements of Harmony triggering her ascension.
She gazed down adoringly at the five colored streams of light that was her mental manifestation of these magical ties. The orange obviously connected her to Applejack, the white to Rarity, the yellow to Fluttershy, and she didn't even need to guess where the rainbow colored one went.
As she gazed upon her ties to her friends, she noticed something else. There were other beams of magic crisscrossing the connections her own made, connecting her five friends to each other. She couldn't help but smile. She had always known that their friendship was their true strength and that they drew from each other, but to see it laid out literally was something else.
She could see the bond anchoring Applejack to Rainbow Dash, pulsing strongly with their endless friendly rivalry. She could see the tie between Rarity and Fluttershy pulse with the joy in their shared interests. She could see Pinkie's link to everyone pulsing rhythmically, as though even her own heartbeat was just yet another music cue. She could see how Fluttershy's energy seemed to cling to the others, her own fearful nature blending with her protective instincts. The connections between Rarity and Rainbow Dash and Applejack seemed quite similar, which was understandable given that her relationship to those two was similar. Rarity was always trying to make them both over, although it didn't seem to be entirely for personal pleasure. Their resistance and trying to get her to be more rough and tumble seemed to have similar motives, although Twilight wouldn't be able to know what without diving into the link, and she wouldn't invade her friends privacy like that without permission.
She could also see links spreading beyond her five friends, although she couldn't see where those went. She presumed that this was to their friends and family beyond their circle, as she saw her own links spreading thusly to connect to Shining Armor, Cadance, Celestia, Luna, her parents, and Spike, although she couldn't flow down those links as she could the ones to her friends.
However, there was one link she saw that shocked and amazed her. The link between Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy shone with unbridled luminescence. It made the other bonds seem pale by comparison. Twilight didn't understand. She knew they had been friends since living in Cloudsdale, but this made even her own link to Shining Armor, her BBBFF, seem pale by comparison. What could make their bond so strong, shine so brightly... and have her not know about it?
As she ended her meditation, she gazed around at the shelves of the Ponyville Library, hoping for some answer, but finding none. She turned towards Spike who was staring at her in awe. "What is it, Spike?" she asked, a little confused.
Spike blinked. "Umm... Twilight? You're doing it again."
"Huh?" She glanced back at her mane and tail, which were flowing majestically despite the total absence of wind, seeming to be an ethereal window into a cosmic nebula. "Ponyfeathers," she muttered under her breath as she focused once more on suppressing her magic. As she brought her overall magical output back down to normal levels, her mane and tail returned to their normal states. She sighed. "That's going to take some major getting used to."
Spike smirked at her. "So how'd your meditation go?" he asked.
"Enlightening, but confusing," she replied, mulling over her thoughts. "Say, Spike," she asked suddenly, "would you say Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy have a... special sort of friendship as compared to the rest of us?" She glowered as Spike began to laugh. "What's so funny?"
Spike got control of himself. "Twilight, that sort of speculation has been the town gossip for YEARS. Nearly every pony in Ponyville is convinced those two are 'special friends'." He enunciated these last two words as only he could, with finger quotes.
Twilight tilted her head. "What do you mean? How can the whole town know about it when I've missed it? What sort of special friends?"
Smirking widely, Spike pointed. Following the direction of his finger, Twilight blushed. "Spike, I'm pretty sure I would have noticed if they had that sort of relationship."
Spike scoffed. "Twilight, you still blush at the fact Ponyville library even HAS an 'Erotic Literature' section. How would you even know if you saw the signs if you don't know what they are?"
"S-shut up, Spike," Twilight said, blushing even brighter. "Besides, this isn't the sort of thing friends talk about behind each other's backs."
"You're the one who brought it up," Spike countered, grinning from ear to ear.
"I didn't expect you to get p-perverted about it!" Twilight got to her hooves. "I need to get some air." She turned and opened the front door.
Rarity stood there, raising her hoof to knock. "Oh, Twilight darling, how nice to see you today."
Twilight smiled. "Hey Rarity, I was just heading out. What brings you to the library?"
"Oh, I was just returning a book I borrowed last week." She levitated a book from her saddlebag. The book was titled, 'The Captive Princess', and the cover art showed a dragon encircling a royal unicorn rather... suggestively. "It was quite the enthralling read," she continued.
Twilight recognized the book, of course. She knew every book in the library, even if she didn't read some of them. That one was from the Erotic Literature section. Blushing yet again, she replied, "Well, I'll leave you in Spike's capable hands then. I'm sure he can take care of you." She quickly covered her mouth with her hoof as she realized the other meaning to her words, especially considering the book Rarity was returning.
"Oh, I hope so," Rarity replied with a throaty chuckle. "I know he's been... practicing his duties so diligently."
Noticing Spike's smirk over her shoulder, Twilight threw her hooves into the air. "RRGH! I'm surrounded by perverts!" Spreading her wings, she took to the skies in frustration.
She soared around the skies for a while, not really going anywhere, just trying to clear her head. However, the mental images of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy - and now Spike and Rarity - being 'more than friends' wouldn't leave her head. She gently settled on a nearby cloud, noticing idly how high up she was. "Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way," she muttered under her breath. "Maybe I should just find out one way or another and ask Rainbow Dash."
"Ask me what?"
"BWAHH!" Twilight leapt ten feet straight up, spreading her wings. She saw Rainbow Dash hanging off the edge of the cloud she had been sitting on. "Rainbow, what are you doing here?" she demanded.
"Wondering why my favorite nap cloud is occupied," Rainbow replied with a smirk. "So what did you want to ask me?"
Twilight settled herself as Rainbow clambered up onto the cloud, leaving room for Twilight to settle as well. "Well... I was just wondering... well, I don't mean to pry, but..." Although she could easily just blurt the question out, she suddenly found herself unsure as to whether she really wanted to know. After all, would finding out that two of her best friends were lovers change her relationship with them? Would not knowing make things worse?
Rainbow settled her internal debate rapidly. "Twi, you're starting to sound like Fluttershy. Just spill already."
"Are you and Fluttershy in a romantic relationship?" she asked, her voice coming out fast.
Although she expected any number of reactions from Rainbow - anything from laughing to being bucked in the face - she had not expected Rainbow to simply roll her eyes at her. "Not that rumor again. Geez, how many times do I have to tell ponies we aren't a couple before they believe me?"
Twilight blinked at her. "So... you aren't a couple?"
"No," Rainbow replied readily. "Why? Are you interested?"
"Nononononono nothing like that!" Twilight said quickly. "It's just, you two seem to have this really strong bond and I was wondering what it could be and Spike seemed to think-"
Rainbow rolled onto her back, laughing. "Spike? You asked THAT horndragon what sort of relationship I had with Fluttershy?" She continued to laugh. "Oh, that is too rich!"
Twilight hung her head in embarrassment. It was true, she did know how... sexually active Spike had become recently. She just hadn't realized this would mean he would have been... fantasizing about her friends.
Rainbow finally quieted down. "So, you really want to know why Fluttershy and I are so close?" Twilight nodded. Rainbow sighed. "Well, Fluttershy doesn't really like me telling this story, but I don't think she'll mind you knowing, as long as you don't make any fuss about it. So not a word to anypony - or anybody - about this, okay? Pinkie Promise."
Twilight nodded. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
Rainbow nodded. "Alright. We've actually known each other since we were in the cradle. See, our parents were friends, so they'd put us together in the cradle when they hung out together." Rainbow rubbed the back of her head. "I don't really remember much back then, but I've been told I was a bit of a bully. I'd take away her toys and say they were mine. But then she'd look at me all sad until I gave them back, at which point she'd hug me like I was the greatest thing ever." She chuckled. "Never really understood that, but our folks thought it was the cutest thing ever, so they have tons of pictures and video of it."
Twilight smiled. She knew all about the embarrassing things parents kept on the grounds they were 'adorable'. She'd actually asked Celestia if it was possible to make a royal decree that forbid her parents from showing said images to any potential future suitor of hers. She was rather disappointed to find out this was impossible.
Rainbow continued her story. "Anyway, our parents were always putting us together, although we didn't really get along. I was too active, and she was too passive. She still seemed to value my friendship though. I had no idea how much until I was five, though. That was when... I contracted the renmors virus."
Twilight gasped. "Renmors? The kidney death?"
Rainbow nodded. "I take it you've heard of it?"
Twilight nodded. "It's a rare disease, nopony knows where it comes from or why some ponies get it and some don't. Once in the body, it attacks the kidneys, completely destroying both of them. The only treatment developed as of yet is to completely remove both effected kidneys, use magic to purge the virus from the ponies systems, and transplant an untainted kidney. Survival rates are very low."
Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, that's what the docs told my folks. And since I was only five at the time, even if I did survive the surgery to remove the affected organs, the odds of finding a compatible donor organ from a pony in my age group so it would grow with me was highly unlikely. They rated my chance of survival at next to nothing... until Fluttershy had herself tested as a donor."
Twlight stared in shock. "Then..."
"She was a perfect match. The only time they'd ever seen a better match for transplant was with a set of twins. The doctor's and her parents tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted. Said she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she had a chance to save me and did nothing." Rainbow smirked. "It was the first time I'd ever seen the Stare. It scared the heebie-jeebies out of the doctors." Rainbow lay back on the cloud, looking up towards the sky. "The surgery was successful, of course. After all, I'm still here."
Twilight exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding. She smiled. "So everything went well?"
"More or less. I had an allergic reaction to the anti-rejection drugs, so the doctors had to just hope and pray that the transplant would take." Rainbow smirked. "Like I'd ever reject such an important gift from a friend." The smirk softened. "When I got out of the hospital after recovery, I was...different. I realized that, if not for Fluttershy, I probably wouldn't have seen the sun rise that day. I've carried that with me ever since. Every morning I remind myself that I wouldn't have this sunrise if not for Fluttershy." Rainbow chuckled. "The thing is, that event kind of shaped both of us for the rest of our lives. It became such a big story that Fluttershy was constantly being swarmed by the press, which amplified her already timid nature, not to mention giving her a rather severe case of photophobophobia."
Twilight blinked. "She's afraid of having her picture taken? But... she modeled for Rarity and did that work with Photo Finish..."
"Why do you think she hated it so much? She's always been willing to put aside her fears for her friends, but that doesn't make it any less unpleasant for her." Rainbow frowned. "Back then, I wound up getting pretty protective of her, to the point I actually attacked anyone getting too close to her with a camera." She smirked sheepishly. "I may have busted a few skulls, now that I think about it, although for some reason no charges were ever leveled." Rainbow rolled onto her stomach. "That's what shaped me into the mare I am today, actually. It's why I'll never turn my back on my friends, why I'm always sticking up for the little guy, why I try to push myself to my limits and beyond. Everything I am now wouldn't exist... if she hadn't given me her kidney."
Twilight nodded. "So that's why you're so close..." It was a lot to take in, and Rainbow had dropped it with her usual blunt manner, leaving very little time for contemplation or thought. However, one thing stuck out for her. "How come Fluttershy doesn't like you telling this story?"
Rainbow chuckled. "You know how she is about anypony making a fuss over her. She says I make her out like some kind of hero, while she claims she just did what any good friend would do." Rainbow sighed. "And she really doesn't like what I usually say at the end."
"And what's that?"
Rainbow's face became dead serious. "That if she ever needed her kidney back, I'd give it up in a heartbeat." Rainbow then smirked. "Anyway, I gotta fly. Tank's checkup should be finished about now. Laters!" She spread her wings and flew off, leaving Twilight alone with her thoughts.
