Author's Note: Here is Chapter 2, but don't expect updates this fast for every chapter. Please see chapter 1 for warnings. Thanks for reading, and for the positive comments so far.
Chapter 2 – Rainbow Dash
Pinkie ended up staying with Twilight for about a week while Mr. Cake recovered. And though Twilight was somewhat grateful to have the energetic pony go back home, there was a much bigger part of her that missed having another friend around. Spike was an amazing little dragon, but her relationship with him was much more sibling-like, or even more like a parent-child, than her relationship with her friends. So she helped Pinkie move back, but secured a Pinkie-Pie promise to ensure that she would see more of her friend.
A few days after, she began to notice that Rainbow dash was coming in fairly frequently as well. She would see the Pegasus grab a primer on flight, drift up to the top of a bookcase, and sit and read for a while, occasionally actually making notes. Finally one day she managed to get an explanation from her multi-colored friend.
"Scootaloo has been asking me to teach her to fly." Rainbow admitted. "But…. But she doesn't know how. Not the basics or anything. She was raised by her mom and sister and they're both earth ponies."
"So you wanted to make sure you could be a good teacher." Twilight finished for her, smiling softly.
Rainbow shrugged, and then ran a hoof through her mane. "I don't know if I can do it, Twilight. I've never taught anyone to fly before. What if I screw up? What if she gets hurt? Scoot is… she's…. she's important to me. She's becoming like my little sister. I can't do something like that to her."
Twilight nodded in understanding, thinking of all the times she needed to help Spike learn something, and pointed her towards some other books on teaching flight and wind patterns.
That night, however, she stared at her little dragon friend and remembered that sometimes, when she was faced with teaching him something big and potentially life changing, that knowing wasn't enough. When those times came up, she didn't just need the information, she had needed confidence.
So she went to a dresser next to her bed, pulled out a spell-book, and began reviewing some notes that she had been doodling over the past few months. A few adjustments were made, a plan was formed, and then she nodded in satisfaction. The spell would work as she intended, and she'd be able to help her friend.
Rainbow was awoken the next morning in her cloud home by a knock at her door, which was unusual as she rarely got visitors. She went to the door, and opened it, before staring in shock at the sight in front of her.
"Hey Rainbow!" Twilight spoke up happily. She turned slightly profile facing Rainbow, and gracefully showed off the sleek lines of two Pegasus wings on her own back, looking for all of Equestria as if she had been born an alicorn. "What do you think?"
POOMF! Without thought, Rainbow's own wings extended to their full length, making Rainbow blush and Twilight giggle innocently. "I hope I got them right! I was able to fly up here ok, but it's a lot harder than it looks! I really COULD use your help!" She paused, looking at her silent and blushing friend. "Are you ok?"
Rainbow nodded rapidly, unable to form words over trying to get her wings to lower and her heartrate to plummet. All her life she'd been attracted to mares (certain friends especially), so seeing a sleek wingline gracing Twilight's back was playing havoc with her emotions. She finally found her breath and her voice, and then responded quickly "Yea… yeah I'm great. Oh my gosh Twilight how?"
Twilight giggled again. "Magic, you silly filly. I changed the spell that I used on Rarity to give me much better wings than I gave her!" Twilight's face turned playful, and adopted an airhead attitude, not realizing it was coming off as flirtatious, "Now I just need to know how to use them!"
Finally Rainbow shook off her stupor and completely regained her faculties, the chance to show off a little helping with that. "Well you came to the right place! I'm the best flyer in Equestria, and I bet I'll have you flying like a Wonderbolt in no time!"
"That's what I was hoping you'd say." Twilight replied.
Rainbow wasted no time in showing Twilight the basics, things she'd learned in flight camp when she was just a little filly. She started with a quick overview of how Pegasus wings worked, blushing slightly when Twilight sucked in a breath as Rainbow made contact with her primary feathers. She showed her friend how to position her wings to get good airspeed, or to catch a thermal and just drift along, before she had Twilight follow her off the cloud and into the air.
Twilight was impressed with the level of professionalism Rainbow was displaying. She didn't understand all of the looks that her friend was giving her, but actually found herself learning quite a bit. She had never realized how much went into flight, but Rainbow's instruction made it seem almost natural to her, as if she'd been born that way. So much so that when Rainbow asked if she wanted to race she agreed before she even thought about it.
She lost of course.
Not that it was a surprise. She was racing the only Pegasus in history to have performed the sonic rainboom on more than one occasion, but still…. She'd given a good showing, and that was what was important.
As the two settled onto a cloud to have some sandwiches that Twilight had flown down to retrieve for them, Twilight found herself blushing at the attention Rainbow was paying her.
"You're really something, you know that, Twilight? I mean… you made yourself real wings! Not those froofroo things you gave Rarity, but real honest-to-Celestia Pegasus wings!" Rainbow's smile turned slightly playful. "And really nice ones at that. How long will you have them?"
Twilight thought a moment. "The spell should last about three days. It took a lot of energy to cast, so it will probably be a month before I can cast it again."
"Do…" Rainbow gulped a bit, then hurried along, "Do you maybe want to meet up again tomorrow?" She asked. "I could show you some more tricks!"
"Thanks Rainbow, but tomorrow I want to go to Canterlot and show the spell to the Princess. I don't think she'd believe me otherwise. Maybe next month?"
"Yeah! Next month! Great!" Rainbow cast her eyes around, blushing heavily, and Twilight suddenly clued in to what Rainbow was asking.
"Dash… are you asking me on a date?"
If it were possible, Rainbow's blush would have deepened as she turned her head away shyly, but she replied softly. "Maybe."
Twilight stared a long time at her friend. She wasn't sure she felt that way about Rainbow. Or mares. Or… or anypony really. And she remembered how Pinkie had acted towards her yesterday, and wondered if it may have meant something different. But Rainbow had actually come out and asked, and she didn't want to upset her friend. "Ok." She said finally. "But I'm not sure…. I'm not sure it'll work out."
Rainbow nodded. "I understand Twilight. But…" She paused. "You've always been amazing, Twilight. And seeing you flying…" she trailed off, then shrugged, "I don't know if we'll find something awesome, or what. But I had to try."
The two blushing fillies stared at each other for a long time before Twilight bumped her shoulder. "You're pretty amazing too, Rainbow. And I don't think you'll have any problem teaching Scootaloo to fly."
"You really think so?"
"I really do. After all, you taught a unicorn how to fly in one day. Imagine what you could do with a Pegasus filly that's had wings her whole life."
Rainbow nodded slowly. Twilight was right. Rainbow had taught her friend some pretty impressive moves with very little experience, and while Scootaloo's wings were still developing, she knew that she could do what she needed to do to make sure that the little filly would be able to make it to flight camp with others her age. "You really are the smartest pony I know, Twilight." She said finally.
Twilight didn't' respond. She just nuzzled her friend, and jumped from the clouds, doing a rather impressive if somewhat amateurish turn around a couple of clouds, before heading home to prepare for a trip to Canterlot.
Rainbow stared after her a long moment, hoping that her request for a date wouldn't change anything between them.
"Don't worry about it too much," Chirped a happy voice from next to her, startling her from her reverie. She yelped and turned to find Pinkie Pie in one of her crazy flying contraptions. "Even if things don't get all lovey-dovey between you two, you know she'd never leave you. Cause she's an amazing friend!"
Rainbow nodded slowly, but honestly. She was attracted to Twilight, she had to admit. More than almost anypony else (though there were a couple of others very close behind), but the feeling of worry that usually accompanied asking a filly out wasn't present with her. Maybe she and Twilight would hit it off. Or maybe they wouldn't. But either way, a little part of her knew that Twilight Sparkle would be part of her life…
"Forever!" Pinkie exclaimed, finishing her thought for her, and making her facehoof.
"Geez Pinkie Pie. You are SO random."
