Rage was in the Canterlot Gardens looking into a small stream of water. His heart was pounding as he tried clearing his head of the frustration and sorrow he had. All he could think of was what Twilight had said, about how he was still closed off. A few tears fell from his face causing ripples in the moving water that distorted his face's reflection.
"You did everything you could..." Rage says to himself "...it's not your fault she's being stubborn...plus if it bothers you this much it means you REALLY care about her..." he chuckled "How often is it that Sonic's able to read me like a book?" he scoffs thinking back to what the blue hedgehog had told him as he left the castle.
The crimson alicorn rolled a small pebble with his hoof and he thought about everything. "He's right about one thing though...I do care about her...maybe too much or more than I'm willing to admit." he whispers. "Regardless...not much to be done now...I screwed up...again. Like I always do..." he then kicks the pebble into the stream. "I guess Nix was right about one thing...I break more things than I fix."
"Come on, don't say that." Rainbow Dash's voice catches Rage off guard who whipped around almost as fast as the eye could see. "Now who's getting in their own head?" she chuckles.
"Rainbow Dash..." he says softly. "Look, I am not exactly in a talking mood..."
"Well that sucks." Rainbow Dash scoffs. "Because I am."
"Rainbow Dash I know you want to cheer me up and no offense but I don't think you can do anything for me now..." Rage says looking back at the water. "...and I don't want to dampen everypony else's mood more than I already have."
"Jeez you're as dense as Twilight." Rainbow sighs. "You didn't do anything wrong Rage. Nopony is upset because of you. You're just making stuff up to find an excuse for something that's not your fault."
"Then who's fault is it?" Rage asks, looking at her with an agitated look.
"Twilight's." She says simply. "You're just afraid to admit it."
"Am not." Rage scoffs. "I've looked death in the face and spat in it, admitting something like that doesn't scare me."
"Then why not just admit it to her?" Rainbow Dash asks. "Are you afraid of breaking her heart or something?"
"What?!" Rage asks flustered "N-no! That's not what I am worried about..."
"Then what is it?" Rainbow Dash urges him to answer.
"If I had said that then I'd have made things so much worse." Rage sighs. "Besides...she's-"
"Gosh you're more dense than she is..." Rainbow Dash sighs loudly interrupting him. "Rage, listen you can lie to yourself all you want but the rest of us know you better than you think."
"Sure. Whatever." Rage sighs. "Look Rainbow Dash I appreciate you trying to cheer me up but right now I think I just need some time to cool off..."
Rainbow Dash sighed in frustration. "I'm starting to see why Twilight's so fond of you...the two of you are two peas in a pod." she sighs with a smirk. "Fine. I'll see you later."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Rage shouts after her as she flies off. A moment went by and Rage shook his head.
"Fond of me? That pegasus' imagination is almost as bad as Pinkie Pie's." He scoffs looking at the bridge leading to the small bit of the garden where he found Twilight that one night. He walked over and sat down. He looked at the afternoon sun and sighed. "Maybe Dex was right all along. Friends make things more complicated..."
Rage sat in silence for a few minutes until the sound of rushing hooves clopping on the wood of the bridge caught his attention. He looked up and just as he looked to his left, down the bridge he was tackled by Twilight who pulled him close to her in a tight bear hug. He looked shocked as the two fell to the ground.
"Rage!" She cries holding him tight "I am so sorry! I shouldn't have said those things and-" she sobbed with eyes held shut, flooded with tears. "And I didn't mean any of it!" she opened one of her eyes a bit feeling him struggle some and felt her heart skip a beat.
Rage's face was almost as blue as Rainbow Dash, he was struggling to breath. Realizing it was from how tightly she had been holding him she made a loud "eep!" and let him go, backing up. "Oh no! I am sorry!" she says as color slowly returned to the crimson alicorn's face.
Rage panted and took some deep breaths as he felt the fuzziness and light feeling that came from nearly being choked out clear up and his senses coming back into focus. He looked at Twilight who was looking fearfully at him. "T-Twi?" he asks "What...?"
"No. Don't say anything." Twilight says hugging him again. Rage felt weird having her just holding him so close, but it was a nice feeling. Calming. He welcomed it and laid his head on her shoulder and smiled. "I'm sorry." she says again softly.
"No, I owe you an ap-" Rage started to speak again.
"Shush." Twilight orders. "Just...let me have this..." she asks with a pair of pleading eyes. Rage smiled and nodded as she nudged herself into his chest fluff.
"Twilight...I'm not sure this is appropriate..." Rage eventually says feeling his face beginning to get flushed as the others gathered around them.
Twilight came to her senses and quickly scooted back. "Sorry..." she apologized. "I guess I just...I was at a loss on how to...express myself."
"Rage and Twilight sit-" Pinkie started to sing but was silenced by a firm punch to the arm by Rarity "Hey..." she pouts looking at Rarity.
"I don't think I'm the only one you should be apologizing to." Rage says as Twilight looks at the others.
"No...you're not." She sighs. "I'm sorry everypony. I have no excuse for how I acted...you all went through so much for me and I was too caught up in my own head to see it."
"Apology accepted." Rarity smiles.
"I'm guessing this means you're going to be okay?" Fluttershy asks.
"Not quite..." Twilight says as she pulls the small vial out of her mane. "I...it didn't feel right to just...take it without having thanked you all first...and amending what I did."
"How'd you get Celestia to let you out then?" Rainbow Dash asks. "I was almost certain she was clear on you-" she was then elbowed by Applejack and shut up.
Twilight smiled, "Secret." she says as she looked at the others who watched in anticipation as she used magic to remove the cork. She held the strange, pale yellow liquid near her lips and gave one more look to them before she gulped it down.
Twilight's eye's shrank as the strangely viscous liquid went down. A bitter, sour and foul taste washed over her mouth and she had to hold a gag back as the last of it went down. Once it was all down she erupted into a fit of coughing, spitting and gagging. "Yuck!" she exclaims. "I've never tasted anything so...so...eck! You couldn't have I dunno...made sure it at least tasted passable?" she asks them.
"Medicine isn't exactly supposed to...taste good ya know." Applejack chuckles.
"I'll remember to add a hint of cherry to the notes." Rage teases with a chuckle.
"Okay...but did it work...?" Rainbow Dash asks.
"I...think so?" Twilight says with an unsure look. "But like...I don't feel any different."
"I guess we'll find out here soon then." Pinkie Pie says looking at the setting sun. The seven sat together watching the sun fall below the horizon. They stayed together even as the moon had risen and the sun set. Slowly, one by one yawns came from the ponies.
"No offense...but I'm gonna hit the hay. I'm beat." Applejack says. "I'm pretty sure we're good..."
"Same here." Rainbow yawns. "I got a ton of cloud busting to catch up on..."
"Good night." Rarity says "I should get my own beauty sleep too...last thing we need is me without it."
"Sleep well. I'll let you know if anything happens." Rage says with a wave.
"Alright..." Twilight says in a tired voice of her own. One by one all but Rage had left. Some more time passed and Twilight looked at him sheepishly. "Rage...you don't have to..." she tried to let him know that he could go too but her words fell on deaf ears. She herself just passed out.
Feeling her head fall into his chest Rage looked down. Twilight was fast asleep now. Rage smiled as his eyes drooped some as well. He thought back to his first trip to Canterlot and her falling asleep on the train ride back. Rage used his magic and picked her up.
The crimson alicorn took her to the bed chambers that had been designated as hers ever since her inauguration. He laid her in the bed and pulled the covers over her. Twilight looked so peaceful Rage couldn't help but smile, an unbridled joyous feeling in his stomach gave him a comforting knowledge that everything was going to be alright. He gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead, almost like one would to a filly who they were tucking into bed and walked out of the room. He didn't even think about it, nor did he realize he had.
With Twilight safe Rage went to the room he had used to many times and crawled in bed before drifting off to sleep. This time, without interruption, without nightmares. Something he hadn't had in a long time...