BiE 45: Where's Wainbow.

=BiE 45=

>You stared at the mana battery on the desk as you align the crystal.
>Hmm...one to twenty five ratio...
>You hoped this would work, this mana battery was huge.
>Oh well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
>Okay...everything looks to be in order. "Hey, Twilight! Can you gimme a hand with this?"
>The door at the top of the cellar opens. "What's up, Anon?" Twilight asks as she trots down.
>You gesture to your little setup. "I need a spell, care to provide?"
>She gives your experiment a glance, there was a mana battery hooked up to a focusing lens that was aimed at a small crystal. "Any spell?" she asks.
>Not just any spell would do, no..."How about a little light show?" you ask.
>Twilight aims her horn at the focusing lens and fires a spell.
>Bring purple light erupts from Twilights horn and gets compressed into the lens as it enters the crystal.
>Twilight stops the spell as you remove the crystal from its resting place. "Now what?" she asks.
>"Now this."
>You toss the crystal on the stone wall. As it shatters, the room is bathed in a soft purple glow
>The glow dies down after a few moments, but you hardly notice. "Ha-ha! Yes!" you shout.
>Twilight looks confused. "What just happened?" she asked.
>You sweep the shattered crystal pieces into your hand. "What happened, is that I was able to apply a magical spell to an object anyp0ny could use. The conversion ratio was horrid, but this is how progress is made."
>Twilight is all lit up now. "Anon, that's incredible! We have to run numbers on this."
>The two of you quickly make your way upstairs and work on the conversion ratio issue.

>You and Twilight work well into the evening, the prospect of portable spells encased in tiny crystals was incising.
>You got home later than normal, which was later still than when you used to.
>You walk into the usual scene. Lotus and Mous were curled up at one end of the couch with Rainbow on the other.
>"Hey guys, what's..." Rainbow shoots a glare at you that causes you to falter.
>Did you do something?
>You take a seat next to her. "Hey, is everything okay?" You try to put your arm around her.
>Rainbow squirms her way out and continues to pout. "Yeah. I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
>Okay...
>Somep0ny obviously doesn't want to talk.

>The lot of you get ready for bed, Rainbow washing her face as you changed.
>Good a time as any..."So...can we talk?" you ask.
>You hear Rainbow shut off the faucet. "Nothing to talk about." she says as she climbs into bed and turns away from you.
>You sit down on the bed. "C'mon Dash, talk to me."
>"No." she spits out.
>Okay...
>That was harsh.
>"Come on, did I do something?" you ask.
>Did you drink all the milk?
>Leave the toilet seat up?
>Kick her in your sleep?
>She wasn't answering. "Did I say something?"
>Ask if her hair was natural?
>Accidentally insult her?
>Call her by an ex's name?
>Oh god, don't let it have been Brian...
>Still nothing.
>"Come on Dash, what did I do? What did I say?"
>Rainbow throws the blanket off of her. "No!"
>Then what? "Did Mous or Lotus piss you off? What is it?"
>"IT'S ALL OF THAT!" she shouts as she storms out of the room.
>You chase after Rainbow, but it's a futile effort.
>She's out the door by the time you get to the hallways.
>What the hell!?
>"Dude?" you hear behind you.
>Mous and Lotus are both peeking around the corner, a toothbrush sticking out of each of their mouths.
>"Do you two have to practice the  'Creepy Simultaneous Action Couple' thing, or does it come naturally. you ask.
>Lotus giggles to herself as Mous gives you a deadpan look. "Go find her, dingus."

>You throw your clothes back on and run out.
>Shit, Rainbow had the advantage in both speed and being able to avoid obstacles.
>She could be anywhere by now.
>You run through town looking, but to no avail.
>What did she mean 'It's all of that'?
>You spend almost the entire night out there.
>Pinkie hadn't seen her, neither had Rarity.
>She went in the opposite direction from Fluttershy
>Twilight was asleep.
>You finally got lucky when you asked Applejack. "Saw her flyin' off towards Whitetail Woods. Thought it was might strange to be seein' her out at this hour..."
>You start running as soon as you leave the farm.
>Whitetail Woods.
>There was only one place she could be if she went there.

>You still remember the path the two of you took.
>Time had marched forward and the trees had re-grown all of their leaves, but you still remembered.
>You bound up the hill and entered the cave you had spent the night in so long ago. "Rainbow?!"
>Silence.
>You slump against the cave wall. Dammit.
>That was your last lead.
>Your mind jumps back over a year.
>You still remember the warmth of the cave, the warmth of her body.
>You remember the leisurely days the two of you had spent that February, eating when you wanted, sleeping when you wanted, fucking when you wanted.
>You had bonded more the just physically over those few days. To think that you could lose that...
>Your mind jumps back to right before your first night with Rainbow, back to when you were indecisive.
>"If you want something, you go get it. Period." That's what he said that got you off your ass back on Earth.
>That's what got you through estrus.
>And that's what got you off your ass now.

>"Rainbow?" you called out.
>You kept walking along the stream.
>If you were out of leads, you just had to find more. "Rainbow!" you called out again.
>Still nothing. You keep following the stream.
>You weren't going to let this happen, not while you still could fix it.
>You walk through some trees and come across a beautiful lake.
>This must be the source of that stream.
>The lake was a small oval cut into the side of the mountain, the moon was reflected on the still water.
>The reflection of the moon was scattered as a rock sipped across the water, waves radiating out from the impact sight.
>You follow the rocks flight path, a blotch of cyan and blue is sitting at the edge of the lake.
>"Rainbow..." you say as you approach her.
>She just looks up at you."Hey, Anon. Sorry about running out. I overreacted."
>Her eyes are puffy. "Yeah, what's the deal with that?" you ask.
>Rainbow sighs. "It's...It's nothing..."
>You take a seat next to her. "Liar."
>You flash her a smile and get a small one in return. "It's...It's about Mous and Lotus, and you and me." she says.
>Okay...
>"I see the two of them together all the time...always saying how much they love each other..." she's shuffling around. "...and the more they say it, the more I notice that we never do."
>Wait...that's what this is about?
>She continues. "And now, you're spending all this time at Twilight's...and I'm afraid I don't mean as much to you anymore."
>You could see her point, she was the element of loyalty. Thinking that you were stepping out must be hard on her.
>That didn't stop it from being bullshit, however.

>"Oh, Rainbow Dash..." you snake your arm around her and pull her close. "What am I going to do with you?"
>She starts to open her mouth, but you cut her off. "Me? Step out on you? That's ridiculous."
>You cupped her cheek in your hand as you had done your first time in these woods. Rainbow practically buries her face in your hand.
>"Rainbow..."you begin. "Right before all that cult crap, I turned down an offer to go back to my homeworld, back to everything I've ever known. But I decided to stay here." you lean in and plant a kiss on her lips, you linger behind a bit afterwards though. "Now, who do you think caused me to do that?"
>Rainbow doesn't speak, but puts her head in your shoulder. You take the opportunity to wrap your arms around her. "Of course I love you, you silly filly..."
>The two of you spend however long like that under the stars by the lake before you both head for home.
>It's early morning, you were exhausted and you should be in bed. But this was more important, you'd call in sick if you had to.
>You had gotten used to how Rainbow moved in bed over the past year, but that night was different.
>Your mind once again went back to your first night in that cave, the feeling you felt then showing up now.
>You're still awake as Celestia begins to raise the sun, Rainbow Dash curled up in your arms.
>Just as you are about to fall asleep, you pull her close. "Love you, Dashie." you whisper.