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- >"You ever wonder if you can see your home, Anon?"
- "Hmm?"
- >Still staring up at the night sky, you see Rainbow raise a forehoof and point straight up out of the corner of your eye.
- >"Twi says you came from a whole 'nother planet. Do you think it's up there somewhere?"
- >She also said that you might come from a parallel universe.
- >She thinks it's too big of a coincidence that you and ponies read and speak the same language.
- >The night is silent as Rainbow waits for your answer.
- >The sound of the breeze, crickets singing a chorus, and Rainbow's own gentle breathing are all you can hear.
- "Maybe."
- >You point up as Rainbow's hoof falls back down to her side.
- "None of the stars look the same way they did back home."
- >You peer up at the unfamiliar night sky and try to find connections between the stars you might recognize.
- >You almost find something that looks like the Big Dipper, but the spacing between the stars is off, and half of the handle is missing.
- "I think..."
- >You swallow the lump in your throat.
- >You've known this in your head for a while now, but it's more difficult to say out loud than you thought it would be.
- "I think I'm very far away from home."
- >Silence falls as the two of you digest your words.
- >Admitting it out loud made it feel more real to you.
- >Even with one of your best friends beside you, you suddenly feel very, very alone.
- >Rainbow Dash is uncharacteristically quiet.
- >"Hey."
- >You can hear her shuffle across the grass as she tries to shimmy a bit closer to you without having to get up off her back.
- >"As long as you're here, you've got a home."
- >You turn your head to look at Rainbow Dash with surprise.
- >She's not normally this... gentle, you guess.
- >You half expected a punch on the shoulder and a joke to try and cheer you up.
- >She's smiling at you, and after a moment, you smile back.
- "Thanks, Rainbow Dash."
- >You feel a light jab on your shoulder as Rainbow hoof-punches you.
- >You guess your expectations weren't wrong; they were just a bit premature.
- >"I should be the one thanking YOU, big guy," she says, "I never would have learned about all that cool hoo-man stuff if you didn't appear here in Equestria."
- >She holds her cocky half-grin for a few more seconds before it begins to fade away.
- >"I..." Rainbow swallows, sounding hesitant, "I'm glad you're here."
- >Rainbow turns away from you and locks eyes with the glittering stars above you.
- >"I wouldn't have met my best friend-who-is-also-a-colt if you hadn't arrived."
- >You turn back around to look at the sky, mirroring your friend.
- >That's one way to look at it, you guess.
- >You wouldn't have met your own best friend - sorry, your "best friend-who-is-also-a-mare" - if your sudden arrival hadn't happened.
- >That's what makes your situation that much more bittersweet.
- >You wouldn't trade the friendships you made for the world, but at the same time you miss your Earth-friends and your family terribly.
- >You don't know which world you would choose if someone walked up to you this second and said that they could send you home, no strings attached.
- >You'd miss the clear, clean air.
- >You'd miss the nights like this one where you can see every single star in the sky from the field near your house.
- >You'd miss the lifestyle that was simple and satisfying, free of the stress that you didn't even realize your old world was poisoning you with.
- >And frankly... most of all, you'd miss Rainbow Dash.
- >Your best friend.
- >She was gruff, for sure.
- >She often spoke without thinking, and her temper and pride had a habit of getting the better of her.
- >It had taken some time to win her over once the rest of her friends had begun to trust you, but you thought then - and still think now - that the effort was well worth it.
- >In Rainbow Dash, you have a friend who never questions her loyalty to you, or yours to her.
- >Rumours that you're just using her for her Wonderbolt fame roll off her like water off a duck's back.
- >Hell, she was even INSULTED when you apologized to her for getting her involved with those catty, rumour-spreading stallions.
- >You'd somehow managed to earn a friend who, by her own admittance, would follow you to hell - sorry, Tartarus - and back if you asked her to.
- >At the end of the day, she's a friend who just genuinely wants you to be happy.
- >Would you go home if you had the chance?
- >A few months ago, you would have said 'yes' in an instant.
- >But now...?
- >You feel something impact your shoulder, followed shortly by something soft and warm press against your side.
- >Bolted out of your thoughts, you turn your head to see what happened.
- >Rainbow Dash, still staring stubbornly up at the night sky, has finally finished shimmying over to you and has pressed herself against your side.
- "What're you doing, Rainbow?"
- >"It's getting kinda cold out here," she observes, "And I know you're a bit more bothered by it 'cuz you don't have fur."
- >She wriggles around a bit and folds her hooves against her chest.
- >"I thought you might wanna, y'know... cuddle a little bit for warmth. Dad always said that chivalry was dead, but mom never let him get too cold on nights like this."
- >...
- >You know what?
- "Yeah, it's a bit chilly tonight."
- >You unravel your Rainbow-side arm and slide it around Rainbow's shoulder.
- >She looks up at you, confused, before she realizes what you're trying and lifts up her head so that you can slide your arm underneath.
- >Once you've stopped moving, Rainbow wriggles a little bit to get comfy, and ends up leaning a bit more heavily into you.
- >Above you, the sky looks just a little bit less alien.
- >Would you go home if you had the chance?
- >...
- >No.
- >You're already home.
- >[spoiler]"You wanna throw eggs at Twilight's library again after this?"[/spoiler]
- >[spoiler]You grin and pull your blue hell-raiser tighter against you.[/spoiler]
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