//------------------------------// // The Whole Truth // Story: Treason // by Trevosta //------------------------------// The Whole Truth Applejack looked at the red stallion, with a reverse-rainbow mane and tail, (instead of progressing from red to violet, it went backwards) and a cutie mark very similar to Rainbow Dash's. He had a sheepish grin on his face, like he knew that he was guilty and was currently just hoping she would take it easy on him. She wasn't. "YOU NO GOOD, LOW DOWN, TRESPASSIN' VARMINT!" she yelled at the mystery stallion. Whose face immediately changed to one of confusion. "Trespassing? Then I guess that it really isn't what it looks like." he said, with a little bit of pleasure entering his voice. "Look, this is- Wha!" he was cut off as she started to attack him, from across the room she began grabbing and throwing anything that she could, apples, pies, jars, chairs, knives, anything that she could get her hooves on. He ducked, rolled, and dodged all of her attacks. Eventually he knocked over the kitchen table and used it as a barricade. "Listen! I can explain!" he shouted from behind the wooden table, as a knife dug in from the other side and through, the tip sticking out right beside his ear. "Stop throwing blades!" "Get out here and fight me!" she screamed, brandishing the toaster. "And just take, whatever it is you are currently preparing to launch, to the face?" "Yes!" "I am NOT fighting you!" he yelled, "look, if I give up willingly, will you please NOT maim me? And maybe listen to what is going on?" after he said that, the barrage against the table ended. "Alright..." the farm pony said slightly nervous, "come out now." He stood up, and just as he reached his full height, he was surrounded with rope. It tightened and he fell down, slamming his head on the floor. "Uuuugh... That hurt. Not the worst I've felt, but still." "Geronimo...?" Applejack asked disbelieving, upon seeing his severed wings. "Only kind of." he said, squirming to a position where he could see her face. "Look, I am not Geronimo, he was my wingman. I am Spectrum Dash, Rainbow's older brother." Applejack just stared at him, shock and confusion twisting her face, "That story I told you was completely true, I just used some creative liberties to work around saying which one I was. Geronimo was semi-responsible for my 'death' but I should've told him not to use certain maneuvers in battle." by this time tears were flowing freely from his eyes. "We both lost our wings, but he lost more blood than I did, and thus he died." "Here is where things get weird. The princess had decided that I was to become a training Sergeant, and was determined to keep me in the service. She knew that Geronimo was an orphan, everypony did, she decided that it would be easier to tell everypony that I died, rather than telling them why I wasn't coming back. Upon threat of being convicted of treason, I have been scared into taking the identity of my best friend. I am not allowed to tell anypony or I will, to quote the princess, 'be found guilty of treason.' So I have lived for the past eight years under a name that was not my own, doing a job that I did not want to do." The pain in his voice was evident. Applejack untied his hooves and allowed him to stand up, and as soon as he had risen she wrapped him in a hug. "Ah'm so sorry ya had to do that. Ah am sure that we can get this mess cleared up." He broke the hug and looked at her, "No. We can't clear this mess up, because I am still under threat of arrest. And you will be too if you tell anypony who I really am." he looked into her green eyes and just hoped she got what he was saying. "Understand?" "Ah do..." she hesitated, breaking eye contact, "but Ah've gotta tel ya. Ah'm downright terrible at keepin' secrets." she looked back up at him with a sheepish smile. "Well, just try not to say anything that could get us arrested, ok?" "Sure thing partner!" They stood in the ruined kitchen awkwardly for a few moments before he spoke up. "Well... Why don't you get back to work, while I put my disguise back on and clean the kitchen? Sound like a plan?" "Alright, sounds good to me." she said, dipping her Stetson and leaving once again for the fields. Spectrum sighed, "Well, that makes everything all the more difficult." then he put on his disguise and went to work cleaning the kitchen. -------------------------------------------------------- Rainbow Dash's head was spinning. She had tried for years to push down any memories of her brother, and push away the pain that came with them. Then all of a sudden this crazy stallion comes out of nowhere, saying he is the one responsible for the death of her brother, and he apologizes for her loss. Then he tells a story that makes her unable to be properly mad at him. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how hard she flew, she couldn't stop thinking about him. She needed to talk to somepony who could help her forgive him and ask for forgiveness. But who could she talk to? Who would know how to respond kindly? Oh wait... Kind... Fluttershy. The speedy pegasus rolled hard to the left and pulled up hard, bringing her to face the quaint cottage of her oldest friend. Diving fast, she reflected on her relationship with her quiet friend and her brother. In flight school she hung out mainly with Gilda and Fluttershy, Gilda was great to compete and show off with, but she was always poor at the whole, listening thing. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, was the exact opposite, she appreciated Rainbows tricks, but couldn't appreciate them properly. However, whenever Rainbow needed to talk Fluttershy would be there. She remembered the day she had received the news of her brother's death. She had been flying with Gilda, each one showing off their favorite moves, apparently Gilda had a brother too, they weren't very close, but Rainbow knew she secretly looked up to her brother. Rainbow was about to try out one specific move she had seen her brother pull off, she said to her griffon friend, "Watch this! My brother made this one up, it's called the Buccaneer Blaze!" After performing the move she landed beside her friend, "Nice moves, Dash!" Gilda said, "ya know I would like to meet your brother someday, he seems like he could teach us some cool things." "Yeah, G. He is the best flier in the world! One day I'm gonna be as good as him." she said puffing out her chest with pride. "Ms. Dash," a pony in an air force uniform called out to her, "could I talk to you alone for a minute?" "Uh, sure?" The two walked off to the picnic area and sat down at a table, "So what did you want to talk to me about?" "Ms. Dash, it pains me to tell you this, but your brother was killed in action." his face was sullen and he said something else but Rainbow Dash was too out of it, she couldn't think straight. She vaguely remembered walking over to Gilda. "What's up?" her friend asked her. Then Dash burst into tears, burying her face in her griffon friend's feathery chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Gilda had no idea what to do, she tried her best to comfort her friend, using her claws to stroke her mane, and attempting to say things to calm her down. Eventually Gilda realized that she needed to get Dash to somepony who could help and listen better than her. But who? Maybe that quiet pony that dash hangs out with? What was her name? Shy... something. Oh well she will know what to do. They arrived at the quiet mare's dorm and Gilda knocked on the door and the yellow pony answered, "Hello?" upon seeing her friend so shaken up, she felt horrible, "Oh Rainbow, you poor dear. Come inside and tell me what happened." she escorted Dash inside, while Gilda stood uncomfortably at the door. "I gotta get to class, so come talk to me later, I guess..." She said rather confused. Fluttershy comforted Rainbow until she was able to tell her what had happened. "Oh Rainbow, I am so sorry to hear that." Fluttershy said upon hearing what had happened. "Remember, I am here for you, everything will be ok." she said, stroking her distressed friend. Rainbow shifted from blinding sadness, to blind fury, "It w-was h-his wingm-man's f-fault, that Geronimo he wrote about! I will get him back someday!" Fluttershy was shocked, "How can it be his fault?" "I-I don't know." she admitted, "but he could have saved him, he was his partner, they are supposed to watch out for each other! I WILL get him back for this." she said, anger filling her eyes. But the anger was once again replaced by sadness, as her feelings overtook her, and she bawled into her friend's mane. "There, there don't do anything too crazy Rainbow, you will always have me to talk to." Dash flared her wings and pulled up hard, landing lightly on Fluttershy's welcome mat. Knocking on the door, she called out, "Fluttershy, I need to talk to you. I need some help with something." She looked around and didn't see her friend anywhere. She looked in the window and didn't see her inside. "Where could she be?" Rainbow thought aloud, "Wait, what day is it? Ugh, she is at the spa with Rarity." she realized. There was nothing that Rainbow Dash hated more than the spa; however, there was no other option. Rainbow Dash was going to the spa. -------------------------------------------------- Rarity and Fluttershy were together for their weekly meeting at the spa. They did the standard thing, they talked about the past week and all the new gossip, but most of all they talked about the Sergeant. "Darling, you know the new stallion, the one pinkie threw the party for, what do you think of him?" Rarity said as several ponies attended to her hooves, "I personally think that he is a rather confusing individual. When we met, he began by having fun at my expense, but then he treated me like a true lady. Much better than my little fiasco with Prince Blueblood." she shuddered, remembering the horrible stallion, "but that is in the past. Sergeant Geronimo, however, seems to be a very respectable stallion, and one who demands respect as well. What is your impression of him dear?" "Oh, well, he seems very nice. He was very understanding when I snuck up on him, while he was taking a bath." Rarity and all of the mares working in the salon looked at the shy pegasus. "You snuck up on him while he was bathing?" Rarity said, raising an eyebrow and putting on a sly grin. "Soooo... When? Where? And how was it?" "It isn't what you think." Fluttershy defended, "I was feeding my animals and noticed something upstream so, thinking it was a critter of some kind, I went to investigate. I was being careful, so I wouldn't startle it, and I rounded the bend and he was just finishing drying off. I was so embarrassed. But he took it well." Fluttershy then got a look of worry on her face, "I just hope Rainbow gives him a chance." "What about Rainbow, darling?" Rarity asked, her curiosity piqued. "Didn't you notice that she wasn't at Geronimo's party?" Rarity nodded, "Well back in flight school..." Fluttershy proceeded to tell what had happened the day Dash learned about her brother's death. She was just finishing up when a crash was heard from the entrance, and many beauty products came spilling out into the spa. Followed by a rather sheepish looking Rainbow Dash. "Hehe... Sorry." she looked around a little and laid her eyes upon Rarity and Fluttershy who were currently in the middle of a hooficure. She hovered over to them and said, "Hey Fluttershy, hey Rarity, I need your help." she sat down, and just as she did one of the spa workers approached her hooves with a file, "Nonononono, I don't want that." she looked at her friends, "Hey guys, you know that Geronimo stallion?" the others glanced at each other and nodded, but Dash didn't notice because she was looking at her hooves. "Well I kinda need to apologize. Ya see..." she told the whole story, starting at him complementing her flying and finishing with him apologizing. "So you see, I need to apologize, and accept his apology." "Well then darling, you must do so. It seems rather simple to me." "Yeah, um, why do you need our help? If you don't mind us asking." "Because, I am no good with apologies. I can usually accept them well, but the grudge that I have held against him for all these years is making it hard to accept." she sighed, "I also always planned on ripping his wings off, but I can't do that. He already lost them." she slammed herself down on the lounge chair, "Arg! Why is admitting that I was wrong so hard?" Rarity laughed slightly, "Dear, I think that comes with being a mare, but you really should go ask forgiveness, he seems reasonable enough." and with that Rarity and Fluttershy moved on to the next phase of their spa treatment. Leaving Rainbow with her thoughts. "Why does this day keep getting more and more uncomfortable?"