WARNING! Minor gore in the first segment.
The train wasn’t due to leave for another few hours. All of them wanted to see Rainbow Dash again, and this included Rarity. She finally had the excuse to run away that she had been waiting for. The only problem was… Twilight wouldn’t let her leave. “You just left him? I know how much this means to you! I don’t care if you’re scared and I know Rainbow Dash means a lot too but I won’t let you ruin this! I won’t…”
After Twilgiht had said that, she and Spike had escorted Rarity back to the church from the train station. ‘Escort’ felt more like prisoner transfer than caring aid and in a way it was. Big Mac had followed Twilight and he was coming as well. Rarity thought Twilight seemed overly enthusiastic about making sure she spoke with Flash Dance. She had nearly been crying when she’d said ‘I won’t…’ and the zeal she’d put into forcing Rarity back there was unusual for her.
As scared and nervous as Rarity was, it all disappeared as they approached the church. The one pony she wanted to see was there. Sweetie Belle. She’d just entered the front door alongside some mare Rarity didn’t recognize, but it didn’t matter. Her sister was there and nothing could ruin that for her. Or so she thought.
Rarity took off faster towards the church “You miserable cur!” came from within. She slowed, surprised by the outburst coming from… somepony… Twilight, Spike and Big Mac where a small distance behind her now. They didn’t need to keep up with her to make sure she wouldn’t run away anymore, they could both see where she was running to. Rarity peered around the corner of the door, looking inside. ‘Eli…?’ she thought to herself as she saw him.
She pulled her head back around and hid outside the building. Twilight approached and was about to say something but was cut off by “…I don’t care! So long as I don’t let Rarity be ruined by you thieves!”
Moments passed as they listened to everything that was happening. Every word burned into Rarity... he was using her. She’d fallen in love with him and he was just using her… and he had… THEY had… and she had only ever… she felt so dirty. Beyond used. Beyond any words she could think of. Even raped felt like an understatement.
Eventually “you… you BASTARD!!!” came Elusive before she heard a loud few smacks… Rarity’s heart skipped a beat as Elusive yelped in pain… she had to see what had happened. She rounded the door and entered, barely a meter in and just stood looking and crying… she didn’t hear anything else they had said from there… her own gasps of sorrow covered it up.
It felt like she had to have stood there for an hour before “Ràrity… you…” Flash Dance said, his face bloodied and bruised. His attention quickly shifted away from her.
“Miss Rarity, ah’ma have to ask you ta look away!” Big Mac said as he stomped into the church, nostrils flaring as he hard glared Flash Dance and his brother. All of them had heard everything and the normal blank expression of Big Mac’s face was now seething with fury. “You too Twilight.”
“Not a chance…” Twilgiht growled, as she walked right up beside him, her horn already glowing. She was just as furious at these monsters as Big Mac was. Even if she and Big Mac where getting some small amount of revenge for their friend, that didn’t help Rarity. She was just sitting the in the middle of the aisle now, head buried between her hooves as she cried deeply into dress. 'They'll pay for this' Twilight told herself.
Big Mac charged at them, head-butting Flash Dance in the neck, sending him toppling over. He then stopped in place and bucked at Cecil sending him flying even further. A purple hue materialised around them as Twilight caught them with her magic before either had even touched the ground. She pulled at them from multiple angles at once as they were lifted into the air. They both yelled out, what she was doing caused them intense pain as many of the joints where pulled hard or bent just a bit too far. She wasn’t breaking anything though… yet.
Big mac heard a loud crack followed by an even louder howl of pain from Flash Dance. Twilight flung Cecil away, smashing him into the far wall. He fell to the ground and tried to get up but quickly collapsed. Twilight was now completely focused on Flash Dance. He was splayed out in the air, limbs going ever-which-way but his right foreleg seemed to be a lot longer than all the others. It had been pulled from the socket and if Twilight hadn’t been holding him up in the air, it would be hanging limp from his side.
He screamed but all Twilight got from him wasn’t enough. “What you’re feeling now is nothing! I could rip you to pieces you worthless little shit!” Twilight yelled. “I’ll make you feel everything you did to Rarity! A thousand fold!” and with that Flash Dance yelled in pain once more. He screamed until he ran out of breath and when he tried to breath back in he couldn’t. Twilight was putting a large amount of force onto his chest. He could barely gasp as he felt a rib crack, then another and possibly a third. He couldn’t tell by this point as all the pain in his chest just merged into one spot of searing pain.
Finally he could breathe again. But it wasn’t out of mercy that Twilight had let him do so. If he couldn’t breathe for much longer, he would’ve passed out and she couldn’t let that happen. As soon as he had a full lung of air, he started to screamed anew. The purple glow surrounding him was starting to blur his eyes. He had tears of tormented pain running down his face by this point but that wasn’t what caused it. Even as he closed his eyes the purple was still there, burning away at his mind.
Another jolt of horrific agony shot through him as his mane was plucked from his scalp one hair at a time from right to left, but so quickly that it only took not even a full ten seconds for him to be completely bold. It had hurt him but it wasn’t enough! His left ear began to stretch and he could hear crackly, fleshy ripping coming from it. If he could’ve screamed any louder than he already was he would’ve. There was just no way for him to express how much pain he was in.
“Twilight stop!” Big Mac yelled. She was horrifying! The grin she had on her face as she inflicted such pain upon another wasn’t right. He’d never seen something so wrong from her, or any pony! He walked up to her, a terrified expression on his face.
“Not until this wretched cur pays for what he did!” she yelled and blasted him away from her was a gust of invisible energy. Big Mac didn’t let on but it had been quite an impact she’d hit him with. He’d been pushed back a few meters but he tried to walk up to her once again. She repeated this, blasting him again and again but he wouldn’t stop moving towards her.
He finally was right in front of her and placed a hoof onto her face. “Please Twilight, stop… he doesn’t deserve this. Nopony does!” he said. His word hit home, it worked…
Or so he thought as she seemed to soften for a moment before fury rebuilt from within her. “He does! And if you’re going to try stop me than I’ll do the same to you!” she yelled as he was surrounded by the same purple glow and lifted from the ground. He wasn’t in pain though but that didn’t last too long. He could feel his tail being pulled first, then his rear legs and then his front and finally, his neck soon followed.
It was painful… not the stretching and pulling that was quite mild compared to what has happening to Flash Dance right beside him but what caused him so much pain was that Twilight: his Twilight… his love, was the one doing this to him.
He was hit in the face by something. He didn’t know what it was but it felt wet on the top and the wetness then trickled down his face. He saw a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye… it was Flash Dance’s ear. Twilight had ripped it off and judging by what he could hear, she was now working on his other.
He deserves this. They deserve this! How could he do this to such a wonderful pony? How could Big Mac try to stop me? Everything I’m doing is for Rarity! And what Rarity is feeling right now couldn’t even be scratched by what I’m doing…
“Twilight… please stop! You’re killing him!” Rarity begged. “Please…”
The purple glow surrounding them both instantly vanished and the dropped to the ground. Big Mac hit first, landing painfully on a chair he’d been suspended over and Flash Dance in the middle of the aisle. He squirmed as everything hurt him. He had five broken ribs, his left ear was missing, his right half torn off and patches of his scalp here missing when his mane had been plucked. His right foreleg had been dislocated and spun around, now lying flat against his back. Even one of his nostrils had been ripped open and numerous small cuts across his entire body. He looked like he had been mangled by a pack Manticore.
Big Mac was in far better shape but he too was in great pain, but he hid it well. Sitting up from the chair he’d landed on, he walked with a limp, but not over to Twilight like she’d thought he would, but instead over to Flash Dance. Then past him and further away. That was the last thing Twilight remembered before her vision blurred, she fell over and her world went black around her.
~ ~
“Dear sweet Celestia…” muttered Elusive as he looked over Flash Dance. As much as he wanted Flash Dance to be hurt… this was far beyond anything he’d wish upon anypony. His sister was over in the corner convulsing between vomiting at the mere sight of it, while being consoled by Spike. Flash Dance was in a pool of his own blood and if they didn’t stop bleeding soon he would likely die from blood loss.
Sweetie Belle knew some magical magic, not at much as Rarity, but Rarity was in no shape to help out right now. After stopping Twilight, she’d instantly gone back to crying. Sweetie Belle had to admire her sister for that. She’d been so distraught herself but still tried to help the one that caused all of it. There weren’t many ponies who would do that. Sweetie Belle herself hadn’t even tried to stop Twilight, even though she knew this was too much.
It took about a minute but she managed to stop the bleeding. Most of it at least, the major sources where healed enough to stop. She didn’t even noticed that Cecil was now standing beside her. “Is… he alright?” he asked, clearly trying not to cry… as evil as he was he clearly cared for his brother.
“He’s stopped bleeding and he’s still breathing… that’s all I can say.” Sweetie Belle said with some mirth in her voice. She didn’t want this stallion dead but she hated him none the less. Both of them! Cecil knelt down beside his barely conscious brother and wrapped her hooves around him and began to cry. As horrible as this must’ve been for him, Sweetie Belle was happy with his pain: loss… it was EXACTLY what Rarity felt.
She took her leave and Elusive followed as they talked over to Rarity; she was still laying there, crying on the ground next to an unconscious Twilight. Shroud had stopped throwing up but still lent against the wall in the corner, looking completely green. Spike blocked her view of Flash Dance to make sure she didn’t catch another glimpse of it. He wouldn’t admit it but even he was scared by what Twilight had gone.
“Rarity…” said Sweetie Belle as she put a hoof to her shoulder.
“Get off of me!” Rarity yelled as she smacked the hoof away. She instantly went back to being curled up with her head buried in to her hooves.
“Rarity.” came Elusive. He didn’t try and touch her but it got more of a response from her than Sweetie Belle had.
“What the hay is wrong with you?!” she yelled looking up from the ground. “You knew he was using me! You waited this long to tell me? You and your sister knew! And Sweetie Belle knew too? Why didn’t you just tell me?!” she yelled once more as she staring right at him, her eyes wide and tear filled. Their normal beauty gone, replaced with misery. The make-up was completely gone from her face. Cried away and smeared off against her legs and dress. Even her eye lashes where gone.
He tried to put a hoof out to her but she smacked it away again. “I couldn’t Rarity, he… he was black-mailing me.”
“Did that stop you now? Did it stop you sooner? You had to tell me! But… but why on my wedding day?!” she yelled as she buried her face back into her hooves.
“Rarity… I… I still love you…” he pleaded. He could hear muffled sobs coming from her now… no, she was… laughing? She pulled her head back up, and then stood from the ground. There was a multi-coloured smudge of her make-up on the tail of her gown. She was laughing at what he had told her. And it hurt. Sweetie Belle had told him that one of the reasons Rarity had been apprehensive about getting married was that she thought she may still have feelings for him.
Rarity continued laughing for a moment before saying “You love me do you? Then tell me Eli, why the hay would you be dating my sister then!”
“What…?”
“Don’t play stupid! You’ve been seeing her since you came here with her to that party, longer maybe. And at that party? I was there with you AND Flash Dance for hours… you said nothing… you just talked ideally with him… until…” she paused looking away. “Until you got into a fight, and called for me… and Big Mac threw you out before you could…”
“Rarity… I’ve tried. I couldn’t tell then… if I did he would have me banished. He was black-mailing me with those charges from five years ago… I did nothing and we both know that but Cecilme Seed is a monster of a lawyer… he could…”
“Then why, Eli, why you would be seeing my sister!?”
“I never was Rarity… she’s my lawyer. I love you Rarity! I’ve never stopped since I met you!”
“SHUT UP!!! I hate you Eli! I…”
Sweetie Belle interrupted. “Then why do you still call him ‘Eli’?”
“Eli..?” whispered Elusive… he hadn’t noticed but the first time she’d called him that was just after the first time they’d kissed… when she’d fallen in love with him so long ago. Sweetie Belle tried to put a hoof onto Rarity’s shoulder once more. It wasn’t batted away this time and she slowly moved in to hug her big sister. Rarity was stunned but what Sweetie Belle had said. She knew it was true and she’d wondered why she still called him that herself… she finally had to admit it though… she loved him.
“Please, Sweetie Belle, get off me…”
“No Rarity…”
“Please… get… off me, I said…” Rarity repeated as she began to cry once more.
“And I said no Rarity…” Sweetie Belle said as tenderly and lovingly to her sister as she could…
“GET OFF OF ME!!!” Rarity burst out as she back-hoofed her sister across the face. Sweetie Belle released her grip on Rarity and fell to the floor on her back. It hadn’t really hurt. Not physically… “I’m sorry…” Rarity whispered… but Sweetie Belle was already lost in her own mind. Rarity had never hit her before… “I’m sorry!”
Sweetie Belle trembled to her hooves. And just turned and walked away. She didn’t say anything as she just walked into the back of the church away from what had just happened. Elusive was shocked by the look Sweetie Belle had had on her face... blank. She’d always showed some emotion, even when bored she had some sort of expression. But now… he was worried about her. But not as much as Rarity was. Her horn glowed and in a flash she was gone.
“Rarity!” yelled Twilight. Elusive, or anypony, hadn’t noticed she’d come to. She was sitting on the ground watching as they talked but now her horn glowed as well and in a flash she disappeared too. Elusive knew they had both teleported away but he didn’t have the talent with magic that Twilight had to be able to tell where they had gone to exactly.
Elusive was left there staring at an empty space down the aisle that Rarity had been standing in seconds ago. He’d saved her though… right? He’d saved her…
He turned around; Cecil was still tending to his brother and even Shroud was helping him as her lightish-red magical glow encompassed his chest. Flash Dance was struggling to breath and Shroud was using her magic to help him. The action of forcing air into his lungs was clearly causing him great anguish but even Shroud couldn’t just let him die. Elusive turned from the sight and looked around. He thought he saw Spike’s tail disappear be behind the altar in the same direction he assumed Sweetie Belle had gone.
“El, Elusive… can you… help my brother?” Cecil sobbed. He was a scum bag and deserved nothing! But he clearly loved his brother and feared for him. “Please… we won’t press charges. We won’t do anything! Just don’t let him die!”
With some effort Elusive horn glowed and small pinging noises could be heard. A moment later there was a small bang as a small door from the side of the room tapped the ground after it’s hinges where removed. Elusive’s magical glow encased it and he levitated it over to himself and Cecil, placing onto they’re backs. He then, not as gently as she perhaps should’ve, levitated Flash Dance onto impromptu stretcher on their backs. All the while Shroud kept making sure he was still breathing.
“There’s a small practice about a block down. We can get him help there.” Elusive said as he started towards the main door of the church. Cecil at his side with the door carried between them. He had to make a slow pace as Cecil was still hurt as well. They left the building, the main hall was now empty. Expect for one pony.
Big Mac lay to the side of the altar just out of sight from where Flash Dance had been lying… he was crying. One simple thought just kept running through his head over and over. ‘How could she do that… to me?...’
~ ~
“Sweetie Belle? Are you in here?” called Spike into the mares bathroom. He knew she was and only called to give her warning before walking in. He’d been able to hear the sobbing coming from within for a few minutes now and he’d been trying to gather the nerve to enter.
When he did, he saw her starring into a steamed-up mirror, her front hooves in the running water of the sink below it. She had a small red mark on the right side of her face where Rarity had struck her, but it was small and… and Spike ran at her and tackled her away from the sink! Her hooves where bright red; burnt from being under the boiling hot water. They had to be aching immensely but her face bore no pain. No… anything.
“What are you thinking!?” Spike yelled, looking at her hooves. The redness faded fast, returning to a pristine white of her pelt. He looked up to her eyes and though she still had a blank expression, that scared him almost as much has he was when he thought she was burning herself, he now noticed her horn had been glowing the whole time. She was instantly healing any burns she got. But that wouldn’t have stopped the pain that the burns caused in the first place, it only stopped them from causing any damage.
“It was only a matter of time...” Sweetie Belle said, her voice monotone. She wasn’t herself. Rarity striking her had done something; it hadn’t upset her, it hadn’t hurt her… it had just done… something. “Before she hated me too…” she continued as she turned back to the mirror and starred at her own reflection.
“Rarity?” asked Spike “She doesn’t hate you, she never could!”
“When why did she hit me when I just wanted to help her. She promised me! She promised...” Sweetie Belle yelled, for the briefest moment a tinge of sorrow came through but her voice returned back to its cold tone right afterwards. “…that she would never hurt me like he did. That somepony would always love me… and she wouldn’t leave me like they did…”
“L-like who did? Who left you? Who hurt you?” Spike pleaded.
“Mum… Dad… they died, Rarity took me in. I hated her at first; I wanted to live with Applebloom, not her. But she promised me… she wouldn’t let anypony… but she lied! She doesn’t love me, she hates me! She hit me like he did! Nopony loves me!”
“Sweetie Belle… I love you…”
“No you don’t! You just wanna use me! Like they all have! Like… and hurt me like… he did”
“Sweetie Belle… what happened?”
“Dad always hit me. Me, Rarity, Mum… and… he, before he died… he, he….” Sweetie belle said, Her voice still not sounding normal. As she turned away from her reflection to face Spike she was surprised. He was crying. He didn’t even try to hide it like the few times he had cried when they were together. “It’s why Rarity’s always tried to protect me so much… from colts, from you, from… Elusive… she hates me and I don’t blame her.”
“No! Rarity loves you Sweetie Belle! I love you too…”
“Stop lying!” Sweetie Belle yelled. There was anger in her voice but at least it wasn’t the heart-breaking monotone she’d been using till now. “I’ve heard what you said! What Rarity said. She called me Sweetie-Bitch, you called me Sweetie-Bot… I’m not, I’m not a soulless robot Spike! I, I… I couldn’t… everypony who’s ever said they loved me has hurt me…”
“But I would never… when I told you I loved you I meant it! And… back then, Rarity had never hurt you…” Spike was cut off.
“Rarity never said she loved me…” her voice was hard and cold. It almost seemed worse to Spike than the emotionless one she’d had. “She said somepony would love me and that she wouldn’t let anypony hurt me… but she never told me that… that she loved me!”
“Well… I love you! And I promise I’ll never hurt you! Please… believe it…”
“How can I believe you? Prove it!”
“I can’t… you’ll just have to trust me. I love you and I won’t hurt you. Ever!”
“I… I can’t… I…” she was cut off as Spike leant over to her. She knew he was going to kiss her but he stopped just before her and placed his forehead against hers.
“Please… trust me Sweetie Belle.”
She leaned in and kissed him. It lasted just a second before she pulled away slightly, their foreheads still touching. Shee leant back in and kissed him again, longer, more passionately. This time it lasted about ten seconds and she finally pulled away again, this time her forehead pulled away from his.
Spike looked worried, he feared she was about to run. He’d tried, but if she wanted to run he wouldn’t try to stop her.
“I trust you Spike.”
~ ~
With a flash Twilight appeared just behind Rarity. They were in the back room of the church they had been in before running off to the train station. Rarity’s dress was ripped in two and each half thrown to the side it had been on. She was just standing there now and didn’t even seem to care Twilight had followed her.
“Rarity. Are you ok?” Twilight asked
“Oh, I’m completely fine twilight, can’t you tell?” Rarity remarked, not even facing Twilight to acknowledge her. “I’ve made up my mind. I’m putting off relationships once more. This is all because of them. Those stallions and their ‘needs’ with a mare. Pathetic and disgusting! Had I stayed celibate none of this would’ve happened. I wouldn’t be hurt now, I wouldn’t have struck my sister and I wouldn’t have nearly lost all my friends two months ago… I’m better off this way.”
“Your… right…?” Twilight didn’t expect her to be so calm. She’d expected Rarity to be a writhing mass piled on the floor, crying over what had just happened. “I know you must be feeling… I don’t even know… you’re not doing what I expected you to do. Is there anything…”
“Yes, I know what you mean… I’m quite surprised myself. I don’t know if it hasn’t sunk in or if I just don’t care. I just know… it’s their fault! Bastards, all of them. Stallions! Elusive, Flash Dance, Cecil! Twilight… I know you’ve been trying to stop me all day but… I could really use a drink, be a dear?”
“Sure thing Rarity.” Twilight said as she turned around. She didn’t know if what was happening now was a good or bad thing but it was better than what she had feared. Twilight’s horn glowed as she picked up a bottle and popped the lid off, then she found two glasses and poured herself and Rarity a small glass each. She’d let Rarity drink but she still only filled her glass to a quarter, while her own glass nearly full.
The crystal floated in front of Rarity and her own pale blue magic grabbed it as Twilight’s released. “Thank you dear, champaign too. Quite nice, far better than what I’d been expecting as my first break from sobriety.” she said as she lifted it to her lips and took a sip. It was sweet, different to the normal apple wine or cider she was used to. She’d only ever had something like this once before… in… Prance…
She dropped the glass, letting the fine flute shatter on the ground. She turned around to see Twilight levitating the bottle. It was what she thought it was. Sparkling Mango Wine: ‘Golden Drop - 1999’
This was what Twilight had expected. Rarity’s eyes began to water and her lip began to quiver. She quickly sat, nearly just dropping from her feet. It was possible that she was sitting on her broken glass but Twilight could tell. The pain that was now expressed on her face clearly wasn’t from anything physical. It had finally hit her. Or hit her again rather.
Twilight walked up to her and sat beside her, putting one of her hooves over Rarity’s shoulder. “It’s alright, I’m here and you’re not alone. I’m sure… well they’re probably on the train to Cantalot now… but if they weren’t all the others would be here too. I know you must be feeling like nopony loves you but your sister loves you… you probably don’t want to hear it but I think even Elusive loves you. Your friends love you, and I’m one of your friends. I just want you to know that you’re loved by so many ponies.” Twilight said as she leaned her head against Rarity’s neck trying to comfort her.
“He… loves me…” Rarity whispered lowly. If Twilight hadn’t had her ears so close to Rarity, she most likely wouldn’t have even heard it. It was a start at least. She knew somepony loved her and that would help. And it was a good pony who loved her. Elusive had risked everything for Rarity and most likely was going to lose it all for her.
“Let me get you another glass Rarity” Twilight said as she pulled her head away and her horn glowed.
“No!” Rarity yelled. Her own horn glowed, grabbing the bottle away from Twilight and hurling it against the wall, exploding as champaign bottles do. Twilight thought she obviously didn’t want to drink… but then she pulled a small, cheap bottle of apple cider from the decanter at the side of the room. This confused Twilight… a lot. Why would Rarity rather drink that cheap stuff than a glorious foreign, expensive champaign from… who did Rarity even know who would send her such a gift basket all the way form Prance?
“Rarity, who was that basket from?” Twilight asked but didn’t receive and answer. Rarity just glugged from the bottle she had gotten and ignored Twilight. Or so Twilight though as a note flew in front of her. It was the one that had been in the basket. Twilight took the letter and opened the envelope.
“Read it for me please, Twilight”
“Uh, sure thing Rarity” She unfolded the letter and began…
My dearest Rarity,
I’m so happy you finally found somepony for you. You have no idea how happy this makes me.
I truly wish I could be there for you on this day. That I could see you when you walk down the aisle with your new husband. That I could just see even you at all, once again.
I know I can’t be there, but I just have to tell you that I miss you, and Sweetie Belle also.
Love forever,
Your Father.