//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Painful Implications // Story: Desires // by Skylight77 //------------------------------// 4 days ago: Rainbow Dash returned back to the Carousel Boutique in order to help pack for Rarity’s trip. All of her friends, Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity were all already present there when she arrived. Pinkie Pie was missing most likely due to her illness. The rest of them were there assisting Rarity with her luggage of supplies and dresses that she was taking either for her client or for her stay while she was at Hoofington. Each pony was carrying at least one luggage, the details not on Rainbow Dash’s mind. She instead was trying to think back to that dream that she had had earlier, but it was difficult to recall dreams precisely. The five ponies were walking to the train station with the luggage in toe, with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy carrying their part while flying in the air. They were both carrying two separate suitcases. While they were heading to the train station, Rainbow Dash thought back onto what Fluttershy had said a couple of days ago. If this dream was really that serious, she had to let her friends know. But for some reason, it was just so difficult. She had to try again though. “Listen guys, I have something I have to tell you,” Rainbow Dash started. “What is it Rainbow Dash?” Twilight said as the four ponies turned their attentions to Rainbow Dash. “It’s hard to believe, but listen,” Rainbow Dash paused for a second. “Last night, I had a dream. In that dream, Rarity was sticking a dress on me.” Rarity raised an eye brow at this. “Rainbow Dash, that wasn’t a dream, that happened yesterday, these are the dresses I’m taking,” Rarity stated while motioning to each of their luggage. “No Rarity, that wasn’t it. You were using needles and everything when you stuck that dress on me!” Rainbow Dash attempted to correct. “You were really hurting me when you were doing that!” “Oh dear I was? Why didn’t you say anything?” Rarity asked as she put a hoof to her mouth, but then remembered. “Oh, I remember, I had to tape your mouth closed because you kept interrupting me.” “Hold on,” Applejack interjected. “Tape her mouth? What in tarnation did ya do Rarity?” “Why, Rainbow Dash had asked about my day during that dreadful storm,” Rarity stated while she took an elegant pose while still walking. “So I tried to tell her all about it. But she kept interrupting me. I had to silence her somehow if I was ever going to share it with her.” “Guys! I’m not talking about her story!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “I’m talking about the dress that Rarity was sticking on to me!” “Rainbow Dash, I’m sorry about that,” Rarity stated. “But I needed to get my line of fashion done, and you were the only pony available at the time who was willing to help.” Twilight hid her face with a little bit of an embarrassed grin at that remark. “First off, I wasn’t willing to help!” Rainbow Dash shouted again. “Second off, you burned it on to me!” This left the four friends with a concerned look in their eyes. Rainbow Dash’s shouting seemed to be attracting other ponies’ attentions. “The tools that you were using to stick that dress on me burned me! It was so hot and painful!” Fluttershy placed both her hooves, along with the package, over her mouth. She was horrified by the statements Rainbow Dash had made. It sounded like Rainbow Dash had such a painful experience if what she was saying was true. “Oh my, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity responded, feeling guilty about it. “I’m so sorry, I… I didn’t know.” Rainbow Dash’s mood started to shine after hearing that response. “Modelin’ fer a dress can be painful, But ah never expected it ta sound painful like that,” Applejack said. Rainbow Dash’s mood suddenly dropped. Fluttershy seemed to be concerned “Listen Rainbow Dash, I’m sorry for how I reacted earlier, but Rarity desperately needed help,” Twilight said in a sympathetic tone. “Don’t worry though, if modeling is as painful to you as you say it is, then you won’t ever have to do it again. We understand, right Rarity?” Rainbow Dash’s body started vibrating in frustration, her breathing becoming slightly aggressive, but not visible from a distance. “Oh of course darling,” Rarity responded. “It would be so uncouth of me to force somepony to dressing fabulously, even if she could use some lightening up.” She cleared her throat. “Nevertheless, I shall only model her if she allows it. How does that sound, Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow Dash released her grip from the suitcase she was carrying, letting it drop to the ground, spilling out its contents. Without a word, she flew away from the scene in a hurry and in frustration. The remaining four friends, minus Fluttershy, all stopped walking and looked at each other in confusion. Fluttershy had looked off in the direction Rainbow Dash had fled towards, both fear and worry in her face. What Rainbow Dash described sounded just awful to her. “Oh my, was it something I said?” Rarity asked. While the others were discussing the situation, Fluttershy had gently set down the suitcase that she was holding down to where Rainbow Dash’s had dropped. She left the scene to follow the trail that Rainbow Dash had flown. “Maybe she didn’t want this to be heard in public,” Twilight thought as she noticed that several of Ponyville’s citizens were watching them. “But Twilight, she was the one who started this conversation,” Rarity said. “Hmm, Fluttershy, do you know what’s going on with her,… Fluttershy?” Twilight looked around, only to notice that Fluttershy had left at some point. ______________________________________________________________________________ Rainbow Dash was flying through the air with no particular destination in mind. She was beating her wings in a very aggressive manner, clearly frustrated. The wind was being pushed and blown away by Rainbow Dash’s force. The clouds that were even close to her path dissipated as she passed by them. “Grr! Why is it so hard?!” Rainbow Dash set her flight path on a direct course in the direction of one of the larger clouds that came into view. She flew to a higher altitude before she descended towards it. Rainbow Dash landed on the cloud with a large thump, causing some particles to escape the cloud upon impact. Rainbow Dash started beating the cloud with her front hooves, punching left and right to let out her frustration and causing more particles to break apart. “I am not trying to tell them I am embarrassed!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she continued beating the cloud. “Why can’t they see that? I’m trying to tell them that they’re-…” Rainbow Dash stopped her voice and movements as she realized what she was about to say. “N-no, they’re my friends. They would never do something like that,” she tried telling herself. “But… that dream… Rarity, she was…” Rainbow Dash was losing her words. She could recall that dream so clearly. She could practically feel the pain again while thinking about it again. Every piece of fabric that was being connected directly to her coat, with the use of pins, needles, and… “Mmmrrph!” Rainbow Dash gripped her head in her hooves in frustration. She plopped herself down on the cloud on her back, trying to make sense of everything. What Rainbow Dash could recall was that Rarity was sowing a cape on her, but she was doing it in a very painful way. Was that to imply that that was how she felt for Rarity’s dresses? ______________________________________________________________________________ Fluttershy had managed to follow Rainbow Dash’s trail not only by following the direction she flew in, but also by using the path of oddly positioned clouds in the skies. Fluttershy found Rainbow Dash lying on one of the larger clouds. Fluttershy intended to talk to her, but she stopped and hid herself when she noticed Rainbow Dash was already talking with another pony. But there wasn’t another pony she was talking to. Rainbow Dash was talking to, herself. Fluttershy stood on one of the clouds nearby, keeping herself barely from view. She was feeling very uneasy about this. “Oh… maybe I should leave. It’s wrong to spy on other pony’s privacy,” Fluttershy told herself. She attempted to try to leave, but she was just too worried to move. She hesitantly moved her attention back to Rainbow Dash’s words. “I don’t hate Rarity’s dresses, I don’t,” Rainbow Dash said to herself. “I just don’t like sitting around for so long, having to hold still while she works.” Rainbow Dash brought herself back up as she looked off into the distance. “Is that why I feel like my body is being pierced as I have to hold still like that?” Fluttershy cringed when she heard Rainbow Dash say that. “Do I really feel like I'm being stabbed repeatedly while I model for Rarity?” Fluttershy imagined the images from Rainbow Dash’s words. She saw a dress that was filled with needles that could be seen from the outside. The needles were used to connect to Rainbow Dash directly. The outside of the dress however, completely hid the needles. Fluttershy gave a small squeak. She pressed her hooves around her body in agony just thinking about what that could’ve felt like. “…And that burning and static, the singeing... how hot it was…” Rainbow Dash continued as she picked herself and started pacing around. She was starting to use a lot of similar words without even realizing it. “Am I really that embarrassed that it sets me on fire like that?” Fluttershy now had the image of the dress being burst into flames while Rainbow Dash was still wearing it. Or the dress was just burning her to the touch because the dress was that hot. Either way, it was too difficult for Fluttershy to imagine it happening. She could practically feel the pain now. It was that terrifying to her. Fluttershy shivered and whimpered in agony as the images kept coming to her. She slumped lower into the cloud, hiding her face within it, trying to escape the images. She could only imagine how Rainbow Dash was feeling right now if this was how she was feeling. “Mmmph…” Rainbow Dash groaned in agony at the implications she thought of. She stopped pacing and stood at the edge of the cloud. “Do they... really hate me?” she said as she plopped herself down, dangling a hoof off the edge of the cloud. “Or is it me who’s hating them… for what they put me through?” She closed her eyes as she thought. The cloud she was lying on was starting to darken. Fluttershy could only feel misery watching that scene. She tried to think of something, anything that she could say. But she couldn’t find the confidence to figure out how. “I don’t hate you, Rainbow Dash…” Fluttershy said under her breath. “I… I could never do something like that…” She felt as if speaking those words would help. But Rainbow Dash had to hear it from her friends, the ones who she thought she was hating on, or were hating her. "Rainbow Dash... you're my..." She couldn't finish that sentence before Rainbow Dash started speaking again. “I don’t hate them…” Rainbow Dash said silently. “I… I don’t hate them… and they don’t hate me…” She slowly closed her eyes. “So why does it feel like they’re always bringing pain to me?” Fluttershy was feeling very guilty. She couldn’t figure out how to help at all. She felt as if she herself was being such a bad friend to Rainbow Dash by not finding a way to help her. Fluttershy could try to explain to their friends what Rainbow Dash was explaining, but it was too painful for her to even think about it. She felt as if she was already proving to be a bad friend by watching Rainbow Dash’s privacy. Seeing Rainbow Dash was no longer moving nor talking, Fluttershy quietly left the scene, keeping the rest of her friend’s privacy spared. She would pretend she didn’t witness this, hoping that would make up for spying on Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy just couldn't bare the thought of Rainbow Dash one day hating her, or even the other way around. ______________________________________________________________________________ Current day: Fluttershy was very uncomfortable and terrified by the retelling of this moment. She shivered and whimpered uncontrollably. Rainbow Dash, despite her injuries, held her close, trying her best to comfort her. Rainbow Dash ran her hoof through the back of her pink mane while Fluttershy held her tightly, hiding her face in her cyan coat. Fluttershy’s ears dropped low, trying to press against her head to block out any more words coming from that story. “I hope what you’ve recalled was worth this, Carousel,” Rainbow Dash stated as she looked towards her, never letting Fluttershy go. Carousel lowered her eyelids, giving a low but deep growl as she recalled what she had done next. Rainbow Dash continued brushing Fluttershy’s mane while Carousel started continuing with her side of the story.