Ice Crystals
Chapter 2: Ice Crystals
The wind was unusually cool for a late spring evening; a steady breeze that danced through Ponyville, rustling leaves and carrying with it a pleasant aroma. It tickled Rainbow Dash’s nose as she stood on the boutique’s front porch as she silently watched the sky finish its onset of dusk, the stars becoming visible in all their astrological glory. She wished she could be as far away as one of them.
She also wished that somepony who knew all could come tell her who was right and who was wrong.
Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure what she should be feeling. She had every right to be angry… didn’t she? She didn’t ask for her wounds to be opened up. She felt all the memories coming back to her, memories she wished she could push deep into the recesses of her mind.
Was this all Rarity’s fault?
Her eyes closed, and she saw was Rarity’s shell-shocked face. The unicorn was wide eyed in disbelief, scared, and backed up against the wall, too scared to move even an inch. It wasn’t the first time she had lost control of her emotions and it surely wouldn’t be the last.
But it was the first time somepony close to her had witnessed it.
She couldn’t blame this on Rarity, not all of it anyway. It was like throwing her into a minefield and telling her to mark all the mines. Sure, she could mark some of them, but one false step could result in a massive explosion that rocked both of them.
Rainbow turned back towards the bay window, noticing that the lamp inside had been turned off, the inside of the boutique bathed in darkness. She must have decided to turn in, leaving Rainbow all alone for the night.
Her peacefulness was short-lived, as her ears perked up at the tinny squeak of the door. It opened slowly, not that she had to turn around to know who it was.
Instead, she ignored it, focusing on the sky, her wide open sky. It was also a sky that would soon become her personal playground, just as soon as the unicorn behind her would make up her mind and leave the confines of the doorway. She looked back for a moment at Rarity, but said nothing.
“Dash… please, can we just talk? I’m sorry, it was entirely my fault, I shouldn’t have been so…”
“Get on.”
Just as it was quick to depart, the confusion returned to Rarity’s face. She cocked her head at the requested Rainbow uttered in the most uncharacteristically monotone voice she had ever heard.
“Um, I beg your pardon?”
This time, Rainbow did turn around to face her. “I know you heard me. I said get on,” she said with a stern face as she motioned to her back.
Rarity looked at the place in which Rainbow pointed; an area on the center of her back right between both of her wings. Everything in her mind told her what a bad and terrible idea it would be to do such a thing, and she was certain as could be that this would lead to disaster. But she still convinced her mind on account of a single sentence.
Do it for Dash.
She walked over to Rainbow’s side, curious on how a pony would climb upon her back without causing too much discomfort. Walking over to her other side earned her an impatient groan. Using the railing for leverage, she hopped up on the swell of Rainbow’s back.
Rarity closed her eyes, taking deep a lungful of crisp evening air before a sudden noise caused her breath to be lodged in her throat. She opened her eyes to find both wings outstretched in a very familiar manner.
It was then she realized Rainbow was starting to run, the same type of run associated with her…
“Rainbow STOP!!”
Cyan hooves came to a screeching halt, digging into the earth below. Rainbow craned her neck back, noticing Rarity was about to tumble over her mane and onto her head, but was able to hold on by a hair. She could feel her shivering, comparable to if it was the middle of winter.
“I… I don’t think I’m ready for this yet,” she stammered, her panic beginning to fade. “Being in the air, without any safety belts or anything, heaven forbid something were to happen up there.”
Rainbow stood still for a minute, feeling the deep breathes Rarity took atop her and comparing them to a mare who had just finished a marathon.
“When was the last time you flew with somepony?”
“…The day you saved me.”
Rainbow simply grinned slightly. Although slightly offended at the gesture, Rarity felt a weight being lifted off her shoulders at the pseudo-pleasant reaction. However, that weight was a tiny pebble sitting next to a huge boulder, one she was going to address in the most direct of ways, whether she wanted to or not.
Desperately, Rarity tried to curtail the imagery of her body falling through the sky. Unknowingly, she closed her eyes only to be interrupted by a tap on the shoulder.
Rarity silently watched Rainbow’s mane dance in the gentle breezes, waves of sweeping color accented by the sunset behind her. There was a change in her mood, the familiar feeling of determination radiating as it slowly burned within the pegasus. She recognized that look, the same one that appeared the day she was rescued, the same one when they and the others had to save Equestria.
She jolted as she felt an invisible current flow through her foreleg, looking down to see Rainbow gripping her hoof tightly. As she brought her head up, she met that determined gaze.
“Do you trust me?”
It was a simple question, but as the seconds ticked on by, Rarity could’ve sworn it was the most difficult in all of Equestria.
“I… I don’t know.” She began to shiver in anticipation, her nerves getting the best of her. “I mean what if I fall off, and then you’ll have to risk your life to save me again and I’ll owe you even more than I do now and…”
Rainbow put a hoof to her lips which silenced her nervous babbling.
“Rarity…”
She looked up.
“Do you trust me?”
Rainbow trusted her enough to admit a deep hidden fear nopony knew about, even if it was thanks to an insistent prodding. She knew it wouldn’t be fair if she didn’t do the same.
“Yes.”
Another one of those tiny grins graced Rainbow’s face.
“Hold on tight.”
Rarity did exactly that, her eyes glued shut as the pony beneath her begin to move forward in strides. She could feel herself heating up again, her hooves becoming clammy which compromised her vice-like grip on Rainbow’s shoulders. She knew that her best bet was to avoid panicking, because that just led to fainting, and the last thing Rarity wanted was to fall like a rag doll off her marefriend’s back.
So she breathed.
Breathe in, count to three.
1…
2…
3…
And out.
Rarity opened her eyes, and screamed.
Or attempted to scream at the very least. All that came out was the sound of a coarse dry throat, a squeak as her body remained tensed up against Rainbow’s. The only noise present was the wind whipping at their backs, her eyes becoming watery as particulates slammed into her face and mane. She noted that a shower was in order once they landed.
She turned around cautiously to look at the boutique, but this only caused her blood pressure to rise as the structure continued to dwindle in size. Within a minute, it resembled a white and purple tinted dot on the landscape. In fact, every structure resembled dots, whether it be Golden Oaks or Sweet Apple Acres, although the farm was considerably larger in size. Nevertheless, Ponyville looked like only a cluster of dots, and Rarity could only guess at how high in the air they were. She wasn’t sure if she could take the answer without an impending heart attack.
Rarity felt the hard pull of gravity weaken considerably, and realized that they had stopped gaining altitude.
“So right now, we’re gliding on the top of the troposphere,” Rainbow blurted out randomly, assuming Rarity would hear the small lesson she was going to teach. “All the weather, blizzards, droughts, thunderstorms and all, take place here. I’ll show you something even cooler that happens here too.”
Confusion set into Rarity’s mind for the umpteenth time. Just minutes ago, Rainbow had left her home on the mere account of her presence. Now she looked to be in good spirits, as if the last five hours never happened.
Her confusion soon vanished as Dash darted left, her wings flapping along as flew towards a nearby cloud. Slowly, she descended with careful attention, making sure the cloud was strong enough to support their combined weight. She couldn’t imagine how she would make it up for Rarity if they fell through a cloud.
The cloud made a soft, slightly squishy noise as they landed. Rainbow chuckled at the noise, and cocked her head and eyes back just to see a glimpse of her passenger, who was still clutching onto her for dear life. The sight nearly made her laugh, seeing Rarity’s panic stricken face akin to if she had just seen a ghost. It was worth the pain of how hard her hooves were digging into her sides.
“Rares, I’m not even moving now. Lighten up or you’ll give me bruises kay?”
Rarity looked down and finally noticed just how tightly she was holding onto Rainbow’s back, more specifically the very base of her wings. She could see a small amount of bruising already start to form, a light violet hue forming at each area. To her surprise, Rainbow didn’t seem to notice very much, if at all.
“Sorry sorry, I’m just kind of terrified if you can’t tell dear. Remember, I did m-mention that I’m still scared of being up here like this,” she said, teeth chattering as the air around her felt like the middle of winter. “Also, why is it so absolutely frigid? Why I feel like m-my teeth are going to fall out.”
She glared daggers as Rainbow chuckled at her. “Well it’s always like this up here. The sun has a hard time warming air with nothing around, and really all that’s here are clouds.” She looked around for a moment, sticking out a hoof to get a better sense of the winds and temperature. “We aren’t very high up either.”
Rarity looked down and then at the back of Rainbow’s head with her mouth agape again. “You mean we’re going higher?!”
“Rares, just trust me. Where I’m taking you is somewhere not many ponies go. Heck, I’m one of only a couple pegasi to ever go up there,” she explained as she dipped her hoof into the cloud, swirling around the water vapor into a small funnel like shape. “I think…” she paused for a moment, before glancing back at Rarity, “No, I know you’ll love it. Just trust me.”
Just trust me.
Rarity mouthed those three words, letting them each roll off her tongue. She was sure she could trust Rainbow, but a lingering doubt still existed deep within the recesses of her mind, one that told her to turn back now before it was too late. It told her that maybe she should keep that fear and others bottled up, locked away from anypony who dared to get too close to them for her comfort. Trust was just a word, and how did she know everything would be alright if she let her secrets escape?
“Rainbow Dash, I…”
Just trust me.
But isn’t trust one of the things relationships revolved around?
She should be able to tell Dash anything and everything. She should allow herself to put all her cards on the table.
Rarity looked up at Rainbow Dash to find a look of fear and apprehension, one that rivaled the same look given to her the very night earlier on. It was enough for her to make up her mind.
“…Lead the way before I change my mind.”
Her heart leaped up into her throat as Rainbow’s bright grin resurfaced. To her surprise, she was scooped up and put into a tight, yet short embrace. She could feel Dash’s body heat course through her making the air feel a little less cold. Rarity tried to hide the deep crimson blush that creeped up her muzzle, but had to admit that the idea of a romantic gesture from Rainbow up here secluded from everypony else was quite appealing. As she was placed back down, she almost was disappointed in the moment being so short.
“Alrighty, you’re gonna wanna strap in for the next part, things might get a bit bumpy.”
Rarity gulped. “Well I guess a little turbulence is expected right?” Apparently Rainbow didn’t hear her as she went into a full gallop, her wings extended as she took off into a gentle glide.
Unexpectedly, she felt a sudden downward force, and looked down to see everything start to increase in size. Rarity felt her stomach rise up into her throat as the pegasus dived downwards, her entire body stiff and frozen on Rainbow’s back as she feared the worst. She just hoped she’d be able to hold onto her lunch.
“We’re going into a current! Brace yourself!” Rainbow bellowed, her face contorting from the velocity of the wind whipping through her mane and onto her face.
Their speed was picking up at an incredible clip. From any pony looking towards the sky, the pair would resemble a shooting star. Rainbow felt like a living lightning bolt darting around her endless playground, capable of doing things in the air very few pegasi were able to accomplish.
The sky was her mantra, the fuel which allowed her to be who she was. She closed her eyes momentarily, feeling the air whipping around them, each strand of hair on her mane and tail moving as if they had minds of their own. She breathed in the crispness of the air again, and felt as it swirled inside her.
Her eyes opened as she knew that they were approaching sonic rainboom speeds, but held off as she glanced momentarily back at Rarity. The fashionista had her eyes screwed shut, hooves practically welded onto Dash’s back. She would have shown Rarity the experience of a rainboom, but decided against it, for fears of giving her a heart attack.
“Open your eyes!”
Sure enough, Rarity’s eyes snapped open at the command, just as Rainbow started to lift, using their previous speed to send them rocketing upward. They blasted straight through a puffy cumulus cloud, and Rainbow spun as she ascended, leaving a prismatic trail of swirly white vapor behind them.
Rarity finally felt it in her to try and scream again, and scream did she ever.
What she didn’t bank on was her screams to be mixed with cackles of laughter and giggles as they danced amongst the cloud tops. Rainbow had slowed down, and the pair now floated upon the clouds. Rarity felt a sense of weightlessness come upon her, a pleasant tickling feeling that settled in the pits of her stomach like butterflies. It was unlike any feeling she ever remembered, or ever experienced.
As soon as they leveled out, Rainbow could hear nothing but giggles coming from her passenger, and turned to see Rarity still seated upon her, but with only a single hoof holding on, while the other wafted through the air. She grinned as the unicorn continued to marvel at the sky before them, illuminated by the moon and stars.
“Is somepony enjoying themselves?”
Rarity turned and was met by a huge “I told ya so” grin etched on Rainbow’s face. Temptation was there to smack it off her face, but she merely settled on rolling her eyes with a huff.
“Aw come on Rares, don’t be like that. Besides, what I really wanted to show ya is right above us.” Rarity just cocked an eyebrow in her direction.
Gently, Rainbow started to gain altitude, rising yet another hundred hooves before leveling out again. “Now, look up and you’ll see what I mean.”
From the ground, the sight above their heads didn’t look all that spectacular. Any onlooker would merely see some thin and wispy cirrus clouds, something most ponies would never think much about. Even Rainbow Dash herself didn’t initially have an appreciation for this weather phenomenon, not until she became part of the team responsible for it, and definitely not before seeing it in person.
It was only the third time she’d ever seen it up close.
The sky was flooded with tiny twinkling lights, millions upon millions of them dancing together as the lightest of breezes tossed them about. These Ice crystals that made up the cirrus clouds, every one of them reflecting a minuscule amount of light, and each one unique.
To Rarity, it was one of the most awe inspiring sights she had ever witnessed firsthand. Although not a pony who enjoyed dirtying herself without cause, she did have a love for the natural beauty mother nature created. It was one of her most frequent sources of inspiration, whether it be for her fall line, or even a decorative tablecloth to correctly fit the season. Part of her mind started kicking into hyperdrive, imagining the ice crystals as the centerpiece for future designs.
But the other part of her told her to forget about it all, everything, and live in the moment.
Without hesitation, she lifted up a hoof, becoming even more slack jawed as the ice crystals danced around her hoof, as if she was drawing an invisible line through the cloud itself. Her eyes remained wide and attentive, taking in as much of the scenery as possible as the ice crystals moved about, to and fro, her hoof resulting in the creation of two new clouds, formed from the one. It was a visual ecstasy.
“Dash..,” Rarity breathed, barely able to put into words what she was watching, “This is incredible. How did you ever find this place?”
“It was by accident. Most of the cool places I find are,” she said. “I just fly where the wind or my mind takes me.”
“Does it ever cross your mind that you could get lost?”
“Nah. I assume that I’ll always be led back home. I think my mind just knows never to leave Ponyville at this point, since there is so much of me there.”
Although she didn’t understand the logic completely, Rarity couldn’t argue with Rainbow’s explanation. The last thing she wanted to do was let her curiosity best her again, she couldn’t bear to find herself in a similar predicament.
Instead, she remained silent, as did Rainbow. They paid their attention to the magic unfolding in front of them, marveling at how the wind shaped and shifted the millions upon millions of ice crystals. Rarity still couldn’t believe how graceful it was, as if an experienced puppeteer was controlling every single crystal with the movement of an invisible string.
Yet she still felt undeserving of such a show, not after what she had caused.
Maybe it was the right time to try and fix it.
“Rainbow?”
“Yeah?”
“I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I never meant to make a remark like I did, it wasn’t fair to you and you didn’t deserve that. It just didn’t seem like that big deal to me at the time. I should have considered your feelings.”
Rarity felt relieved, as if she let a breath she had held in for an eternity finally escape.
It was short-lived as she looked upon Rainbow’s currently unreadable face. The mare had difficulty sensing any dominant emotion in her, and was presented with a blank, neutral face.
“Alright then.”
“Wait a minute, that’s it? Why I thought you’d be happy or still angry with me at the very least. You just sound disinterested to be honest.”
“Rares, I’m just conflicted okay?”
“About what darling?”
A long sigh escaped Rainbow’s lips, and she started to sharply descend towards a small cumulus cloud. It wasn’t much, but it would be enough to provide both of them with a place to take another break.
Her hooves met the soft, spongey texture of the cloud with an audible squish. It was anice feeling, one resembling one of those massages Rarity once took her to, but those were nowhere near as comfortable as the cloud itself.
Rainbow stood atop the cloud in silence, only noticing after a moment that Rarity hadn’t moved a muscle. She turned her head around, just enough so she could see the unicorn out of her eye before she looked up.
Together, they stared above themselves, becoming lost in the magic of the night. The stars continued to dance, as if they were free, free from the stress and problems of the universe they inhabited. Rainbow envied them, even if they weren’t alive.
What was stopping her from becoming this way, from becoming free of the burdens she held inside?
“Remember what I mentioned, you know, that self-confidence thing and all?” Rainbow asked, feeling the accelerated beating of Rarity’s heart through her body, “I thought that I could fly so far away it would disappear. Yet a single word, one I know you didn’t mean to say, set me off. To think that I’ve held this in for so long, heck, none of you even knew till now.”
“If you think I’m going to blab this to everypony I see, well, I won’t. You have my promise that my lips will remain sealed,” Rarity said, the guilt building up and accelerating her heartbeat. She wondered if Rainbow noticed. “And yes, I know I gossip a bit.” Rarity could sense the glare on Rainbow’s face. “Alright a lot. But nevertheless, I would never say anything bad about my friends. You know that.”
“Thanks… but that’s not what I meant.”
Rarity casted a cloudwalking spell on herself, wondering why she hadn’t done so before. Cautiously, she got off Dash’s back, putting all four hooves down onto the cloud itself. Testing the cloud with a couple light punches, she took a seat, motioning for Rainbow to follow.
“Now then… what did you mean?”
“I should be over something so, childish by now,” Rainbow said, looking completely away from Rarity, her eyes focusing on a distant star. “To be honest, I feel stupid worrying about this so much. I mean, why can’t I just go out in a dress and act like myself. This stuff never bothers me when I’m flying.”
“Well, of course it wouldn’t.”
Rainbow turned back, finding Rarity’s eyes scanning the sky just as hers were. In an instant she felt a pair of alabaster hooves pull her close, so close in fact that she could feel each heartbeat course through Rarity’s body.
“This is your element Rainbow Dash!” One hoof gestured towards the entire sky before them as the other held her firmly. “Twilight has her library, Pinkie the bakery, Fluttershy her home and animals, and AJ has her farm and family. Each of them has a place where they can truly answer the calling of who they really are.”
“What about you?”
“Me? Well I have my boutique of course. Granted, it isn’t the only place I can be myself, nor is it for the rest of our friends. My first point being, I am not even the slightest bit surprised that you are not bothered while flying.”
A pair of hooves flew up in the air as Rainbow groaned loudly, escaping Rarity’s grip as she fell back into the cloud with an audible poof. “I already know that! Being up here… it helps me live in the present, and ignore the past.”
Rarity loudly cleared her throat, attracting a set of eyes. “You didn’t let me get to my other point.”
Sighing, Rainbow buried her face in her hooves, motioning with one for Rarity to continue. Between her hooves she could make out a rather tiny cirrus cloud that had drifted away from the rest. The cloud sat directly above Rarity, who slowly dragged her hoof through it, repeating the same motion that had divided the one cloud earlier on.
“Each one of these ice crystals is unique, beautiful in their own way, whatever that may be. What I see when I look at you is an ice crystal, my ice crystal. As cliché as you may find it to be, you’re beautiful Rainbow Dash, inside and out. Everything you do and every quality you possess good or bad, makes you you. And for the love of Celestia, you are not stupid.”
“Rares… you don’t have to…”
“You have fears and flaws, some of them much more prominent than others. But everypony does because nopony’s perfect. Perfection is something I may try to achieve when I design things darling, but you have to understand that I know there is no such thing. Everypony had their insecurities, it's just a matter of putting them aside, and not letting them control us. I’ll put every waking hour into making the perfect dress, which is actually what I tried to do for you. In the end was it flawed? Of course. But as long as you loved it, that was all I needed.”
“Like the gala dresses you made us right?”
Rarity giggled lightly. “Dear, I designed those around what you all asked because I wanted to appease all of you. Now did I like them?”
“Most likely not right?”
“Let’s just say they wouldn’t be something I would ever design on my own. But I would have proudly told anypony I made those for you, because the five of you looked absolutely fabulous in them, no matter what I thought of them.”
In the slightest of instances, a small smile graced Rainbow’s face. “My dress did look pretty cool, didn’t it? Almost as cool as the one I tore to shreds…”
“I take no offense to that, dear, nor do I ask for an apology.” Rarity could hear the loud sigh of relief escape through Rainbow’s lips. “However, you are far from being off the hook.” Rainbow’s sighs of relief were instantly replaced with a gasp and a swallow of anxiety. The idea of seeing how far she could take this intrigued Rarity, but she filed it in the back of her mind. It would better suit an instance where Rainbow really did something downright stupid.
“Starting tomorrow, I want to see Rainbow Dash. Not the Rainbow Dash I saw today, not the Rainbow Dash who is scared of inner demons, because that one is gone now. Instead, I want to see the true Rainbow Dash, the fearless loyal companion I love, and the best friend to everypony."
"Rares, I just don't know. I've tried for years, and it'll just come back."
"It might, but remember, you're not fighting it alone." She put a foreleg around Rainbow, nuzzling into her side and watching as she blushed. "I'll be with you every step of the way, and we'll figure out our problems together."
"But I still don't..."
"Shh..." Rarity put a hoof to Rainbow's lips. "All I ask for is Rainbow Danger Dash. Now can you do that?”
It was as if somebody flipped a switch. Within seconds, the sporty, confident demeanor that Rainbow always wore returned as she leaped up into the air and did a flip, doing a perfect landing with her face inches in front of Rarity’s.
“It’s a deal! Now, let’s go home, it’s dark as heck out here,” she pointed out, motioning for Rarity to climb on her back again.
“Wait… I didn’t say I was finished,” Rarity remarked. “You also must go with me to the spa for an entire day, and get the full package.”
The groan and whine that emitted from Rainbow’s lips sent a solid sound wave radiating for miles. “Do I have to… you know I hate hooficures.”
“Do think that I am asking you to accompany me to something that I am paying for. That dress you tore apart wasn’t exactly the cheapest of materials,” she deadpanned. “But… I suppose I can let you skip the hooficure part.” Rarity jumped slightly as Dash kissed her on the cheek. Her face now flushed, Rarity hopped back onto Rainbow’s back, finding her comfy spot before signaling that everything was a-okay.
“Catching you off guard like that will never get old.”
“Oh shush you.”
Rainbow chuckled. “You all good?”
“Actually, could we go up to see the ice crystals one more... WAHHH!”
Rainbow jumped off and dived before she could finish, gliding and flapping her wings to gain altitude.
Rarity watched behind them for a moment, looking back at the lone little cloud they had sat on as it shrank till it was merely a blip in the sky. She could only hope that wasn’t the only thing that they would leave behind.