(SiC) Part 6 - How Much Do You Really Love Me?

by Brian Jacko

Finding Comfort for a Hurting Heart

Rainbow Dash's friends were still at Twilight Sparkle's library playing Dungeons and Dragons.

Pinkie Pie jolted up in alarm as she was having a bizarre Pinkie sense. "Girls!" Pinkie Pie cried out.

Twilight sighed and said, "No Pinkie, for the last time, you need to be quiet and let other ponies take turns playing."

"That's not it, Twilight!" Pinkie said. "I'm getting this crazy Pinkie sense that Dashie is hurt right now and that she needs our help."

"Pinkie, I'm sure Rainbow Dash is fine and that if there's a problem, then she'll come to us," Twilight said.

Pinkie Pie said a silent prayer hoping that wherever her cyan Pegasus friend was, that she'd be safe and that she would come to them. She had never felt a Pinkie sense this strong before. Whatever happened to Rainbow Dash must have been terrible.

Rainbow Dash picked herself up off of the ground. She made up her mind and was going to go to Twilight's library. She tried to flap her wings, but they were now so cold that she couldn't even get herself off of the ground because she did not have enough warm blood flowing through them. It would be a long travel for her to get to Twilight's library by hoof, but she knew that she had to get there. She needed her sisters in Christ, no matter how much she wanted to be alone right now.

Pinkie Pie could hardly focus on her game. She found herself pacing back and forth by the door. "We have to go get her, girls," she said. "I don't think my Pinkie senses have ever been wrong."

"Twilight was getting aggravated now because they couldn't communicate as a team with Pinkie Pie not sitting at the table. "Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash is fine! Get back here and sit your flank down on this chair so that we can find a place to set up our camp sight and rest for tomorrow."

Pinkie Pie sighed with sadness and sat back down at the table. Of course, her mind could not focus on the game because all she could think about was Rainbow Dash.

A few hours later, the door to Twilight Sparkle's library burst open and Rainbow Dash came running through.

All of her friends looked up at her with confusion written across their faces, except for Pinkie Pie. She knew deep down inside that something was seriously wrong.

Rainbow Dash thought that the she had cried every last tear drop outside, but when she saw her friends, her lips began to quiver and she fell down to the floor and began to sob uncontrollably.

Pinkie Pie rushed out of her seat and got low to the ground with Rainbow Dash. She had no idea what in the world was going on with her, but she somehow felt her hurt and she wrapped her front legs around her freezing body and began to cry into her shoulder.

All of her other friends looked at each other for a moment. They couldn't believe and never would have imagined that Rainbow Dash would ever break down crying like this. They had seen her get tearful in the past, but this was something that no pony had ever seen before. Her friends, including Spike, got up from the game and all came over to Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow Dash!?" Twilight asked. "What is wrong?! Are you hurt?"

Rainbow Dash could not speak because the anguish was so extreme.

"Oh, my," Fluttershy said. "Just try to relax and take your time telling us all about it."

Rainbow Dash laid there for a few moments unable to speak. In time, she spoke up in a quivering voice and said, "He hurt me. I never would have thought that he'd hurt me."

"Who hurt you, Rainbow Dash?" Rarity asked.

"Soarin' hurt me," Rainbow admitted.

Everypony gasped. They would never have suspected that Soarin' would ever hurt her. He must have done something terrible for her to be this upset.

"Please tell us," Rarity said. "We need to know what happened."

"He tried to pull a move on me tonight and I said no," Rainbow said.

"Like as in sexual?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah," Rainbow said. "And when I said no, he tried to convince me that God is ridiculous and he acted like he deserved my body even though we weren't married yet. He thought that just because he treated me so well and that we have been together for quite some time now, that it gave him the right to have sex with me. When I still refused, he got so angry that he threw a glass at me and it just barely missed my head because I was able to duck it. I never thought he would become violent!"

Twilight Sparkle and the rest of her friends were shocked. "I know I told you that I felt that he was a good stallion, but this is just crazy! I thought you told me that he was Christian."

"I found out that he's really not. He thought he was because a family member of his was a Christian so he figured that it made him Christian as well, but he doesn't understand that if somepony in his family is a Christian, this doesn't automatically make him a Christian."

"Ah," Twilight said. "We have a worldly pony who thinks that just because they say they are Christian, doesn't really mean anything. For Jesus said, “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth."

"Twi, I don't really want to hear that right now. You don't understand. I'm not angry with him. I still love him and I promised that I'd be loyal to him. I am crushed right now and I am grieving."

Twilight Sparkle felt bad for quoting that verse. She forgot just how much Soarin' meant to her. "I'm really sorry if I came off too harsh, Rainbow. Twilight turned to Pinkie and said, "And I'm really sorry that I didn't listen to your Pinkie senses, Pinkie Pie. I make mistakes sometimes too." Twilight Sparkle turned back to Rainbow Dash and put her front hoof on her shoulder. She sighed because she now felt her pain and said, "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. Rainbow, let us pray for you."

"No!" Rainbow cried out. "Please pray for Soarin' instead. He needs it more than I do."

"You both need it, Rainbow Dash. Girls. Come closer and let's pray over our hurting sister."

Each pony came over and put their front hoof over Rainbow's body. Rainbow Dash was still shaking and crying on the floor.

"Can I pray over her too" Spike asked.

"Absolutely," Twilight answered.

Spike put his front claw on her body and Twilight looked at Fluttershy and said, "Fluttershy, I haven't heard you pray in a while. Why don't you start our prayer circle by praying first?"

Fluttershy was often nervous when it came to speaking out, even if she was talking to her closest friends. She really liked to keep her prayers silent and she liked to keep her prayer life to herself unless somepony asked her about it. She saw Rainbow Dash hurting and even though she was so very shy, she began to pray. "Dear Father in Heaven. We come before you because we have a hurting sister and we need your help to heal the hurt deep inside of her. Please comfort her and wipe every tear away from her eyes. Only you have the power to heal the hurt and change the hearts of others. We also pray for Soarin' because he is lost in lust and needs your guidance. Rainbow Dash really loves him, and if it is within your will, we pray that he may come to his senses and seek you as well as come back to Rainbow Dash. We pray for our sister and we pray that you may use us to comfort her. In Jesus's name I pray, amen."

Every other pony took their turn praying over Rainbow Dash. Spike was the last one to pray for her. Everypony let go of her and watched her.

Rainbow Dash laid on the floor curled up in a ball. She didn't move. She looked as if she had no life left inside of her. All that could be seen was the rising and falling of her chest as she breathed.

"Rainbow Dash? Aren't you going to get up?" Rarity asked.

"I just don't feel good," Rainbow replied. "You have no idea how much I am hurting."

"I have had my heart crushed before, but never in such a way when it comes to having a somepony special before, Rainbow," Twilight said. "But you have to be strong and get through this. Soarin' was being shady and he did not respect you. There are plenty of other stallions out there who would respect you for who you are. He said that he was a Christian, but he was just talking the walk and not walking the walk like so many other ponies out there. He was as they say, a worldly Christian."

"I don't want to move on," Rainbow said. "I hope you don't think I'm being weak and pathetic, but you know I don't represent the element of loyalty for nothing. I already had told him that I love him and that I would be loyal to him. He was the perfect stallion for me and we got along so well. I can't even recall a single fight between us. If we ever disagreed on something, then we would both work together and find a way around it. We usually end up laughing."

Twilight's ears perked up at what she just heard Rainbow admit. "But you didn't marry him, Rainbow! Just because you said that you loved him and that you would be loyal to him doesn't mean that you can't move on when he clearly cares more about his selfish sexual desires rather than you. I know you are loyal because you have proved it with our friendship, but you're taking this loyalty thing way too far! If there's a stallion you're dating that seems too perfect to be true, then that should be a red warning flag right there. Many ponies who try to fit so perfectly in line with their mates, end up hiding something or putting on an act just to try to get something that they want out of their mates."

"I'm not dating again unless I have him back. I feel like I'm being called to wait and I will wait for as long as it takes," Rainbow said.

"Rainbow, I think your emotions are getting in the way of reasonable thinking. I think it's best that you move on. Time will heal some of the hurt and I understand that you're grieving right now, but if you spend too much time like this, then you're not going to be able to pick yourself up and try again."

"I'm going to spend my time praying and fasting until he comes back. I need to do this," Rainbow said.

"If you really want to do that, Rainbow, then it's up to you. I don't think it's wise though and I certainty wouldn't do that if I were in your position."

"You're not me and we are all called to do different things in our lives," Rainbow said as she picked herself up off the floor.

"If you really feel that you are being called to do something like this, then I'm not going to stop you, but I really don't think it's healthy for you to do this," Twilight said.

"Do you girls still have my Dungeons and Dragons character?" Rainbow asked.

"Yes, he's still on the table," Twilight said.

Rainbow walked over to the table that they were playing on and picked up the little figurine that Rarity had sculpted for her.

Rarity was the one who brought this game to life with her art work and sculptures of demons and monsters as well as many other things.

"I hope you all don't mind if I keep him. I'd like to take him home. I based him off of Soarin' anyway," Rainbow said.

"That's fine," Twilight replied. "We'll keep you on hold in the game and you can feel free to jump back in whenever you want to. I'd let you make a new character, but we're already too far into this game to start over and everypony has spent hours customizing their characters and choosing their special skills and abilities."

"It's kind of hard for me to play when I based this character off of Soarin'. I'll come back to this game when he comes back."

Twilight Sparkle sighed and believed that Rainbow Dash would never come back to play with them again unless perhaps they started a new campaign and everypony decided to create new characters. Waiting for a stallion who tried to have his way with her and then nearly physically hurt her in his rage seemed ludicrous to her.

"Thanks for comforting me and for praying for me," Rainbow said. "I think I'll be on my way now."

"Would you like to sleep here for the night?" Twilight asked. "It's really cold out there and you'll freeze your flank off without any clothing. You didn't even bring a scarf with you."

Rainbow Dash walked over to the door and said, "I'll be fine. I may come back for prayer and support, but I feel like I need to have some intimacy with God right now. I need to pray and feel his comfort. I need for Him to keep me warm in this freezing cold storm. I'll be back later. I would appreciate it if you would all continue to pray for Soarin'.

Rainbow Dash left the library and headed home. Her travel was not far, but at least her wings were warm enough to carry her through the flight. When she got home, she went into her bedroom. She curled up in a ball on her bed and closed her eyes. She began to talk to God. "Dear God, I know that I am terrible with prayer. I wish I could pray as well as Twilight Sparkle does and I wish I could form my sentences as well as she can. No pony is nearly as intelligent as she is when it comes to our group, but I need to talk to You alone right now. I thank You for my sisters in You and I pray that somehow, someway You would come here and hug me. I need Your warmth, Your love, and Your affection. I hurt so much right now, and I'm sure that You must know what it feels like to be rejected. You were spat upon, mocked, beaten, whipped, thrown to the ground, and then nailed to a tree, all for the sake of rescuing me. There is and will never be a greater act of love than what You have done. You know that I love Soarin' very much and I know that You love him the same as You love me. You put him in my life for a reason and he means so much to me. Even though I love Soarin' so very much, I would rather be hurt and not please him if it came to sinning against You. I'd like to be loyal to him, but ultimately, I'd rather be loyal to You. Someway, somehow, I wish that Your love will be shown to him even though he hurt me very badly. I have forgiven him already in my heart and I want for him to be back in my life. I know that not everything goes my way, but I ask that You may consider my prayer. I would give my wings for him, I would even give my entire life just so that he may see Your unfailing love. I can't imagine sleeping tonight, even though I hadn't made the connection before that crying is exhausting. I'm so beat up and broken down and my mind is still racing with all kinds of crazy thoughts. I can't pull through this on my own and I just ask that You would hold me, hug me, and...." Rainbow Dash's words trailed off because she suddenly felt this amazing warmth cover her entire body and it made her body quiver with pleasure. Even though it was still very cold in her home and she had not pulled the blankets over her body, there was this super natural warmth that came over her and comforted her. It was from God and He was literally giving her that hug that she had asked for. Rainbow Dash hadn't felt so comfortable before and her mind quickly drifted off to sleep. He would be carrying her through her hurt and struggles. He would be carrying her just like He had always been doing all along.

The end.

Author's Note:

This is part 6 in the series that I'm doing.

Part 7 can be read here and it is a direct sequel to this story.

http://www.fimfiction.net/story/133146/sic-part-7-can-you-take-me-back

Comments

[Brian Jacko]

3472795 Thanks.

[Brian Jacko]

3611919 He said he was the same faith, but he truly didn't understand much about it and was a worldly Christian. Part 7 makes this a bit more clear.

[TheLordInsanity]

Rainbow Dash reminds me of Buttercup in the beginning of the Princess bride after she finds out Westley ha been killed by the Dred Pirate Roberts:

"I will never love again."

[Brian Jacko]

3724057 That's something I didn't really plan out in terms of exact location. I always imagined there would be a be a beach with boardwalks somewhere in Equestria. It was a very long travel for them to get there since they needed to take a taxi.

[starrynights]

Wow great story.
I loved it.