This story is a sequel to Escape
An unexpected meeting at a bar allowed Rarity and Twilight to bond over their individual failed marriages. Now the time comes to take the next terrifying step. When doubts come roaring to the surface, they call upon a mutual friend to help them find their courage.
There are no instruction manuals for breakups.
Inspired by How to Save a Life by The Fray.
My thanks to Inquisitor M, Sypher, KorenCZ11 for volunteering to pre-read the story and help me with a few tweaks.
Cover art generously donated by KorenCZ11.
Other stories inspired by music:
Ordinary World
Bed of Roses
Escape
Bulletproof Heart
Drops of Jupiter
Forgive Me, Friend
Time for Tea
Now with a Ukrainian translation by volkov!
Chapters (1)
This honestly hit me hard, as we try our best to do what's right, but we sometimes fall short on our promises.
This is especially true for couples who's marriage start going down the drain, whether it's because of abuse, reduced mental capacity, or some other problem.
All in all, a solid story.
I wasn't expecting a sequel, but I loved it.
I truly feel bad for all parties involved. Hopefully they'll all heal in due time.
No, coffee sounds terrible for Rainbow right now, specially if it makes her more aware. Maybe possibly hopefully a hot bath? Because it's going to be a long night. And then maybe coffee.
I enjoyed this! Lots of strong moments, both fun ("Foul pony creature"
) and crushing. I thought it was interesting how there weren't really many surprises but the switching of viewpoints made it feel engaging and exciting.
After stepping away from it for a while, I do appreciate this ending more than I had previously--and probably not just because I now know there's going to be a follow up for it. Looking forward to whatever comes next in this trilogy.
If it gets a good ending for the new couple, I'm thinking Chasing Cars.
If the next focus is Rainbow and that gets a good ending, All these things that I've done. (This one or something similar seems particularly likely if events transpire immediately or relatively quickly after this scene.)
Bad ending where no one goes home happy, Meant to live
Bad ending where things go horribly wrong, Bullet, and or my personal favorite, Komm, süßer Tod
Only Time will tell.
9742310
You do realize that I am now obligated not to use any of those songs, right?
On the other hand, I already have one in mind, so it’s not like you’ve ruined things for me.
9742703
Drat, foiled again.
To be fair though, I don't really know your taste in music, or how this will end. It's a very melancholy thing, so it could go several ways from here. I'm not you, so unless I was told how things would go, I could never say for sure. None the less, I'll be waiting for the exciting conclusion.
Rarity and Twilight are beginning to feel equally destructive in this storyline, though for different reasons. While getting to see Corona, Sunny, Timber, and Rainbow was good for the story, it made things so much worse for any chance of sympathy with Rarity and Twilight.
Twilight is still well-connected with Sunset, who has been helping her with all sorts of things, and is willing to watch Corona for extended periods of time. In a better situation, this would be great if Twi and Timber needed space to work things out. But Twilight isn't working things out, and certainly not on her biggest, clearest problem. Her scene with Timber reeks of Timber having his own very severe problems closing in on him, ones someone as educated as Twilight should at least be able to see even if she doesn't understand. Unless, by some odd twist, Timber has been 'forgetting' dinner to starve his daughter out of some crazy vendetta against something he suspects from Twilight or an internalized delusion, he's very likely suicidal at this point. He's given up everything from hobbies to basic life skills, is mentally 'checked out' when he otherwise shouldn't be, describes chronic anhedonia to a T, is alienated from those he cares about in his own home, forgets the basic needs of others due to his state, and he only entirely agrees with Twilight leaving and taking Corona when he thinks Corona will be okay (even though he does show he cares for them, even if he has a hard time feeling connected. He's met every criteria for an adult showing more immediate suicidal behaviors, but he's giving every warning about it.
And Twilight's reaction isn't to reach out, or process the crisis in front of her. Timber has no idea about Rarity that can be picked up on. If she felt like it, Twilight could use this situation to her own gains to help Tinder, reconnect with her spouse, and frame herself more positively, especially knowing he can't take care of himself. She's being as negligent as someone who left a wheelchair-bound person in a snow-packed parking lot and thinking they'll just roll where they need to be, no biggie. It's that bad. She's leaving someone with diminished capabilities to themselves with such huge avoidance that she shouldn't be surprised if Timber takes his only life while she's staying with Rarity 'for a while' because she gave him the perfect set up to do it.
Rarity continues to build up the vindictive side she was showing in the first story. Choosing to leave Rainbow when she was sick and causing a scene in her own home like that. She choose the cruelest possible way to break things off, and there wasn't any reason for her to show that level of cruelty, such as showing off Twilight as her mistress too.
Rainbow was a surprise in this, because she's still trying so hard. She's friendly, polite, and just... so un-alienated from the good side of Rarity. She knows Rarity's habits and recognizes her gestures and dress at levels no one else does. She wants to try. She's always willing and kind, and doesn't even hate Rarity by the end of the story, but herself for something she believes she failed in. With how spiteful Rarity was being, and how cold she was about things in the first story, I expected something far worse. Instead, even if she's not the romantic partner Rarity feels so strongly for, Rainbow is still loving and kind to Rarity beyond what any of their friends are. There's an obvious spousal dynamic that hasn't vanished with them, and Rainbow is willing to try and make various ideas work and communicate honestly - something Rarity threw away and ruined. If things had taken a turn for the better long ago, I wouldn't be surprised by Rainbow and Rarity's behavior if they might've discussed polyamory of some kind.
I'm also getting the creeping feeling that Rarity's coldness could come from experience. She was bold about placing ads in the newspaper and discussing them, and if that's not Rarity being Rarity, then it does feel like something she might've done before. Twilight might just be the first 'good chance' to her for having someone so devoted and close to her. Rarity's probably had flings before, but Twilight might just be the first person (man? woman?) she could manipulate into this kind of arrangement.
(Uh, also, was this story meant to be rated E? Subject matter and content isn't super-safe type stuff I'd expect in an E story.)
9742903
Yes, it was intended as an E story. You’re simply reading way more into it than the author ever intended. It’s the equivalent of a practicing Professional Engineer giving a full, professional critical and structural analysis on his three-year-old nephew’s made-up-on-the-spot sandcastle (and yes, I am aware of how that comparison makes me look).
Not to say that I’m not finding your analysis fascinating, that is.
9742919
Oh, I was referring to cheating/dysfunction angles possibly bumping the rating up. On second look, it turns out the first one was also E, when I thought that with the content, references, and such it'd just be T. Not for anything I noticed/read into.
Don't think I don't know Foreshadowing Bits when I see them.
Also, that bit about the sandcastle gave me a chuckle.
I be happy to see a third sequel to this but take your time since I know you finished guppy love hope you had a nice christmas and have a happy new year
I just want you to know that I cannot hear this song without remembering this story. 10/10
10079681
Love is a promise.
Loved the sequel, though.
Finally getting started on the sequels to Escape. I’m writing this before reading Forgive Me, Friend, so I dunno what all is addressed in that yet. I loved this as much as the original.
That said, I wanna second the points 9742903 raised (if maybe not so in-depth
). Timber’s more than just mopey and listless; the way he’s depicted indicates serious depression, the kind where I wouldn’t be surprised if a few weeks or months later Twilight got some very grim news. He clearly needs immediate help. Granted, that’s probably not what you want to focus on here, but it kinda pulled me out of Twi’s relationship problems with all the red flags he threw up.
I also have to wonder why on Earth Rarity would tell Rainbow that she’s basically running off with Twilight, especially with Twilight in the room. Having Twi there for emotional support is one thing, but announcing she’s getting together with one of RD’s friends – with that friend right there – is just supremely awkward and hurtful. Rarity and Twi could easily have kept that detail quiet for the time being so as to not drop too much on RD at once. I’m certain they didn’t mean to kick her whilst she was down, but in RD’s shoes it’d be hard to interpret it any other way. They’re lucky she’s so loyal to her friends – or maybe just so torn up over her perceived failure – that she doesn’t seem to blame Twilight for it at all, bless her.
Slightly nitpickier, but leaving RD whilst she was breaking down like that seems kinda … cold. I understand there’re only so many things Rarity could’ve done and that she couldn’t stay forever, but … I dunno, it doesn’t sit right with me. I wish she or Twilight had vocalized some discomfort with it later on.
Anyway, this looks like a bunch of criticism, but in all honesty they’re all fairly minor points that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story. I love these characters, and I feel for them all. I also appreciate how you chose to put us in RD’s POV for the breakup scene. Maybe it’s kinda obvious, but it really drove home the impact of that hammer dropping on her head.
I hope things at least start to work out for them in the sequel. (And that I didn’t just jinx myself by saying that, as I’m going to read it now. Away!)
EDIT: Forgot to mention a possible typo:
Did you mean “dame”? I can’t imagine Sunset meant to call the childless EqG Rarity a “female parent of an animal”.
10346271
One of the ongoing themes for this series is the mistakes we make in moments of high tension and emotion. Yes, you're absolutely right that those things were mistakes, but that's just the point: what seems like the right thing to do to us as the readers isn't necessarily so to the people performing the actions in the heat of the moment. The people involved are so frightened of what's happening that they're rushing, they're not thinking straight, they just want to get it done and get out. The results can be terrible, and they may even realize it afterwards, but when it's done... it's done.
And no, that absolutely wasn't a typo. Sunset (and I) was trying for a silly pun, and I imagined it as a pony colloquialism. I should have realized people wouldn't grasp that without context.