//------------------------------// // Chapter 21 // Story: Only One Speck of Dust // by TheMareWhoSaysNi //------------------------------// Again and again, images could not stop from streaming through her mind. It even prevented her from sleeping on the previous night. No matter how much she tossed and turned the events in her head, Rainbow Dash could not understand what had happened. Why he suddenly looked so reluctant with her… Frustration at its height, she had decided to fly for a few hours, in order to think about something else before she had remembered her wing was hurt and that she needed to avoid flying until it had healed for good. As a result, her frustration was now even more intense. She pressed her pillow against her ears, trying to chase away the images that were played in a loop. Nothing could be done. Unceasingly, they were back to torture her. When she had left Twilight’s shack, the evening before, Rainbow Dash had felt exhausted, on her last legs. To get out all of these emotions from the depth of her soul had been an unpleasant trial on a number of counts. The idea to cross the Everfree Forest and all Ponyville on hooves to go to the Great Weaver had looked grueling by advance as well. She had sighed deeply, unable to hide her disarray. Soarin had not said a word and had simply lowered his back in front of her, encouraging her to climb. On her own, she had drawn the conclusion that he offered to fly her home this way. “It’s funny”, she had said before obeying. “My father always carries my mother this way.” No reaction from her coltfriend. Yet, it had seemed to Rainbow Dash that the comparison was sweet and could please him a lot. For all that, she had not think that something was wrong about him. He probably was shaken by her revelations, nothing more, and it was rather understandable. What she knew was that she had been glad he had been there. Even if it had not been obvious from the very start, to know that Soarin was close and that after the facts, she would be able to rely on him if she was feeling low, it had helped her to spill her heart out, not to give way. Of course, affection was not really her thing yet she had wanted to show him in her own way that his presence had been important to her. Wrapping her hooves around his neck, she had quickly pecked his cheek before asking him to fly fast, the fastest he could. He had not uttered a word during the whole journey. Not even a single syllable. No problem, he probably had not feel like talking, it was understandable as well. In all honesty, Rainbow Dash neither had feel like talking. There had been only one thing she had yearned for at this very moment – comfort. By cuddling up to him, breathing the scent of his midnight blue mane, she had thought she had found what she was looking for, had thought it would be enough. It had been only once he had landed her on her balcony that she had understood that she wanted more. The silence between them had been strange. None of them both had dared to look into the other’s eyes, and for a long minute, they had set their eyes anywhere else, without a single word, as it never had happened before. She knew… All she had to do was to ask. A pittance. It was not as if there had been a crowd around them, and unless Pinkie Pie would have seen them from her guard tower, no pony was going to see them. However, she had not been able to say this simple little word – stay. Maybe if the words had not come, actions would have helped her. Gathering all her courage, her cheeks flushing hot just thinking about what she was going to do, she had closed her eyes and stretched out her neck forward, just a bit. It was a message rather easy to understand. Nonetheless, after a few seconds that had seemed to her like an eternity, nothing had happened, and Rainbow Dash had started to feel really stupid, exhibited like this, on the verge of anger. She had yet caught him red-hooved many times, coveting her lips. “Come on… What’s taking you so long?”, she had muttered between her teeth, her eyes still closed. If he had not done anything in response, another feeling could have let room to what she was feeling right now, and she probably would have said words she did not mean. How lucky that Soarin had eventually gave in, and shy, had put his lips against hers. As soon as the connection had been made, something had awakened up inside of her, an emotion she had buried in the twists and turns of the past, and which she often had feared never to be back again. A little something in her stomach, like a soft and soothing warmth. She had let herself go to that emotion, had let it guide her actions when she had put a hoof around his neck. But it all had gone down rather quickly when she had realized that her affection was far from being shared – her lips had been the only ones to move. Then, disillusion and frustration had let way to all the rest. His lack of reactions was more than a surprise, especially as she had noticed the slight blush that had colored Soarin’s muzzle. She could not figure it out. Without giving her the possibility to add anything else, he had put a quick peck on her cheek, and had taken off at top speed, as if being in her presence burned his wings and that he needed to get away from her as fast as he could in order to save himself from the pain. Subsequently, Rainbow Dash had constantly turned the scene in her mind and had not been able to find a reasonable explanation. Was it because of what she had told about Time Stellar’s death? Was he thinking that she was nothing but a wild beast thirsty for blood and revenge? Or maybe… “Uggh, I really don’t get it!”, she cried out while shaking her hind hooves, her pillow still pressed against her ears. “Err… Dash? Are ya feelin’ good?” Rainbow Dash looked up suddenly and saw Applejack on her doorstep, staring at her with flabbergasted wide eyes. Immediately, she realized she was not acting like her real self. Even back when she had been through her first teenage emotions, she had never behaved this way. It had to be said that with Time Stellar, she had not had a lot of efforts to make. It had been him who had come to see her after she had been left from the Academy and that she had decided to become a part of the weather patrol, him who had offered her to become a Member of the Militia, then of his Council. It also had been him who had confessed his feelings to her and since then, everything had been served up on a tray, or almost everything. They had argued sometimes, of course… It had happened that she hated some of his habits, like trotting to go through a long distance although he would have gone rather faster if he had been using his wings. But in general, she had not feel the need to ask herself questions. On second thought, it was not certain that their story would have last always. Their differences were too deep. However, she had loved him with all her heart, because he was who he was and despite it all, she would cherish their love story forever because he had marked her life. Even without his premature death, he would have marked her life… Rainbow Dash let herself fall back on her mattress, her both forelegs in thin air. She was fed up with thinking. “I’m fine, don’t worry. Everything’s just perfect. Do you want to ask me something or are you here to chat? Or maybe we could go and train together?” “It would’ve been great, sugar cube but I’m here becuz there’s somepony who’s there to see ya.” “What? Who?”, she asked, rising an eyebrow. Applejack slowly moved aside, and Rainbow Dash had a glimpse of Twilight Sparkle behind her. She had swapped her usual red coat against a shirt made of laces and of many buckles, and had tied her purple and blue mane in a bun. Her wooden hoof freshly waxed, she also had put on a belt with various buckles supplied with a sheath for a sword which the Members of the Militia used. The subtly frayed leather let her think it probably was the one that had been given to her when she had been chosen as Quartermaster. Immediately, Rainbow Dash stood back up, and threw her pillow on the side. Applejack seeing her in such a strange state was not really annoying, but there was no way Twilight Sparkle would see her behaving like a clumsy starry-eyed filly, especially with what she had seen on the previous night. Her arrogant Head’s Militia mask on, she greeted her with an odd half-smile. “You’re strangely well set up. Is there a ball somewhere today?” “Very funny”, Twilight replied. “I’m here for our dual. You said to me ‘wherever I want, whenever I want’, didn’t you? So here I am. I don’t want to wait.” “Well, then”, said Applejack in a haste. “Have to go now, eh! See ya, Dash!” And she disappeared in a room nearby before Rainbow Dash even could add anything else. Obviously, Applejack knew there were no chance to slow down Twilight’s enthusiasm and that she was ready to get stuck in, whether her challenger was ready or not. In all sincerity, at the time Rainbow Dash did not feel like fighting at all and she would have gladly sent her away if she had not seen there a fabulous opportunity to free her mind from her ridiculous sentimental troubles. At the same time, she could finally move one of the pawn that could lead her to a probable checkmate. In reality, this abrupt desire to tie-break with her came along at just the right time. As she had said the evening before, Twilight had no chance against her. Even little warmed up, hurt and worried about small sappy issues. “Well, what are you waiting for?”, she said to her provocatively. “The beginning of spring?” Galvanized by the pegasus mare’s boast, Twilight immediately unsheathed her wooden sword and rushed toward Rainbow Dash. It was not a fight like the ones that sometimes happened at nights, its aim was no pony injured. On second thought, it kind of looked like a training session, or even like a Warrior Test. Rainbow Dash only moved once her opponent was really close, and avoided her by throwing herself on the floor and, rolling under her bed, she took out of wooden sword she kept there just in case, so self-confident she was sure that even with such a harmless item, she could cause a lot of damages to anyone who would try to take an advantage of her. In her turn, Twilight stepped back, then charged again, but her strike was avoided once more. It was this way until they both arrived on the balcony of Rainbow Dash’s room overlooking on a bit of the Royal Tavern and Inn reserved for the family and employees. She had not touched her even once and the other had avoided her at each attempt of a strike. In fact, the more the ‘fight’ went on, the more she displayed a mocking smile, almost withering. “Do you think I feel like playing around?”, the unicorn asked. “Couldn’t you take it seriously?” The narrow space of the balcony let her think she had a chance. If she could touch Rainbow Dash and show her how determined she was, then this was the perfect moment. Head low, she dashed straight toward. But instead of touching her adversary, she stumbled forward and saw Rainbow Dash jumping on the balcony’s edge. She had no choice now, she had to respond. Twilight had said it did not matter to her whether she would lose or win. She wanted this dual for another reason, but the truth hidden behind it all, Rainbow Dash did not know. And although it was not a real fight, she refused to fight if she did not know what were the true motivations of the pony in front of her, especially in such circumstances. She really did not expect the unicorn to rush toward her again, like enraged, while she was in a precarious balance on a surface as thick as their sword’s shafts. She tipped over without being able to hold herself back and, feeling the ground getting closer, she had no other choice than doing what was forbidden, which means flying. To go back up was too difficult and she felt that if she tried to, the stitch she felt in her wing was likely to get into a sharper pain, less bearable. When her hooves touched the ground, she saw Twilight appearing in front of her with magic, breathless, her sword firmly set between her teeth. A light sound could be heard, like a flag flapping in the wind, and soon Rainbow Dash realized her bandage had not withstood, exposing her pear-shaped injury to the biting cold, gleaming of a dark red color. For all that, Twilight did not give her any break. She rushed toward her and was even able to touch her hoof with her sword, right before Rainbow Dash bounced back. She spat her wooden sword in the snow, corrosive under her hooves, then with her hind legs, took an advantage from the run-up of her adversary to break the false blade of her weapon, which smashed into small pieces before being shattered on the ground. “Let’s imagine we’re in the middle of an attack… What would you do, tell me, without your weapon?”, she asked to Twilight, who was staring at her flabbergasted. “I…” “Don’t you ever hesitate. And if you do, don’t show it. The others mustn’t see your weaknesses; they must tremble in front of you. If you don’t know what to do, just use your magic, even if that’s to transform the one attacking you into a leek or a bush, we don’t care. You’re gifted, so show them. Before trying to convince your adversary that you can beat the hell out of him or her, you have to be convinced of it yourself.” “I’m convinced of it”, she stuttered. “Really? Doesn’t sound like it.” “I am!”, Twilight said, a little louder. “No pony believes it. You wouldn’t even make a leaf shake.” “I’m convinced of it! I’m convinced of it!” “Pf! All talk!” “I am!”, she eventually shot out. “I can beat the hell out of any pony!” Rainbow Dash displayed a half-smile, this time stripped of any kind of implied mockery or irony, and Twilight understood. She had tried to prove something that she herself did not believe was true, deep inside. She had thought, foolishly, that all it took was to appear in front of an opponent and to spread out strength and determination, and no matter if what was within herself contradicted the surface. The surface was the most important thing. That was where she had been wrong. If the one nicknamed the Thunder of Revenge was so impressive, it was not only thanks to her redoubtable reputation, or even because of the corpses she could leave behind her. This infuriating pretentious side of her was not only a part of her own nature but also of what made the character behind the pony. She said she was the best, and when she said she was the best, none could not believe her. Whether the dual she had demanded would carry on or not, she did not care anymore. Rainbow Dash knew the game was done anyway, and that she had been able to rob the enemies one of their centerpiece, their key to decipher the codes and how the Militia was working. Besides, it had never really been an advantage for the Unavowed Army. Twilight Sparkle had known Time Stellar’s Militia. Things were not exactly the same now that Rainbow Dash was the Head of the bunch. It was not better, not worse. It was simply different.