//------------------------------// // Tragedy And Hope // Story: Apart From The Pegasi // by KillerChainsaw //------------------------------// Walking around their trashed home together Twilight, Dash and Spike set to work on slowly fixing things, with Twilight using her magic to put all the torn out pages back into the books that they belonged in, as all three of them then working to put all the books back to where they were meant to be. A silence having fallen on the three as it was easy to see that Spike and and Twilight were still upset and confused after what had happened to their home, while Dash could still feel her blood boiling, biting her bottom lip as right now she wanted nothing more than to find whomever was responsible for this. But also knowing she couldn't focus on that completely at the moment, she had to think of Twilight first. Looking to her downhearted marefriend, sighing slightly as she was about to reach out and rest a hoof on her shoulder, wanting to comfort her, but stopping as her ears pricked up to the sound of light knocking at the library door. The knocking catching all of the three's attention, as they all looked to one another for a moment or two, before Dash stepped forward and headed for the door. "I'll get it," The pegasus stated as she gave a understanding look to Twilight, the alicorn just giving her a nervous nod, before Dash pecked her on her cheek and walked over to the door, hearing more knocks as she went to see just who was coming to visit them right now. Being sort of anxious at first, but then just shaking of that uncertain feeling, and nodding to herself as she lifted one wing up and wrapped it around the handle, turning it and slowly opening the door, wondering just who was coming to greet them. "Rainbow Dash, I've got great news!" the visitor stated cheerfully, causing Dash to widen her eyes slightly as she saw Lightning Dust now standing outside of the library, greeting her happily with her signature beaming smile, while Dash quickly composed herself as she tried to act natural towards the other pegasus. "Oh hey Lightning...umm, glad to see you back," Dash said nervously with a small smile, causing Lightning to raise her eyebrow slightly to her, noticing almost instantly that something was off with her and clearly seeing that she wasn't seeming like herself right now, as she wondered just what might be causing her to act this way. "Has something happened? You don't seem like..." Lightning paused as she now looked behind Rainbow Dash, her golden eyes going wide as she caught sight of just what the inside of the library looked like right now, also seeing Twilight and Spike picking up all the books that had been thrown about the room. "W-what in Equestria happened here?!" Lightning asked as she quickly pushed past Dash and looked all around the trashed library, her expression being one of pure shock as she slowly walked through the downstairs of the library, feeling awful as it looked like a tornado had passed through the Princess's home. Quickly looking back to Rainbow Dash and Twilight as they both looked back to her with saddened expressions. "What's it look like, our home was ransacked while we were away," Dash stated in a low voice, as Lightning could see a fire in the other pegasus's magenta eyes, clearly noticing the anger that she must be feeling at this moment. "What? By who?" Lightning looked worried as she could also see just how crushed Twilight looked right now. "We don't know yet," Dash replied as she glanced to Twilight and rested a hoof on her shoulder, however the alicorn brushing her off as she sighed deeply, still feeling tears welling up in her eyes, while she turned away from the pegasus and quickly made her way upstairs, the others all hearing her bedroom door slam as they guessed she had gone to go and cry by herself as they all looked to each other with the same concerned expression for the Princess. 'I don't know just who would do this sort of thing but...' Dash paused on her thought as she looked to Lightning for a moment, and sighed a little, 'What am I thinking? Just because I don't yet trust Lightning, definitely doesn't mean I should start accusing her of anything, I mean it's obvious that she's shocked by all of this too...right? There's...there's no way she would do this...right? But at the same time there's no other pony that...stop thinking like this, I need to go and see to Twilight right now,' she shook her head, as she pushed all her thoughts to the back of her mind, getting pulled back to reality as she heard Lightning's voice talking to her again. "Did they take anything?" the turquoise pegasus asked as she looked back to Dash now, while she still had that worried expression on her face. "Not that we know of," Dash shook her head in reply, as Lightning looked like she was about to ask something else, but Dash stopping her instead, "Listen I need to go and talk to Twilight right now," she stated as it was easy to see that Dash was much more focused on her marefriend at the moment as she looked to the stairs that the Princess had disappeared up a few minutes ago, while Lightning just nodded to her in return. "I understand, you go, I'll stay down here and help Spike with all this cleaning up," Lightning smiled with a softened expression to the other pegasus. "You don't have to do that- "I know, but I want to," Lightning gave Dash a reassuring look, letting her know that she obviously wanted to help in any way that she could, "We'll take care of things here, while you need to go and take care of Twilight right now," she stated, causing Dash to widen her eyes a little in response as she looked to lightning's serious expression for a moment, before she nodded and sighed slightly. "Right, thank you Lightning," Dash replied as Lightning just smiled and nodded back to the other pegasus in return, patting her on the shoulder encouragingly, before Dash now started to head to the stairs, stopping to look back to the other two as she watched Lightning and Spike starting to get on with cleaning everything up, as she seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. 'Honestly what am I thinking? There's no way that...' pausing her thoughts again Dash gazed to Lightning, her eyes then widening as she thought she saw the other pegasus staring back at her coldly for a split second, shaking her head as she guessed it must have just been her mind playing tricks on her, as when she blinked, Lightning was happily just talking to Spike while the two of them worked together. 'For Twilight...and for Lightning herself, I really hope I'm wrong about these crazy thoughts that I'm having right about now,' Dash thought as she sighed deeply, giving one last gaze to Lightning, before she turned away and quickly made her way up the stairs, and to where Twilight's bedroom was. .... Rainbow Dash letting out a long breath as she now stood just outside Twilight's bedroom, thinking of knocking on the door, but guessing that the Princess likely wouldn't answer back, so instead just slowly lifted her hoof up and pushed the door slightly, causing it to open steadily as Dash looked into the bedroom and saw Twilight laying on her bed with a depressed expression, her eyes being bloodshot red, as it definitely seemed like she had been crying. "Hey what are you still crying for?" Dash smiled slightly as she walked into the bedroom, closing the door behind her as she came to lay down beside Twilight, lightly kissing away the tears in her eyes, as Twilight tried to bite back her sobs, biting her bottom lip as she cuddled up close to Dash and nuzzled into her chest, while the pegasus just let her calm down and collect herself, pecking the top of her head softly. Holding onto the Princess tightly Dash nuzzled her marefriend back listening to her slowing breaths, as she lay her wing over her and could soon feel her moving to wipe her eyes, sniffling a little as she seemed to be slowly recovering now. "I'm sorry Dash," Twilight whispered out as she looked up to the pegasus, her expression seeming to be one of guilt, as she caused Dash to just look confused for a moment in response. "What are you apologizing for, it's not like this is your fault right?" Dash asked as she looked down to her marefriend wondering just what she was saying right now, as she really didn't want Twilight to feel any guilt or blame herself for anything that had happened. "No, but I...I said you'll always have a home here, but...after this, you probably feel like you're not safe anywhere anymore," Twilight explained as her eyes filled up with tears again, her bottom lip quivering as she tried to bit back her cries, burying her head in Dash's chest as she tried to keep herself from bursting into tears again. "Hey don't say that, that's not how I feel right now. I feel safe when I'm with you, no matter where we may be," Dash gave a reassuring smile to Twilight, while the Princess widened her eyes a little, "It doesn't matter if I'm here at the library or wherever, you're the only pony that I feel this way about, and I know as long as I'm with you Twi...I'll always feel like I belong," the pegasus rested her hoof under Twilight's chin as she brought her head up slightly, and resting her forehead against the alicorn's. Twilight's lips forming into a smile as she now let her tears stream down her face, nodding to Dash as she felt the pegasus kissing away her tears again, "I love you Dash," the Princess cried as she cuddled closer to Dash and nuzzled her lovingly, knowing that it was the same for her, feeling like she could also only really feel safe when she was like this, wrapped in Dash's warm embrace, and enveloped in her love. "I love you too Twi," Dash whispered back as she smiled and pulled Twilight into a sweet kiss a moment later, the two mares giving out pleasant moans as they held each other close and let themselves melt. Their lips parting after a little while, as they both stared deeply into each other's eyes and smiled to one another. "And I promise I'll find out just who did this to our home," Dash stated as Twilight just nodded in response, as she also wanted to find out just who would trash their little home like this and why, wanting answers of her own just like Dash did right now. The two of them closing their eyes as they rested their forehead's against each other again, listening to the other's soft breathing while they lay in this blissful silence together, knowing that they could push through this as long as they were together. 'Whoever did this is going to pay,' Dash thought as she lifted her head up now, Twilight nuzzling into her chest again as she smiled to her marefriend for a moment, before her expression changed to one of determination, swearing to herself that she would find just who was responsible for this, and hoping to find them soon. .... A short amount of time having passed as Twilight and Rainbow Dash soon came walking down the stairs seeing lightning and Spike still working together to try and put all the books into their rightful places, having already cleaned up the kitchen as best as they could by now, only being able to clean all the food and milk that had been thrown onto the walls and floor, while they also seemed to be making some process with getting the library to look how it did before everything on the downstairs level was trashed. Lightning soon noticing the other two mares walking into the room, and greeting them both with a soft smile, "Hey, are you two feeling better now?" she asked hoping that the talk the other two had had, would have now resulted in them both being a little less depressed over what had happened. "Yeah thank you again Lightning," Dash smiled to the other pegasus, while Lightning simply just nodded and smiled cheerfully back to her, before Twilight smiled to Lightning as well, and then pulled her marefriend aside. "This isn't Lightning Dust's problem Dash," the Princess started to scold the pegasus, causing Dash to look back to her nervously in response. "I know, I told her she didn't have to stay but- Dash tried to defend herself, backing away from Twilight as she raised her eyebrow to her slightly, before Lightning cut the other pegasus off. "I wanted to stay, really," She stated, while Dash just nodded quickly in agreement, as Twilight now gave her marefriend one last stern stare, before turning back to Lightning, not looking like she was mad anymore, causing Dash to sigh with relief, and Lightning to chuckle slightly as she was glad to see the other two acting like themselves again, as she could see that whatever they had talked about while they were alone upstairs together must have made them both feel better about their current situation. "So what are we going to do now, should we report this to the Royal Guard or the Princess?" Spike asked as he still seemed to be worried over what had happened, looking to Dash and Twilight with a concerned expression, while he caused the two mares to look to each other, before they looked around the library that still seemed to need a good clean up. Twilight seemed to be thinking for a moment, before sighing and shaking her head slightly in reply, "No, there's no need for us to get them involved in this, besides I don't want Princess Celestia to worry about anything, and we can't tell the Mayor either, I don't want to cause trouble for anypony," she explained, believing that there was no reason to get other ponies involved in this, and possibly be putting them in danger as well because of it. "But we can't just sit back and pretend like nothing's happened- Spike started to protest, not wanting to just let this slide without doing something about it, but was soon silenced and cut off by Rainbow Dash. "And we don't intend to, we're going to find out just who did this Spike, and don't worry when we do find them, they're going to regret ever messing with us," Dash smiled as she leaned down to the young dragon, causing him to look back to her with a wondering gaze, before nodding with a smile in reply, while Dash patted his shoulder in a comforting manner. Twilight just smiling to the two as she sighed a little, looking back to Lightning as she seemed to be turning away from them all for a moment, looking like she had an odd expression formed on her face. The Princess catching Lightning's attention as the turquoise pegasus turned back to her now, "Lightning, you know you really don't have to stay here with us, you can go if you want to," she stated with a smile to the other mare, while Lightning just shook her head quickly in reply. "It's okay Twilight, I want to stay and help you all, in any way that I can," Lightning smiled as she didn't want to leave right now it seemed, knowing that she should be there for the others at a time like this. Causing Twilight and Rainbow Dash just to look to each other for a moment, but the both of them shook their heads in response. "We know that you want to help us, but there really is no need for you to, besides don't you need to get back to Cloudsdale?" Dash asked as she just smiled to Lightning knowing that she meant well, but didn't want to drag her into this especially with the kind of thoughts she was stilling having about her right about now. "Yeah but..." Lightning paused as she seemed to suddenly remember something, widening her eyes as her worried expression now formed into a slight smile. "I forgot to tell you all what had happened while I was up there, didn't I?" she asked while seeming to be mentally hitting herself in the head for being so forgetful, while causing the other three to all look a bit confused, as they waited for Lightning to explain just what she was going on about at the moment. "I've got great news, while I was up in Cloudsdale, I actually found a group of pegasi that all want exactly what we do, to end this feud between the two towns," Lightning explained, causing the other three to all widen their eyes and look surprised, Twilight and Dash looking to each other for a moment, before they both turned back to Lighting again. "Are you being serious?" Dash asked, as it seemed like she couldn't quite believe that there were others up in Cloudsdale that wanted just what her Twilight and Lightning did, thinking that pegasi like Lightning were really very rare from her hometown, but guessing she shouldn't have been so quick to judge as Lightning just nodded to her in reply. "Of course, they said they loved the sound of your plan to get the two towns to have a better relationship, and want to hear more about it all," Lightning clearly expressed just how overjoyed she was about all this she was telling to Dash and Twilight, as the two of them now both smiled in return. "That brilliant Lightning Dust," Twilight exclaimed seeming to now be much happier as she started to think of all the options they would have now that they knew there was a very good chance for them to start moving forward with all their plans for the future, after finding out that there were others that wanted the same as them up in Cloudsdale, and kinda wanting to get started right away. "Yeah, and umm Rainbow Dash..." Lightning paused as she now seemed to to have a nervous smile as she looked to the other pegasus, while Dash just looked back to her with a curious expression, "They said they would really like to see you again," the turquoise pegasus stated, hinting to Dash, and hoping she would catch on and agree to this, even though she knew it would be a little out of her comfort zone right now. "Really?" Dash questioned, seeming like she was a little skeptical at first, as well as slightly anxious, while Twilight seemed like she couldn't be happier for her right now, giving her marefriend an encouraging smile, and a slight nod. "You have to go Dash," Twilight exclaimed as she rested a hoof on Dash's shoulder, while the pegasus still seemed like she was unsure about this. "Yeah...but...I can't," Dash shook her head as she stepped back slightly, still it seeming like she wasn't ready to go back up to her hometown just yet, believing that she wouldn't be able to deal with the kind of situation she would be walking into if she did decide to agree to what Lightning was saying right now. "Dash, this could be the step forward that we need, it could be the perfect way to really jump start everything," Twilight stated, hoping to give her marefriend the courage that she would need for something like this. "But I...I'm not ready for this kinda thing just yet," Dash said as she looked worried, not realizing that she would have to face this fear of hers after what seemed like such a short time to her. "I know Dash, and you might never be ready for it, but if we really want this to work and to make a change with both towns, then it's time that we took this risk," Twilight tried to reassure Dash that this was something she needed to stop avoiding, while Dash just went a little silent, continuing to look like she was unsure if she should really agree to go along with this decision or not. "And you shouldn't need to worry Rainbow Dash, I'll be there with you through it all, and once we're done we can come right back here, not having to stay in Cloudsdale any longer than we need to," Lighting added as she spoke up, catching Dash's attention as it seemed she was also trying to give Dash the courage that she needed right now. Dash looked to Lightning still looking anxious, before she turned away from the others as she tried to think for a moment about all this, the thought of going back up to Cloudsdale still making her feel uncomfortable and uneasy. Lifting her head after a while as Twilight soon caught her attention. "Dash, I know this is a hard decision for you, and you don't have to go through with it if you really don't want to, but just know that if you do choose to go Spike and I will be right here waiting for you to return back home. You can't let this hold you back forever right?" Twilight asked with a caring smile as she gave her marefriend an understanding expression, as she pecked her forehead lightly. While Dash widened her eyes and sighed slightly, seeming like she was collecting her thought for a few minutes, before nodded to herself and plucking up all the confidence that she would need for what she was about to do. Seeming like she was going to answer, but then looking like she was thinking again as her expression formed back into one of worry and uncertain as she looked to Twilight and Spike smiling to her with encouragement. Lightning doing the same. "But what about you Twi? We haven't really thought about what we're going to do about the pony that trashed the library yet," Dash pointed out as it just seemed like she was finding excuses now, while Twilight just smiled and shook her head in reply. "We'll sort it out Dash, you just focus on what's in front of you right now. I'll be fine Dash, beside I've got Spike to protect me, right?" Twilight reassured as she now glanced to Spike, as the young dragon just smiled proudly in return. "Don't you worry Rainbow Dash, I'll be sure to take care of Twilight for you," Spike stated as he nodded causing Dash to chuckle slightly in reply, nodding back to the young dragon, before sighing as she looked back to Twilight again. "You can do this Dash, I know you can," the Princess smiled as she wanted Dash to push through her fears and face this, not just so that they could advance their plans, but also so the pegasus could finally stop living in fear and hopefully move past this hurdle. Dash not looking like she was so uneasy anymore as she let her head hang for a moment, seeming to be thinking to herself a little, before she just smiled slightly, "You're right Twilight, you're so right, I need to stop running from this," she spoke in a whispered voice, seeming like she was still feeling nervous but now also ready to face this choice, while Twilight just smiled back to her marefriend and leaned into her. "When have I ever been wrong after all?" Twilight asked in a lowered tone, causing Dash to chuckle again slightly as the two now rested their forehead's against each other, as they both closed their eyes for a moment, Twilight bringing Dash into a light kiss, wishing her 'Good luck' before they soon parted and pulled away from one another, the two smiling happily, as Dash turned back to Lightning a few moment's later. "Well, lead the way Lightning," Dash smiled as Lightning beamed happily and nodded back to the other pegasus, as they both got ready to leave, Twilight giving her marefriend a tight embrace and a few more words of encouragement, before she left out the door with Lightning Dust, the Princess and Spike smiling and waving as they watched the other two go, as they soon took off, soaring into the sky together and heading to the floating city above the small town of Ponyville. Twilight smiling happily as she sighed contently, and hoped all would go well for Dash and would be looking forward to when she would return back home to her and Spike. .... Lighting Dust and Rainbow Dash not having to fly for very long it seemed as they were soon were coming near to Cloudsdale, Lighting having a content smile on her lips as she seemed excited for what was in store for them, while Dash still seemed like she was a little nervous about going back to her hometown again, hanging her head slightly while her eyes were downcast. Lightning looking to the other pegasus every so often as she wondered if she should say something to her, but kept shaking her head as she couldn't think of anything that would really calm Dash's nerves right now. Wanting to say something and feeling like she should, but then looking to what was in front of her as her eyes widened slightly and she stopped, causing Dash to do the same a moment later, "Well here we are," the turquoise pegasus stated as she looked to the bunch of clouds in front of them that would lead to the entrance of their hometown, causing Dash to lift her head and look to the familiar location and take a deep breath, as Lightning looked to her with a slightly concerned expression. "You sure you're ready for this?" She asked wondering if the cyan pegasus was having any second thoughts, while Dash looked back to her for a moment, and then smiled as she thought about all that Twilight had said to her only a little while ago, and feeling her nerves slowly starting to fade away as she thought of her marefriend's encouraging smile, pushing her fears and worries to the back of her mind as she nodded in reply to Lightning now. "Yeah, let's do this," Dash replied as she plucked up all her courage and let Twilight's words guide her, as Lightning just nodded back to her and smiled in return, before the two pegasi both turned back to the entrance to Cloudsdale, and soon headed off into their hometown together, ready to face whatever may lay in store for them both once they had entered the city.