They had to wait a moment while a doctor took charge of Octavia, making sure her life wasn’t in danger, before it was possible for visitors out of her mother to see her.
For Rainbow Dash, this waiting time had been particularly difficult. The smell of hospitals reminded her of the one floating in corridors and between bedrooms, back in Green Haven. And while having a hot tea near the vending machine with Sunset Shimmer, she had seen a father getting out of the elevator in tears.
Unable to help, she had imagined this man could have been her father on the morning after her attempted suicide. He too had to wait until someone gave him some news. He too might have experienced this fear that, maybe, things hadn’t exactly gone the right way.
But when thinking it through, she said to herself chances it happened this way were scarce. Of course, she didn’t pretend her father was a monster, not even in her mind, yet a part of her still believed things might have been different for him, since she only was his daughter, and not the kind of daughter he wanted her to be.
On the other hand, she had no doubt as far as her mother was concerned. Waiting time might have been horrible…
This thought was the most disturbing one of all. Up until now, her memories had always dictated her that her mother had died instantly, and never been brought to the hospital. So why had she had this flash of her father, pacing up and down in front of a intensive care room while she was waiting on a chair, unable to move nor to think, in another room, with someone speaking and doing gestures in front of her?
It made no sense.
“Rainbow Dash… Are you okay?” Sunset Shimmer asked as they were walking to the room where Octavia rested.
“I’m fine. I was just thinking. Nothing serious.”
She had no doubt she could confess to Sunset Shimmer, who would listen, and even, who would comfort her, but she didn’t want anyone to worry about her when they were going to visit someone who had just tried to kill herself and who might be suffering way more than she did right now.
It wasn’t about her, and it was best this way. Sometimes, not to be the main focus had something kind and mellow.
Sunset Shimmer knocked two little times at the door, and hearing their friend’s mother’s voice behind, they stepped inside together.
Octavia was half lying, dressed with a hospital gown, her wrists bandaged, with a drip at one of them. There were grey circles under her eyes and her skin was as pale as the bed’s sheets. The most comforting thing, however, was that she displayed a face that was more peaceful than earlier.
Her mother was sitting on the chair by her side, and leaped on her feet as soon as she saw the two teenage girls.
“I could never thank you enough. I don’t know what would have happened without you. Thank you, a hundred times, thank you. You’ve saved my daughter.”
“We couldn’t let her this way. What are friends for?”
“How—How did you know?” the person in question inquired. “I’ve made sure I wouldn’t see anyone anymore. Each time someone called me, or worse, rang at my door, whether it was Vinie or somebody else, I never answered…”
“She yelled at me each time I wanted to let them in. All she wanted to do was lock herself in her room and cry, she didn’t even want me to comfort her.”
The two young women looked at each other, not really surprised by what they heard. It truly was the behavior of someone who had been through something terrible, and sinking deeper and deeper into the obscurity of depression.
However, them being here right on time to prevent a disaster to happen was sheer coincidence. Unless Vinyl Scratch had asked them this favor because she could sense something awful was about to take place, but she hadn’t told anything about this.
“In fact, it’s an accident… Vinyl asked me to try to see if my friends and I could get any news from you, and… here he went. That’s all.”
“Ah? Vinyl?” Octavia said, lowering her head to stare at the sheets.
“Yes, we’re here thanks to her. She’s really worried about you; you know… It’s very hard not to be able to help the ones you love, not to be able to know why they seem to suffer so much.”
If Sunset Shimmer and Rainbow Dash were here to bring Octavia some comfort, and to guide her in what she would have to undertake in order to get better, they also came all this way in order to soothe the fears of someone else, and to know what had happened to her.
They wouldn’t force Octavia to talk about it if she didn’t want to, but they also knew she could never hope to get better if she didn’t unburden herself. And if they didn’t know, it would be harder for them to show her a path forward to recovery.
“Mom… Can you leave us alone for ten minutes, please? I just want to tell them a thing or two…”
“Well… Yes, of course, honey.”
Her mother pecked her forehead, and unhurriedly slipped out of the room. It surely was difficult for her to part from her daughter after what she had tried to do. They didn’t have to force themselves to guess mother and child probably were really close before the tragedy they were about to discover unfolded.
Only once sure her mother was away, Octavia started to tell what had happened to her. She would eventually learn about it one day, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to tell them if her mother had stood by her side. She was far too ashamed.
If she agreed to confess to these two, it was because they seemed to know how it felt like not to be able to get over with a trauma.
The beginning of the school year dated back to a few months only, after all, and Octavia still had in mind the words Mr. Caballeron had about Rainbow Dash. Her mother was dead, and she had been in a psychiatric institute because of that.
“This grade is very important for me. I absolutely must get one of the scholarships for talents Colleges are granted. It’s the only way I could make up a decent life. That’s why mom has decided to spend all her saved money to pay me additional cello lessons with a renowned teacher. His name is Mr. Royal Riff and he says he’s the best tutor for classical chords instruments.”
Nothing confirmed it yet, but the two teenage girls were starting to imagine a theory more than probable concerning the rest of her story.
Of course, they didn’t interrupt Octavia, and let her tell her story entirely. It was important that she felt listened, even before she would feel supported and understood.
“At start, everything was perfectly fine. I really enjoyed the lessons, and I made huge progresses. One day, I came in class with Vinyl, just to show her how much I’ve improved. On the same day, Mr. Riff offered to give me additional free lessons to, I quote “completely reveal my true talent to the world”. All I had to do was to tell no one about it. I didn’t think twice. I should have.”
From then on, it became difficult for her to keep on speaking. So that she could feel she wasn’t alone and had all the comfort she denied herself until then, Sunset Shimmer and Rainbow Dash each sat at one side of the bed, and held her hand in theirs.
“It started quite innocently. He used to compliment my outfits, to say I was pretty with my hair like this, that I could become one of the greatest cello player alive. And, little by little, he started to rove his hands over my shoulders, then my hips, then my thighs as well… Until he…”
She broke up.
“I don’t understand what I did to deserve it. I swear I haven’t tried to turn him on or to mislead him. I love Vinyl and I could never betray her. All I wanted was to stack all the odds in my favor to have a better life, and now my life is worse than it ever was. I’m feeling so dirty and soiled, it’s unbearable!”
Unable to go any further, she burst into tears again. It wasn’t necessary that she carried on, anyway. They understood what trauma she had been through. This type of pain was the worse a woman could experience. When physical integrity gets destroyed, everything else crumbles. Neither Sunset Shimmer or Rainbow Dash had been through this kind of damage, and both thought it probably will be more difficult than they had thought to advice and help her.
“What am I going to do now? I’m so disgusting! And I could never look into my girlfriend’s eyes again after this.”
However, they knew a thing or two that could be useful for the young woman…
“You know; Vinyl loves you deeply. When you really love someone, you’re willing to accept almost everything, which also means being by their side and help them to get better. She definitely wants you to be happy and I know for sure she won’t ever be mad at you for something that wasn’t your fault at all.”
“Dash is right. I’ve seen how scared she was… Not being able to know how you were feeling pushed her to ask for our help. She’s good people and I know she’ll understand and do her best for you to recover.”
“But how could I ever recover? He’s still around, giving lessons in Canterlot. He could as well had done it to dozens of other girls already… Even if I finally recovered, I could never turn the page if I know I could meet him right around the corner.”
This was a fear Sunset Shimmer could understand. Though it wasn’t the same context at all, she had felt this way many times after her former group of friends got arrested, and when the girls came back to CHS. It had stopped eventually, since she was supported and above all, because of what had happened at the fun fair, she knew that Adagio, Sonata and Aria would never try to hurt her again – although Sonata alone wasn’t a real threat.
The solution probably laid here. To make sure Royal Riff would never be a threat to Octavia again. For this purpose, there was only one possible alternative, and Sunset Shimmer wasn’t sure the person in question would accept.
“What if I tell you there’s a way for him never to hurt anyone again?”
“Is there one? If you’re thinking about reporting it, I can’t. My family would never be able to pay a good lawyer, and he definitely would have a good one…”
“No need to report. Our friend Twilight’s brother is a policeman. He could help us. All you’d have to do would be what I tell you to. I have a plan.”
Each time someone said they had a plan, Rainbow Dash knew it never turned out so well. She didn’t know what Sunset Shimmer had in mind… However, she looked determined and confident. After all, it was one of those ‘plans’ that had foiled her, more than one year ago, and led her where she was now… Maybe the right thing was to trust her?
----------------------------------------
Because she hadn’t been out since one whole month, Octavia could hardly breathe. It seemed to her the air outside was too thick and her blood had ceased to run through her veins. Her heart was shaking from anxiety. What if she wasn’t able to get what she wanted?
She caught her breath when she heard someone opening the main door, and sounds of steps resounding against the waxed wooden floor. The lump inside her throat seemed to have widened again, blocking the rest of her body. Her head was spinning… What she was about to do wasn’t nothing special. From this moment was going to depend the rest of her existence.
Aware the stakes were very high, Octavia shut her eyes and clenched her fists. To breath, to stay focus on her breathing. In, out, in, out. Visualize negativity and watch it fly away. Rainbow Dash had assured her this quick relaxation method would help.
And indeed, when she opened her eyes again, she felt ready. Yes, she still was scared of him and of the rest of the events, but she knew this was something that had to be done. In order to get better eventually, she had to go through this.
When the door of the Roller Derby track got opened, Royal Riff’s tall body outlined in the middle of the dark room. Just by acknowledging his presence, Octavia felt as if his body was pressed against hers, his breath against her neck, and his hands… His hands probably were what she dreaded the most about him. She knew how brutal and dangerous they could be.
As he came nearer, his face became clearer. His white hair, his cold golden eyes. This wicked sardonic smile she hated so much.
“Octavia… You don’t know how happy I am that you’ve called me. I really like the place you chose. So original.”
When the music teacher stepped closer to her, an arm stretched in her direction, Octavia stepped back, with as much harshness as her elegant face could contain. Fighting her fear of him in order to achieve her ends was the most difficult thing for her. Because ordinarily, this fear had her paralyzed.
“Don’t come nearer!”
This man had ruined her life. Before she knew him, she was full of perkiness, she had faith in the future. To be a part of CHS meant a chance to change the stream of her life, to become who she wanted to be. People liked her, she had friends, she had found the person her heart belonged to, despite their many differences.
And, one day, he had put his hands on her, and nothing had been the same ever since. Everything was now covered with a veil of disgust, smelling like blood. The immaculate blank to fill she called future suddenly turned into a thick black smoke, stopping her from seeing in front of her.
Tonight, she wanted to regain control. She would probably be scarred for life, but at least, she wouldn’t live in fear eternally. At least, she wouldn’t try to shorten her existence because of these scars. Tonight, she would fight to regain at least a little of what had been stolen to her.
She was worth something. She was strong. He would never destroy her again.
“I haven’t asked you to come here so you can keep on perpetuating horrors. If I’ve asked you to come, it’s to let you know something. It’s over. You will never hurt me again.”
Octavia had poured all the determination inside her heart to say these words. As she delivered them, she realized she sincerely meant them all.
After a few seconds of wavering, the only answer she got was a burst of laugh from Royal Riff. In all honesty, she had expected it. He never took her threats seriously, undoubtedly because he knew they wouldn’t have much weight on the rest of the events, and there was no reason why he should start tonight.
He stepped to her one more time, and she stepped back as well.
“What are you talking about? I never harmed you.”
“Stop it! You know exactly what I’m talking about. You… You’re a lecher and you should be behind bars!”
Once again, he burst into laugh, overacting his effects by holding his sides. Yet for a short while, she wondered if she hadn’t exaggerated things in her mind. Maybe he only wanted to be nice with her and she…
No. She hadn’t had visions, or misread his actions. He was laughing at her because he didn’t believe in what she was saying.
In fact, in the snap of fingers, his cheerful expression changed, and on his face appeared a smirk she knew too well, his pupils narrowed, and he took off the mask of the respectable music teacher to wear this of the sexual predator.
“Conversely, I did you good. Stop acting goody-goody, Octavia. I know you liked what we were doing together.”
“Never! I never liked anything. You’re a rapist, and I’m going to make sure everybody knows. It’s over.”
“It’s over. It’s over, she says. I’m curious to see how you’re going to do that. Look at you, you’re shaking and I haven’t even touched you yet. I got you, Octavia. I’ll always be a part of you, whether you like it or not.”
“No, you won’t. You mean nothing to me, and you will never.”
It wasn’t completely true, and she knew it. Somewhere he was right. What he had done to her would never leave her memory, and she would obviously think about it again, she would obviously be scared again. These events would never leave her.
But she could also make sure the scar wouldn’t be as deep as he thought, by stopping his actions. She could make sure this traumatic accident wouldn’t part her from the rest of the world. She wanted to feel alive again, and he wouldn’t stop her to, no matter how much he threatened her.
Or perhaps, because he was threatening her. Now, according to what Sunset Shimmer had recommended her, she had to push him to confess, somehow.
“If that’s what you’re thinking, then you’re an idiot. And you aren’t an idiot, are you? Although… Asking me to come here, alone, in the middle of the night is a bit silly from you. You do know what is going to happen, right? Of course, you know it, Octavia.”
Yes, she knew it. He could do so; she wouldn’t stop him. Not really, at least. Just long enough to get what she wanted.
Royal Riff was now a few inches away from her, his face deformed by arousal and anticipation. It was the same dreadful face she had seen so many times and which always meant the same thing.
So, she tried to run away in order to escape, but the Roller Derby track wasn’t that big, and it wasn’t easy to move in the dark. Quickly, she slipped on the slightly glassy wooden floor and stumbled. The music teacher didn’t have a lot of efforts to provide in order to catch her back.
In no time at all, he shifted her so she was facing him, and kept her pinned against the floor, weighing against her. Like she had done so each time it happened, Octavia screamed and struggled, and just like he had done each time, he was smiling while slipping his hand along her body towards her uniform skirt. He knew after some time she would stop to move, understanding nothing would help and nothing would stop him from going all the way.
When suddenly, all the lights of the rink were turned on at the same time, Royal Riff was forced to stop what he was doing. This was something he probably hadn’t expected at all as he came here.
All it took him was a few seconds to spot Sunset Shimmer among the bleachers, sitting beside Rainbow Dash who held a camera in her hands, which lens was darting at the rink.
The red-headed teenager clapped at the performance, which didn’t set Royal Riff in the best of moods.
“What the hell are you doing here? Get out!”
“Are you kidding? We want the rest of this wonderful masterpiece”, she told him with that typical smirk of hers.
“Yes”, Rainbow Dash outbid. “I’m sure it’s going to be a real blockbuster… The music teacher who raped his students. Please, don’t bother for us.”
Of course, he knew what this meant. And he just couldn’t believe it. This little dimwit of Octavia had tried to frame him. Who the hell did she think she was? He wasn’t anybody, and she was only a kid from a poor neighborhood. And as far as her two friends were concerned, this wasn’t a problem at all. He would take care of them his own way and make sure they would be so traumatized they would never dare to tell anyone.
On the other hand, he hadn’t neither expected his victim to make the most of this strange wavering moment to attack him. Finally freed from his deathly embrace, she also freed her leg and kicked him right between his thighs.
Royal Riff crumbled from pain, and Octavia took her chance to stand back up and run towards the bleachers where her classmates were. Something told her that as soon as she would have reached those benches, she would finally be saved from hell. Thanks to Rainbow Dash who had filmed everything thanks to her infra red-light lens, they had now enough elements to charge the teacher.
But he managed to get it together on time to stop her. As soon as he was near enough, he grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her close to him.
“Where do you think you’re going? We’re not done yet! And you two”, he yelled at the two young women, still filming. “Turn this off or I swear I’ll make you regret it! Do you want me to do to you the same thing I did to her? I’m sure you’re going to like it as much as this b*tch did!”
“Are you really sure about that?” A male voice behind him suddenly said.
Once again, Octavia made the most of her former teacher’s surprise to escape. She ran as fast as she could to the bleachers, where Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer, satisfied they had everything they needed now, welcomed her in their arms.
Turning around, Royal Riff discovered a policeman in his uniform, who had a younger coworker with him, also dressed in his uniform. At first, he thought this was a prank… Disguised actors in order to scare him. Then he had to realize the obvious: the trap which he fell into was way more complicated than what he had first thought.
“Mr. Royal Riff, this is captain Shining Armor and his assistant Timber Spruce, from Canterlot police. A very good friend of the family”, Rainbow Dash finished with triumph in her voice.
“You’re over”, Sunset Shimmer added, like rubbing it in. “She warned you.”
Sheltered into the teenage girl’s arms, Octavia threw a harsh and defiant glance at the music teacher, with her chin up. She had won and he had lost. Like her friend said, she had warned him. Whatever would happen to her now, he would no longer hurt her. At least, not in the way he thought.
Shining Armor already was placing his hands behind his back, tying them with handcuffs, while Timber was warning a car to come to the appointed spot.
“Royal Riff, you are under arrest for sexual assault and attempted rape on a minor. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in court of law.”
This mandatory litany of each arrest was clear and known by everyone. It never stopped Royal Riff from keeping on threatening the three teenagers, promising it wouldn’t end so easily and he still had power over Octavia who no longer was looking at him.
Yet, it hadn’t been easy and even, it had been painful but she had done it. She had done it. She had confronted this man who curdled her blood, she had confronted her fear, and even risked another trauma but it hadn’t been in vain. Now she had the keys to find her way in life back, the life she had put on the side of the road.
To find the pleasure of playing cello back. To find her taste for life back, her taste for others. To see the person she loved still while no longer being afraid to lose her forever.
-------------------------------------
Because she already had a 35 mm camera for her cinematographic experiences, when she invested into this machine, more modern and provided with an infra-red system, Soarin had asked her the most daring of questions: did she really need it?
Now, Rainbow Dash was convinced about it... She did. This advanced equipment was of a greater usefulness. Without it, she would have never been able to send this sexual predator in jail.
In Equestria, as long as it was proven in a satisfying way, a rape was subject to a sentence of a minimum of twenty-five years, unreducible. Of course, like in every other part of the globe, the most difficult task was to bring these satisfying evidences, nonetheless, as far as was concerned the matter they cared about, it had good chances to give good results.
Thanks to every participant’s efforts, Octavia seemed to be on the good path for a brighter future. She could get along and, slowly, sort her life out again. It wouldn’t be easy, but she would succeed. If there was something she had learned from all her misfortunes, it was that she was stronger than she thought.
Once sure everything was settled, and before bringing the criminal to his custody, Shining Armor decided to go and talk to these who made this arrest come possible.
In addition to Sunset Shimmer and Rainbow Dash, both serving as witnesses, Twilight had also made her contribution. She was the one settled at the rink’s lightning desk in order to illuminate the place at the best moment.
At first, when his little sister and her two friends had come in his office to explain him their plan to frame a teenage girls’ rapist, the young captain had doubts about the admissibility of the evidences and about the execution of the whole scheme.
In an ironic way, if he had trusted the small group, it was because he had kept in mind the arrest of Sunset Shimmer’s former group of friends, which had gone beyond all expectations. He had also been working hand in hand with the juvenile delinquency department on many occasions, and knew he could get their help once again on that.
The young woman had a long way to go since he handcuffed her at the door of a motel room. She had changed her company, but she also became a more relaxed, cheerful and benevolent person. Today, she looked exactly like any other high school students.
Or at least, just like any of the girls from this one of a kind bunch of friends.
He stopped in front of the three girls, busy talking about what had just happened. How they had been scared things would not be going according to their plan, or feared that Octavia would be even more damaged because of this… although Rainbow Dash was boasting about being the new Scorsese of detective documentaries.
That was so Rainbow Dash. Each knew that behind the show off side there was someone with more sensitivity that it seemed, even Shining Armor.
Before he could even express how glad he was to the three teenage girls, his little sister spoke to him.
“Thanks for accepting to follow us on this one… We always put you in delicate situations…”
“I’m the one who should thank you. The Crushlotters’ and Rebellious’ arrests… The one of the teenage robbers… and now Royal Riff’s… You don’t realize, but each time, my career makes significant advancements thanks to you.”
“Maybe I should enroll in police force in the future. I think I’m also awesome at arresting bad guys. Would you like to recruit me in the future, Shining Armor?”
“Rainbow Dash! You weren’t alone to prepare this trap… Wasn’t it Sunset Shimmer’s idea to begin with?”
“Maybe, but I’m the one who obtained the keys of the rink thanks to my Roller Derby captain, and I had the camera.”
“That doesn’t mean you should take all credit for the action.”
Shining Armor rolled his eyes, and saw Sunset Shimmer doing the same. The young woman certainly also was used to hear those two squabbling this way, to the extent that she knew it was no use trying to stop them or to comment. Things always ended up on their own, anyway.
This time wasn’t any different. Vinyl Scratch’s arrival put an end to the quarrel. The teenage girl had canceled a performance in a trendy nightclub in order to rush and meet her girlfriend she hadn’t seen for a whole month.
It was impossible not to notice her when she arrived somewhere. Indeed, out of mixing and music, she seemed to be fond of tuning cars, and displayed a white vehicle decorated with blue thunders, with a personalized bumper and its matching spoilers, and each time she was going out, behind her resounded the booms of the electronic music she listened to thanks to two speakers integrated into her doors.
In fact, it always was interesting to see Octavia, which uniform always was perfect, getting out of this tawdry car. The contrast was rather fun.
Her reaction when she saw her girlfriend arrive was to get rid of the emergency blanket which had been put around her shoulders, and to run to Vinyl Scratch, who welcomed her by holding her in her arms.
The little bunch witnessed the scene from afar, and none of them could heard what Octavia was saying to Vinyl, who answered her in sign language. In fact, it surprised Sunset Shimmer.
“Well! I didn’t know Octavia could use the International sign language.”
“Of course she does. Last summer, when I made my initiation, I met her at Canterlot’s Mute and Deaf Center. She told me she was on an upgrading training. What do you think they’re saying to each other?”
“Sappy things, I bet. I don’t really want to know.”
“You probably say the same sappy things to Soarin.”
“Not at all”, Rainbow Dash replied in a suspiciously vehement way, her cheeks pinkish. “Soarin and I are only doing cool stuff.”
“Forget about it. She prefers to act smart… even if we do know what’s the truth.”
“Oh yeah, and how do you know that, Twilight Sparkle?”
“One week in Fillydelphia with you. I’m really observant.”
Once again, Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes. Here they were again. Really, not much was needed for those two to start bickering. In reality, they all knew, they loved each other and regarded each other as surrogate sisters. But like all sisters in the world, it was impossible for them to spend a whole day without one of those small verbal disputes.
It had to be said they truly were quite different, whether it was of personal aspirations than of characters. Yet, these differences didn’t stop them from liking being together. It also was the case for the rest of the gang, and partly what made the magic of their friendship.
Or at least, it was the case up until recently. Because things had turned strange one week ago. Since Pinkie Pie’s move, in fact, when Fluttershy had suddenly disappeared without a word for anyone.
Big Macintosh, who yet was her boyfriend, hadn’t even tried to know how she felt, and last time he had been at the Sugarcube Corner without a stop to see her, the way he usually did. Something had happened, of this they were sure.
“Hey… Does one of you knows what’s up between Fluttershy and Big Macintosh? I felt like it has become quite weird between them.”
Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked at each other and shrugged. They had felt it too but no one had told them anything.
“Seems like even Applejack doesn’t know. And Big Mac tells Applejack everything.”
“Rainbow Dash, you know Big Mac very well…
“Hey, just because we slept together once, it doesn’t mean I know him by heart. He’s not someone who confesses easily. What’s certain is that Fluttershy isn’t fine.”
“I’ve noticed it too”, Twilight nodded. “And I don’t want to say stupid things but I think there’s a connection with Pinkie Pie. But I don’t know which one…”
Although she didn’t know Big Macintosh that well, on the other hand, Rainbow Dash knew Pinkie Pie perfectly. Since she was living at Sugarcube Corner, she looked like her old self, yet her friend had noticed a slight awkwardness about her when it came to Applejack’s brother.
She wasn’t the type of girl who stole boyfriends, this was a certain thing. It wasn’t what Rainbow Dash feared. She rather feared that Big Macintosh had tried something, unsure of why she could sense such a thing.
Or maybe she was.
The fact remained that she didn’t like this new tension, and didn’t foreseen something good for the rest of events. Although traditional love affairs kept a blurred side for her, despite her own love story with Soarin, there was something she knew. As soon as a boy problem appeared in a female friendship, even of the solidest kind, it was always difficult to land back on your feet.
And was Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie’s friendship a solid one? A few days ago, Rainbow Dash would have answered yes immediately, but today, she wasn’t that sure anymore.