//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: Glimpses of Regret 
// by SC_Orion 
//------------------------------//

Twilight's stomach growled. She stared at the platter of food presented to her. Despite having not eaten in three days, she still stayed there, unmoving and silent. The only difference was that instead of not reacting, she had actually looked at the platter of food. It was a good sign, she was still there. But, despite her acknowledging the arrival of food, as with every time before, she just stared at it almost like she wasn't really looking at it. Like it wasn't there, or like she wasn't there.

Celestia frowned as she watched Twilight. "Twilight... you need to eat," she said softly. And yet, Twilight continued to ignore her, acting as if she hadn't spoken a single word. It made Celestia's heart ache. "Twilight..." she sighed. "You haven't eaten in days. You need to eat."

Of course, she knew that Twilight knew she could go for a few weeks without eating anything. Celestia still hoped Twilight wouldn't wait that long since not eating for such a long time would be bad for her health. But a part of her was afraid that Twilight didn't care about it being bad for her health. A part of her was afraid that Twilight would just waste away, never speaking again, never eating again, always looking distant and empty, until she just faded away to nothing more than a memory.

Yet, despite Twilight's seeming emptiness, she could see her nostrils flaring. Despite her attempts to try to act like she wasn't interested in food, Celestia could tell that she was hungry and wanted to eat. But she still laid there, her head hung limply, just barely held above the covers on the bed.

"Twilight..." Celestia whispered. She leaned over to her and gave her a nuzzle, trying to break her out of her unresponsive state. As with every time before, it didn't work. Twilight didn't acknowledge it in the slightest, and Celestia didn't have it in her to nudge her enough to force her to react.

"She still is not eating, sister?" Luna asked.

Celestia's head whipped around in surprise. Luna stood in the doorway, silent and still, carefully watching her sister and Twilight. "Luna, you startled me," Celestia said.

Luna grimaced for a split second and bowed her head. "My apologies, sister... I did not intend to."

Celestia watched Luna for a few seconds and nodded, then she looked back at Twilight and swallowed. She looked so passive and lifeless. If it wasn't for Twilight's breathing and nostrils twitching, she would have looked like a mannequin.

"Do you wish to give her more time?" Luna asked.

Celestia nibbled on her lower lip. "If she does not start eating... I do not look forward to the prospect of forcing her to eat."

Twilight didn't react.

Luna shuffled into the room and then stood beside the bed. "Perhaps she does not want to eat and knows exactly what ramifications that will bring."

Celestia felt a shiver run down her spine, and she looked over at Luna with an expression of dread. "You think that-"

"Perhaps," Luna answered. "She hasn't spoken a word, and she has barely moved. She is still... struggling with it. She has nightmares, but... they're not quite nightmares. She does not seem to understand what is happening in the dreams..." she trailed off, grimacing.

"This isn't working," Celestia said softly. "Cadance should be here soon, but..." She grimaced. "Maybe we should ask Rainbow to see Twilight."

"We both know Rainbow would decline," Luna stated casually. "She's terrified of facing Twilight again..."

Celestia mulled it over and found herself grimacing. She glanced at the bed and sighed softly. After several seconds, Celestia looked back at Twilight. She had reacted to something. Her eyes were now clenched, and her head was lying on the bed. She looked physically pained and like she could start crying without any warning. Celestia sighed softly in defeat. "We shouldn't discuss this around her," she stated in a soft voice. She extended her wing, then slowly brushed it over Twilight's back, trying to comfort her.

"Perhaps," Luna agreed.

Celestia slowly stood up from the bed and folded her wing back to her side, then walked to the study. Luna followed behind her, then closed the door. "You know how much she loves Rainbow, Luna."

Luna nodded solemnly. "Rainbow broke her heart. I... fear that Twilight will... do something drastic."

"What?" Celestia's eyes widened. "You..."

"Perhaps I am mistaken. I hope that I am... Regardless, Rainbow has already gone back to Ponyville," Luna stated.

Celestia's brow creased. "What? Why?"

Luna grimaced and shifted her weight. She shuffled over to one of the bookshelves. "She is scared. She doesn't know what to do. She... made a mistake. I did visit her dreams. She's haunted by it. She doesn't feel that she can face Twilight again."

Celestia nodded slowly. "I can understand that, but... why go back to Ponyville? Twilight needs her!"

"And she does not realize that. All she remembers is the look on Twilight's face..." Luna trailed off. "Perhaps Cadance will be able to help Twilight and Rainbow."

Celestia turned her head back towards the door to Twilight's bedchambers. "I hope so..." she said quietly.




Rainbow could only watch out the window in silence as Ponyville crept closer. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she shifted her weight and held her wings protectively against her sides. 'What am I going to tell them..?' she wondered. The thought only brought on dread.

With any luck, none of her friends would be at the station to see her return. With any luck, she could avoid them for a while, but even with luck, they'd eventually find out that she was back, and then they'd find out Twilight wasn't back, and then they'd go see her and ask her about it, and then her luck wouldn't hold up.

She could always lie, or at least try to. 'Twilight stayed in Canterlot to... take care of something...' she thought. It might fool most ponies if she could say it without showing that it was a lie and that something was wrong with her, but she wasn't sure if it would fool her friends. They'd ask for specifics. 'Maybe they'd believe that I don't remember... or that I wasn't paying attention...'

She looked away from the window and looked down at her hooves on the seat. Applejack wouldn't be fooled, no matter how hard she tried. Applejack would know she was lying; she'd see right through it, and lying would just make things worse. 'Can I really lie to them about this... anyway?' she asked herself.

The question left her feeling empty and numb. Not telling them everything was one thing, but actually lying to them was something completely different. 'And... lying to them about this...' The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth. She couldn't lie about this. She wasn't one to think things through, but even she could see lying about what happened would backfire and explode in her face when they found out what actually happened, and it was a when rather than an if.

Her best option was to actually just tell them what happened. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wasn't even sure if she could bring herself to tell them what happened. A part of her wanted to say it really wasn't any of their business, but she had hurt Twilight, and since they were all Twilight's friends too, it affected them.

She opened her eyes and looked back out the window. Waves of dread surged up inside her chest, and her whole body felt constricted as the anxiety washed over her. She'd have to face them. The only way she could get out of having the conversation with them would be to say she didn't want to talk about it. That wasn't a lie. But then, even that was only a delay tactic.

She'd have to face the reality of the situation sooner or later, and somepony would see to it. Whether it was her friends, or Luna, or Celestia.

She shivered, then fluffed her wings and held them tight to her sides once more.

"What will they say to me when they... find out..?" she whispered to herself. She could remember how happy all of them had been when they had informed them that they were dating. And then how excited they were all when they told them they were engaged. Rarity begged Twilight to let her take charge of everything, and the rest of the girls asked to help too. "You're all going to be so disappointed with me..." she whispered, almost letting out a whimper.

Rainbow clenched her eyes shut, then took a deep breath. Her body trembled with pain and emotion, but she contained it and held back her tears. Crying wouldn't change anything, and it'd just serve to display to the whole world that something was wrong.

She hadn't talked to Twilight, let alone seen her since that night. She couldn't face her. Twilight wouldn't want to see her. It would be better if she let Twilight decide when to see her next. It would give both of them time. She was afraid to see Twilight again, not knowing what her reaction would be. Not knowing was better than knowing. Maybe Twilight would forgive her, maybe they'd move on. But she wouldn't forgive herself, she wouldn't move on.

And her biggest fear was that Twilight would hate her, reject her, and be through with her. Rainbow knew she deserved it. And maybe running away from her problem was just making it worse. She bared her teeth in disgust, a single thought running through her mind, 'Coward...'

And yet, she couldn't change it. She wasn't that strong. All she could do was hold back the tears.

The train car lurched slightly as the brakes kicked in, slowing the train down.

Rainbow felt like she slammed into a brick wall. She struggled to breathe from the sudden jolt. She was back in Ponyville. She had left Twilight alone after hurting her. She hadn't gone off after Twilight. She hadn't tried to stop her. She hadn't tried to talk to her. She hadn't apologized and pleaded for Twilight to forgive her. She ran away back to Ponyville, leaving Twilight in Canterlot. She left Twilight in Canterlot.

All too soon, the motion of the train stopped. Rainbow blinked, then looked up. She swallowed and watched as ponies casually stood up and disembarked. After a few seconds, she numbly stood up and walked to the door, then stepped out onto the platform. There were maybe a dozen ponies present. Fortunately, none of them were her close friends.

She stood there silently, looking around aimlessly, watching as ponies meandered about. Some boarding the train, but most of them gradually dispersing. Eventually, the ponies all disappeared, and the train took off again, leaving her there alone. Just like she deserved.

Rainbow blinked a couple of times, then inhaled. She glanced down at her hooves, then looked back up and slowly walked towards the stairs leading off the platform. A gentle breeze rolled by, bringing with it a gentle coolness that caressed her body and mane, yet it didn't alleviate the numbness she felt inside.

She spread her wings out and flapped them once, but she didn't have the will. Instead of taking off, she just stood there, with her wings hanging limply from her back. After a few seconds, she shifted her weight, then beat her wings again, more meaningfully. She gradually ascended towards the pristine, almost cloudless blue sky, then headed for the patch of clouds that she called home.




Celestia looked up from Twilight at the sound of a soft, gentle rap on the door. She turned to look at the door, but it remained closed. After a few seconds, there was a soft knocking again. The knocks were patient and calm, not forced nor rushed. Celestia glanced back at Twilight and slid her wing across her back, stroking her and trying to provide her some form of comfort.

Celestia sighed, then folded her wing and patiently stood up from the bed and made her way out into the study. As she walked out of the door, she cast a glance back at Twilight before closing the door to her bedchambers. In just a few seconds, she calmly strode towards the source of the knocking, then opened the door to the rest of the castle. A shorter, pink alicorn stood there patiently. "Cadance..." Celestia said softly.

Cadance halfway smiled at Celestia, but mixed in with the smile was a grimace. Her lips didn't quite pull up as far as they should have, leaving her smile far less warm and comforting than it should have been. Her multicolored mane and tail were well groomed, but they somehow seemed less vibrant than normal, as if it was a direct result of stress or worry. Cadance swallowed. "How is she?" she asked reluctantly.

Celestia opened her mouth but hesitated. A few seconds passed before she closed her mouth again. Her lips pulled into a grimace. "She still isn't talking or eating," she answered.

Cadance looked down at the floor and sighed softly. "Let me see her... I'll talk to her," she said in a soft, meek voice.

Celestia nodded, then stepped aside, granting the younger alicorn entrance. Cadance slowly walked inside and made her way to the other door. Celestia watched her from where she stood. Once Cadance reached it, she paused and looked back at Celestia. "I will give you two some privacy... if you need anything, just let me know. I will be in my study."

Cadance nodded silently. A brief moment passed, and Celestia calmly walked out into the hallway, closing the door behind her. Cadance slowly turned back to the door she stood by, then pulled it open with her magic. Her gaze was immediately drawn to Twilight, and she could practically feel the pain and hurt radiating off of her sister-in-law.

Twilight laid there on her stomach, staring down at the bed. She almost looked peaceful, except for the fact that her expression was empty, yet filled with unbearable pain. The sparks of joy and curiosity which normally gave life to her vibrant eyes were gone, leaving them dull, lifeless, and almost glossy. Her jaw was clenched enough that her muscles were visible through her coat. Her normally tidy, well-kempt mane and tail were both disarrayed, the pink and purple highlights mixed in with the darker blue strands to the point that her highlights were barely noticeable. She was silent.

Cadance hesitantly took a step inside, then another, gradually approaching the bed. She cautiously looked back at the door, then closed it and sealed the room with her magic, giving them privacy and protection. She looked back at Twilight to find her looking back. "Twilight..." she said softly.

Twilight blinked once, then licked her lips and swallowed. "Cadance," she greeted.

Cadance shivered at the sound of Twilight's voice. It was unmistakable but so broken and weak. It took her a few seconds to recover. She gradually approached the bed, then climbed up onto it and laid down beside Twilight. Twilight stared at her the entire time. Cadance unfurled her left wing, then draped it around Twilight. Twilight's eyes slowly trailed along her wing until she couldn't continue without moving her head, then she looked back at Cadance's face. After a few seconds, Twilight reluctantly leaned against her side.

"Why... would she... do that?" Twilight asked at length.

Cadance pulled Twilight close with her wing and held her there. She gradually looked away from Twilight and stared at the wall. "Sometimes... ponies make mistakes, Twilight. Even the best of us..."

"But... why?" Twilight pleaded. "She... she..." she trailed off and grew silent once more. "Was I... am I... wrong? Was it... my fault?"

"No," Cadance replied firmly. "It's not your fault," she added.

"But... if... if... I... hadn't wanted... to wait..." Twilight trailed off and shivered. A short sob escaped her lips.

Cadance looked back at Twilight and found her eyes clenched. In the span of a few seconds, tears rolled down her cheeks despite her closed eyes, and she shuddered. Cadance leaned down and nuzzled Twilight, then embraced her even more firmly. "Twilight... it's not your fault..." she repeated.

Twilight whimpered and inhaled sharply. Her body shook violently with the breath she took. She wheezed as she inhaled, and sharp, high-pitched, desperate whimpers escaped her lips as she exhaled. "W-why... hasn't she..." she croaked out. "W-why..." she whimpered. Her lips and mouth continued to move like she was trying to speak, but nothing came out. "...s-stopped by?"

Cadance's heart throbbed in her chest, and her eyes burned. She did her best to hold herself in check for Twilight's sake, but it still hurt. "Rainbow... went back to Ponyville," she answered unsurely. Twilight shook more. More pained whimpers escaped her lips. The broken whimper was almost too much for her.

"W-why?"

"Luna says she's... scared. She's afraid that you'll hate her or... that you don't want to see her..." Cadance answered at length in a quiet voice.

Twilight shifted beneath her wing, then slowly lifted her head up. She opened her eyes and looked at Cadance desperately. Her eyes were twinkling from her tears, and her ears were pinned back. "W-why? I-I... d-don't..."

"She doesn't know that, Twilight..." Cadance trailed off.

Twilight whimpered again.

Cadance blinked away tears, then nuzzled Twilight once more. "Twilight..." she said softly. "It'll be okay... alright?" she offered.

Twilight stayed silent, but continued to shake. She slowly looked away from Cadance and stared at the bed once more.

Cadance slowly slid her wing down Twilight's back, then lifted it up and laid it around her withers. "Do you... still... love her?" she asked.

Twilight nodded hastily and clenched her eyes shut. She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I-I do," she answered. "I-I just... w-why? I-I don't... understand... sh-she..." she trailed off and whimpered. "W-we were... s-supposed t-to..." she let out a pained croak and let her head fall onto the bed.

Cadance swallowed as tears blurred her vision. She squeezed Twilight with her wing and held her close. "Do you want to talk to her?"

Twilight nodded quickly.

Cadance licked her lips and nodded slowly. "Okay... why don't you eat something, and then we can go talk to her?" she offered.

Twilight hesitated several seconds, but she eventually reluctantly nodded her head. "O-okay..." she said weakly.




"Raaaiiinnnbbbbooowww Daaassshhh!" a high pitched whine shouted out.

For just a moment, Rainbow could pretend she hadn't heard Pinkie's voice calling her name. For just a moment, she could pretend that everything was alright, that everything was okay, and that nothing had happened- it was just a lazy day, perhaps she had overslept, but there wasn't anything wrong.

For just one brief instant, she could convince herself of that, and then it all came crashing down on her. Her chest tightened and she gripped the blankets covering her body as hard as she could. She had gone right to bed as soon as she arrived at her cloudhouse. She wasn't tired, but nothing else was appealing, and doing anything except laying in bed alone felt wrong. Laying in bed alone was what she deserved for what she did, after all.

She pressed her eyes closed, then rolled over and pressed her head into the cloud pillow as hard as she could. For a few seconds, she felt almost peaceful, despite the tightness in her chest and her tense muscles. Thoughts of her friends plagued her mind, Pinkie Pie might have been the only pony outside on the ground below, but she had no way of knowing. She took a slight bit of solace in knowing that Fluttershy was the only one who could reach her, being the only other pegasus in their close group of friends, and Rarity's magic not being strong enough to get anypony else up to see her. Fluttershy would probably just shy back and leave her alone, too, if she asked.

For just a moment, she could pretend it was okay, but then she inhaled. Twilight's scent filled her nostrils, and her breath caught in her suddenly tight throat. Any other time, Twilight's scent could have lulled her to sleep, or reassured her that it would be okay, but not this time.

She whimpered softly and pushed herself away from the pillow. Her lips twitched erratically, and her vision blurred. She exhaled, then inhaled. Her body shook as she struggled to control her breathing, attempting to force herself to stay calm, but it didn't work; her body refused to obey her. She closed her eyes as the clean, non-Twilight-scented air filled her nostrils. A bead of heat rolled down both of her cheeks from her eyes, tickling her as they slowly slid down. For a moment, their warmth lingered, but it quickly dissipated, leaving cool streaks on her face.

"Raaaiiinnnbbbbooowww Daaassshhh!" Pinkie called again, reminding her that there was at least one pony who wanted to see her.

She really didn't want to see anypony else, least of all her friends. For all she knew, they had already found out what happened, maybe Celestia or Luna had sent them a letter telling them, or perhaps Pinkie knew simply because of her Pinkie Sense. Her voice didn't sound distraught; it was her normal jubilant tone, but it felt condemning to her. Even if they didn't know, they would be able to tell something was wrong, and they would ask. She couldn't lie to them, they deserved to know the truth. But how was she supposed to tell them that she had hurt Twilight so badly?

She whimpered again, wishing she could bury herself back in the bed and never have to leave that spot. She lifted a shaky forehoof, then crawled out of bed. She landed on the floor, then lifted her forehoof up, wiping her eyed with the back of her forehoof as she swallowed the tight knot in her throat.

She wobbled to the door, then shuffled her way through her home to the door. The entire time, she shook unsurely, and stared down at the floor, her mind racing as it felt like everything crashed down on her. 'They deserve to know the truth... they're... our friends...' But yet, she so badly wanted to avoid the whole situation, to just ignore it, to not face it. 'Coward...'

She came to a stop at the door, then lifted her head up. Try as she did, she couldn't force her normal brash smile. There just was nothing to back it up, it was hollow and empty, just like how she felt. A numbness, a fogginess, a feeling of emptiness. She opened her eyes and reached out for the door handle. The tight ache in her chest intensified as she reached for the handle, and by the time she took it in her hoof, she couldn't breathe; her body refused to inhale.

After several seconds, she managed to force herself to pull the door open, then she slowly stepped outside. The warm sun lit the land and warmed her back. She had half expected the sunlight to burn her and judge her, after all, she had hurt Twilight, Celestia's friend, so, so badly. And yet, the sun neither burned her, nor judged her, and perhaps that was why it felt so incredibly wrong. It tried to comfort her, ignoring her state and what she did, as if it forgave her, or perhaps worse, as if it didn't care what she had done.

She clenched her eyes shut, then slowly creeped towards the end of the cloud, wincing the whole time. She hesitantly stuck her head over the side and just barely opened her eyes. Down below, she could see each one of her friends, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and of course, Pinkie Pie.

"Hi, Rainbow!" Pinkie called, just as enthused as before.

"Rainbow, dear, are you alright? You look... well, terrible," was Rarity's comment.

Rainbow swallowed, then slowly extended her wings. "H-hey, guys..." she acknowledged. Her heart throbbed in her chest as she beat her wings, then slowly descended to the grassy field below. She landed and everypony watched her. She knew she wasn't smiling; she wasn't happy, and it showed. She was terrified, and everypony watched her. They could tell something was wrong immediately.

"Rainbow Dash?" Rarity asked, her expression straining as she looked at the distraught pegasus's features.

Rainbow visibly winced and slowly leaned left, then right. She lowered her head and turned her head to the right so that she wasn't looking at them. "I..." she started, only for her voice to completely stop, cutting right after the first syllable. Her ears pinned back and her legs all trembled, even her wings wobbled against her side. She inhaled, and her body shook. "I..." she repeated again, once more her throat seizing to stop her from saying anything else.

Fluttershy closed the distance and hugged her, nearly knocking her over, and she barely pressed against her. Fluttershy sat down and wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow's neck. "Rainbow, what's wrong?" she asked softly.

Rainbow didn't even know what was happening, her right foreleg lifted up and she wrapped it around Fluttershy's neck. Her hind legs gave out and she fell onto her haunches. She winced a bit and sniffled. It wasn't a moment later that the rest of them huddled around her, sitting down on their haunches and hugging her silently.

"Rainbow, dear, what happened? Where's Twilight?" Rarity asked.

Rainbow shuddered and quickly shook her head. "I-I c-can't..." she stuttered.

A certain heavy, oppressive atmosphere took a hold of the group. The silence that followed Rainbow's stutter seemed to weight tons and keep everypony silent. Rainbow continued to shake as they all continued to hold onto her.

"Is... Twilight okay?" Applejack asked.

Rainbow's body tensed up and her throat siezed up. She tried to speak, but instead only managed to move her mouth, lips, and tongue. Nothing more than silence and soft squeaks came out. She clenched her eyes shut. Rather than darkness, all she could see was the betrayal plastered on Twilight's face. She opened her eyes, unable to stand the image burnt into her mind.

"Rainbow, where's Twilight..?" Rarity asked cautiously.

"C-Canter..." Rainbow managed to stutter out.

"Is Twilight okay..?" Rarity asked.

Rainbow shook more and cried. She knew exactly where the conversation was going, and she panicked. Her muscles tightened up more and her body started to ache. She tried to speak, and once again a incoherent line of squeaks came out instead of words.

"Rainbow?" Applejack asked. "Is Twilight okay?" It was all Rainbow could do to shake her head.

"What happened? Is she hurt?" Rarity asked.

'Yes. I cheated on her.' The phrase shot through Rainbow's mind. The tension in her muscles released and she went limp, letting out a gargled, broken sob that caught everypony off-guard.

"Rainbow?" Applejack demanded. "Alright y'all, I think we need to get to Canterlot and-"

"N-no..." Rainbow's voice crackled.

"What? Why not? If Twilight's hurt, then we need to-"

"I... it-it's my f-fault..." slipped out of Rainbow's mouth.

"Well, I thought Twilight the emotional one," Applejack muttered. "You had me worried there, Rainbow. I thought that-"

"I cheated on her!" Rainbow shouted. Instantly, she winced and recoiled, her ears pinning back. A shocked silence permeated the group. 'I... I cheated on Twilight...' crawled through her mind. It was finally real, she had admitted it. She hurt Twilight, betrayed and broke her trust.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Rarity asked politely. "I would have sworn that-"

"I... cheated on Twilight..." Rainbow said at length, still wincing. "I... slept with another mare and... she... saw..."

Rarity withdrew from the hug, followed by Applejack, then Pinkie Pie, and then finally Fluttershy. Rainbow visibly winced and reluctantly opened her eyes. She did her best to avoid meeting any of their gazes, but she could still seem them. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were shocked, Fluttershy seemed to not know how to react, and Applejack glared at her.

"Rainbow Dash... what!?" Rarity demanded. Rainbow closed her eyes again and shrank back. "You cheated on Twilight?"

"What were you thinking girl!?" Applejack growled.

"I-I was drunk..." Rainbow tried to defend. It was a pathetic excuse, even more so to her.

"And that's your excuse?" Rarity challenged, her voice as cold as ice and as sharp as a sword, prominantly displaying her ire directed at the pegasus. "You cheated on Twilight, an alicorn princess, the mare you're engaged to, with some random mare, all because you were drunk!?" Fluttershy jerked took several steps back from Rarity and hid behind her mane. Pinkie Pie stepped back to stand beside Fluttershy.

"Rainbow Dash, of all of the stupid things you have done..." Rarity tarailed off threateningly, her harsh gaze glowering at the pegasus.

"I-I know..." Rainbow sniffled.

"Rarity..." Fluttershy spoke in a soft voice.

Rarity continued to glare at Rainbow Dash for a few seconds, then she looked at Fluttershy. Her expression calmed slightly as she looked at the innocent yellow pegasus. "Yes, Fluttershy?" she asked.

"Don't be so mean to Rainbow... please? If... you don't mind..."

"Fluttershy, Rainbow cheated on Twilight," Rarity reminded. Rainbow winced.

Fluttershy nodded timidly. "Y-yes, I know... and... that was wrong of her, but... can't you see she's hurting too? And yelling at her isn't going to help any... we should be trying to help them, not hurt them. They're our friends..."

Rarity waited for a few seconds, then took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"Fluttershy's right," Pinkie agreed solemnly. "Rainbow shouldn't have done that, but that doesn't mean we need to make her feel any worse about this... look at her! She's already upset enough as it is, and we're supposed to be her friends too! We shouldn't be making her feel worse!"

"She cheated on Twilight! How do you think that made Twilight feel?" Rarity asked. "Can you imagine what Twilight went through? Seeing Rainbow with another mare?"

"Um... no, but..." Fluttershy trailed off.

"Alright, Rarity. We get your point, but I think Fluttershy's right," Applejack stated. Rarity looked over at her, pointedly avoiding looking at Rainbow in between them. "As much as I want to yell at her for that, I think you've gone and done enough for the both of us."

"Perhaps..." Rarity relented.

"Rainbow, did you at least apologize to Twilight?" Applejack asked.

Rainbow hesitantly twitched her head around to face Rainbow, then she jerked her head left and right, shaking her head. "N-no... she... she... ran away before I could..."

Applejack scowled. "And you didn't go after her?"

Rainbow winced, then looked away from her. "I... tried, but I..." she trailed off.

Rarity glared at Rainbow, but a stern look from Applejack softened it. "Do you at least know where she is in Canterlot, then?" Applejack asked.

"I-I think she's... at the castle, with... Celestia and Luna..." Rainbow answered quietly.

"You think?" Applejack questioned.

"I-I don't know!" Rainbow retorted. "I just.... Luna and Celestia both... came to talk to me..." she whispered.

Applejack watched Rainbow for a few more seconds, then looked at Rarity. "Rarity, could you go and get Spike for us? I wanna send a letter to the princesses."

Rarity nodded silently, then turned and headed back towards Ponyville.