//------------------------------// // Roots and Wings // Story: The Last Flower // by TheMareWhoSaysNi //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash wished she could have stayed cold to this new twist, and then laugh at her before sending her out. But she just couldn’t hide the peak of both cortisol and adrenalin that went through her body. In her mind, came back memories of carefree days, like the perfume of a flower that no longer could exist. Sharing rolls, children’s games, hours of reading on the same swing, and more hours spent assembling and dismantling items from the postmodern era. Because Twilight’s parents worked for the Community Power, they were often absent and they both spent most of their time together, dragging Fluttershy into their explorations. When Rainbow Dash integrated the Military Academy, they had to space out their time together but kept on writing to each other… until the war started. On the front, it was difficult to get enough rest in order to write long letters, and the messages they sent to each other went shorter and shorter, longer and longer to come… Then, all of a sudden, no more letters. Until the end, Rainbow Dash hoped, but she faced the fact in the end. If Twilight had stopped writing her, it meant she was dead. The fact she was part of the very long list of missing civilians by the end of the war only reinforced her intuition. And here was this Sunset Shimmer girl, popping from out of nowhere, whom her cousin never even hinted about, though herself had never hidden anything to her, revealing her that not only did she also wrote to the young woman but that she also knew Twilight was still alive, when she wasn’t aware of the fact. Who was she exactly? She couldn’t help the yell that went through her lips. “Liar! Why would I believe you? I don’t even know you!” “Because I’ve witnessed her abduction, by Chrysalis’ minions. They also abducted my mother, who’s been able to hide me. I did nothing, though I could have helped. I’m mad at myself for that, trust me. Today it would be possible to free her but this isn’t something I can do alone. You’re the only one who can help me. The only one who can help Twilight.” Rainbow Dash clenched her fists and swallowed. She felt like a mouse in a trap, in front of whom a piece of cheese was shaken. If she persisted in refusing, she would spend all her time wondering whether yes or no Sunset Shimmer had told the truth about her cousin, and with loneliness of the night, she would turn insane. But if she betrayed the promise she had made to herself, in the memory of all those dead because of human’s greed, she would turn insane anyway. “How will I know you’re telling the truth?” “You won’t. All you have are my words, and just like you said, you don’t know me…” “Think it through, Dashie,” Pinkie Pie intervened, putting a hand on her shoulder. “It could be your only chance to see her again.” The young woman threw a glance at her mother. Windy Whistles hadn’t said a word since Sunset Shimmer had started to explain the facts, and Rainbow Dash didn’t know what was her opinion about all this. Twilight was her sister’s daughter, her sister who also was among the missing civilians of the long list and who, in all likelihood, hadn’t survived. If she chose to believe Sunset Shimmer, then she knew she couldn’t do otherwise than accepting her proposition, though it costed her to betray the words she had sworn on the sun and the moon, as the believer in forces of nature that she was. “If that’s true, then we can’t let her down, Dashie. It would be like killing her again.” Rainbow Dash let a sigh escape. Alright, so be it… Since there was a chance, even a small one, for her to find Twilight and to save her, then she would take it. Even reluctantly. Because there was another promise she had made, which was to do everything she could in order to protect her cousin, the way she was protecting her childhood friend, Fluttershy. As soon as she would be done with it, she would go back here. Far from Ghettoes, far from these remains of a civilization in unceasing disintegration. It was a new promise she made, and this time, she would keep it. “Alright. Let’s say I’m in. I have two conditions.” “Which are?” “I want Pinkie Pie to go with us. And I want to be the one in charge of liberating Twilight. It’s not negotiable.” If the situation was as hopeless as Sunset Shimmer told them, she wouldn’t refuse these two little things. After all, as she said, she was the only one able to help them. “Our shelter’s already overpopulated…” “So what? If Pinkie Pie don’t go, I won’t go neither. She’s my personal Healer and she can fight. I won’t leave without her.” Of course, the young woman’s good-naturedness wasn’t really revealing, yet her smiles and her high-pitched voice couldn’t be trusted a hundred percent. Pinkie Pie came from a remote corner of Equestria, a Ghetto now wiped away, but which in the past had been the cradle of peculiar traditions, where fighting was regarded as an art. And she knew better than anyone else the secrets of the New Medicine, since she could cook potions and remedies from almost everything. Leaving her mother alone here was going to hurt her, for sure, but Rainbow Dash knew she would handle things perfectly on her own. She was an accomplished member of the Military Caste, used to the most difficult of living conditions. And she needed someone to watch over Fluttershy. “Alright,” Sunset Shimmer conceded, releasing the pressure off of her shoulders. “We have to hit the road as soon as possible and…” “We’ll leave tomorrow morning. I won’t go without bidding Fluttershy goodbye.” She had just given up on some of the words which were the dearest to her heart, she had no intention of accepting everything without conditions. If something had to happen, she would react her own way. After all, she was the one who was an expert of strategies here. Sunset Shimmer might have certain skills for tactics, her vision remained a little too impulsive, a bit amateurish. ******************* Sunset Shimmer had spent the night on a mat, on the floor of the main room of the first floor. From the moment the first rays of the sun had stroked her face, she had been unable to go back to sleep. After so many nights spent sleeping under the ground, it was a bit difficult for her to adapt to a normal way of life. Like waking up with the sun. Here, she had the feeling that time was going by in a different way. The heat was lesser, birds were singing, and the sound of the wind was humming. Though the place was far from any display of human life, she could understand the pleasures of living in such a house. Especially as, from what she could see, Rainbow Dash and her “family” had handled things rather well. Undoubtedly, the various utensils as well as the books she had seen in the room upstairs had been brought from Canterlot, but they had built the rest with their own hands. The legend saying the Military caste was taught other specialties than the art of war might be a reality. Sunset Shimmer had never had a doubt that Rainbow Dash was able to master some of the lost technologies of the postmodern era, since she had been well-trained by Twilight, yet she never suspected she could have other talents. Though what was her work and what was the work of this house’s other habitants was a mystery. On one of the wooden shelves were pictures in frames without glasses. On one of them, Rainbow Dash was held by her two parents, a gold-plated cup in her hands, with Twilight and Fluttershy by their side. Squinting her eyes, the young woman was able to read the writings on the slab of the cup’s base: “Junior Contest of Bows and Arrows”. Another picture showed Windy Whistles and her husband, Bow Hothoof, on their wedding day. Despite the white dress, it was easy to guess the bride’s belly was a bit round. From what she knew, Bow Hothoof had died during the Uncivilized War, but she didn’t know how it happened. The third picture, Sunset Shimmer couldn’t really look at it. Windy Whistles had just gone down, greeting her with a hello that was too enthusiastic for the circumstances. “We don’t have recreated coffee here, but you can find a very tasty chicory around here. I’m going to prepare a few thermos flasks of it for your trip. Rainbow Dash will be down in a minute.” Indeed, the young woman arrived less than a minute after and the way she said hello to Sunset Shimmer was way less warm than her mother’s. She told her Pinkie Pie was taking care of Fluttershy and that they would leave as soon as they’d get washed, and their packs would be done. Wordlessly, Sunset Shimmer, whom Windy Whistles had made a red berry tea to, looked closer at this odd recomposed family’s routine. To get washed, they had to draw water from a nearby well, and each their turn, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash took shifts upstairs. Meanwhile, her mother had prepared chicory flasks and food supplies, still with an enthusiasm that made the young woman feel awkward. By letting her daughter follow her, was she aware there were chances that she would never see her again? Probably, since she was an expert Military, used to the risks of fighting. The situation had to be serious, so why was she behaving as if all of them were getting prepared to go on summer camp? Soon, the two young women announced they were almost ready to go. Before going to speak to Fluttershy, that Sunset Shimmer never met personally, Rainbow Dash wanted all the supplies to get loaded, figuring out that the young Envoy hadn’t come to the Everfree Forrest on foot. Indeed, by walking West for a couple of minutes, they found her wain harnessed nearby. She only had one horse, and the transportation was just a wooden cart with a roof made of burlap spotted of yellow and brown stains. They put their packs in it, principally made of guns, food supplies and a few clothes as well as a stock of indispensable homemade medicines. Then, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie went back to the house in order to bid their goodbyes, while Sunset Shimmer stayed near the cart. Not that she was a bother, but they weren’t close at all. These goodbyes had an aftertaste of farewells, she didn’t need to be their witness. It was an intimate scene, something which strangers weren’t granted access to. Rainbow Dash first chose to go upstairs, where Fluttershy still was. Sitting on the edge of her bed, in the exact same position than before, the young woman, absent-like, seemed to be staring at a suspended speck of dust. Even when her childhood friend came closer, and crouched to look into her eyes, she didn’t move. Rainbow Dash had to lift her chin a little so that, finally, she felt as if she were seeing her, or at least, was aware of her presence. In their childhood, she had been this tall and skinny little girl the other children were joking about and who always cried, never defending herself. With Twilight, they both protected her the best they could, and had tried to teach her how to fight back. Growing up, she turned out really pretty, though still very demure, which made the jokes stop and the boys more interested in her. Fluttershy had even been able to win a better recognition, even if her excessive politeness and her inclination to blush kept on making her pass as a weak person. Her whole life had crumbled down during the Uncivilized War. The trauma of losing her whole family, the repercussions of the violent fights touching each Caste, with no exception of social rank, had created such a shock in her mind that it shut to the rest of the world. Ever since, nothing had been the same anymore. Just like everything this damn war had touched. Rainbow Dash stretched out her hand and stroked her childhood friend’s pink hair. She was as precious to her as a little sister. Her love for her was as strong as the one she had for her dearest cousin, though different. They shared a real blood connection with Twilight. Her connection with Fluttershy came exclusively from the heart. Yes, she was her soul sister. But a sister anyway. “Listen, Fluttershy… I won’t be there for some time. Some people need me. But I promise you, as soon as everything would be settled down, I’ll be back. You’ll be with mom meanwhile, is that OK?” The young woman blinked and Rainbow Dash thought she saw the semblance of a smile on her face. She sighed. She would be safe here. Chrysalis and her minions had nothing interesting to steal in this forest. No Angel, nothing but natural resources which meant nothing to these so thirsty of power. And Windy Whistles would make sure she was fine, and would defend them if they were attacked, though that seemed much improbable. Reluctantly, Rainbow Dash got up and not looking back, decided to leave the room. Her chest hurt, and fighting against her tears, swallowing them back inside was a constant struggle, much harder than all the rest. If she accepted to leave this place, it wasn’t for this Sunset Shimmer and her fight against the Angel Stealers. It was for Twilight. It was because she’d been given this unexpected chance to save one of the persons she loved the most and thought she had lost forever. What about Soarin? He also was part of this list of missing persons, and for him too, she had been waiting, her heart filled with hope, for him to appear in front of her, his arms opened to get her. But he had never appeared. And she never could have come to terms with his potential death. Separating with her mother was as hard, if not harder, than what it had been with Fluttershy. She knew her friend was unable to move, to cry, to try to hold her back or to utter words that would make her feel overwhelmed. It was different with Windy Whistles. The first thing her mother did was holding her close and to ask her to come back as fast as possible with both Pinkie Pie and Twilight. Because of this, it was difficult for Rainbow Dash not to let way to tears. She didn’t want to appear like someone weak in front of her new fighting companion, who would surely notice her red and swollen eyes if she cried. Her tears, she was saving them for later, when everyone would be asleep. Like she almost always did. Windy Whistles, before she left, slipped a small item inside the palm of her hand, closing her fingers around it while making her promise to hang to this when she would have doubts. If she ordered her to leave instantly, it was because herself couldn’t hold back her tears anymore and didn’t want to show them to her daughter. Not, conversely to her, so she would appear to be weak, but to make sure these tears wouldn’t make her change her mind. She had made a promise to her sister too, which was always taking care of Twilight the way she took care of her own child. She had failed and now, her greatest pride and joy, her daughter, hold the whole responsibility of honoring those words. Before climbing on the back of her own horse by Sunset Shimmer’s side, Rainbow Dash took a glimpse at the house, half-concealed by the dense foliage of the trees and the bushy ferns on the ground. Her haven of peace, faraway from everything. The place where her whole person was already longing to go back to. The place where, from this day on, she swore she would visit every night in her dreams. ****************** Her cart’s wheel banged into a rock out of the ground, and shook the horses and carriage. This was common since they’ve left Rainbow Dash’s house. The forest’s design wasn’t made for civilization, even as primary as that. There was no real road and no indication and all Sunset Shimmer could rely on was her old compass. By her side, Rainbow Dash seemed to be dozing, her head low. Yet she still sat straight on her horse back, her both hands firmly clasped around the reins. It probably was a military technique Sunset Shimmer had never heard of before. She had learned everything she knew in books. Only then, going from theory to practice, had she been able to develop her skills in fight and strategies. If Canterlot’s attack by the Butterflies gave her doubt about her abilities and about those of the persons she had taught them to, she’d been reassured by her successful intrusion into the Underworld. Though in reality, she had used a little trick… Along with the necessary food supplies for the trip, a few personal belongings, the young Military girl had brought many weapons and ammunitions, the most sophisticated Sunset Shimmer ever had a chance to see. If New Canterlot’s inhabitants could have some of this sort, she was sure they would all be able to win the fight they prepared for. Their fight. But how could they build such weapons? It was impossible to find resources to help to their construction because of the state of their Ghetto and how small their Angel was. Sunset Shimmer jolted when she saw Rainbow Dash opening her eyes unexpectedly, a frown on her still sleepy face. When she opened her mouth to ask her whether everything was alright, the young woman told her to shut up, clucking her tongue, before she grabbed her bow and one arrow in the quiver tied behind her back. Swiftly, in the half-dark, she shot towards the big branch of a tree, and the muffle sound of a body falling from up high, along with a small shriek of pain, resounded into twilight’s silence, that was suddenly disturbed. Other sounds, like quick steps against the ground covered by dead leaves, soon made Sunset Shimmer understand the reality of what was happening there. Unhesitatingly, she grabbed her weapon as well, and tried to shoot towards said sounds. The horses, disturbed by the unexpected storming in of new human presences, bent and neighed, and started to get restless. Shooting while trying to master them wasn’t an easy task, but right before their lamp fell and broke, she could see Rainbow Dash getting off of hers, while she kept on shooting on sight. In the chaos which ensued, the young woman with hair like blood and gold could do nothing more than taking back the reins of her fellow’s horse to redirect their cart in the right direction. She felt an additional weight, as if someone had jumped into the small carriage, despite the flying arrows. If this person was able to steal their supplies, the rest of their trip before they could reach Canterlot would probably be a little more complicated. It was a detail she could have planned… The edge of the Everfree Forest was known to be full of bandits, from the most insignificant to the most well-organized, stealing the Transients who dared venture around here, looking for a place that was a bit less unpredictable than the red desert. Though Sunset Shimmer thought she would also have to deal with the person who penetrated inside their wain, she remembered Pinkie Pie was asleep there. She had been warned – behind her innocent face laid a redoubtable fighter. All she could detect, yet, was a shriek from the culprit, who wasn’t long before jumping off the cart, running away from here. What happened, she didn’t know, but it surely wasn’t really pleasant if a man had screamed and fled like this – it clearly was a male’s voice. As suddenly as it had started, the attack stopped. The horses turned calm again and inside the wain, Pinkie Pie illuminated another oil lamp, that she gave to Rainbow Dash. The young woman, disheveled and apparently upset, had taken back all of her arrows, among which some were layered with red traces, dropping on the wet ground. She was rather ruthless for someone who didn’t want to fight anymore… “They’ve stolen a great deal of our food supplies,” she said to her new fighting fellow. “Thanks for not letting go my horse…” “What are we going to do without our food supplies?” It didn’t seem to scare Rainbow Dash a lot, ready to get back on her saddle without even an answer… Maybe she was used to forced diet thanks to her Military way of life, but this way of life wasn’t hers. Since Sweet Apple Acres had been wiped away, Sunset Shimmer had promised herself she would never get hungry again. Nothing was scarier and more painful than feeling hungry. This void, impossible to fill, the heart beating slow and the head spinning… Still today, though she was now able to eat enough, she had nightmares about being hungry. This collaboration, she thought, wasn’t beginning under favorable auspices. As she was about to insist, ready not to be pushed around, a noise against the dead leaves resounded again, and they all froze, now ready to react if they were attacked again. But this sound came along a shriek… or rather a husky reedy voice calling for help. Immediately, Rainbow Dash jumped off her stirrups, grabbed an arrow that she put against her bow, and walked in the direction of the sound, the arrow darted towards the ground, wisely. Behind her, Pinkie Pie illuminated the road thanks to the oil lamp, without a care about the fact that Sunset Shimmer would be left alone in the dark. She didn’t have to go far to stumble into what seems to be a prisoner, tied to a tree, who was trying to get herself out of the rope, shaking her body with the energy of despair. A nod from Rainbow Dash’s head was enough to let her friend know she had to check around them, in order to make sure no one would appear behind a bush to try to attack them, before she crouched to help the trapped girl, who had tangled blond hair. When she rose her head, with a crooked and weak smile contrasting with the tears on her cheeks, Rainbow Dash immediately recognized the familiar face. “Muffin… What the hell are you doing here?” she asked her before she started to get her off the ropes again. “These guys… They captured me. Somewhere around Bogg… I’ve tried to run away many times…” “They won’t bother you anymore. I took things in charge.” Pinkie Pie came back from her quick watch, but with a small wooden crib. As soon as she saw it, Muffin leaped on her feet and, without a care about the fact she could hardly stand still, quickly looked inside. “My Dinky! You saved her, Pinkie Pie. Thanks!” And she threw her arms around her neck, crying against her shoulders. inkie Pie took a few seconds to realize what she was thanking her for. Once her disarray was over, she patted her fellow’s back, the crib still in her hands. As for Rainbow Dash, she tried her best to keep her distance… She only let them know they couldn’t stay around here for too long. Not that she didn’t like children, but that she didn’t know how she would react when she saw this one without a preliminary mental preparation. However, as soon as she had recognized Muffin, in her mind it had been clear she couldn’t leave her to her own devices, at the edge of the Everfree Forest. When she wasn’t distracted, she was quick, she could go unnoticed and knew how to find of a route like nobody else… The Everfree Forest’s rules weren’t the same than those of the mainland. And Muffin wasn’t trained for the former… Sooner or later, she would have to look at this baby. She knew it. Meanwhile, she would do her best to avoid it, though she wasn’t sure of how she could do such a thing. For her part, alone in the middle of the thickening darkness, Sunset Shimmer was waiting, her heart thumping in her chest, for the two young women to appear again. This situation made her feel like the interloper, like the parasite who was tolerated due to the circumstances. They weren’t an army, far from it… All she could hope now was that meeting the rest of Canterlot’s inhabitants and the account of their common goal would transform their relationship for the better. If she was lucky, the fact she had saved Soarin from the future of an assembly-line genitor in the Underworld would play in her favor. When, finally, a beam of light outlined in front of her, she grabbed her weapon, before she relaxed when she saw Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie… accompanied by a girl who held a crib. “Who is she?” she asked with a quaking voice. “She’s Muffin and this is her daughter Dinky. She comes with us.” While the small team went around the cart in order to settle the two newcomers inside, Sunset Shimmer got off her horse, fits and jaws clenched. Wasn’t it enough that they left her on her own, in the dark? Now they urged her to accept two additional mouths to feed, although the greatest part of their food supplies had been stolen. “What if I don’t agree? We don’t have anything to give them to eat! We don’t even have enough food for ourselves!” “You don’t agree? You would let a mother and her baby starving to death? If that’s your idea of solidarity, then maybe you should sort your problem out without us!” She couldn’t be serious. It would mean giving up on the idea of rescuing Twilight out of The Hive, and Sunset Shimmer didn’t want to believe this Muffin was so important that Rainbow Dash would go back on her words. Yet, in doubt, she softened her tone a bit. “What I mean is that we’re a team and decisions have to be taken together as a team.” “If we have to vote, then I vote to keep Muffin and Dinky,” Pinkie Pie intervened, lifting her hand a bit too enthusiastically. Rainbow Dash turned to Sunset Shimmer, determined not to go without the young mother. “Alright, let me explain you… This girl isn’t any girl and I’m not trying to be a philanthropist. She’s a Military Envoy. The best of all Equestria. She knows every Ghetto by heart, and every roads of the West Continent. That’s why she’s going to come with us.” “What about food?” “Well, I’ll hunt. It’s not the desert here, there’s no need to dig holes into the sand in order to get a satisfying amount of grasshoppers. There’s food everywhere around us.” Sunset Shimmer tried hard not to give in, only because she wanted to pit herself against Rainbow Dash… Yet at the same time, it wasn’t in her character to leave someone in need to their own devices, especially when this someone had a baby to feed and protect. And something told her this Muffin could be useful. She didn’t know how, and a Military Envoy was a high-profile pawn in fighting strategies and even her knew this. “Alright, let’s bring them.” “See? We can agree.” “Dashie, can’t we stop here to rest a bit? Sunny and you might be really tired…” Rainbow Dash glanced at Sunset Shimmer. The young woman was already upset, and something told her if she tried to force something else her patience could be pushed a bit too far. Though it could have been fun, she didn’t want to take that risk. If they had to work together, this kind of confrontation wouldn’t help much. Only when she saw the young woman acquiesce did she answer it was a good idea. While they would settle their camp, she would go and hunt… Which meant she probably wouldn’t go to sleep.