//------------------------------// // The Heat That Reflects The Light // Story: The Last Flower // by TheMareWhoSaysNi //------------------------------// Here, there was no electricity. The Angel was too far away and this second nuclear shelter was too small to be equipped with a complete infrastructure. In reality, this place was a secret pantry, only know by Militaries, that Sunset Shimmer had discovered a bit after she arrived in Canterlot, by the end of the Uncivilized War. The place had been emptied of the resources it was supposed to offer, yet she knew this would be a perfect hideout to conceal the rest of Twilight’s technological creations, that she had been able to save and to preserve. It had been a long and hard work, especially as some of the items were of an important size, heavy and complicated to carry. She would never have made it without the help of some deceased persons or others who were now hidden in another Ghetto. She had been lucky this place never was discovered by one of Chrysalis’ Butterflies. If one of them would have seized the fabulous treasure it presented, then Canterlot would probably had been lost forever. And so would she. Sunset Shimmer put the oil lamp she had brought on a concrete shelf built next to the door, in order to light up the place for today’s guest. She willingly remained in the background while Rainbow Dash was walking towards the infamous Flying Vehicles, covered by a huge dusty tarpaulin. It felt as if the young woman was stepping into a sacred place. Her steps were slow, her hands were stroking each of the uncovered items and her eyes were shining of the glow of tears kept inside. When she took off the hessian suddenly, the sigh which escaped her lips sounded so much like a strangled sob that Sunset Shimmer even thought she had to leave her alone. Then five hybrid vehicles appeared under their eyes, looking like a fusion of the two parts of a sidecar. Roomier and more powerful than a motorcycle, but still not close to a car, even a small one and able to run on any kind of surfaces, they were equipped with a peculiar mechanism which allowed them to take off and fly on a short distance, up to something like five thousand meters of altitude, thanks to a system of retractable wings on each sides. The height definitely was enough to allow them to reach the bottom of the Hive. Provided that the whole initial equipment had been saved, which Sunset Shimmer was sure about. “I’ve always wondered how Twilight have been able to create something that sophisticated…” “Thanks to very complicated calculations, and because back at the Academy, I had a lot of advanced materials at my disposal. She told me what she needed and I brought it to her if I found it. It’s the result of many years of hard work. Our brightest success until now.” About this, Sunset Shimmer had no doubt. There were many things haphazardly made here, but nothing as forward-thinking as this. She could be wrong, but it seemed to her that even in the wealthiest Ghettoes, the ones with the greatest number of Angels out of the Hive, didn’t have such an advanced technology in their possession. Like a survivor of a time they haven’t even known. “What’s their problem?” she asked after she admired them like a child rediscovering the sweetness of her lost infancy. “There’s no way I can make them start. I never could understand how to fuel them… I used to put them into many sheltered wains.” Before the Uncivilized War, the Resistance Army and the members of the Community Power had technological vehicles at their disposal. The rest of the population, like Envoys, were using horses, or going on foot. It was nothing truly cutting-edge but really old remains of the postmodern era, which already were old back then, and which were working badly. And only the most erudite of Masters of Elements knew how to fix them. The only other persons who could have explained her how Twilight’s creations such as the Flying Vehicles were functioning had been abducted at the same time than the young woman, letting Sunset Shimmer ignorant. She always wondered why no one ever tried to steal these creations. Probably because Chrysalis’ minions thought nothing of this would help them in their cause, or maybe they had very precise orders. Though, she knew it very well, it was much more difficult to go on exposed with such a heavy load than with bunches of drugged and tied together human beings… “If that’s the only problem then it’s nothing complicated. They’re functioning half with electricity and half with solar energy. All it takes is to recharge them by connecting them to a plug long enough so they’re full, and then, it’s easy as pie.” “Alright. I’ll ask Applejack to help us bringing them closer to the main shelter. She’s really strong, it probably will be just a breeze for her. Are you sure they’re going to work? It’s been ages since no one rode them at all.” “I’ll take a look and if that’s needed, I’ll fix any problem. But from what I see, they’re in excellent state, so there’s no reason why they wouldn’t run. I’m going to need tools: a cross-head screw, a torque wrench… Wasn’t there a small complete box with the vehicles when you found them?” There was one, indeed. Sunset Shimmer has always known the items inside weren’t mere gadgets but very important tools and always made her best not to lose it or to misplace one article. The only problem was that now she wasn’t sure of where exactly it was, among all the things that were gathered here. That’s what she confessed to Rainbow Dash who, immediately, started to search. The fact there was none of the weapons they had built wasn’t a surprise, since she knew Sunset Shimmer had already amassed them all. There were a lot of transistors and quirky radios they used to have fun assembling made from various pieces, back when they were nothing but kids. They never been able to receive any waves, the way they hoped so much, which would have been the evidence that the East Continent had been able to re-establish means of communications from the postmodern era. But in the middle of all this not much, Rainbow Dash was able to unearth a few very interesting items. Among them, radiophones able to keep a clear connection on a few thousands of meters of distance, two cameras connected together – on the same system than the radiophones – which could be hidden in a helmet, and most importantly, a solar energy computer. They were quite rare already back when they found this one, and she remembered with a sense of nostalgia the sleepless nights its fixing had costed them, and as many emotional outbursts to understand the way binary language and code were functioning. But they had been able to get it, and before they started the creation of the Flying Vehicles, for a long time this had been their greatest pride. They were lucky the famous Master of Elements called Celestia was Twilight’s mentor! Without her huge knowledge, they could never find the keys which allowed them to understand this technology which used to be the center of the world, and which now was almost an urban legend. Like many others, she was part of the list of missing Masters of Elements. Now and thanks to Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash knew a lot of those had actually been abducted by minions in order to transform The Hive into the most advanced Ghetto of the whole West Continent. ********************* At the break of dawn, Rainbow Dash had woken up before anybody else, like most of the time, and went to check out whether the Flying Vehicles were recharged enough to go to Las Pegasus, the first Ghetto on their way. Since she was back in Canterlot, she had started a morning ritual, always the same. She got up, did some exercises to wake up her muscles, then went running for half an hour, watching her heartbeat from time to time. Then she fed her mare, Tough. At this moment, the rest of the inhabitants had woken up as well and the girls chosen for the day were going to work in the fields, while the other handled the domestic tasks. After a breakfast with Soarin and Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash took her Healer as her assistant, and took care of the vehicles fixing. Although, in reality, there wasn’t much to do, it allowed her to keep her distances with the others. To be honest, she wasn’t feeling she truly belonged here. The Canterlot of her memories was gone, and this idea could hardly get a way through her mind. And, she hoped she would postpone her face to face with Soarin as much as possible… There were certain things that demanded time, and she needed to think them through before speaking of it with him. Because he was the only male of the whole Ghetto, the young man had to wait for each of the girls to have washed before he could bathe. Because of this, he was always late on the schedule decided by Sunset Shimmer. This morning might be the morning of their departure, it wasn’t an exception. When he arrived, almost everything was ready. Most of the food supplies were loaded, as well as their packs and weapons. Muffin created an itinerary for them on a map she had copied herself, and the day before, everybody agreed the leaders and scouts of the expedition would be Soarin, Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer, since they were the most experimented ones when it came to trips through the desert. By security, packs, food supplies and weapons would be at the back, in case they were attacked and the scouts were seriously harmed. Everything was divided up in two carts tied behind the vehicles, and Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Applejack would take shifts carrying them. They were at the back of the convoy, with Sunset Shimmer, deciding of the last details, when Soarin met Rainbow Dash, busy arranging a few things with Muffin, thanks to the freshly unearthed radiophones. “If there’s a problem but the frequency is unclear or unavailable, don’t be afraid to grab Tough and meet us. I’m sure the remaining girls would take good care of Dinky while you’re absent.” The young mother’s soft voice resounded into the radiophone in a way that was a bit rough yet understandable. “Received loud and clear.” Soarin stepped closer prudently, as if he was scared he would break something precious by his presence. He was a bit reassured when Rainbow Dash greeted him with a smile, while hanging her radiophone on the dashboard of her vehicle. “With all that, I haven’t been able to see how these machines were working,” he said with an embarrassed face, which made the young woman rolling up her lips in an amused rictus. Since the dawn of time, he had often behaved as if his whole presence was troublesome. It costed him a lot of mockeries back at the Academy, yet he had kept on reacting like he should apologize to be alive, thinking it was in his genes and it couldn’t be helped… Because of this, Rainbow Dash didn’t point out his manners and simply showed him the basic functioning of the machines, walking the walk as well as the talk. “All you have to do is turning the grip of the right handlebar, pushing the green button under it, and at the same time, you press the left pedal… See?” Indeed, the vehicle had started to purr, only waiting to be guided to go forward. “If you want to go left, you turn the handlebar to the left, same kind of maneuvering if you want to turn right. Its only disadvantage is that there’s no way to go backward, so if there’s a problem, you’ll have to stop the bike by pressing the right pedal, which allows you to slow down, then the red button on the switchboard. It’s so simple even Dinky could drive it!” Right after this, she burst out laughing… It was a strange vision, in theory, but it immediately injected a soft warmth into Soarin’s chest. It was the first time she laughed since their reunion. It felt as if the teenage girl she was back then had risen back to life. He wanted to take her in his arms and to hold her close, but it surely wasn’t perfect timing for such displays of affection. So he only smiled and told her he understood everything and that, indeed, it was a piece of cake. “Of course, I just told you so!” Rainbow Dash added, stopping the machine. He almost jolted when she walked his way and arranged his anti-dust collar, which was upside down, with a softness he hadn’t witnessed from her since he was back in Canterlot. This short moment of complicity could have been longer had not Soarin caught a glimpse at her left upper wrist, slightly sticking out under her sleeve. He thought he saw reddened flesh but couldn’t watch more closely since Rainbow Dash, realizing the problem, immediately lowered her arm with an embarrassed look. His intuition telling him she was hiding things to him sharpened again, but before he was able to open his mouth and ask the question, they were disturbed by Rarity’s voice, a bit farther behind them, obviously very angry. They both looked questioningly at each other, then went together, as one, in the direction of the three girls, seemingly disagreeing. “What’s going on?” Rainbow Dash asked once she was in front of them. “She doesn’t want me to carry a weapon,” Rarity answered, outraged, showing Sunset Shimmer with her chin. “Why?” “Because she can’t shoot”, Sunset Shimmer replied tis for tat. “Maybe she doesn’t strike the heart or the head but she strikes the target anyway. It’s all that should count.” “And I’m no damsel in distress who needs to be protected. If I’m going to be a part of this expedition, I want to be treated with equality.” “I told you, Appelajck, that it was a bad idea to let Rarity come with us but you insisted…” “Because Ah think she’s gonna be very helpful. And Ah still thinks so. Do Ah need to remind you we’ll never find our shelter if she hadn’t been there?” Obviously, negotiations were in a dead-end. Each one was more stubborn than the next, and stuck to their guns. Pinkie Pie tried her best to reason them at the beginning of the conversation but quickly gave up on the idea once she understood no one wanted to listen to her point of view. It probably wouldn’t make her already tensed relationship with Sunset Shimmer go any better, but Rainbow Dash decided that if there was going to be a referee to unscramble the situation, then she would gladly take this role. Each minute spent in a dispute was a minute lost for their cause. In a real army, such an event would never take place, since the least of details and assignations already were decided a long time before the official departure. Their group failed a bit when it came to organization. If only Twilight had been there… She would have found a way to fix things in the most of diplomatic ways. But Twilight still was a prisoner of The Hive, so they were going to have to be satisfied with her, Rainbow Dash. “Enough! She’s not going to be empty-handed and unable to defend herself. We’re not here to be bodyguards but to try to save this dirty country from a potential disaster. Give her a gun.” "No, I won’t. What are we going to do if she gets hurt? She’s too important.” “Another reason. If anything happens to you, you’ll be glad if she’s here to save your ass. FYI, you can kill someone even if she only shoot in their legs or shoulders. All it takes is striking the right artery.” This last line, interjected with a casualness and a composure that sent chills down the spine, generated a deadly silence which stopped the discussion. If both Soarin and Pinkie Pie knew the darker part of the young woman’s personality, the others, actually not really used to it yet, stiffened up a little. It felt as if she had just spat a reality into their faces, a cruel reality they had tried hard to ignore but that, from now on, none of them could sweep away with the back of their hands. There were risks that things would turn out bad, and that people would die. Risks that themselves, who, until then, only shot on targets and Butterflies, which meant cyborgs, were going to be those who would take away lives. In front of this sudden switch of atmosphere, Rainbow Dash, more and more annoyed by these mishaps she regarded as nonsensical, searched through her own pack and took out her automatic crossbow, along with the set of arrows matching it, and put it into Rarity’s hands. She exchanged a look with Sunset Shimmer, who shrugged and turned around, walking in the direction of her vehicle, silently. Once the shock registered, her resentment had taken over again, and it was obvious to anyone that she didn’t like the fact another of her orders was transgressed by Rainbow Dash. Each of the protagonists, Pinkie Pie and Soarin included, withdrew as well, ready to leave. Before going to her own vehicle, Applejack patted Rarity’s shoulder, while the girl was looking at the crossbow with a puzzled face. “I won’t be able to use this.” “It’s easy.” Rainbow Dash slid one of the arrows into the crack provided, and guided Rarity’s arms so they would be in the right position and at the right level, all while explaining the maneuvering to her. “You just aim at your target, and once you have it in sight, press the button right here…” Rarity obeyed and an arrow lodged itself into the leather of the seat of her own saddle. “See? Easy as pie! Most importantly… Never forget to take back your arrows. Because I don’t have another set. And good luck,” she concluded with a smile and a wink. Upon these words, Rainbow Dash turned around to join the front of their delegation. Yet, after she took back the arrow lodged into the saddle, like advised, Rarity stopped Rainbow Dash anyway, holding her back by the bottom of her sweater’s sleeve. “Thanks for pronouncing a judgement in my favor. I’m very grateful you did.” “You’ll thank me when this will be over. If you’re still alive.” ******************* As soon as the sun took its leave, the heat of the desert decreased at the rate of knots, and even the leather clothes no longer were able to warm up the travelers. By common consent, it was decided that the group would stop near a rocky mountain in the shape of a creek, sheltered from prying eyes. Each hurried to prepare their encampment. Rarity had sewed their tents, in a material solid enough to resist a surprise sand storm. It was nothing like her creations of yesteryears, when she was working at the service of the Elite Caste, just like everything she had created with her hands since the beginning of the war, which never stopped her from feeling proud of it all. Out of all Canterlot’s inhabitants, she was the one whose life had changed the most. For eighteen years, she lived surrounded by luxury, beautiful things and refined persons. And everything crumbled down on the doomed day when the Elite members were shot, women and children included, on a November night. Militaries burst in into her house, in order to settle them somewhere safe, along with a dozens of other families from any type of Caste working for the Community Power. On their way to the shelter where they stayed for the greatest part of the war, before Rarity decided to enroll at the fabrication of bullets and bladed weapons, a lot of them died in an ambush. Among them, her own parents. She would always congratulate herself for sending her little sister Sweetie Belle in a boarding school for young girls escaped from the Community Power’s massacre, which was in the small Ghetto of Hoofington – only those escaped from this massacre knew it existed. She had no doubt that she would have died during the Butterflies’ attack if she hadn’t done this. Still today, Rarity remembered who was the person who told her about this place. A man, top brass Military with rainbow hair which reminded her something. He told her his name was Bow Hothoof and she was sure his hair wasn’t the only thing the man shared with the Military girl in front of her. Rainbow Dash was sharing her tent with Pinkie Pie, though they both had their own. It surprised Rarity that the young woman didn't choose instead to share a bed with Soarin, since she knew he was her boyfriend. All the girls she knew, except maybe Applejack, were longing to have a man in their lives. It wasn’t about sex. It was about love and affection, and sharing something different with someone dear. And the one who had the chance to live such a joy seemed to be fleeing it with a great deal of energy, colored with despair. So, when Rarity saw Soarin stepping inside Rainbow Dash’s tent, as Pinkie Pie had volunteered to take the first shift, she concluded that the young man had noticed with strange distance between them, and wanted to fix the problem. How she wished she were a butterfly so she could be able to spin above the couple, and see and hear everything that was going to happen. Her lack of romance was really starting to be embarrassing! “Do I bother you?” Soarin asked on the threshold of the door made of fabric. Rainbow Dash was busy preparing the sleeping bags. She was lit only by the weak yellow glow of an oil lamp and shadows were playing against her back. It was impossible to see the looks on her face, nor to see through her precise gestures whether she felt shaken by his intrusion or if it didn’t matter. “No, you don’t,” she simply answered. Her voice was neutral. And yet, she kept on busying herself, as if she was expecting him to get weary and leave her alone. But he wouldn’t let her alone. Since they left Canterlot, she had barely told him a word, even during their breaks, even during meals, and she refused his help each time he proposed. Back when they still were in the Ghetto, Soarin had a few rays of hope, glows that were weak and flickering, but which made him believe things would soon be a bit more lenient between them. Of course, nothing would never be the same. Too many things had happened in-between, and they weren’t exactly who they used to be. However, the feelings they had for each other still were here and it was thanks to them he kept on having faith about them being back together. Together for good, not sporadically, when a sparkle ignited between them. He didn’t like it but if things needed to be forced a bit, he would force them. Knowing she was so close and he couldn’t touch her, he couldn’t even hold her hand, it had turned out almost unbearable to him. So, he took one step forward and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Immediately, Soarin could feel Rainbow Dash stiffening, and suspend her actions. An odd embarrassment beribboned around them, before vanishing away like smoke rings when he felt her body relaxing against him and she pressed a hand against his arm. Relieved by the fact she didn’t reject him, Soarin let it go and put his cheek against her rainbow hair. She was still smelling like cinnamon and ginger, faithful to his memories in each of her corners. “Sorry. I couldn’t help myself… Are you mad at me?” “No.” She answered with a sigh, a bit breathless, and for the first time, he noticed her heart beating against his chest, the restlessness of her shoulders… Her anxiety hadn’t completely left her, and Soarin didn’t know why. She had never been nervous around him, not even when she was a teenager, back when they first met. Something was wrong, it was palpable, yet he didn’t dare asking questions, scared to see her slipping through his fingers forever. He could lose her again. Not now they had the chance to be together. When she turned around, her face confused, somewhere between desire and fears, he knew that, somehow, these questions couldn’t be postponed forever. He needed to know, if he wanted things to get any better. Although it also meant the situation could worsen, or set them in a dead-end. He cupped a hand around her cheek. Her skin was soft, fine and almost translucent, once again, just like in his memories. The way she pressed her face against his palm gave him hope. No one could react this way to a caress if they were feeling nothing for the other one. It didn’t exist. However, when he tried to take her in his arms again, this time by wrapping them around her waist, she took a step back, and slipped out once again. It made no sense. “What’s wrong, Dashie? Why are you always rejecting me? Is it because… you don’t love me anymore?” Said like this, the question could seem to be a bit stupid. But he needed to know. Though a part of him kept on whispering this couldn’t be, that her reactions proved him otherwise, another part convinced him not to trust appearances. Never trusting appearances. Military quirk. She looked up, as if she was trying to show him how sincere she was by sinking her eyes into his. “Can we really stop loving someone who’s dead?” “I’m not dead.” “I know. But you’ve been dead to me for so long. I have mourned you during all these years. So… It’s always complicated for me to tell myself you’re here by my side and that we both made it through. Can you understand?” He could. Yet, something told her what she just confessed was only a half-truth and that she was hiding other secrets. It couldn’t be the explanation of why each time he touched her, or even he just brushed a part of her body, she had a reflex of rejection, as if his fingers against her skin were scalding, though she had been on the verge of melting down because of a mere stroke on the cheek. Grey areas hadn’t completely disappeared, and when she sat on her sleeping bag, in order to take off her boots, he sat by her side, willing to know more. The fact she didn’t ask him to leave was a sign of encouragement… He had better stake it all. “Do you remember, during the war, there was this two days-long ambush? We took refuge in a mountain, a bit like this one… And in the tent, you told me you didn’t care if we were living in such conditions, or even if we died on this night, because, as long as we were together, you could accept everything?” Of course, she remembered. She could never forget this night. In the middle of fires and screams, protected by their shelter of rocks, they thought they would die before sunrise, she confessed it to him and he nodded… what followed then was of an unprecedented passion. After they survived this night, they thought they could survive anything, until the day which separated them and each of the petals of hope fell. “Something else happened, Dashie… You sound like you no longer have faith in anything.” “Stop talking nonsense!” The pain he read in her eyes made him understand how wrong he was. It wasn’t that she didn’t have faith anymore. It was that she was scared to have faith. And, right after, she sighed resignedly. Her shaking hands were fingering her boots, and many times she opened her mouth to explain before shutting it again without a word. She was struggling. Something was on her lips, something she wanted to get out of herself, but which she wasn’t able to grasp without taking the risk to burn. It would be counterproductive to force her to tell, so Soarin let her enough time to say what she wanted to say. To be patient was always the best thing to do with Rainbow Dash, especially when it came to intimate details. “When I woke up at the Military Hospital, with my mother and Pinkie Pie by my side… I’ve been told I was pregnant.” Soarin expected anything but this. Rainbow Dash… pregnant? And he was the father, obviously. And obviously, if she learned this after the explosions – at different spots – which both knocked them over, it meant the child was made during this infamous night of ambush. So, it meant that… “I have child?” “You don’t.” “But you just said that…” “She was still-born.” Suddenly, Soarin regreted with a throat-scalding bitterness that he spoke about this night. If he was aware of how he would hurt her, he would never talked about it. Of course, it also was a crushing blow for him, but it had nothing common with what Rainbow Dash probably was feeling. She carried this child during nine months, and probably thought it represented her ultimate bond with him, this bond she thought she lost forever. And today, in place of a child who reminded her of her greatest love, what was under her eyes was her greatest love who reminded her of her lost baby. “From the moment I’ve learned, I knew there was no way I could stay in Canterlot, even if the war was over. Everything was destroyed, men were dying from the Y virus in awful ways, in the streets… I couldn’t raise my daughter in such conditions. So, with Mom and Pinkie, we took the decision of leaving for the Everfree Forest. But…” “Dashie, you’re not the blame. You did what was best.” “I know,” she claimed, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. “I know, but you have to understand how difficult it is for me to be standing in front of you while knowing this.” “I understand. I also understand that I have no doubts – nothing has changed in my heart. If you’re by my side, I know I can accept anything.” Soarin jolted when, without notice, he felt Rainbow Dash’s lips pressed against him, for a long kiss. Flabbergasted at first, he then let himself go to the unprecedented feeling of bliss which swept away his inner body. His hands buried into the young woman’s rainbow hair and he parted from her only once they both were breathless. “I only need a bit of time, Soarin,” she claimed. “Take all the time you need. I’ll wait for you. I promise.” A few minutes later, he was leaving Rainbow Dash’s tent, his heart lighter than when he entered into it. Of course, not everything was settled, and deep inside of him he knew she was still hiding something… Yet, hope was allowed again, he could feel it. It had started to grow in his chest like flowers in the spring, and was only waiting on another beam of sun to bloom completely. On his lips, remained the salted sensation of their kisses bathed in tears.