//------------------------------//
// Fallout 
// Story: Rainbow's Lonesome Road 
// by Centurion Pike-Wall 
//------------------------------//


4 Days prior



This was it! She had her; Mare-do-well, the pony that upstaged her, was pinned under her hooves. Now, she would get some awnsers. "Alright, ms. mysterious. Mystery," she said in a confident tone as she reached down and ripped off the mask, "Solved! Wagh!"

That last part was caused by who was under the mask; it was Pinkie Pie! She wore a sheepish grin, while dash wore one of shock. Her best friend was mare-do-well!? While that did explain some things, like the construction site, there were still huge gaps. Like how she fixed the dam, or did the fly by. She made her confusion quite evident by a lot of stuttering as she tried to figure out what happened.

Her questions where awnsered, when someone walked down the street. Looking up, she saw...Mare-do-well? That one then took her mask off to reveal, "Twilight!?" more hoovesteps from an alley lead to the discovery of a third one. This one's mask flew up to show it was, "Applejack!?" As the other to of her friends came toward her, she put it together . "There were three of you!?" 

Twilight responded in a tone that portrayed a certain amount of pride, "yep, we all played mare-do-well at different times."

Applejack added, once again with a voice showing pride, "ah stopped the carriage with 'dese babies. Bucky mcgillicuddy and kicks mcgee!"

Pinkie then spoke up, "I saved the construction workers with my pinkie sense." just then she began to shiver. A lot fell from a nearby window, but pinkie moved dash before it not her.

"Sorry" yelled down a pony from the window.

Pinkie shouted back up, "it's alright."

Twilight then said, "and I used my magic to fix the dam ." Before the rainbow Pegasus could respond, FLUTTERSHY of all ponies shot down the street. She came to a stop next to Twilight, a proud smile on her face.

"Oh, oh. And I did the flyby afterwards. " Adding to the stunned mares bewilderment, Rarity then did the same thing as fluttershy, appearing just in front of Rainbow. 

"I made the costumes. Fabulous if I do say so myself." At this Rainbow shut her eyes and walked away from them. After a few steps she whirled around so she could see all of them. She had chased mare-do-well for awnsers, and by Celestia she was going to get some.

"I don't understand. Why!? Don't you want me to be a hero?" She shouted, but not in a mean way. These were her friends after all. They deserved the benefit of the doubt. If it was a good reason, they could just put this behind them.

Twilight said, "of course we want you to be a hero!" As she did, Rainbow noticed all her friends still had on smiles. Was this funny? Why were they smiling? Then Applejack said the words that would change, Everything:

"But a real hero doesn't brag", followed by a wink.

With this, the theory of what they had been playing at had shattered. They thought this was a tourist ploy to draw ponies to ponyville. And that the reason they hadn't told her was to make it more realistic. But now, this was about her bragging. She needed time to think this over. But for now, it seemed like they were being a bit...hypocritical.

She then turned around again, and began to walk. Her mind raced as fast as she could, thinking of ways this was ok. Twilights voice broke her from here mental race. "Rainbow, you get what we tried to do. Right?"

Rainbow still had to think it over. However, she had enough of an idea of it to formulate a responce. "Yeah, twi. I hear you. Loud and Bucking clear." With these parting words, she took off. She didn't even look back at the likely stunned faces of her friends. She just took off as fast as she could toward her house. And away from the betrayal.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Rainbow, up in her cloudiminum, was doing a very rare thing for her. She was crying. Not just a few sniffles like on the storm cloud earlier. No, here she was full on crying. Red cheeks, puffy eyes, wet coat, you name it. To those who knew about the situation, they would know why she was crying.

She cried about the betrayal from her friends. For their hypocrisy. For there flawed logic. For not even trying to talk to her first! No, she just need to put that behind her. Forget it...And them. If they would do that with such plain abandon for consequence, then they didn't deserve to be her friends. Then a loud knock broke the shield of her lone sobs. Composing herself as best she could, she went to the door. Looking threw the peephole, she saw it was the traitors, plus spike. 

Speak of the draquonoquis, she thought as she partially opened the door. Sure enough, there her 'friends' stood. While most had neutral faces, Applejack had on one of anger. Why, dash couldn't guess. Before dash could ask something to them, twilight did it for her. "Rainbow, can we come in?"

Dash replied with her usual bluntness, responding instantly: "no." But before she could shut the door, applejack whirled on her front hooves, bucking the door down and sending dash into the couch. She began to yell before she even got up. "What the buck applejack!? What was that for!?"

Applejack said, "we just want to talk, dash. Can't do that well behind a door."

Twilight, sending the rising tension, intervined. "Ok. While AJ is right, that was no excuse to break her door. How about this. AJ, you apologize for the door, and rainbow will apologize for what she said earlier. Sound fair?"

"Yea' ah guess"

"NO!"

They all looked at the blue pegasus, all confused. Dash saw this, and got even angrier. "What did I do that needs me to apologize! I said I understood what you said, didn't I?"

Pinkie said, "well you did say it really rudely. And nopony likes it when somepony is rude! So twily wants you to apologize for that!" 

Rainbow facehoofed, they responded, "what!? Rude!? You were the ones that turned me into the town pariah! You ground my reputation into the mud! Hay, you were all being hypocrites!"

Rarity, a shocked look on her face, retorted, "hypocrites!? Darling what do you mean!? "

Now dash was positively livid. "What do I mean!? What do I mean!? I mean this was for me to not brag! But all of you do that! Twilight made the town go crazy for a doll to get a friendship lesson! Rarity worked herself nearly to death to make us dresses, when half of us didn't want one! Applejack insisted on bucking her whole orchard, even when it lead to others being poisoned, launched, or caught in a stampede! Pinkie made a huge deal out of a cake, which spiraled out of control! Hay, Fluttershy caused an avalanche on the mountain that nearly killed most of you! And you get to destroy my public image over some bragging!? Buck you all!!"

The others looked stunned, but not applejack. She had already loaded up a retort. "Were do ya get off sayin' things like dat! We try to do you a favor an you-". She was unable to finish, however. She was interrupted by an absolutely livid Rainbow.

"Favor? Favor!? You call that a favor!? Gee, I hate to see if you do it on purpose! Why!? Couldn't you have just talked to me!?"

Twilight said, "you are to stubborn. You wouldn't have listened." Ok, now dash was getting really, really mad. 

" Oh, come on! AJ is worse then me, and you convinced her to let us help! Do you really think I don't value my friends opinions! " she, by this point, was panting. In her nose, out her mouth. In her nose, out her mouth. Then, in a low voice: "get out."

Fluttershy, who looked on the razor edge of booting for the odorless frame, said, "R-rainbow-"

"Don't 'Rainbow' me. Unless I start it, I never want to talk to you again. Any of you. Now, get OUT!!" 

And they did. A short while later, dash was once more on the couch, once more crying. She then felt a small nuge, and found her let tortoise, tank next to her. "Hey bud. At least one hasn't betrayed me. Thanks, bud." There, on the couch, face smeared in tears, her tortoise next to her, she fell asleep. Her dreams were full of her friends betrayal and worlds where they didn't do it.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Far away from the sleeping rainbow, stood the city of canterlot. They castle of the princesses stood proud and strong. Guards patrolled all over, keeping safe the monarchs of equestria. The recently returned princess Luna presided over the night court, which, while not as busy as day court, was still packed. In one corner of the castle, beyond a hall of stained glass windows, stood all vault. inside, was a box. In the back, the elements of harmony. The most powerful magic artifacts  known to ponykind. 

And one, the red bolt of loyalty, sat, faded and a crack taking its surface. 


BROKEN