//------------------------------// // 34. The Murky Depths // Story: Azure Edge // by Leaf Blade //------------------------------// Rainbow barely had time to hold her breath before the cragadile dragged her by her leg into the gross, greenish-brown swamp water, pulling her into the murky depths of Haysead Swamp with alarming speed. She felt like a dog’s chewtoy being dragged around in the cragadile’s jaw and she wasn’t about to just let the monster get its way. Granted, it was kinda hard to focus between the water pressure and the velocity, but who needs focus when you have knives? Rainbow tried to tug her leg out from the beast’s mouth but all she accomplished was the cragadile’s fangs digging deeper into her skin. She drew one of her trench knives and stabbed it into the cragadile’s tough, scaly back, and while the cragadile’s hide was one of the toughest things to penetrate known to Equestria, Rainbow’s knives were enchanted for just such a purpose and the blade dug into the cragadile’s skin like it was going into a haycake. The cragadile recoiled from the pain and its jaw opened, allowing Rainbow to retrieve her hoof and smirk, but her satisfaction was short-lived as the cragadile spun around at lightning speed and slammed its tail into Rainbow’s ribs, disorienting her just long enough for the beast to snap its jaws at her arm, though Rainbow was miraculously able to push herself away using her wings just in the nick of time. Or so she thought. The cragadile charged forward and clamped its jaw down again, snatching Rainbow’s arm between its fangs and causing Rainbow to gasp, filling her lungs with brackish water. Rainbow’s face twisted into a scowl as she drew another knife in her free hand. She’d be damned if she needed to let Rarity rescue her. She stabbed the cragadile right in the eyeball with her trench knife, the beast growling furiously as it clamped harder on her arm, the pain shooting through the limb accompanied by a palpitation of Rainbow’s heart as she heard bone snap under the cragadile’s attack. Rainbow grit her teeth and pulled out her knife, stabbing it again into the cragadile’s eye, over and over again, but accomplishing nothing except tainting the brownish-green water red with the blood of the animal and her own. Rainbow kept her mouth tightly shut, grinding her teeth against each other as she breathed water in through her nose. She couldn’t hold her breath for much longer and she couldn’t get free of the cragadile. She only had one recourse now, and she hated it. Luckily for her, said recourse arrived just in time as Rarity’s arrow lodged itself right into the cragadile’s non-stabbed eye, the beast releasing Rainbow’s arm as it recoiled in pain and frustration. Even without its sight, the cragadile was still a force to be reckoned with, as it proved when it bolted toward Rarity where she floated in the water. Rarity had no hope of out-swimming an angry cragadile and looked to be bracing herself for the inevitable attack, but Rainbow was faster. Rainbow charged through the water and grabbed Rarity just in time for the pegasus to have her non-injured leg end up where the cragadile was biting down, though Rainbow was moving fast enough to slip right through with only shredded skin instead of being stuck in the monster’s grip yet again. Rainbow jumped out of the water, wings keeping her aloft and Rarity held in her arms, but she couldn’t stay airborne for long with her injuries, so she tossed Rarity onto the ground before falling onto the mossy floor of the swamp herself, landing on her back and gasping for air. An explosion of water alerted the two women that the cragadile had not given up its pursuit, but an arrow quickly fired from Rarity’s bow exploding in the creature’s face was enough for it to change its mind and scuttle back into the water. They would have to chase after it of course, but that could wait until after— Rainbow hissed in pain as her arm twitched, and she looked in disgust at the extent of her injuries; a leg that looked like it had been caught in a pulp grinder, another leg that looked—and felt—like it caught the business end of a wheat thrasher, and an arm that was like a broken twig that flopped around by the thin threads of skin that connected two separate pieces. She was a mess. “Rainbow Dash!” Rarity’s alarmed voice hurt more than Rainbow’s injuries; she hated making people worry. “It’s nothi—” “Don’t say that,” Rarity scolded. “Please, just let me help you.” Rainbow groaned hesitantly, wondering for a sec if there was any way out of this situation without having to rely on Rarity, but then she asked herself why. Why have a partner if you can’t rely on them? And didn’t Rainbow want to be partners with Rarity? So why is she pushing her away now of all times? It’s stupid. “Yeah, okay.” Rarity focused her magic and her horn lit up a pale blue as a similarly colored light washed over Rainbow, making her body feel a little bit lighter as Rarity picked her up and gently placed her onto a nearby tree stump to inspect her wounds. Rainbow tried to hide how much pain she was in, but her gritted teeth smile gave her away, even if Rarity was too polite to say anything. Rarity knelt in front of Rainbow and pulled what looked like a roll of white tape from her bag. “What is that?” Rainbow asked, feeling nervous about whatever Rarity was planning. “It’s something Twilight told me, actually,” Rarity said proudly. “We were talking about safety strategies last night, and she taught me a neat spell to fuse my healing ointment with bandages, which essentially makes my ointment usage twenty-percent more efficient, or so she says.” “Is it gonna work?” Rainbow asked, biting down on her thumb. “I have no reason to doubt it,” Rarity traced her thumb across the roll of bandages. “Twilight Sparkle seemed to know an awful lot, and I trust her judgment.” Rainbow felt the same way, but she wasn’t sure she wanted her busted legs to be used as Rarity’s test subject. But before she could voice another objection Rarity was already wrapping the bandages around Rainbow’s pulp-grinder leg, and Rainbow gasped quietly as she felt instantly relieved, like her leg was being wrapped in a soft blanket. “So,” Rarity said as she administered the blanket tape to Rainbow’s arm, “how long have you been… ‘reckless’?” That wasn’t a question Rainbow was expecting, and it wasn’t one she wanted to answer. But she’d already given Rarity enough grief today, and maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to talk to her about something. “Long as I can remember, honestly,” Rainbow said. “It’s why I became a Slayer in the first place, because I just didn’t know what else to do with my stupid worthless life.” “Your life is neither stupid nor worthless,” Rarity gently scolded as she finished wrapping Rainbow’s other leg with the tape, and Rainbow stood on her feet right away and futzed her arm about to make sure everything was working okay. “I know,” Rainbow sighed. “I know you’re right, and it’s not like I wanna die, I just— don’t really wanna live either, y’know?” Rarity was silent for a moment as she put the tape back in her bag, but she let out a soft sigh as she stood to her hooves and looked Rainbow in the eye. “All too well.” “I just don’t know what to do about it,” Rainbow shrugged and rubbed her arms, a grim scowl across her face. “I wish I knew,” Rarity placed her hand delicately on Rainbow’s shoulder and rubbed her thumb through the blue fur. “For your sake as much as for mine.” “Rarity,” Rainbow looked up into Rarity’s deep blue eyes for a single second, but the sight of Rarity’s warm smile choked Rainbow with guilt and forced her to look away. “Yes, darling?” Rainbow paused. A strained breath left her lips as she reconsidered what she wanted to say. But she wondered again, why have a partner if you can’t rely on them? If you can’t be honest with them? And Rainbow would’ve liked to be a person that could actually be honest sometimes, so… “It really hurt my feelings, when you made that joke about me not being able to read.” Rarity blinked. She took a half-step back, but her hand was still gently placed on top of Rainbow’s shoulder, and it didn’t budge. “I— pardon?” “Back at the train station,” Rainbow explained, “you joked that you didn’t even think I could read. I know it was just a joke, and I know you had no way of knowing that’d hurt my feelings, and I should’ve told you then, but it did.” “I had no idea, I—” “I know!” Rainbow recoiled and stomped away from Rarity, hands in her pants pockets. “I know you had no idea! How could you?! I definitely never told you! How could you know that all my life people have made fun of me for not being able to read? “How could you know that I can’t focus for anything, and I’ve never been able to get into books because of that and everyone always thinks I’m stupid for it?! “I never told you, cuz I can’t just be honest about my feelings and stuff! Cuz then I feel like a stupid loser idiot! And I know that’s wrong, but I don’t know what to do about that either!” “I’m sorry,” Rarity said softly, and Rainbow looked over her shoulder to see Rarity’s serene smile. “Whether I knew about it or not, my words still hurt you, and I’m sorry for that. You are my partner and my friend, and I never want to hurt your feelings, Rainbow.” Rainbow’s face twisted up as she turned away from Rarity so the unicorn couldn’t see the tears in her eyes. “I wanna be honest,” Rainbow squeaked, her voice straining to not sound as pitiful as she felt. “I don’t wanna have the kinda relationship with you where we’re afraid to talk to each other about stuff, cuz we don’t wanna be made fun of, and I know I’m not exactly the kinda person you can just say personal stuff to.” “Be that as it may,” Rarity said, and Rainbow bit her lip to keep from gasping as she felt Rarity’s hand gently clasp her own, “it’s never too late to become the person you want to be. I don’t want to have the kind of relationship either where we can’t speak to one another honestly, and I would be remiss if I didn’t point out some of the things you’ve said that have hurt me as well, but…” Rarity placed a hand on Rainbow’s shoulder, Rainbow jumping slightly at the touch before taking a deep breath and turning to look at Rarity. “Back at the drink shop,” Rarity said, “you said we should put off our personal chats until after the cragadile is dealt with. Do you still think that?” Rainbow nodded. “Then we will table this discussion for now,” Rarity said, “but we will have it once the cragadile mission is completed, okay?” Rainbow nodded and rubbed her eye, trying really hard not to cry in front of Rarity. “But,” Rarity said warmly, “there’s no reason I can’t give you a hug right now, is there?” Rainbow smiled and shook her head, and Rarity wrapped her arms around Rainbow, pulling her in for a tight hug that Rainbow happily melted into, placing her hands on Rarity’s back as well. After a moment where Rainbow was content to just be comfortable with Rarity, she started feeling hot and tapped Rarity’s back, signaling that all the mushy stuff had to stop or she’d explode. “Now then,” Rarity took one of Rainbow’s hands in hers and lifted her axe with the other, “I believe we have a cragadile to catch.” “Nothing would make me happier,” Rainbow grinned and lifted a knife in her free hand, sharing a dashing smile with Rarity, and in that moment she knew that she couldn’t have asked for a better partner.