//------------------------------// // 131. Say Anything // Story: Azure Edge // by Leaf Blade //------------------------------// It was very early in the morning as Rarity sat on a train headed to Neighagra Falls. Her and Applejack had only slept about three hours at their hotel room, and Applejack was now snoozing soundly on the train, her rhythmic snoring providing white noise that complimented the roar of the train speeding down the tracks. Rarity was rather envious of Applejack’s relaxation; she wished she could be asleep herself, but unfortunately her mind was buzzing with thoughts of who else but Twilight Sparkle. Rarity couldn’t deny that her experience with the manticore had recontextualized her experiences with Twilight just a tad. Celestia had taught Rarity growing up that monsters are nothing more than vicious beasts that needed to be slaughtered for the safety of Equestria, and Celestia had lived for a thousand years, so how could she be wrong about anything? How could Celestia be wrong? That was the question that gripped Rarity’s mind more than any other during these harrowing days, and no matter how much evidence was directly in front of Rarity’s face, she couldn’t quite bring herself to believe that it was true. After all, how could Celestia be wrong? Rarity had spent the close to two hours on the train running through her mind what she wanted to say once she arrived in Neighagra Falls; after all, she couldn’t avoid speaking with Twilight once they got there, she would likely be waiting at the train station. Or would she? Rarity had become so accustomed to seeing Twilight when she returned from a mission that she hadn't considered the possibility of Twilight simply not being there at the station when Rarity returned. Why would she be? Her and Twilight weren’t friends anymore— —were they? Quite frankly, it didn’t much matter since Rarity’s mind was a complete blank. Part of it was simple sleep deprivation, but also she just didn’t know what to say to Twilight Sparkle at this point. If she were being painfully, agonizingly honest with herself, she didn’t want to say anything. She wanted to run up to Twilight without a word, lift the beautiful woman off her hooves and spin her around before planting a dramatic, romantic kiss onto her lips. But the thought of actually doing that made Rarity violently nauseous. She needed to face the reality that her and Twilight simply didn’t have that kind of relationship anymore. And they likely never would again. Rarity instinctively wiped a tear from her cheek that she hadn't even realized was there, but when she looked at her reflection in the train window she could see she was quite a mess; frazzled mane, running makeup and puffy eyes. She had been crying quite a bit recently, hadn't she? Oh well, Rarity thought, nothing to be done for it now. While Rarity usually adored the sound of train bells, the signal that her and Applejack had arrived in Neighagra Falls filled her with nothing but misery. As Applejack yawned herself awake, Rarity dragged her own withered carcass out of their cabin and made the slow, painful death march toward the station, Rarity’s stomach twisting itself into violent knots thinking about whether or not Twilight Sparkle would be waiting for her. And as Rarity departed the train and stepped onto the station platform, she locked eyes with Twilight Sparkle herself, who was indeed waiting for her at the station alongside Pinkie Pie. Rarity’s immediate feeling was one of relief, but that was quickly followed by confusion and frustration at the idea that she was somehow relieved to see Twilight there. But Rarity couldn’t deny that despite her conflicted feelings, she was glad to see Twilight. “Rarity! Applejack!” Pinkie Pie cheered, bouncing toward the pair and giving them both tender, vibrant hugs, Rarity melting into Pinkie’s embrace for the brief moment they spent hugging. “Howdy, Pinkie Pie!” Applejack beamed as she picked Pinkie up and let her sit on Applejack’s broad shoulder, and then Applejack turned her attention to Twilight. “Howdy, Twi. Hope Pinkie Pie here didn’t drag ya to the station.” “No,” Twilight shook her head. “I would never!” Pinkie harrumphed. “Well, okay, maybe I would. But I didn’t! Twilight actually woke me up!” “Oh yeah?” Applejack chuckled and wrapped her arm around Twilight in a playful hug. “Just couldn’t stand to be away from us, huh?” “Sure,” Twilight gave an uneasy, wheezy laugh. “Where are the others?” Rarity asked Pinkie Pie, deliberately avoiding Twilight’s gaze as much as she was able. “They overslept,” Pinkie croaked. “We had a really weird night last night. And not the good, sexy kind of weird.” “Anything we should be worried about?” Rarity asked sternly, and Pinkie’s non-committal hum told her everything she needed to know. “Well y’all can fill us in on the details once we get back to the inn, alright?” Applejack said, placing Pinkie on the ground. “Cuz there’s somethin’ I gotta say to Twilight, and if I don’t say it now I might just sit on it forever.” “Me?” Twilight blanched. “What is it?” “I’m sorry,” Applejack bowed her head, and Rarity couldn’t tell if Twilight was more surprised or if Rarity herself was. “I’ve been givin’ you the cold shoulder long enough, Twi. No matter what secrets you been keepin’ from us, yer still my friend, and I oughtta be actin’ like it.” “Th-thank you, Applejack,” Twilight ran a hand through her hair, an obvious sign that she felt nervous and overwhelmed, but in a good way. “I don’t really know what to say, but thank you. I’m very glad that you still want to be my friend.” “Heck yeah!” Pinkie hollered, jumping for joy. “Everypony’s coming around finally!” And with that, all eyes were suddenly on the one pony who had decidedly not come around: Rarity. This was it, this was Rarity’s moment to say something— anything— to Twilight Sparkle, and she knew if she missed this chance, she would regret it. Rarity took a step toward Twilight, and another, and then another. And she kept walking, long after she had passed Twilight and the others and left them behind, refusing to utter a single word to any of them.