//------------------------------// // Esoteric Veracity // Story: Of Laurels & Lace // by WritingSpirit //------------------------------// "Ugh...." Rainbow's eyes stirred open, her vision a slight haze. Her head was pounding painfully, as if somepony drilled a jackhammer through her skull. Her left hoof raised up to massage it, trying to quell the monster of an ache that was forming. Her other hoof reached around the blankets, finding a spot to support herself. She managed to let out a tired groan. "What happened..." Suddenly, her right hoof stopped short in surprise at a soft feeling of feathers. Rainbow Dash turned around nervously, before gasping in shock. The cyan pegasus's hoof was now coiled up in a tuft of light-blue wings, which twitched slightly in response. The pegasus could only close her eyes, praying frantically as she gave a small peek over at the pony in front of her. She let out a gasp, her eyes widening in realization. The Wonderbolt stallion still slept soundly, wrapping around the blanket. Rainbow's stomach gurgled, the contents churning from whatever she drank last night. She looked around at the floor, managing to spot a few, tumbled bottles from beyond her obscured vision. "No.... this ain't happening. No way this is..." Denial filled her head as she tried to recall what had happened last night. Her hangover only worsened, washing any possibilities that swirled into her brain away. Soarin' still slept soundly, a small trickle of drool escaping his mouth. Rainbow grunted in frustration, trying to force herself to remember. "Did we do anything last night?" she asked herself, although she couldn't form an answer for it. "Come on, Rainbow. Think, you stupid mare!" "Erp.... pie...." the stallion mumbled in his dream, only irritating the mare beside him. "What the hay, Rainbow Dash..." she whispered, slapping herself on the forehead. "Look what you have gotten yourself into." A small knock on the door made her jump. She frantically zoomed towards the door, her heart pounding from her chest as she looked through the peephole. Twilight was standing there, a worried look plastered on her face. Rainbow hesitantly turned the knob, letting a crack of light slip inside as she let out a fake yawn. "Hey there, Twi. Quite early for a wake up call, don't you think?" "Rainbow! Thank goodness you're okay!" Twilight let out a smile, although the pegasus could see something was troubling her. "Is everything all right?" "Pffttt... yeah!" she said, rolling her eyes. All part of the act. "Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be?" "Well, you got pretty banged up last night on the alcohol." Rainbow's wings fluttered around nervously, a small bead of sweat tingling her skin. She gave the unicorn a sheepish grin, tossing her mane aside. "I guess I've got too much of it. But I managed to come back here, safe and sound!" "Actually, Soarin' was the one that offered to take you back to the hotel." She gulped, swallowing a pill of agitation down her throat as she scratched her frazzled mane. "Yeeeaaahhh...." Twilight suddenly gave her a skeptical stare. "Is he in the room, Rainbow?" "Who's in the room?" "Soarin'?" The unicorn tried to see past her friend, but the cyan wings obstructed any possible view she could think off. "N-Nope! No way! I mean, Soarin' in my bed? Like I would ever..." Her voice faltered into a nervous laugh as Twilight frowned at her, shaking her head disapprovingly. "He is in there, isn't he?" Rainbow immediately sighed in defeat. "Yeah. I'm screwed." "Look, I don't know what you guys have been doing in there, but don't mention a word about it, alright?" The unicorn began to walk away, before saying: "Oh, and don't mention any of this, and I mean any of this to Pinkie. You know the whole of Equestria's gonna go berserk over it the second she knows about it." Rainbow shuddered at the thought of it. Headlines of a newspaper flashed through her head, only fueling it to her anxiety. She silently closed the door, before leaning against it with a sigh. Slowly the pegasus slid down the door, burying her head in her hooves with frustration burning up in her mind. "What am I gonna do?" <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> "I'm not so sure I want to go back in there, Rarity." "The crystal wasn't there on purpose, Spike. That room had something to hide." Spike shuddered at the memory of the past two days, fidgeting his claws nervously as the mare continued: "Don't worry. I'll make sure you won't get hurt." "Are you sure about that, Rarity? You know that's what I promised you, right?" Rarity turned back to him, giving the dragon a small grin. "I know." The couple were taking a small stroll down one of the elegant corridors of Palgiot Palace, reminiscing a little about their past. It was Rarity that brought up about the crystal: the one thing that the dragon wouldn't want to talk about. "It's around the corner, is it?" she asked. "Should be." Rarity sighed. She could see the dragon was looking out of the windows, obviously not paying attention to her. "Spike!" "Wha-!" he exclaimed, jumping back in surprise. The mare just shook her head, a little annoyed at Spike's anxiousness. "What's getting into you these days? You're a dragon, for Celestia's sake." "A dragon that got possessed by a dumb rock." he corrected. "If a rock can stop me, what's the chance that a cold-blooded, knife-wielding demon assassin can as well?" "Please," Rarity said, rolling her eyes. "The crystal was enchanted with some sort of magic. It wasn't only just a dumb rock." "But still..." Spike scratched his own arms with uncertainty, his eyes flourishing with doubt. "I'm going, whether you like it or not, Spike. Not only for the sake of you, but for the sake of everypony else as well." Rarity turned towards the corridor with her head held high, leaving the dragon to scamper after her. "Come on, Rarity. You know I don't want to see you get hurt." "You know I don't want to see you get hurt too, Spike! As well as everypony else in Ponyville, for that matter!" "So what?" the dragon was furious now, tossing his claws up. "You play heroine and get yourself into trouble?! Is that what it is?!" "You! Have no idea whatever that happened here!" Rarity was now pointing her hoof whilst glaring spitefully at Spike, her rage flurrying in her eyes. "Besides! Of everypony, you were the first that got hurt!" "I was the first?! Is that how it is, Rarity?!" "Well, I myself see it the way I like it to be!" "Fine!" the dragon finally shouted, stomping away from the mare. "If you want to go 'save your friends' and all that, be my guest! "Fine!" "And if you get hurt, I'll see what Sweetie Belle has to say about it!" Rarity turned back, her eyes widened in shock. She watched as the dragon hastily stamp away around the corner, trying his best to quell the rampant rage from within. She stopped, looking down with a mix of realization of regret. A small tear escaped her eye, yet the mare ignored it, letting it drip on the carpet. "W-Well," she said to herself, "no matter!" Without a second thought, she marched down the corridor, trying to push their argument to the back of her mind. "If he doesn't want to follow, then so be it!" <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> "What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?" Rainbow was pacing around the room, frustration binding her head tightly like a vice. Soarin' was awake, sitting silently on the bed as if nothing happened. "Soarin'! Come on!" the rainbow-maned pegasus shouted. "You gotta help me here!" "I'm thinking of something, Dash!" The stallion sat down, pondering in deep thought with his wings fluttering anxiously. "Did we get any, you know..." "What?" "Birth control?" "This is Fenderville, for Celestia's sake." Rainbow groaned a little, rolling her magenta eyes. "And what's the chance that two, drugged, half-assed pegasi would stop to get any from the shop anyway?" Soarin' started chuckling a little, making the mare turn to him with an annoyed grunt. "What's so funny?" she asked. "N-Nothing! It's... it's just..." He tried to dismiss it, but continued when Rainbow shot him a glare. "Y-You called yourself 'half-assed'!" "Th-That's because I was...! Ugh... you're not helping here!" "Well, I don't see much of a big deal with it." "Look, Soarin'!" she yelled in his face, crossing her hooves defiantly. "You're a Wonderbolt. You need a reputation! What would everypony else think if they find out that you did it with me?" "Nothing much though." Soarin' chuckled at her, the pegasus's jaw agape at his response. "I mean, it's not like I'm the only one that got messed up." "Wh... What do you mean?" "What I'm saying is I'm not the first Wonderbolt to wake up from a hangover." The stallion sighed, listing down a few names in his head as he told the first one out: "Lightning Streak was the first. Got caught doing it in the bar with somepony else." "Really?" Rainbow asked, her face now filled with wonder and a little disgust. Is this what the Wonderbolts do in their spare time? "Man, you should see how he got reprimanded for it! Spitfire wouldn't want to hear from him for two weeks! It was bucking hilarious!" "Yeaah.... if hitting mares is hilarious I would laugh along too..." "Damn! His brother was next! Fire Streak got caught on security with one of our mares, Blaze! Two Wonderbolts at the same time! Bummer!" Rainbow Dash couldn't believe her ears. How the hay was this not in the news already?! "Surprise got caught as well! That crazy mare had too much in her system. Three in one night, can you believe it?" "Well..." she smiled a little. "What about your captain? Did she do anything as well?" "We've seen her hanging around a certain colt for awhile, so I assumed she did. When we ask that lucky stallion if she actually did it with him, he nodded." Soarin' burst out laughing, nudging Rainbow's shoulder, who was already starting to giggle. "Damn! What's more, he had the guts to say they did it together eight times!" Rainbow let out a nervous laugh. She bit her lip, before asking: "What about you? Did you do anything before this?" "Hehe, nah!" He shrugged it off, giving Rainbow a warm smile. "I had my eyes on you for awhile, after we met at the Gala, not to mention the legendary Sonic Rainboom you did for the Young Flyer Competition back in Cloudsdale." "R-Really?" Rainbow started blushing a deep purple, the red mixing with the cyan tone of her cheeks. "Sure! I mean you're athletic, you have guts. Even Spitfire would be jealous of you!" "Isn't she like, you know..." The pegasus held back a little, before letting out a mutter: "the same?" "Same? No way!" Soarin' now huddled closer to the troubled mare, putting a comforting hoof around her wings. "You have that flair. That... something that the rest of the Wonderbolts don't have. Everypony's been talking about your Sonic Rainboom back then." "W...Wow..." Rainbow fizzled in place. She couldn't believe it! Her idols, all admiring her Sonic Rainboom! "I didn't know..." "I had considered that you should join, but Spitfire would have none of it." The stallion chuckled slightly, letting out a deep sigh. "Green with envy. As always." "I guess...." Rainbow replied with a small laugh, before turning back to Soarin' "So... my friends invited you to the party, right?" "Yup!" "Well.... is that why you came?" The mare was now uneasy around him, her heart pulsating, every thump ringing in her ears. "Or is it something else?" Soarin' blinked for a second, before shaking his head. He looked deep into her magenta eyes, which still flowered with innocence despite last night's encounter. Their heads grew closer, their lips starting to meet as he whispered: "I was here... because I love you, Rainbow." Just as they were about to kiss, the television suddenly flared up, making them jump back in surprise. Both stood there, panting and heaving for a moment, before bursting out in laughter, rolling over the bed with tears of joy in their eyes. "Sat on the remote! Who would believe it!" the Wonderbolt said amidst his laughter, trying hard to retain his composure as he watched Rainbow giggle, tossing and turning on the bed. It wasn't long before their laughter died down, the pair now trying to calm down. Rainbow turned to her side, watching the stallion give her a warm smile as she uttered: "I love you too, Soarin'." "-and the town of Cloudsdale was now in a state of mourning for the attorney, who was recently appointed to the position just two months ago. The recent execution of Ravenshy Fallows-" "Wait!" Rainbow turned to the screen, her eyes mixed with shock and disbelief She watched with worry as the words repeated in her head, the camera now focusing on a broken window. "What is it?" Soarin' asked, his face flushed with concern. "-that they ever had. The funeral would be held today for Charter. We had indeed lost a benevolent pegasus in this world-" Soarin' flipped the television off, the mare now on the verge of tears. Silence filled in for a moment between them, before he asked: "You know this Charter fellow, don't you?" Rainbow could only nod with a whimper, the stallion now hugging her close to his chest. "H-He rescued my fr-friend.... I was there when everything happened! The whipping, the... the slashing..." "Shh...." he quietly said as the mare sobbed out her despair, tears dampening his chest. His own confidence started to crack. The love of his life, one of the bravest, toughest pegasi he knew, was now crying in his chest. It was heart-wrecking to watch her cry: he could feel the mare's burden slamming onto his back. Soarin' held her hoof in a tight grip, giving her a comforting peck on her cheek. "It's okay now..." the stallion whispered in her ear, trying to wipe her tears away. "It's okay...." <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> "Here it is," she said to herself. Rarity stood there, mustering up her courage as she faced the yellow door in front of her. Her hooves were numb from all the walking she had done to find it, but there it was. It seemed so tempting to turn the knob, yet a part of her was in a state of denial, frantically repeating the word 'no' all over in her head. The mare shrugged it off: she must do it. For the sake of her friends. Hesitantly, her hoof turned the golden knob, the sound of a click making her give the door a push. The light pierced like white daggers into the room, the mare's giant shadow a wall obstructing a grand part of it. Dust covered the whole room, with two claw prints on the ground, marking how far the dragon had walked. "Spike..." she managed to mutter as she took her first step into the room, the flashes of their argument replaying in her mind. Regret was like the light of the afternoon sun: penetrating deep into her heart. Rarity let a small tear drip onto the floor, mixing with the grey dust below. Apologies can wait. She took her second step in, gulping as her hoof landed on the next print that the dragon made. Spike was stopped here, making her tremble a little. What was beyond was now for her to find out. Third step. Nothing. The musty silence in the room was foreboding, as if disapproving Rarity's presence in the room. It was Summer's room, if she could recall. She remembered the Patriarch's dead brother: that hungry arrogance that flared in his eyes, that spiteful voice he seemed to retain. A pony like that would not be underestimated at the first sight of him, but now he's dead. She felt uneasy at the thought of it. Maybe Spike was right. Maybe this was too much for her to handle... "No!" her inner voice resolved, "They're hiding something, and it's up to you to find out what!" Rarity tried to see through the darkness. All the curtains were blinded shut, refusing any entry from the sunshine outside, despite it being Summer's room. Confidence overtook her strides, the mare now setting her sights to the study table in front of her. Her heart throbbed with anticipation as Rarity got closer, now reaching the centre of the room. The table was almost gleaming to her. Her eyes sparkled like Daring Do would to a gold casket of jewels. The truth. About everything! Mirror Mare, the Palgiot family, everything. Just within her reach... *BANG* Rarity's eyes widened, her pupils warped into slits. Shock flew into her mind, rapidly extinguishing all thoughts of learning the truth. There was pain, but it was as if non-existent; numbness overwhelmed her body which was frozen in place. Blood spilled from the white coat, the mare now sputtering a little of it from her mouth. She tried to scream, to shout for help, yet all that came out was a painful silence. Everything started to slow down around her, the world crumpling like a piece of paper. The faint laughter of death was feasible to her ears; the wound seeped onto the floor, forming a palpable stream along her white body. Suddenly, a thin, glinting javelin flew from above, seemingly slowed down in her grasp of time. Rarity watched in horror as it fell closer and closer, aiming directly for her body. She tried to move, yet her hooves could not respond, still frozen by the shock of the bullet that passed before that. The mare could only whimper, closing her eyes. Hell went through her body, puncturing through her flesh before striking into the ground. Rarity was hoisted up, slowly and painfully sliding down the bloodied end of the spear. She nearly choked on the fountain of blood forming in her mouth, spilling out in gallons with every cough. Rarity hung there like a string puppet, impaled in mid-air. She could only look at the ceiling, praying with every spill of blood from the puncture. "S-..Sp..." she struggled, trying to say the dragon's name. "The switches, when flipped, will activate certain traps." Winter's calm voice was a harsh echo, a painful reminder. "I don't want to take any chances, especially with all the Mirror Mare and stuff going on." "Rarity, I was thinking 'bout what you said and-" The mare could hear a loud gasp. An unmistakable one, that is. She could hear Spike's paws running frantically to the mare, his face contorted of shock and horror. "Rarity! Wh...what-!" He tried to move the spear, but all he did was drop it at an angle, only making the mare sink lower with a grunt. "R-Rarity... hold on! Just hold on!" She tried. She tried to tell him she couldn't. Her life was slowly faltering, the sound of ticking in her head only worsening the pain, mocking her in her agony. "Rarity! Don't give up on me now!" Spike was in a turmoil of emotions, trying to move the large spear out from the deep crack it had made on the marble floor. "Rarity! Don't do this! Don't YOU BUCKING DARE!" There was only one way to end her suffering. Even though her beloved dragon was shouting at her not to. Even if that would mean she would leave everything behind. Her friends.... her family.... everything to the troubles of Pendant Lakes. She felt so selfish, for leaving too early. It wasn't a choice, though. Remorse can wait. She closed her eyes. * * * * * * * Rarity awoke with a gasp. The clock struck nine in the distance as sweat dripped from her mane, already dampening the sheets she had gripped tightly on her hoof. She looked around, primarily at her body, reaching around with every pant. It wasn't long before she let out a relieved sigh. It was only a dream. Or was it? The gunshot, the spear... it felt too painful, too real.... Too... lucid... The morning light shone into the room, her head pounding with the need for answers. "No. No, that's impossible..." she said to herself. "I couldn't have survived that." She felt her left hoof being gripped tightly by a claw, the sound of gentle snoring making her turn. Spike was there, still amidst his slumber. There wasn't any indication of worry or fatigue, making her sigh in relief. "It was a dream after all..." The day never happened. She never argued with Spike. She wasn't shot nor impaled. Yet she was still troubled. That could not be it. The dragon nuzzled her hoof gently, making her giggle, kicking away any worries from her head. It wasn't enough. They returned as soon as they left. Rarity pondered for a long moment, her heartbeat slowing down from her fading anxiety. "If it wasn't a dream..." she muttered to herself. "What is it?" <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> Pinkie loved lunch. Well, she loved every meal of the day, actually. She was sitting in the lobby, patiently waiting for her friends to come down to join her. Her hooves swayed side to side, giving a countless number of glances towards the elevator. She wouldn't blame them though. She was an early bird. It wasn't long before she started whistling a tune to herself. Not that she was enjoying the waiting though. "I thought I recognized you." Startled, Pinkie turned to the direction of the voice. There stood a unicorn, wearing his black suit, He had a clear blue coat, his collars a little ruffled, possibly from some of the work he's been doing. Pinkie smiled. The stallion that hit him while she and Rainbow crossed the street. "It's been a while, Winter." "I'm sure it has been, Pinkamena." "I prefer Pinkie now, if you don't mind." Winter blinked in surprise, before giving her a grin. "But of course. Pinkie it is." The stallion settled himself onto the couch across hers, busily serving himself a small cup of chrysanthemum tea. "I've seen you around recently." he spoke, before sipping on his tea. "Just visiting, Winter. Nothing much." "Oh, really?" Winter settled the cup down, a glint sparkled in his eye, "I'm sure you've heard. The return of Mirror Mare." "Yeah." the pink pony said with a nod. Her face turned grimmer with every move the Patriarch makes. She tensed a little in her seat, tightening her grip onto the velvet of the couch. "Why? You're suspecting that I'm it now?" "Nopony said anything about that. However..." Winter suddenly gripped onto her puffy mane, yanking her forward. She gritted her teeth, her rage flaring as the stallion whispered into her ear: "You didn't just 'pay a visit' when you came to Pendant Lakes, didn't you?" "So what?" Pinkie's mane started to straighten, her nose wrinkling with cold hatred. "It wasn't any of your business!" "Neither it was yours." Winter pushed the pink mare back, not wanting to draw any attention. Both exchanged spiteful glares, trying to calm the burning rage that flared within them. "Your kind weren't meant to be there." the Patriarch scowled quietly with a harrumph, before gulping the rest of his tea. "If I were you, I would buck off from now on." Pinkie watched with a growl as the unicorn stomped away, passing through the double doors. She wanted to smack Winter so badly, slamming her hooves harshly onto the couch. "Pinkie!" Twilight's voice rang from her corner, making her freeze in surprise. "Come on..." she said to herself, trying to ruffle the straighten hairs of her mane back as she put on a smile. "Hey, Pinks!" Rainbow Dash raised her hoof in greeting. Beside her was Soarin' and Twilight, who all did the same as well. "You're early today." "I'm just so excited to spend the day with you guys!" She managed to squeal gleefully despite the anger still building up within her. Her hoof gripped onto the velvet couch again, as if it was draining all the rage from within her. "So, where shall we go next?" "Maybe we'll visit the town for awhile." Twilight's horn lit up, making a brochure fly from its case. "There might be a lot of exciting things to see!" Pinkie managed a faltering laugh, prompting the cyan pegasus to ask: "You okay, Pinks?" She swallowed a lump of guilt. How shall she put this... "I'm fine!" she said dismissively, rocking herself back and forth. Her gaze set onto the double doors leading outside, flipping endlessly to let guests in. "Just.... reconnected with an old friend.