//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5 
// Story: Confession 
// by Insert Clever Name 
//------------------------------//

Time seemed to be at a standstill for Rarity, as her friends were absorbing what she had just confessed to them. The air was thick with tension, Rarity begging for someone, anyone, to say something.

"...I forgive you."

Rarity had barely heard the words, but it was unmistakable who spoke them, her eyes wide with fear as she snapped her head towards the direction it came from.

"S-Sweetie, I thought I-!" Rarity began, but was interrupted when she felt her small hooves wrap around her barrel, hugging her tightly as if she was a life preserver.

"I forgive you, Rarity." Sweetie repeated, her hug staying true as she spoke them. "Those ponies... they sounded like horrible people. I forgive y-you." She said, her breath hitching a bit as she was getting close to sobbing.

Rarity couldn't believe what she just heard. Her older sister had just confessed to murder, and she just.. forgives her, right then and there?

Rarity bit her lip, suddenly wrapping her hooves around her little sister and hugging her tightly. "Sweetie Belle... I-I didn't want you to hear this.

Sweetie Belle continued to hug her tightly, her grip not wavering as she pulled away slightly, looking up to her sister. "I know, Rarity. B-But I couldn't help myself." She told her, her voice wavering a bit. "I... I love you, no matter what."

At that, Rarity broke down, tears falling from her eyes as she hugged her sister tighter. Not a sob was heard between them, but tears were flowing between the both of them. After a moment, Rarity felt another pair of hooves wrap around her, surprising her.

"I forgive you too, Rarity." It was Twilight, who had a small smile on her face. Rarity's eyes widened, looking her over like she was a ghost.

"You were defending yourself from someone about to attack you. For all you knew, a filly, scared, all alone... he was about to kill you." She said, her logical mind explaining it so simply. "Who knows what they would have done to you, if you didn't fight back."

Before Rarity could even process it, another pair of hooves was around her. "I forgive ya too, sugarcube." Applejack said, that accent of hers unmistakable. "We Apple's have a sayin'. Back when an Equestrian police force was more of a fancy idea, and frontier justice was the law of the land. A rotten apple's gotta be thrown away." She said simply.

"A-Applejack." She said with a gasp, a bit shocked at what she said

"I know, it ain't exactly kosher." She said, looking a bit with guilt. "But it's just what it was back then. An' while I don't know if they could'a turned out better once they grew up, I ain't really feelin' like they didn't deserve it, for what they did to you." She said, as her hug got tighter around Rarity. "So yeah, I forgive ya."

Another moment, and another pair of hooves were around here. "I-I forgive you too." It was Fluttershy, and while her hug wasn't the tightest of them, Rarity felt it's genuineness all the same.

"F-Fluttershy, you..." She tried, her voice hitching a bit, as the pegasus bit her lip. "I'm... shocked... appalled, even." She told her, causing Rarity to wince slightly. "...But, if I were backed into a corner, with no way out, much like you were..." She trailed off, not wanting to say more on that line of thought. "A-Anyway, you're my friend, Rarity. No matter what. So, while we'll have to talk about this a bit more later... yes, I do forgive you." She told her, smiling warmly as she continued to hug her.

"Same." Pinkie spoke up, as she joined in the group hug, wrapping her hooves around the seamstress. "I forgive you too." She clarified, her voice not as high pitched, but still bubbly with energy. "I don't have a fancy speech as to why though. I just do, so accept it, will ya?" She said simply, a small giggle escaping her lips.

Rarity couldn't believe it. She had just told her friends and her sister about an unspeakable crime she committed, and yet, they all had forgiven her, as if it was just... a simple mistake. She couldn't be happier, smiling a bit as she took in the warmth of the hug.

Before realizing that Rainbow Dash was missing.

"I..." Rainbow began, as Rarity noticed the look of confliction on her face, looking away from the group hug and towards the front door. "...I need a minute to think about it." With that, she suddenly took off, Rarity hearing the door opening and closing. 

Rarity bit her lip with fear, the one thing she hoped her friends wouldn't do after tonight, she just witnessed Rainbow do. 
She had always imagined that, once she told her secret, her friends would have never forgiven her or wanted to see her again. But she would have accepted it, at least that way, the weight of her terrible deed would be relieved by some margin. And that was the best possible scenario her mind would come up with. Right now, what was happening had blown away whatever "best possible scenario" she had imagined out of the water.

But Rainbow Dash knew, and she had neither forgiven her, nor cut her out of her life, simply walking out of the house, and into the rainy night.

That was what scared Rarity the most. Not that Rainbow knew.

But that she didn't have an answer for her.

And with that, as if fate acknowledged Rainbow's exit from the house, the lights would suddenly come on, casting away the darkness.

"...Don't worry, Rarity." Twilight said, trying to reassure her. "I'm sure she'll..." She said, but couldn't finish the sentence, biting her lip.

"I-It's alright, Twilight." Rarity said, putting on a brave face. "Rainbow will talk to me when she's ready. Whatever her decision will be... it will be her decision." She said, before turning to the girls. "Now, you wouldn't mind hugging me a little longer, would you? I feel like I might start crying again at a moments notice."

The girls didn't need any further reason too, their hugs getting tighter around her body.

Rarity smiled a bit, as she found herself glancing up at the tea stain on the ceiling.

It was a tea stain. And nothing more.