//------------------------------//
// The Three Divided 
// Story: The Children of the Storm 
// by RangerOfRhudaur 
//------------------------------//

Soarin quickly caught up to his quarry, finding her pacing the grass a short distance away and muttering to herself. "Doesn' make sense," he caught her mumbling, over and over. "It just doesn' make sense."

"What doesn't?" he announced himself, startling her and causing her to whip around. He raised his hands in gesture of peace in response. "Don't worry," he reassured her as he drew closer. "I haven't come out here to sway you one way or the other. We don't know where whatever made that footprint went, and going alone when a potentially dangerous animal's the neighborhood isn't a good idea. And, if I read you right, then being alone right now is the last thing you need."

"I need to think," AJ scowled at him.

"And two heads think for three," Soarin replied. "So, what are you thinking? What doesn't make sense to you?"

"Dash--Platinum lyin' 'bout her name like that," AJ answered, her scowl giving way to a look of confusion and dismay. "Why? What did she have to gain by lyin' 'bout her name for so long? An' why choose Rainbow Dash of all things? She grew up here, if she didn't like her name why'd she pick some'n' everyone else would know was a lie? If you lie, you lie to hide some'n', not send up a firework sayin', 'Look at me, I'm lyin'!' All that does is make people dig past the lie faster."

"I don't know," Soarin confessed. "The only ones who would are your companions back at camp."

"An' how am I supposed to trust them, either of'm?" AJ snarled. "One of'm's been lyin' to me for years an' the other's been helpin' her lie. How am I supposed to know they didn't lie 'bout Fluttershy's family, or even her name? How am I supposed to know they ain't lyin' whenever they open their mouths? How can I trust someone after they stab me in the back?"

Soarin's face hardened. "The same way I can trust you after you did so to me," he replied, causing AJ to flinch. "I don't appreciate being used, Applejack, and I appreciate being used in treachery even less. Your companions, from the sounds of it, were behaving suspiciously, but that did not give you the right to behave like you feared they did. If treachery should be repaid with treachery, then how can trust ever be regained? Trust, once broken, invites more breaks, until eventually it's destroyed. You were right to be wary of them, just as they're right to be wary of you now. However," he breathed in. "that's only if you accept the invitation of broken trust. You can choose to refuse it, and instead repay treachery with truth. Trust will still be broken, but you'll be working to rebuild it instead of widening the gap. Wariness does not need to mean the end of trust, only a hurdle in its path. For example, I am wary of you now, Applejack, but I do not choose to stop trusting you. My trust will be harder to come by, however; once bitten, twice shy as the saying goes."

AJ grimaced, but nodded; as much as it pained her to admit it, Soarin was right, and if she were in his place she'd probably have done the same. "Sorry," she murmured in apology. "I was just-no. No, no explanation can make up for treatin' you like that. I'm sorry, Soarin. I'm sorry."

He nodded in acceptance, then asked, "Now knowing that, what do you plan to do regarding your companions?"

AJ bit her lip, then opened her mouth to speak.





Fluttershy's soft singing voice dully rang in Platinum's ears as she numbly stared after the departed AJ and Soarin. Flutters was right, she should've told her, should've told everyone, a long time ago. Even if they'd left her afterwards, it would've been under better conditions than this. She buried her head in her hands again; once again, she'd ignored her better nature and hoped the problem she'd warned her about would simply go away, and once again that strategy had failed.

There was a whisper in the grass. Platinum lifted her head and felt her eyes bulge as she saw Soarin and a pensive-faced Applejack walk back into camp. Fluttershy was saying something, as was Soarin, but Platinum couldn't hear them; all she could see, all she could sense, her whole world, was the thoughtful face of one of her best friends, or at least the girl who had previously been one of her best friends. She felt her heart pounding against her chest; it was only now that she realized just how much she valued Applejack's friendship, now when she stood the greatest chance of losing it. 

"Platinum Brilliance," Soarin's voice cut through her panic. "Applejack has something to say to you."

AJ nodded at him, then breathed in deep. Releasing her breath and opening her eyes, she looked levelly at the shaking Platinum. Her gaze was stern and keen, and beyond that unreadable; it thickened the air, until the camp was almost a cloud of tension.

Then she opened her mouth, slashed through the cloud, and stated, "My friendship was with Rainbow Dash, not Platinum Brilliance."

Platinum bowed her head, in grief and acceptance; it was no more than she expected, no more than she deserved for keeping such a secret from-

"However," AJ continued, causing Platinum to startle back up in confusion. "I don' think that Platinum Brilliance expected that she'd be tryna be friends with Applejack the Backstabber, not Applejack the True. Therefore, just as Platinum Brilliance apologized for lyin' 'bout who she was, so does Applejack the True apologize for bein' Applejack the Backstabber."

Fluttershy narrowed her eyes, but turned to Platinum and waited for her judgement. It came quickly, as she stammered, "It is forgiven." Though her friend looked displeased at this, she nodded in acceptance, but still kept a wary eye on Applejack.

The farmgirl smiled, then breathed in again. "My friendship was with Rainbow Dash, not Platinum Brilliance," she repeated, before lifting her gaze up to smile at Platinum. "But I'm willin' to try bein' friends with her."

Platinum stared back at her, stupefied, before beaming in joy. "Thank you," she choked out, tearing up. "Applejack the True."

AJ smiled and dipped her head in acceptance. But then her face fell, and her hand went to her geode. "If either of us lies like Applejack the Backstabber or Rainbow Dash," she frowned. "I'm not sure how badly that'll affect our friendship. I promise to never trick you like that again or lie to you, but-"

"Swear it," Fluttershy whispered. She paused as all eyes in the camp turned to her, then grit her teeth and continued. "Swear it," she repeated, louder. "both of you. No more tricks, no more lies, no more breaches of trust, no more snooping on the other's secrets. Swear to be only honest with each other, and to respect when the other says that there's something they need to keep quiet. Swear to trust each other, like you both should have earlier."

They lowered their heads in embarrassment, then met each other's gaze. After a few seconds, AJ nodded, and replied, "Sounds good to me. What d'you trust me to keep my word by, Platinum?"

Platinum's eyes widened in realization. Fumbling, she grabbed her geode and lifted it up. "I swear," she stuttered. "to never trick or lie to you again, to never breach your trust, and to let you keep your secrets. I swear to be honest with you, to respect your privacy, and to trust you always. I swear this all by Loyalty."

AJ stared back at her, then lifted up her own geode. "I swear to never trick or lie to you again," she repeated. "to never breach your trust, an' to let you keep your secrets. I swear to be honest with you, to respect your privacy, an' to trust you always. I swear this all by Honesty."

Fluttershy held her's up. "Kindness stands witness," she declared.

All three geodes stayed dark and silent, but their wielders felt something in their hearts; a gentle glow or warmth, like the Sun shining on their back. And suddenly Fluttershy knew, somehow, that the promise she'd witnessed would never be broken; the magic they bore would prevent it, not by controlling their minds but by reminding them of their friendship, making the thought of hurting the other-them in such a way intolerable.

"Whoa, nelly," AJ murmured, evidently feeling the same thought come over her.

"Wow," Platinum affirmed. "That felt...weird, but also kinda cool. Speaking of cool," she looked nervously at Applejack. "are we cool?"

AJ looked at her thoughtfully, then extended her fist forward in a familiar gesture. After a few seconds of shock, Platinum beamed and knocked against it with her own.

"We're cool," AJ nodded.

"What about you and her?" Open Skies asked, pointing between AJ and Fluttershy. "You two seemed the maddest at each other, don't you wanna patch that up?"

"So long as Applejack agrees to keep her promise," Fluttershy replied. "I am content."

"An' she was only helpin' her friend," AJ answered. "She was just bein' loyal, an' so long as Platinum keeps her promise that's just fine."

Though she seemed a bit disappointed at the simple and comparatively easy resolution, Open Skies nodded.

"Now that that's dealt with," Soarin clapped his hands together. "we should get some rest. I know you two probably want to talk, but let it rest until tomorrow; we still have plenty of travel time to fill up."

The Rainbooms nodded, AJ somewhat reluctantly, then bedded down for the night. As she looked up at the starry sky, clearer even than at Sweet Apple Acres, though, a question came to AJ's mind.

"Psst, Platinum," she whispered. "Is there a constellation of Rainbow Dash anywhere?"

Her new friend's sleeping bag rolled over. "Look for six stars in a curving line," she replied. "That's the crest of her helmet. You should be able to find the rest."

"Alright," she nodded. "G'night."

"G'night," she replied, rolling back over and quickly falling asleep. AJ took a while to follow, though, and not simply because her stargazing delayed her; doubts roiled her mind, doubts about Fluttershy, doubts about Soarin, doubts about Platinum. "That's it?" they asked. "She lies to you for years, then after a talk with some stranger and a few words from her you want to be her friend? Do you really think this is going to be the end of her lies?"

"It's not an end," she murmured in answer as she slipped into slumber. "It's a beginnin'."