//------------------------------//
// Tenth Day: I Never Asked For Any Of This! 
// Story: And He Silently Painted A Rainbow 
// by WritingSpirit 
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	"No... let me go... LET ME GO!!!"

Rainbow suddenly jolted up from her bed, panting heavily whilst her hooves clenched tighter on the sheets of his bed, her back tingling from the cold sweat running down it. Realizing where she was, she let out a long sigh, before flipping her blanket over, with one hoof reaching up to rustle her mane to the side.
She unfurled her wings, feeling the wintry air rushing through her feathers. Rubbing her eyes, the mare headed outside and onto the balcony, breathing in the fresh air of morning and, with that, the start of a new year. A new day. And, oh, what a day it was going to be.

"Rainbow," a voice uttered, prompting her to turn around with a soft smile at the other pony.

"Morning, Tassee," she muttered, letting out a small yawn.
"Ready for the gallery yet?"

The white pegasus nodded, though he suddenly tugged her hoof excitedly and insistently, earning a look of surprise from his guardian. He started to snort and whinny, his actions making Rainbow chuckle.
"Okay, okay... geez..." she said, pulled by the out of her bedroom by the colt.
"I just woke up, y'know."

Taciturn released the grip on her hoof once they were in the living room, scurrying to the couch with a joyous grin as he raised something that Rainbow blinked twice in surprise to, letting out a gasp of amazement.
It was a black tuxedo, fashioned out of the sleekest fabric she had ever seen, complete with buttoned collars, two small slits at the back to slip his wings in, and a white dandelion flower dangling below the chest pocket. In it was a small slip of paper, beckoning Rainbow's curiosity to pull it from the pocket and unfold it.

"My dearest Rainbow Dash," she read it aloud.
"This is a gift I have prepared for Taciturn for today's special occasion. I hope it finds you well, and that he finds it specially adequate for his debut. Yours will be ready along with the rest of ours. I can't wait to see the both of you there, darling. Love, Rarity."

"Wow," was all that she could say, looking at the elegantly furnished tuxedo that was in Taciturn's hooves, the colt looking at it with an inquiring look on his face. She helped him brush any specks of dust that dared dwindled on its black surface, glancing up to the owner of such a fine suit.
"Well, go on!" she exclaimed eagerly. "Try it on!"

And, with a small humph of displeasure, Taciturn went into her bedroom to change, prompting Rainbow to settle onto the couch, sighing between amusement and pity at the colt's new present, before her thoughts settled onto what they had been planning since yesterday.
The gallery was scheduled to open as soon as both of them touched down onto the front doors, and the whole town couldn't wait to see them cut the ribbon or whatever they had to do for the opening of the new building. They had already framed the paintings inside, and were all ready for display, which only fueled the anticipation rushing up to her head.

"R-Rainbow..." the colt's voice muttered, catching her rapt attention.
Her jaw dropped in awe at Taciturn, who was glancing at the floor in his contrasting, glazing tuxedo, a little uncertain at his appearance. His wings were wide open in a saintlike display, his mane brushed to the right side, covering a part of his bashful face, which was already starting to blush.

"Y-you look..." she stammered, feeling her own cheeks tint pink, "h-handsome..."
Wait! Did she just said it out loud? In front of him? Take it back, Rainbow Dash. Take back what you said, you dummy, her inner voice screamed at herself. Oh, for Celestia's be-darned sake...
With no other choice, she gave a light cough. "Figuratively sp-speaking of course," the mare added sheepishly, "Don't get any funny ideas, you got that, Tassee?"

Taciturn just beamed with a nod, before placing the Santa cap on the top of his head, making Rainbow giggle.
"You're gonna wear that everywhere you go, huh?" she asked teasingly, taking it off and placing it onto the bed.
"You can wear that later. We have to get going before-"

Her voice stopped once she saw a bunch of rolled papers sitting on the couch, piquing her curiosity almost immediately as her eye caught a portion of its colored surface. She wandered to her couch, reaching out with the intent of discovering the secrets within, though not before Taciturn suddenly snatched it away, the colt giving a small, hostile growl.
"What is it?" she asked in bewilderment at his suddenly aggressive behavior, before chuckling in realization.
"It's a secret, isn't it? Something you don't want anypony to see in the gallery, huh?"

Taciturn gave a reluctant nod, settling the group of paintings back down on the couch.
"Even you would have a secret stash," Rainbow remarked, shaking her head while passing him his scarf. His affectionate smile returned almost immediately once she did so, tucking his wings back in.
"Come on, Tassee," she called, opening the door and inviting him outside.

"We don't wanna be late for the opening!"







"I declare the Gallery Of White..."

Rainbow held her breath once Mayor Mare said those words, guiding Taciturn slowly towards the large ribbon, noticing his sweat crawling down his forehead with his eyes staring fearfully at the giant scissors in his hooves, his tuxedo already starting to dampen from his anxiety. Slowly but surely, she helped him lift his hooves up with her own, before the blades are positioned, waiting along with the crowd for the three words to be uttered out.
"Come on, come on, come on, come on...!" she muttered under her breath, suppressing her impatience once every slow second passed by, before the moment came.

"Open for business!!"

Rainbow then brought Taciturn's hooves together, the slicing sound of stainless steel onto the red fabric of the ribbon cuing the cheers from everypony in Ponyville and beyond. Every single pony, be it Earth pony, unicorn, pegasus or alicorn (which there were only three present), soon swarmed into the realm of Taciturn Bleach, marveling at the figments of his vivid imagination.
Many of his previous paintings were hanging in gleaming frames on the whitewashed walls; namely the ones of Canterlot, the dotted painting of Tank and, of course, the photos of the ice portrait of Pinkie Pie; the one that propelled him to fame in the first place. There were some new ones that Rainbow had never seen before, such as one of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo building a snowpony (she realized it was made up of swirls once she got a closer look), Rarity and Twilight having a small game of chess and Applejack and herself sledding down a steep hill.

Pure irony, she thought to herself about the last one. Pure, coincidental, irony. Without further ado, she brought Taciturn into what was supposed to be the pantry if it weren't for their renovation, settling him down onto a luxurious chair while she poured two glasses of water for them, placing it onto the glass table that stood before them. Shining had originally planned to place a few guards along with her, just in case anything sparks up suddenly, though she had requested not to; it only adds to the tenseness of the situation.
Soon enough, Rainbow spotted a few prestigious ponies, to whom Rarity would've known by name, trotting and examining the various paintings around them carefully, giving remarks and gestures to one another that the cyan mare wished she understood, knowing how the colt she was taking care of will respond to criticism.

Their first pair of interviewers soon arrived, donning on their vests their identity cards, the shield logo pasted on them telling Rainbow of their origins; one which she raised her eyebrow at.
"L'art Mondial..." she murmured its name out. She couldn't believe it: even the most powerful of art societies had come down here to take a look at Taciturn's creations, probably debating even the possibility of such a drastically rare form of the talent! Slowly, they shut the door, having been notified of the scrupulous rules that were set around here by Twilight's brother and the three Princesses themselves and not wanting to risk any banishment to the moon, or worse.

"It's okay, Tassee," Rainbow muttered once Taciturn elicited a whimper at the sight of the two strangers before him, already starting to back away if not for the mare's gentle yet firm grip on his hoof.
"They're just gonna ask you some questions, and I'll make sure they won't lay a single hoof on you."

That was enough to assure him, the same words escorting him back onto his seat before they resumed what they considered really important (at least, for the reporters) after Rainbow herself settled onto a chair as well. One by one, their list of questions were uttered out, the reporters asking things about inspiration, creativity, stuff around the lines that Rainbow wouldn't understand if not for Taciturn's input to her, and her resulting output to them. Their voices echoed around the soundproof room, leaving all those waiting outside to cringe with anticipation as their turn came.
Soon after they left came the next pair. And another. And one more after that. It wasn't long before both of them grew tired of the endless raid of questions; soon enough both of them stood up from their respective seats, heading out into the bustling crowd of visitors to get something for lunch.

The fact that it was already midday was a little surprising for her: there seemed to be no significant reduction of guests at all. Everypony she passed gave a welcoming greeting to her and to Taciturn, his brief exposure to his admirers of the day starting to lull him out of his reticent shell.
"Ya hungry, buddy?" she asked, in which he gave a nod. He could probably contend in Equestria's Record for the most nods in one day or such, she thought to herself, seeing how that's nearly his response for everything.

"Boy, I thought you two would never come!!"
Rainbow laughed at Pinkie's statement once they reached the food bar, giving her friend a hoof bump. She settled Taciturn on the stool while the party mare poured for them two chocolate frappes, topped with a colored, paper parasol on top of the brown creamy mountain and a pink straw jutting out, bending down low like a coconut tree
"So how's the interview?" Pinkie asked, hungrily gobbling up a blueberry muffin.
"Is it fun?"

"Not. At. All," Rainbow replied in a sarcastic, deadpanned tone, before the two mares burst out in laughter.
"In fact, it's a little too boring for my taste."

"Oh yeah!" Pinkie exclaimed suddenly, her face lighting up with recognition.
"Twilight wanted me to remind you about Tassee's live drawing session later! It's coming up in about a minute or so!"

"Right...!" the cyan pegasus hissed, smacking her forehead.
How can she forget about this? Every single pony must've been dying from their patience to see this colt paint. It's no wonder that all of these ponies stayed behind: they wouldn't want to miss a special opportunity to catch him flourishing in his glory of a talent for all of them to see. 
"I'll get down to it in a sec," she continued dismissively, finishing the last of her dessert.
"I just need to do a couple more stuff. Get this fellow ready and we'll start."

"Right! Ooh~! Wait!"
Rainbow sighed, turning around again to see Pinkie shoving a box into her hooves, cutting her off before she could start speaking. The pink mare wore a bubbly grin of pure excitement, enlarging by the minute as fast as her friend's eyes widened at the sight, knowing that there's only one thing it could be.
"We all have one! Go on!" she screeched happily, her friend only able to give a vindicating cough.
"Open it! Open it!"

"I... think I know what's inside."
The cyan pegasus shook the box, hearing the tussled ruffling of cloth, confirming her beliefs of its origins. Taciturn just looked on, perplexed as the mare kept glancing about nervously, uncertain of what to do.
"Pinkie," she called out hesitantly, pushing the colt towards her.
"Wh-why not take Tassee to the session now? You know, the two of you together, amazing everypony here......? I'll... I'll catch up w-with you guys... um... later..."

"No biggie, Dashie!" Pinkie cried with a salute, guiding Taciturn towards a stool in the center of the audience forming in the room. He kept looking back yearningly at Rainbow, who was swerving through the crowd and back into the interviewing room, wondering what could be disturbing the usually confident pegasus pony that he called his guardian.
Rainbow would've blurted out to him as well, if she wanted to lose her dignity, her mind told her. She shut the door with her stare glued to the box, unable to understand what to do with it. Of all the occasions in the world, Rarity, she wanted to curse. Of all the occasions....

Reluctantly, she lifted the lid from the cardboard box, holding her breath once she saw the folded, white garment that was laid neatly inside, the mare raising it up to let gravity unfurl it, the resulting sight only making her blink.
It was a white gown, the sequins on the waist-ribbon sparkling like dewdrops on a plain of woven gossamer in the crack of morning. Its velvety surface swirled alluringly once she turned it around, the frilled skirt tossed in an invisible ocean at her movements. She could never imagine having a dress this fashionable in her household, much less putting it on, which seemed to be the case now.

Her cheeks reddened as she slipped her hooves into the glossy interior, straining to fit through its slightly suffocating collars, before her head emerged at last with a pop, her shoulders straining around to get used to the formal attire.
"Where's the darn mirror..." she hissed, glancing around the room before finding a tall one standing at the corner. She wanted to gasp at herself once she saw her detestable reflection; in her opinion, it seemed that she looked too royal. Too vain.

Too... too girly...

The door opened suddenly, with Rainbow suppressing a yelp of surprise once she saw Taciturn slowly stepping inside, having finished his short art session and escaping from the taut demands of autographs and frenzied voices into the safety of the silent room, guarded by the stallions of the princesses' royal guards. The moment his black eyes landed onto her, they widened almost immediately, before darting away nervously, making his guardian chuckle.
"I know, right," she muttered whilst shaking her head, stretching her hooves in an attempt to get accustomed to the tight gown she was wearing, glancing awkwardly onto the floor.
"This isn't right for me... At all..."

"Rainbow..." the colt murmured, creeping closer towards his guardian with a hearty smile.
"Pretty..."

"Wha...?" Rainbow cried suddenly, her cheeks turning a faint scarlet once she felt him nuzzle his cheek, the mare too stunned to be able to give a plausible response.
"Alright, Tassee..." she nervously spoke after a brief minute of silence, "that's a little too much patient-to-guardian thankfulness."

Despite that, his black eyes suddenly locked fiercely onto her magenta pupils, freezing her on the spot once his face came closer. She wanted to step back, but her body never listened, only increasing her frustration at doing so. Slowly, Taciturn advanced closer and closer to his guardian, his cheeks turning a bright pink as he stared longingly into her.
"Dashie..." he muttered softly, leaning closer to the mare.

"Wh-what..." she stammered hesitantly, "what are you doi-"

Her response to his suddenly strange behavior was silenced as their lips met with a jolt, with Rainbow only able to widen her eyes once she saw what he was doing. She squirmed and cringed uncomfortably on the spot, inadvertently protesting and wanting to free herself from her kiss; one that her hooves flailed recklessly about to get away from.
Her breathing slowed to a standstill as time passed, her eyelids turning heavy and, in the end, closing as the mare started to feel it; the flame within her gut. Their interlocked lips threshed against one another, tinging her heart with that of passion and pleasure. Her cheeks blushed furiously the longer they moved on, Rainbow reaching her hoof up to caress a side of the colt's ghostly face; in response, Taciturn ran through her hoof through the spectrum ocean of her mane.

"Tasee..." she moaned in their kiss, feeling everything around her. The sensations danced like lights once their lips descended deeper, fueling their lust with raw, pure pleasure that razed through their heads, clearing out any wisps of problems and difficulties away.
It felt so right... it felt so... so... perfect. She wanted him, she needed him. She.. she l-lo... she lo-lov...

Something snapped the thread suddenly, shock forcing her eyes open like a crowbar and shattering into the fine moment. Rainbow suddenly pushed herself away from him, carelessly tumbling back before tripping over, tumbling onto the wooden floor with a loud yelp of pain.
Taciturn quickly knelt down to the mare, who was grunting forcibly as she clutched her hoof tightly, cussing inaudibly from underneath her breath. He reached out his hooves to lift her up, though the mare suddenly pushed them away, catching him by surprise.

"Don't touch me," Rainbow hissed grudgingly at him, shunning the colt to silence immediately.
"Stupid... stupid... look what you've done, Rainbow..."

"Dashie?"

"Don't call me that!!" she screamed into his horrified face, pushing him away.
Rainbow tried to brush her frazzled mane down, wanting to return it back to its original state, though Taciturn tried to step in to help again, making her harrumph in displeasure. She jerked his hoof away once it got close to her, the repetitive attempts at doing so drilling into her head.
"So you wanna help now, huh Tassee?" she scolded sternly, retching her face up into a twisted expression of pure rage, devoid of any pitiful mercy for the other pony.
"So you think just because I'm your guardian, that means you have to go all lovey-dovey, right?"

"I never asked for any of this!!" she yelled, forcing him back to the wall with growing fear, unable to understand whatever that was happening.
"I spent my life guarding you, and that's my job. That's how we remain. Nothing more from there. But no! You just had to cross the line. You just... you... you just had to!"

"R-Rainbow...?" Taciturn whimpered fearfully, cringing towards a corner with tears falling from his eyes.

"You think all this time that guarding you was just plain fun? You think all this time that having you in my house was a worthwhile experience? You think that I would agree to be your guardian because I... y-you...l-love me? And I would just... l-love... l-lo-loved y-you back? That I'll let you wrap your wings around me while we sit down on a cloud waiting for the next sunrise together? Well, think again, Bleachface!!"
Rainbow wiped a small tear from her eye, marching across the room and towards the window, the colors of sunset illuminating her indignant face. She slid it open with a loud bang, the sound jolting the cowering Taciturn in his desolate position. Gazing down at the cringing colt in the corner, she wanted to scream at him even more, but she couldn't find any more words for him, her heart sinking once she heard the faint sounds of sniffling from underneath his mane.
"Just... j-just go back to Canterlot..." the mare stammered coldly, turning away from him, unable to meet his teary gaze.
Her decision was made; one she had feared to let out ever since she took care of him; one she promised herself never to say to the colt right before her.

"I don't want to be your guardian anymore."

And with that, she sped out through the window and into the darkening sky, her tears flying about in the wind along with the snow and her dress fluttering about. Rainbow cried and sniffled once she left the vicinity of the building, heading straight for the one place that she wanted to hide: home.
Her airborne house came into view, the mare zooming through the door and slamming it shut (with a puff, due to the fact that it's a cloud by itself). She started sobbing, stopping only to wriggle herself out from her dress, before she tossed herself onto the bed, crying loudly with her face buried in the sheets.

Tank crept to his owner's side, tilting his head in bewilderment at the sudden return and the depressing state of the mare. He gazed down with his black, beady eyes, unsure of how to comfort her.
"L-leave me alo-lone..." she whimpered in her plaintive sobbing, having detected his presence. He remained silently still, though she suddenly glanced up, her tear-strewn face warping and contorting into the darkest, most aggressive glare she could ever muster.
"I said LEAVE ME ALONE!!"

The loud, bellowing shout was enough to send him scurrying quickly away from her wrath, before Rainbow resumed her despaired wailing and sobbing, muffled by the puffy clouds she was lying upon.
How did it come to this, her mind forced out from the millions of questions tunneling through her. Why did this happen? What made everything fall apart? She couldn't figure out the answer beneath her drowning ocean of tears, still trying to fight back those that remained in her eyes. Her hoof reached around instinctively,stopping once she felt the unmistakable fluffiness of cotton. Without hesitation, Rainbow yanked it towards her, her trembling breath stopping and her eyes widening once she realized what it was: the Santa cap that she gave to Taciturn a few days ago as a present.

"Ta-Tassee..." she whimpered, hugging herself and the cap tighter in her broken, solitary state, crying herself to sleep.
"I'm so sorry... it's all my fault..."

"It's all my fault......"