Chapter 15
The four ponies dashed to the room, the narrow passageway echoing with the sound of hooves on stone as they went. Twilight Sparkle stopped, her gaze flashing wildly about the vacant room. In the next moment she could feel the others come up silently behind her. “I don’t understand it…” she shook her head, not even turning around to address her friends and the lone, silent guard. “How could this happen? This is why I wanted a guard in the first pla—”
The words died on her lips as she felt a cool breeze wafting over her, and looked up, cringing to see the curtains fluttering gently before a set of doors leading out to a balcony. Her face fell as she shook her head again, muttering darkly. “I should’ve known. Why didn’t I even think of that?”
“Do—do you think someone could have… taken her?” Fluttershy squeaked, swaying nervously form side to side.
Twilight shook her head. “No. Those doors lock from the inside. She must have left.”
“She can’t have just flown away! Where would she go?” Rarity strode forward, glancing from Twilight to the curtains and back again.
“And why?” Twilight added.
Rarity trotted over to the bed, lifting something off the surface in her magical field. Something crumpled and frail, a cold, grey blob hovering lifelessly in the air before her. Carefully, she unfolded it, and a sheet of newspaper took shape before her eyes. She scanned it quickly, her gaze narrowing as she did so. “Twilight? I believe I've found the answer to that question.”
“What is it?” Twilight went over to her friend, peering over her shoulder at the newspaper’s face. She blinked a few times, checking it again to make sure her eyes were, indeed, not playing a trick on her. “What? ‘New Evidence in Soarin’ Arrest Proves Allegations a Publicity Stunt’?” In one swift motion, she swatted the paper to the floor and turned away, pacing up and down the room, her face darkened. “Where did she even get a copy of the Equestrian Enquirer? And why would she take that trash seriously?”
“I think the more important question is where she might have run to, if she did indeed flee because of this.”
“Maybe she flew home?” Fluttershy suggested, stepping forward a little bit?”
Twilight sighed. “That’s a possibility. I still can’t believe she would run away over a stupid article. That’s just… not Rainbow Dash.”
Rarity shook her head. “Pain and fear can do strange things to ponies. I think we all know that for all her supposed bravado, Rainbow Dash has never been the best at dealing with her own emotions. I’m certain this whole ordeal has only made that worse.”
“Where could she have gone, though?”
“Wherever it is, we’re goin’ ta find her.”
The two turned to see Applejack step into the room, around Fluttershy. Behind her, Pinkie Pie remained out in the hallway; cast in shadow, her face an impenetrable mix of confusion and shock. Applejack glanced between Twilight and Rarity, her face grim yet resolute. “Right now.”
Twilight Sparkle nodded. “You’re right, Applejack.” She swiveled to the guard, still standing at attention just beside the door. “Alert the other guards. Get as many as you can. I want a search done of the castle, the city, and the airspace between here and Ponyville.”
The guard dipped his head once. “Right away ma’am.” He rushed from the room.
Twilight turned back, facing her friends once more. “Girls, I don’t know where Rainbow went, but she’s our friend, and if she’s not here, that means she might be in trouble. We’ve got to find her and bring her back.” She glanced from face to face. Applejack and Rarity both nodded to her. Fluttershy’s shivers had returned, though she swallowed and tried to hold herself steady. Pinkie Pie merely stared, unmoving, back at Twilight. “Right. Fluttershy, you and Pinkie Pie search the Castle Grounds. Maybe Rainbow Dash just went to clear her head in the gardens. AJ and Rarity, come with me. We’re going into town.”
In short order, and with no further discussion, the other four left the room, even Pinkie Pie rushing off as if imbued with a sudden fire. For one unbroken moment, Twilight Sparkle found herself in Rainbow Dash’s room, alone with her thoughts. She registered movement out of the corner of her eye, and glanced downward to see the wrinkled piece of newsprint, scuttling across the floor, borne on an intermittent breeze. She sighed before heading for the door.
“Oh, Rainbow Dash. Where could you have gone?”
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Canterlot’s nightlife bustled around the three ponies as they roamed down a busy street, glancing every which way for a hint of a rainbow mane. All around them, ponies chattered, moving this way and that, diving in and out of late-night clubs, bars, and restaurants, none of them paying the group of friends any heed. Applejack sighed, suddenly stopping in her tracks. Twilight and Rarity paused as well, throwing questioning looks over their shoulders. “This ain’t workin’, Twi. How are we supposed to find one pony in a city o’ hundreds?”
“I know, Applejack, but it’s the best idea I’ve got right now.”
“We should split up an’ search. We’ll cover more ground that way.”
Rarity frowned. “Darling, I’m not so sure that’s such a great idea.”
“Come on, Rares. We ain’t getting’ anythin’ done this way, and Rainbow needs us right now.”
Rarity shook her head, gesturing with one hoof to the cacophony of sight and sound around them. “Has it occurred to you that three mares wandering a busy city alone at night might not be a very good plan?”
“Well it sure is a sight better than what we got goin’ on now.” Applejack replied, planted firmly in her place. “Ah figure with three ponies in different places instead o’ the same place, we’ll find Dash that much faster.”
Rarity cocked an eyebrow, but Twilight chimed in before she could say anything further. “You’re right, Applejack; Rainbow Dash does need us right now. We need to be using as many sets of eyes as possible.”
“I still think it’s best to stick together.”
Twilight sighed. “Normally, I’d agree with you, Rarity. But this is an extreme case. We don’t have the luxury of time right now.”
“Twi’s right. We’ve got ta get movin’.”
“Hold on now, just how are the rest of us supposed to know if anypony finds her?”
Twilight stopped for a moment, her gaze drifting ever so slightly upwards. “Get her back to the castle, then find one of the princesses. They can send a message for the rest of us.”
“Well, alright. But I won’t say I like this arrangement.”
Twilight nodded, “Neither do I, but finding Rainbow Dash has to be our first priority now. I don’t want to think what would happen if anypony recognizes her and starts hammering her with questions.”
Rarity winced. “She’s been front page news for weeks now. I fear that’s only too likely the case.”
“Then we’ll have to just hope we’re wrong.”
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From beneath the wide brim of her hat, Applejack’s keen eyes observed the city, sweeping from place to place, always searching. She had long since given up on the idea of finding Rainbow Dash out wandering the streets, and had taken to glancing through the windows of each building she passed, scanning groups of nameless ponies within, looking for her face to jump out from the crowd.
A flash of light from a darkened alleyway caught her eye, she jumped, turning anxiously, staring into the blackness, hoping against hope to see a pair of magenta eyes stare back out at her. After a few moments, she hung her head, turning away from the bleak alley. She watched only her hooves hitting cobblestone after cobblestone as she walked away, suddenly very dimly aware that she didn’t know where she was or what time it was, and that she didn’t care either.
“This ain’t gonna work, she’s gone.” She muttered to herself, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “She’s gone… she’s gone.”
She wasn’t paying attention. She ran into the stallion because she wasn’t paying attention.
“Hey. Watch where you’re going.”
She blinked a few times, shaking her head vigorously before looking up. “Ah’m sorry. Ah’m just lookin’ fer…” In that instant, Applejack’s words failed her, and he rolled his eyes, pushing past her. He was gone an instant later—off down the street, chatting with some other mare, as if he hadn’t even noticed; as if the run-in wasn’t even important.
And Applejack, still struck silent, rooting firmly in place on the street corner, knew that it wasn’t important; that he wasn’t important.
It was only important that she had looked up.
Across the street, a mass of ponies milled about outside a bar. Their backs to Applejack, their faces turned inward, pressed against the windows and crowded around the front entrance, nearly clambering over one another. Applejack blinked, feeling something stirring within her, some strange feeling that inexplicably, yet irrefutably, told her she had found exactly what she was looking for.
Slowly, silently, as if she were floating and the world around her suspended on invisible strings, she approached the crowd. She arched her back, craning to see over the tops of the others’ heads, but came away frustrated with only a passing glimpse of the building. Frowning, she lowered her shoulders, grumbled out a perfunctory “Excuse me,” and wedged herself in between the two closest ponies, ignoring their yelps as she muscled her way into the middle of the group.
With no regard for the protest raised around her, Applejack surged forward, soon finding herself at the tavern’s door. Unceremoniously, she barged her way inside, her gaze sweeping across the scene.
The bar maintained an obligatory, if uneasy, level of activity. Glasses clinked, the occasional drink was poured, but the expected low buzz of conversation was strikingly absent. It was surprisingly empty compared to the crowd outside, many members of which could be easily seen through the smoky, faded glass at the front of the room, still peering expectantly in, as if watching, waiting for something to happen inside. What few patrons were gathered in the bar itself, however, appeared subdued, many staring into their drinks or off into space, unspeaking, unmoving, and before she even saw it, Applejack knew why.
For one thing united nearly every pony within the establishment, mares and stallions, solitary and accompanied, drunk and sober. Between half-hearted sips of drinks or attempts at conversation, each face would turn—discreetly, as if they feared being caught—and steal a furtive glance toward the back of the room, where the bar met the wall. Their universal attention directed to a corner, cast in shadow, where a white unicorn sat, comfortably upon a barstool, staring defiantly back at them, and where a mess of rainbow hair decorated the dark mahogany counter.
Applejack was moving within the instant she had taken to survey the room, a dozen pairs of eyes tracking her. The unicorn jumped up just as she arrived, fixing her with a hard gaze, fire lit behind blood-red eyes. “Don’t go near her. She’s not answering any questions.”
For a moment, Applejack was floored. She froze, rock-solid against the wood floor, her eyes wide and locked with this stranger’s, suddenly conscious of countless gazes directed her way, but the moment passed. She saw Rainbow Dash, slumped in her seat, her body limp, head resting against the bar, cheek pressed into the polished surface, and her back to the world. Applejack felt her heart thudding at a furious pace deep within her chest at the sight of her broken friend, and she narrowed her gaze, glaring at the mare before her. “Listen, filly, Ah don’t know who ya think ya are, but—”
“This mare is a pony, not a museum piece for you and everypony else here to gawk at. She deserves her privacy.”
“And she just happens ta be mah friend, and Ah need ta git her someplace safe!” Applejack leaned forward, her face inches from the unicorn’s.
“And just how am I supposed to know you’re telling the tru—”
“Do Ah LOOK like Ah’m lyin’?”
Silence, the air heavy around them, the brazen, unabashed stares of onlookers focused upon them, a few heated seconds, and the stranger backed down. “Alright, alright, easy. She only just fell asleep.”
“What happened?”
The unicorn shook her head. “She was already half drunk when I got here. I recognized her from the papers, but I think plenty other ponies did, too.”
“What were they—”
“Questioning her, pestering her, offering to buy her drinks, everything. I got them off her back but they didn’t go very far.” The unicorn nodded towards the front of the house, indicating the crowd still loitering outside. “It’s disgusting. I don’t even know why she’s here, but she doesn’t deserve that.”
“She ain’t gonna be here for long.” Applejack walked over to her friend, nudging her lightly with her snout. “Come on, Dash. It’s time to get goin’.” The pegasus merely grumbled incoherently, twitching in her stupor. Applejack frowned. “Alright, Ah’ll carry ya.” Gingerly, the farm pony maneuvered herself beneath Rainbow Dash, gently lifting herself up between the stool and the bar so that her friend slid easily onto her back. Applejack grunted under the sudden weight.
Thrust awake with a jolt, Rainbow Dash draped herself over her friend, giggling as she did so. “Heh… Applesnack. Apple-Japple-Jack.”
Applejack sighed. “Had enough to drink there, Sugarcube?”
The inebriated pegasus shifted herself, very nearly falling off but finally settling in lined up with the pony beneath her, allowing her chin to rest on the earth pony’s neck. “I dunno. You ssshould ask Rainbow Dassh.”
“She seems ta be in a right state.” Applejack frowned, grimacing as her load shifted.
“Yeah, she’s in a pretty bad way.” The unicorn shook her head forlornly, “She had a rough night.”
“Well that ends here.”
“I like your mane, Applesack. It’s like hay… but you can’t eat it.” With that, the drunken pony buried her muzzle into her friend’s mane, lay still for several moments, and began snoring.
“Right. Let’s get ya out o’ here, Dash.” Applejack made her way for the door, striving to ignore the unbidden stares she received from around the room, but stopped suddenly. “Ah wanted ta thank ya, Ah don’t want ta think what would happened if Rainbow hadn’t had somepony lookin’ out for her.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Ah never did catch yer name.”
The other mare grinned, slipping a large pair of sunglasses down over shocking red eyes. “Call me Vinyl. Vinyl Scratch.”
Applejack nodded. “Ah thought ya looked familiar. And thanks, it really means a whole lot ta me.”
“Like I said, don’t mention it. I was just finished with a set at the club across the street and came here for a couple drinks when I saw her. I did what anypony would have done.” She paused, taking a moment to send a glare around at the remaining patrons. “Or, at least, I did what anypony else SHOULD have done!” She called, her scowl deepening as the others made pains to avoid her piercing gaze.
“Ah appreciate it anyway.”
The DJ pony shook her head. “I don’t get it—the way some of these ponies behave—like they have no decency left, no common courtesy. They treat her like a story out of the newspaper and nothing more. And if those stories are true…”
“They are.” Applejack nodded gloomily.
“Then she doesn’t deserve this. She doesn’t deserve any of this.”
The two trotted to the door, Vinyl using her magic to swing it open. The silent crowd parted ways a little, enduring scowls from both mares. Vinyl stepped out in front of Applejack, glaring at the assembled. “Alright, folks. Party’s over. Time to scram.”
It took a few moments more, but the crowd finally dispersed, some still taking a few backward glances as they stole away. Finally, the two mares relaxed, able to breathe easier. “Thanks for that.” Applejack readjusted so that Rainbow Dash’s weight was spread more evenly on her back, and the pegasus snorted in her sleep.
“No problem. Us mares have gotta stick together.” Vinyl nodded as they began walking, splitting ways. “Take care of yourself, and her too.”
Applejack simply nodded her reply, looking up to see the towering spires of Canterlot Castle not far in the distance. Undaunted, she set off into the cold night. The streets were dark and lonely; most of the city lay slumbering contently, unplagued by worries, not haunted by nightmares. Applejack wondered what held the mind of Rainbow Dash as she slept. She wondered if the pegasus could achieve just as sound a rest as everypony else, though she feared not. Applejack wondered what had driven Rainbow Dash to drink. She wondered if it drove away some of those dreams, if it helped take the pain away, or if it was just a way to escape. Maybe Rainbow Dash thought about it beforehand, or maybe she didn’t, and it just became an impulse; an urge she couldn’t control. Applejack craned her neck, twisting awkwardly to get a look at her friend, still dozing lightly upon her back as she walked. She wondered if the pegasus felt cold, or if she was too numb to feel anything at all. Outwardly, she looked peaceful.
Applejack sighed. “What Ah wouldn’t give ta know what was goin’ on inside that little head o’ yers, Dash. What Ah wouldn’t give.”
There were signs of the coming dawn by the time she reached the castle. She spoke briefly with a guard who promised to notify Princess Luna and have the others brought back for some much-needed rest. Then, after making sure Rainbow Dash was secure on her back, she climbed the long flights of stairs to reach their rooms.
The doors in Dash’s room had been closed. Gratefully, Applejack brought her friend in and laid her gingerly upon the bed. She stayed back a while longer, watching as the troubled pony’s chest rose and fell slowly, rhythmically. She fidgeted a few times as she lay. Then, feeling the weight of her own eyelids very suddenly and heavily set upon her, Applejack turned and headed for the doorway, ready to feel the comforting embrace of her own warm bed, but stopped when a voice called out from the dark.
“It hurts, AJ. It hurts.”
Concern drove her back to the bedside. She could just barely see her friend’s form in the darkness, but those magenta eyes were open, staring up at her from behind a hazy cloud of mist. “What hurts, Dash?”
“It won’t stop hurting. Why won’t it stop hurting, Applejack? Why? I… I don’t want to hurt anymore.”
Applejack laid a hoof over her friend’s forehead. It felt warm. She sighed, resting her chin upon the bed. She couldn’t think what else to do. “Ah know, Sugar. Ah know.”
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“Fillies and gentlecolts. This court will now come to session. Please refrain from speaking or making any noise that might cause a disturbance during these proceedings. The trial is now set to begin. Celestia willing, may justice be done.”
Twilight Sparkle shifted nervously in her seat, shuffling a few papers atop her desk as she sat, willing herself to remain calm while the judge spoke. She glanced to her side Where Rainbow Das sat, stock still, looking for all the world like she would enjoy nothing more than to crawl underneath the table and out of sight of the multitudes of ponies around them.
From above them, the Justice continued speaking, steely grey eyes flashing out of a crowd of hundreds. “Thank you for your attention. The case of Equestria versus Soarin’ Skies shall now officially come to order.” Gavel smacked wood once more, and the court reporter immediately began tapping away at his typewriter, a series of sharp, metallic clicks filling the air. “Is the counsel for the prosecution ready?”
A deep breath. Twilight stood. “Yes, Your Honor.” She sat down quickly.
“Is the counsel for the defense ready?”
Across the courtroom, behind a table almost identical to her own, Twilight watched as the slate grey unicorn opposite her stood. Ink Scroll directed his gaze towards the bench with a self-assured grin. “Yes, Your Honor.”
Justice Honor Bound nodded. “Very well, we shall proceed. The defendant, Mr. Soarin’ Skies, has been charged with one count of rape in the second degree and one count of sexual assault in the second degree. How do you plead, Mr. Skies?”
Twilight watched as the pegasus leaned forward, his expression unreadable, his demeanor calm and collected. “Not guilty, Your Honor.”
“At this time, Opening Statements will be read before the court by both parties. The prosecution will speak first.”
Twilight closed her eyes, forcing herself to take a few deep, calming breaths. This was it. This was her moment. She stood up, stepping out onto the floor before the bench, nodding up towards the judge, and then sweeping her gaze out over the audience. She suppressed the urge to gulp, and cleared her throat lightly, counting backwards from five in her head. “Thank you, Your Honor. May it please the court, friends, citizens of Equestria, fillies and gentlecolts of the Jury; we live in unsettling times. I cannot tell you how much it saddens me to think about the events that have transpired leading up to this trial, but I will do my best to explain them.
“As this case revolves around my client, Miss Rainbow Dash, I will begin with her. Rainbow Dash’s foremost passion in life has long been flying, and she has been recognized for her many achievements in the sport. She used to spend every chance she could get practicing, working on one routine or another. Imagine her elation, then, upon receiving the chance, nearly four weeks ago, to join the Wonderbolts, to make something that has been her greatest dream since foalhood a reality.”
Twilight looked out over the assembled again, marveling at the attention of so many ponies, focused on her. “Imagine that. Imagine a moment in your life when everything you’ve worked towards, every dream you’ve ever had, every ambition and every desire, is suddenly right there, right within your grasp. Imagine your excitement.
“Fillies and gentlecolts, I can’t tell you what ran through my client’s mind that day. I can’t begin to impart upon you the incredible emotional whirlwind she must have experienced as she went off to Cloudsdale, and as she finally achieved what she had worked towards most of her life. True success, achieving a life-long dream in such a way, is something ponies have to experience individually to truly understand. However, I can tell you that she visited me just afterwards, and I have never seen her happier. She came to share with me the good news, and I congratulated her. It was a simple exchange between friends, yet that was he last time I saw her before our lives were irrevocably changed for the worse.
“That night, she and the other Wonderbolts, including the accused, Mr. Soarin’, held an impromptu celebration in the bar at the Cloud Nine Inn, in Cloudsdale. Over the course of the night, my client became intoxicated, and was subsequently taken by the accused to one of the rooms the Wonderbolts had reserved that night. Therein, without proper consent and without regard for her thoughts, Soarin’ initiated sexual contact with my client in a debasing and violent manner, leaving her physically injured and emotionally scarred.”
She paused, watching the gallery for any visible sign of a reaction before continuing. “Mr. Soarin’ has pleaded not guilty in this assault. I will, however, endeavor to prove his guilt by presenting medical evidence, including the professional testimony of doctors and nurses, and by submitting the testimonies of several key witnesses to both the time leading up to this event and its aftermath. Through this process, I hope my client receives the justice she deserves. Thank you.”
The unicorn found herself sweating by the time she returned to her seat, and struggled to keep herself calm. Beside her, Rainbow Dash looked even more nervous, and Twilight felt a pang of sympathy for her. It was bad enough to be forced to endure the unwavering attention of dozens of apathetic ponies, but to have had such painful events recounted before such a crowd could only have been much worse. She reached out and grasped Rainbow Dash’s hoof, nodding in what she hoped was a reassuring way when she caught the pegasus’s eye.
“Fillies and gentlecolts of the jury, may it please the court, I plan to keep my opening statement short, simple, and concise.” Ink Scroll now held the floor, confident smirk never gone. “My client has been an upstanding citizen of Equestria his entire life. He has been an honorable role model, and has even given the best years of his life over to proudly and selflessly serve his country in the most elite wing of the Equestrian Air Royal Guard. He has devoted his life to others, and for that I believe we all owe him a debt of gratitude.
“However, in light of these recent events, my client’s reputation has become unjustly besmirched. What by all rights was a casual, consensual sexual encounter has been perverted and twisted by the prosecution, presenting a heinous accusation that is not only an affront to his character, but an attack on his honor and dignity. The only explanation for which being, through regret, shame, or something similar, this mare,” he gestured wildly at Rainbow Dash, who flinched, “has decided to render all blame for an otherwise innocent encounter upon my client, and has falsely brought the charges against him to clear her own conscience.
“My client is the victim here, folks. Justice can only come with his acquittal. Thank you.”