FaR Chapter Thirteen- Secrets Unfolding
Rarity's boutique how'd never been so... Bright before. Pinkie really had gone all out. Streamers hung from every corner, banners of every color shooting this way and that. The thing that worried Applejack the most, however, was how excited Pinkie was. On their way to the party Rainbow and Applejack just so happened to run into the pink pony, who was bounding up and down with excitement.
"Why so keen, Pinkie?" Rainbow laughed as she watched her friend hopping down the road towards the carousel boutique. "I mean, you're like twenty percent more excited than I've ever seen you before!"
"Oh, Dashie! I can't just tell you and ruin the surprise!" Pinkie really was more excited than ever before. She had something planned, and it was worrying Applejack. "Let's just say that tonight Twilight's time in Ponyville will end with a bang!"
Pinkie didn't notice the horrified expressions from Rainbow Dash or Applejack. Leaning in close to Applejack and whispering, to ensure that Pinkie couldn't hear, Rainbow spoke.
"I told you she's a spy! All along she's just been waiting for the right moment to blow us up!"
"Oh, shush!" Applejack smiled back at her cyan friend. "Pinkie helped me save you, remember!"
"Yeah..." Rainbow returned her gaze to the super excited pony that was now several pony lengths ahead on the road. "So she can blow me up herself!"
Applejack couldn't help bursting out in laughter. "Now Rainbow, you're just being a silly filly! Pinkie Pie is not goin' to blow us up!" Applejack smiled warmly at the Pegasus she loved. "Is there any way Ah can convince you of that?"
"Well..." Rainbow turned and inched closer to Applejack, their faces growing closer until AJ could feel Rainbow's breath on her lips. "I suppose there is one way that you could calm me down."
Slowly Rainbow grew closer, and closer, and then... Suddenly Pinkie Pie was there.
"Hay, fillies!" Pinkie sat beside the couple, scaring them into screaming loudly. Rainbow quickly pulled away from the pink pony, jumping into the air.
'Ugh, c'mon Pinkie! Ah was so close!'
"C'mon, fillies, we're gunna be late!." Pinky smiled brightly before once again jumping down the road. AJ looked up at Rainbow, hovering in the air above. Rainbow's cyan cheeks had become a sea of red, her eyes wide and attentive.
Quietly and softly Applejack leaned up, kissed the Pegasus on the cheek, and turned to follow Pinkie. "Let's go, Dashie!" Applejack called back to her friend. "You can have me all to yourself tomorrow!"
Motivated by AJ's words the Pegasus quickly caught up, dropping to the ground beside her; Rainbow's wing fell gingerly over Applejack's shoulders. "All right, fine, but if we get blown up I won't let you forget it!"
The three friends continued on their way down the road. Above them the sky split into twilight, an epic duel between light and dark. There was a strange surreal atmosphere to Ponyville, as if for the first time in a thousand years the world was at peace with itself.
A light breeze carried with it a sugary smell from Sugarcube Corner that wafted throughout the town. Sweet melodies sung out from the birds that sat in trees here and there, and the occasional squirrel would dart across the path before them. The world was at peace, and Applejack couldn't help but feel like here, under Rainbow's wing, there was not a worry left on all of Equestria. Dash felt otherwise.
Rainbow kept her eyes to the sky, dreaming of some far off place that Applejack knew not about. Dreams of fire, and screaming. Of sadness, and an abundance of tears. A world she hoped Applejack would never know of.
"So Rainbow," Applejack's voice pulled Rainbow from her daydreams, and back to the beautiful world around her. Applejack looked over to the Pegasus, her smile quickly fading. "Rainbow, are you cryin'? What's wrong, Sugarcube?"
Rainbow hadn't noticed the tears swelling in her eyes, and quickly made an excuse. "I'm just happy to be back! I'd forgotten how beautiful Ponyville was at sundown."
Content with Rainbow's answer Applejack kept walking. If they thought the boutique was bright minutes ago, when they had only seen it in the distance, they were flabbergasted by the building up close. The couple could hardly recognize the building, Pinkie's personal flare ever so present. For the celebration at hoof, though, it was perfect.
The door to the boutique slid open easily, revealing a room worthy of the princesses! The decorations divine, the food that sat on a tale parallel to the far wall ranged from every treat a to z, and some that the ponies didn't know the names of. In the room sat all of Applejack's closest friends, all busy having fun and hanging each other. Not only were the main six present, but both of the royal princesses as well.
On the wall opposite the entrance a booth was set up, where none other than the famous DJ Pon3 sat, spinning vinyl records. Beside her were several other musicians setting up, one of which AJ recognized as Octavia.
"Whoa." Rainbow, eyes wide, ran into the boutique first, greeting her long missed friends. Applejack simply stood in the doorway, stunned. Music poured from the boutique and out into the streets of Ponyville where the last streams of sunlight were withering away.
'This is amazing.' Applejack took several steps into the building, the doors swinging shut behind her. For a moment she simply stared, but as the music made its way into AJ's ears her heart soon started beating in time with the others.
"Rainbow, darling!" Rarity called over the music, tackling Rainbow Dash to the ground excitedly. Quickly Fluttershy joined in, taking Rainbow down again before the Pegasus could get up. Twilight was helping Pinkie put up even more sparkling streamers, because to Pinkie more was never enough.
As Twilight worked Pinkie sneakily made her way to the food table, diving head first into a large cake. Princess Celestia, the ruler of Equestria, sat beside Twilight, happily watching her student work. Applejack couldn't remember the last time they were all together, and her eyes watered with happiness.
"Applejack!" Fluttershy flew over to the tears pony, wrapping a warm embrace around her. "I'm so very glad that you are back! I was worried when I heard that you were going after Rainbow!" Fluttershy's voice was calm, and inviting. Letting AJ go the yellow Pegasus began to speak again. "There's an amazing treat that the Cake's cooked for us over on the table! You should come have some with me! Uhm, you know... If you'd like."
"I'd love too, Fluttershy." Happily Applejack trotted alongside Fluttershy towards the table. "So Fluttershy, what have you been up to?"
"Oh, well," Fluttershy smiled shyly as she spoke. "I don't want to brag, or anything, but watch this!" Gracefully Fluttershy arched her Bach while mid-air, doing a backflip in place. "I'm learning to fly a lot better now! I'm becoming quite good!" Fluttershy's face beamed with excitement.
"That's great, Fluttershy! Amazing, even!" AJ gave the Pegasus a pat on the back.
"Well, I don't know about amazing..." Fluttershy smiled happily, despite her embarrassment. "But, if you say so!"
Before the two was a table, on it an abundance of sugary treats ranging from every color imaginable. "Whoa," Applejack spoke in awe as she looked down at the assortment. "These treats look amazin'! There are so many!"
As Applejack's eyes darted back and forth across the table she failed to notice the pink pony approaching behind her.
"Hay, AJ!" Pinkie spoke loudly, scarring the orange earth pony." Have you tried the cupcakes yet? They're to die for!"
Applejack turned, took one look at Pinkie's strangely happy expression, and decided she'd pass on the cupcakes for now. "Thank y'all for the offer, but I'ma go check what the others are up to!" Applejack feigned a quick laugh and trotted away. After knowing Pinkie for so long AJ knew that it was probably a prank of some kind.
Applejack looked around the room several times, scanning this way and that, but she quickly noticed a lacking of a certain rainbow and cyan Pegasus. Confusedly AJ made her way over to Twilight, where Rarity, Luna and the purple unicorn looked like they were planning something.
"Hay fillies, what're y'all up to?" Applejack was surprised by their sudden, scared reaction. Whatever they were working on was quickly hidden as the unicorns turned in spot. However, the moment they saw Applejack they all relaxed, laughing at their own anxiety.
"Oh, hay Applejack!" Twilight shot her a bright smile, and then turned back to whatever she was working on. "We thought that you were Princess Celestia! Stallion, that wouldn't have ended well!"
Applejack processed this for a moment, watching as all three unicorns continued to whisper and scheme. "Uhm, guys?"
"Yes, Applejack?"
"What are ya doin'?"
Luna laughed evilly before answering. We're planning on pulling a prank on Celestia. We can't tell you all the details, but it'll have something to do with a certain blue flower that enjoys prancing ponies."
"Oh, Ah see!" Applejack shivered as she remembered the time she encountered the evil flower. "Uhm, speakin' of the princess, where is she?"
"Upstairs, talkin' to Rainbow Dash, out on the balcony I think!" Twilight spoke without turning from their strange planning. "She looked pretty down, maybe you should go check it out?"
'Go check it out Ah shall...' Applejack made her way towards the staircase of the Carousel Boutique, overhearing something about tricking Celestia into eating the blue flower. 'Ah hope Rainbow is all right.'
Slowly Applejack slipped up the staircase, immediately noticing the lack of decorations. This part of the house was not intended for the party. As she made her way up past the second story, and to the wooden door that led to the balcony she began hearing voices. Crying?
It was muffled, the door cutting out much of the sound, but through pressing her ear up against the door Applejack could just make out whispers of sounds. Although the occasional word would pop up here and there, for the most part Rainbow was simply crying loudly.
Applejack's heart felt like a rock in her chest. After several minutes of this Celestia's voice cut in.
"Rainbow, listen to me! It was not your fault!" Her voice was full of remorse, and understanding. It felt warm, comforting, not like the cold wood pressed against AJ's ear. "You have to let it go, Rainbow, or else it will haunt you forever!"
After another long pause filled with stifled crying, Rainbow finally seemed co be calming down. "I know that, princess." Rainbow giggled lightly, as if she could tell how pathetic she sounded. "What I'm worried about is Applejack understanding!"
Another pause as Rainbow gathered her words. "I love her too much to just scare her away."
'Ah would never-'
"Rainbow!" Celestia, for the first time in Applejack's life, sounded mad, or disappointed? "If she loves you than she will understand! You have to tell her, or else you two will never be able to truly be together. There will always be discontent."
There was silence for a moment. Then, after waiting anxiously for something to happen, Applejack heard Rainbow once again.
"Okay." Rainbow sounded defeated. "I can do this. For Applejack."
"Good." Celestia sounded pleased. Suddenly a magical light wrapped around Applejack, and before she knew what was going on she no longer had control of her body. "Luckily for you, Rainbow, you won't have to explain too much, as she already knows that you have a secret to tell."
"What?" Rainbow spoke, flabbergasted, as the glow around Applejack slowly pushed open the door that was separating her from the ongoing conversation. As soon as it opened Rainbow turned to the sound.
Rainbow's eyes were red. Not the kind of red that comes from crying over a spilt glass of milk, or even over a broken bone; it was the kind of red only created by years and years of pent up pain. The Pegasus's herself shook violently in spot, her legs buckled under her. Rainbow looked like a mess, more hurt than any pony Applejack had ever seen before.
Slowly the glow around Applejack faded, and before her hooves touched ground she was sprinting towards the cyan Pegasus.
'No matter what happens. No matter what she says.' Applejack's eyes watered at the sight of her beloved Rainbow Dash. Finally closing the distance between them, Applejack launched herself into the Pegasus's, arms wrapping tight around Rainbow's shoulder. 'I will never let Rainbow cry like this again.'