//------------------------------// // Epilogue: Mother Knows Better // Story: Hold Your Color // by Quillery //------------------------------// Hold Your Color by Quillery Epilogue Mother Knows Better “Ma!” Dash whined, as Zephyr flitted about the room gathering Dash’s things. “I can pack my own stuff!” It was early morning the following day. Twilight had gone to sleep at her parents place in town along with the rest of their friends. Zephyr, however, had returned bright and early directly from her hotel to prepare Dash to be released as soon as the doctors came about for their morning rounds. Ditzy was already gone, most likely to fetch breakfast. Being a mail pony demanded early hours, a habit Ditzy seemed to hang onto even through the ordeal of the past two weeks. This of course left Dash alone with her mother, as she gathered things from the bedside and stuffed them into a luggage box. “Nonsense! It’s the least I can do to help. You have a long recovery to get you back into shape. Isn’t the next Wonderbolts training session coming up soon? You want to be at your best, don’t you?” Dash rubbed her cheek. Dealing with her mother’s overbearance was not how she wanted to spend her morning. “Ma, please. Twilight’s gonna be here soon to take me home.” “Don’t worry! I’ll be out of your mane soon, once I get everything packed.” “Its just a few cards, ma. You don’t need to fuss about those, there couldn’t possibly be anything else worth packing.” Zephyr tilted her head. “But what about this? Isn’t this important?” She turned to the bed, producing a small box in her hooves. She opened it, revealing two small pouches inside. Dash recognized one of them as the few fragments of the Celestial Prism as it was scattered to the far corners of the world. The other though, was a mystery. Dash pointed at the second pouch. “Let me see that one, ma.” Zephyr hoofed it over. Dash tipped the silk container over and let a few shards of crystal roll into her hoof. She gasped. It was a broken amethyst, a bent metal housing and worn cord. “It’s my necklace…” Zephyr stared at the broken amulet. “Oh dear. That’s the one you told me about, isn’t it? The one that led you to Twilight just before you two got together?” Dash nodded. “I can’t believe its actually broken.” Sadness overcame her voice as she stared quietly at the shattered symbol of her and Twilight’s relationship in her hooves. “Oh, it can’t be that difficult to repair. I’m sure there’s somewhere we can take it to be fixed.” Dash shook her head. “It just wouldn’t be the same…” Zephyr grimaced. “Because of an enchantment? Dear…” She sat on the bed and patted a spot next to her. Dash sighed and sat down next to her mother. Zephyr wrapped a leg and wing over Dash’s back. “Oh, Rainbow Dash. There are many symbols in life that signify our love for another. You can’t just hold yourself the old ones. Love evolves, it grows, it blooms. There are times to move on, move up. If you hold too hard to the moments of the past, you never look forward to your future.” Dash said nothing, she just kept staring at the gemstone. “Dash?” “It’s just… I don’t know how I feel about this anymore…” Surprised drifted in Zephyr’s voice. “What do you mean? Is something else wrong?” “Well, not really. I don’t think so. It’s just... during this whole mess, we had a fight. I want to believe it was a heat of the moment thing, but… it hurt. Like, it really hurt. I actually felt like Twilight was going to leave me because she couldn’t bear the thought of watching me get hurt.” Her hooves trembled, but Zephyr reached over to steady them. She shared a gentle smile with her mother as she continued. “And when she was taken from me, I thought I was going to lose her. I was just in this horrible, scary place that neither of us would end up coming out alive, or happy. Just… alone. It terrified me.” Zephyr nodded. “That is life, my little bluebird. Life, love, they are both hard, they both take work, and they are both worth it in the end. It’s all a matter of what you put in.” Dash grinded her teeth. “I just… I don’t want to push her away. I want to be with her forever, Ma. I know that’s the future I see for us, but… it just feels so fragile. These past few weeks have made me see that.” “Then make her yours.” Dash blinked and turned to her mother. “What?” “You heard me. Make her yours. Stop thinking about it so hard. Stop wondering about the fragility of it. If you think its fragile, make it stronger. If its going to break, you can fix it. Stop keeping her at hoof’s length. Bring her close, and never let her go.” “I… Mom?” Zephyr smiled. “That’s all the advice I can give you, dear. The rest is up to you.” She leaned in and kissed Dash on the forehead. At that moment, the door handle began to turn. Dash tilted her head as Rarity was the one who stepped in. “Good morning, Rainbow Dash!” she said. “Hey, Rarity. I wasn’t expecting you.” Rarity nodded. “Yes, I imagine you were expecting Twilight to come fetch you. She sent me to tell you she’d be a bit late. She’s speaking to the doctors about Miss Lulamoon’s condition. I imagine she’ll be a while.” Dash looked down. “Oh, okay.” Zephyr touched Dash’s shoulder and smiled, then she got up off the bed. “I’ll leave you with your friend and I’ll see you at the train station back to Ponyville.” Dash smiled. “Okay, ma. I’ll see you there.” Zephyr passed Rarity and offered a quiet courtesy before she disappeared into the hall. Rarity kept a close eye on her as she left, biting her lip as she did. Once she was certain Zephyr was out of earshot, Rarity approached the bed. “Your mother is a lovely mare, darling. She would be a prime model for my spring collection.” “Uh, it’s almost fall, Rarity.” Rarity waggled her hoof. “Oh, pish posh. One can never think too far ahead to stay competitive.” She cleared her throat. “Now, I’m certain we could sit here and gush in awkward conversation until Twilight arrives, but I don’t suppose you would like something to eat or drink? I would be happy to fetch you something.” Dash stretched and yawned as she hopped off the bed and moved over to her luggage. “A coffee would be great.” “Certainly.” Rarity smiled and turned to leave, just as Dash went to to return the two pouches to their box. She paused as she stared at the two containers, and the two crystalline objects they held within. Her mother's words echoed in her mind. Make her yours, and never let go. Dash reached out her hoof. “Rarity, wait!” Rarity turned, eyebrow raised. Dash showed her the two pouches. “I need your help with something.” ***** Dash winced slightly as she was exposed to the bright Canterlot sun. She sat in a wheelchair as she was ferried out of the main entrance. Twilight was pushing her gently into the terrace, humming all the way. “It’s such a lovely day, isn’t it, Dash?” “Uh, yeah. Great day to be discharged from a hospital.” Twilight giggled. “Well, its all thanks to you. We will continue to have bright, sunny and colorful days because of what you did, and I couldn’t be more proud of you.” Dash smiled half-heartedly. “Yep.” “It’s just funny how we always seem to get involved in one more catastrophe after another. It’s a wonder how we find time to ourselves at all.” “Oh, you know… we’ll manage.” Twilight went silent as the wheelchair slowed. “Are you okay, Rainbow Dash? You seem… distracted.” Dash tightened her legs around her barrel. “No, no. I’m fine. I… guess I just need some coffee. Not really an early riser, you know?” “Oh!” The wheelchair began to move forward again. “Well, I know the perfect little cafe in town we can visit. Its on the way to the train station, so we won’t miss our ride home.” “Cool.” Dash jerked her head as she mentally chastised herself. Of all the times she needed to maintain her composure, this was it. It was bad enough that she didn’t have any room in her luggage for one last item, but Twilight seeing it now was the last thing she needed. She loosened her grip around her barrel, revealing a small velvet lined box hiding under her legs. She turned her head slightly. Twilight was humming happily to herself, blissfully looking towards the distant morning sun. Dash took a chance to examine the contents of the box once more. Carefully, she opened the lid and peeked inside. It may have cost her her dignity as one of Rarity’s living pincushions for a few dozen dresses, but what she had within the box was more than worth it. A small golden coil sat on a satin cushion inside the box. A series of settings were embedded into the valuable metals, fitted with small shards of silvery diamonds and radiant amethysts. Dash had to hoof it to Rarity, she knew her jewelry. Her design was immaculate, her refitting of the broken shards of Dash’s necklace and the last remnants of the Celestial Prism worked perfectly, and the coiled shape would fit perfectly on Twilight’s horn. It glimmered faintly in the small patches of light that drifted across it. “Hey, Dash? Do you know why Rarity was so… giddy, earlier?” Dash sucked in a breath and snapped the box shut. “Nope! No, I can’t think of a single reason she would be giddy. Not me. Nope.” The wheelchair stopped again. “Dash…” Twilight said flatly. “Are you hiding something from me?” Dash chuckled weakly and turned her head. “Nah, Twi. You’re acting crazy. Why would I hide something from you?” Twilight shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Are you sure you’re alright?” Dash sighed as she brought the box to her chest, directly over her heart. “Yeah. I’m sure, Twi. As long as I’m here with you, nothing could be better. Life is good.” ***** ~THE END~