//------------------------------// // Alternate "Disclosure": Deus Ex Cadance // Story: Someone Still Loves You: Scraps // by brokenimage321 //------------------------------// As Twilight stared at Rainbow, sitting there on the cold linoleum, Rainbow’s eyes began to well up with tears again. She held out one of her shredded, bandaged wings, and her mouth drifted towards it. “Stop it,” barked Twilight. But she didn’t--she took two more of her primary feathers in her teeth and pulled, a little shudder shaking her entire body, the tips of the feathers coming away bloody. “Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said, taking Rainbow’s face in her hooves, “You need to stop. You’re hurting yourself, and—” Twilight paused, then slowly, sat back. Rainbow stared at her, her eyes glassy and unseeing. Rainbow was in there, somewhere--but her fear and her anger and her Celestia-knows-what-else was in the driver’s seat. Rainbow reached for her wing again— “I was told that somepony needed my help,” said a voice. Five heads turned--and there, in the doorway, stood Princess Cadance. Most of them gave quick, nodding bows, but Twilight stood and hugged her. “Oh, Cadance,” she cried, “Oh, thank you—” Cadance shook her off. “Thank me later,” she said gently. “There’s work to be done.” Cadance stepped forward, towards Rainbow, who had more bloody feathers in her teeth. Cadance stooped down and looked her in the eyes. “Rainbow Dash,” she said, “do you know who I am?” Rainbow stared at her--and, slowly, her mouth fell open, the feathers fluttering to the ground. “...I do,” she rasped. “Do you remember my name?” Cadance asked. Another moment of silence, and Rainbow’s eyes cleared, just the slightest bit. “You’re… you’re Princess Cadance,” Rainbow said. “Alicorn of love.” Cadance nodded. “That’s right. Now, I think I can help you.” She leaned down a little closer. “Do you want my help?” Rainbow stared back at her--and tears began to run down her cheeks again. “Y-yes,” she blubbered. “I… I don’t want to feel this way--not ever again—” Cadance sighed. “That is our lot as ponies,” she said. “Sometimes, we need to walk the darkness before we can see the light.” She closed her eyes and lit her horn in a warm, pink glow. “Hold still, please,” she said, and leaned forward, gently touching Rainbow on the forehead with her horn. Rainbow froze, stock still. For a moment, neither of them spoke. “Good heavens, Rainbow Dash,” Cadance breathed. “You’re all knotted up inside…” Applejack rolled her eyes. “Didn’t need magic to figure that out—” Twilight punched her in the shoulder. “Quiet,” she hissed. Cadance, heedless of the distraction, had not spoken. Her horn glowed a little brighter. “You’ve got some pride in there,” she murmured to herself. “Quite a bit, actually… but, push that aside, and…” the muscles in her face twitched. “Anger. A lot of anger. And--and guilt. Guilt over…” she let out a long, slow breath. “Guilt over getting pregnant… guilt over leaving home so soon… guilt over what you did to Gilda, an old friend you abandoned… and—” Cadance gasped, then swayed on her hooves. “Harmony’s bones…”  “Princess?” yelped Rarity. For a long time, Cadance was silent. “...love,” she said finally, her voice barely a whisper. “Love, for… for your parents… for yourself… for your foal…” She opened her eyes. “You have more love in you than half the ponies I know,” she said, quietly. “But you haven’t let yourself feel it in a long, long time.” Slowly, the light from her horn dimmed. Rainbow opened her eyes, and stared up at Cadance with a longing, hungry look. “I can fix this,” Cadance said to her. “But, are you sure you want me to?” Rainbow returned her gaze--and fresh tears began to roll down her cheeks again. “Yes,” she sobbed. “Yes, anything.” Cadance sighed. “Everypony,” she said, “This is going to be hard for me. I need everyone to think about someone you love--and think hard.” Twilight closed her eyes. That was easy--she thought of her brother Shining Armor, and of all the times he’d taken care of her as a foal… Pinkie grinned. She thought of the Cake’s twins--little boogers though they were, they were practically family to her... Fluttershy hesitated, then thought of Zeph. He was irritating, sure, and all his little schemes drove her up the wall--but he was family, and she still loved him… Rarity took a deep breath. The first pony to come to mind was Sweetie Belle… oh, sure, she was hard on her sometimes, but their relationship meant more than she could know… Applejack smiled a little. Her family, of course--the whole stinkin’ bunch. Her life wouldn’t be the same without ‘em--heck, she might not even have a life… For a moment, all was still. Then Cadance looked up at Rainbow again. “You too,” she said. Rainbow sucked in a breath. “Me?” she repeated. Cadance nodded. “You especially,” she said gently. Rainbow swallowed, and thought hard. Her parents? Nah, hadn’t seen them in years. Soarin’? Well, if she was honest, not really--what they had was something, but it wasn’t love. Her friends? Closer, perhaps... But not quite there… And then she thought of Scootaloo. Adorable, dorky Scootaloo, who meant more to her than she wanted to admit--and, with everyone's help, might mean more still… Cadance let out a little gasp. She was quiet for a moment, then grinned at Rainbow. “Excellent choice,” she said. And then, her horn grew brighter. Rainbow felt it in her mind--a blinding wave of pink light. It slammed against the walls in her brain, pressing, straining, burning against them. Reflexively, Rainbow leapt to the defense--she’d spent years building this fortress!--but the light only grew brighter. Rainbow screamed, both in her head and out, as the cracks began to show— --and, with a sound like shattering glass, her walls broke and fell away. Rainbow collapsed to the floor. Her friends gasped and stepped forward, but Cadance, chest heaving, shook her head. “Let her be,” she said. Slowly, Rainbow’s eyes fluttered open. She climbed, shakily, to her hooves, then looked up at Cadance. Her gaze was clear and sharp, and full of a sort of cautious gratitude. “How do you feel?” Cadance asked. Slowly, Rainbow nodded. “I feel…” she swallowed. “...good.” Cadance nodded. “You should probably still get help,” she said. “That should be enough to help you for now, but it’s really just a band-aid.” Rainbow shook her head. “Some band-aid,” she breathed. “Some hole,” Cadance corrected gently. “Yeah, well…” Rainbow grinned weakly and looked away. Cadance swallowed. “So,” she said, “what are you going to do now?” Rainbow squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip. For a long time, she did not speak. Then, slowly, she turned to face Cadance, straightened up to her full height, and looked her in the eye. “I made some promises,” she said. “Some in words… and some not.” She swallowed. “It’s time I started keeping them.” Cadance smiled, then nodded. “I think that would be best,” she said. She turned to face the other ponies, standing still, watching the two of them. “I know she’s made some mistakes,” she said, “but I, at least, think that Rainbow deserves another shot.” Slowly, Twilight nodded--followed, one by one, by the others. Cadance smiled, then leaned in and gave Rainbow a hug. “Good luck,” she said. “You have your work cut out for you.” Rainbow sighed, then returned the hug. “Thanks, Princess,” she said. Candance nodded. “Anytime. Just don’t make me do this again.” Rainbow chuckled a little. “No promises,” she said. She pulled away from Cadance’s grasp, then took a deep breath. “I need to get going,” she said to the group. “There are two lives that need to be put back together, and it’s high time I started trying.”