Act II: Chapter 4
“What do we do now?”
It was empty. Zecora's home wasn't a home at all. Nothing remained of her stay in Ponyville but a discarded book, a broken candle, and a collection of traditional masks hanging from walls and burned-out torches.
“I don't know, Rainbow,” Twilight said faintly. “She didn't tell anypony she was leaving, did she?”
“Not that I heard,” her pegasus replied. She pressed her flank to Twilight's and watched the door. “You think she'd have left on her own?”
Twilight shook her head and walked slowly through the empty chamber, looking left and right at all that used to be. The center of the floor was dark and smooth where Zecora's cauldron had stood. The herbs she had hung from the ceiling to dry had left a spicy but not unpleasant aroma throughout the house, an aroma that stung the eyes with memory.
Twilight had no more tears to shed. “She must have drunk the potion,” she sighed. “Recently, judging by the lack of dust. I hope they only forced her to leave Ponyville.”
“Why leave all the masks, though?” Rainbow asked. “Weren't they supposed to be really important to her?”
“That is rather strange,” she agreed. A dozen masks in varying colors and expressions hung from the few leftover torch stands and the left side of the hut's circular wall.
“Do you think she left them on purpose?” Rainbow asked excitedly. “Zecora might have left us a clue!”
“But what kind of...”
Anger, grief... There wasn't a solemn or joyous mask among them. What's more, even those hanging from the torch stands were facing in the same direction, staring at a fixed point on the wall with their accusatory frowns.
The book on the floor was an amateur's guide to alchemy.
Twilight frowned.
“What's up, Miss Sparkle?” her friend asked anxiously. “Did you figure it out?”
Of course she had. “Come on, Rainbow Dash,” she sighed. “We have to leave before Applejack tells anypony we've gone.”
The pegasus lifted off and fluttered along beside her. “But where are we going?”
Twilight paused to look with the masks toward the far window. Her brow was furrowed in frustration. “South,” she muttered.
Rainbow smiled.
,',
Rarity scowled with determination as she stormed out of her boutique, her back laden with saddlebags full of enough food and water to last her a few days. She heaved the front door upright and slammed it shut, making a mental note to fix that broken hinge when things weren't so hectic.
She marched forth beneath half-hearted decorations. Without Rarity's attention to detail the decorators had missed so many opportunities to brighten this and accentuate that. She grimaced at a particularly offensive cluster of red and pink and white. She imagined that if a signpost could vomit, it would look rather like the mess of thickly-grouped paper chains that hung loosely from one to the other. Still, the decorations were the least of her worries. For the moment, she had more important matters to attend to: a missing zebra, an empty house and a suspect on the run.
She forged through the gossiping crowds that had gathered outside of the town hall for a spontaneous press conference, in which the Mayor was hesitantly trying to explain away the situation that had awoken them the night before. Judging by the cries of her audience, she was only succeeding in convincing everypony that Twilight Sparkle was out to get them – and rightly so, in a certain somepony's opinion. It was time that Ponyville knew the truth of what might lurk in the shadows.
Rarity strode past the crowd and through the double doors behind the Mayor. Busy ponies stopped and stared as she passed them by, each with their own questions about her bags or her destination. Rarity ignored them all, her eyes locked on the one pony she could trust to help her.
“I'm leaving now, Applejack,” she said as she approached. “Are you sure you won't accompany me?”
The farmer didn't look up from the papers she'd been slumped over for the last hour. “You sure I can't change your mind?” she replied hopelessly.
“You can't.”
Applejack sighed. Her eyes traveled down a short list of missing ponies. Some of the names were familiar, some not; a few had been penciled in, a few crossed out. “As much as I want to keep you from sticking your hoof in a hornet's nest, I can't leave Ponyville right now,” she replied. “I've got to keep an eye on Spike and the girls, and on top of that Mayor Mare's gonna need help keeping a handle on things. Thanks to your little fight with Twilight last night, everypony's thinking that Nightmare Moon's come back, or worse!”
“Let them talk,” Rarity said brusquely. “They'll learn the truth when the Princesses arrive.”
“Are you sure you can't wait until the train comes?” she asked, eyes pleading. “The Mayor's putting four of her best ponies on it. We're gonna reach the Princesses this time.”
Rarity shook her head. “If I wait any longer I'll lose them.”
“Well, I'm sorry, Rare,” she said sadly. “If you're gonna do this, you'll have to find somepony else to watch your flank.”
Rarity shrugged and turned her back. “I don't need help.”
“Then what did you come to me for?”
A nervous flick of her tail gave Rarity away.
The crowd outside had disintigrated into clusters. A few ponies stood before the podium, shouting and pleading and denying. Others huddled together and cast nervous glances around the town. Most had split into pairs that held each other with whispered reassurances. She had no time for any of them. Rarity turned south and stepped onto the stone bridge between Ponyville and the wilderness.
A sudden tug on her hindleg nearly made her jump into the river below. She twisted her body away from the intruder and had to spread her legs wide to avoid falling. “Angel!” she panted. “What have we told you about sneaking up on ponies?”
The bunny rolled his eyes and passed her a scroll of parchment as wide as he was tall.
She accepted it curiously. “Who gave this to you?” she asked.
He pointed a paw toward his chest.
“Oh. I'm sorry.” She spun the scroll in her magical grip and began to unroll it. “Well, let's see what we...” Her words trailed off.
Angel cocked an ear and extended a paw with its pad up.
A tear tracked Rarity's day-old mascara across her cheek. “How...” Her face crumpled, and so did the parchment in her grasp. “I said I was sorry!” she sobbed. The balled paper dropped lightly onto the stone as she raced away toward the outskirts of town.
Angel looked from the fleeing unicorn to his crumpled sketch with a frown. It had taken him six tries to get the wings just right, let alone his wavy mane. He raised both paws high in confusion and squeaked his vulgarities at her.
,',
Twilight and Rainbow plodded onward through the marsh. Celestia's sun baked their backs and the morning dew chilled their hooves to numbness as spring peepers and the other little creatures serenaded them from afar.
Twilight strode forth with purpose and vigor, eyes set firmly on the horizon and a faint but determined grin – one that Rainbow knew well from their previous adventures – decorating her muzzle. Rainbow could almost hear the gears turning in her head, churning out theories and plans and who knew what else.
Rainbow Dash, however, found herself unable to focus. Her mind wandered farther with each step, and no matter how hard she tried to reign it in, it wandered over and over toward the same subject. She repeatedly caught herself looking at Miss Sparkle out of the corner of her eye, and more obviously on more than one occasion. Each time she realized her mistake she quickly averted her eyes to the shrubs around her.
But the thoughts kept coming back. She knew she loved Miss Sparkle more than anything in Equestria. No matter whether she'd been the one to fix her or not, Rainbow knew that she had been changed for the better. Miss Sparkle didn't seem to think so, though, so she was trying her hardest to be the mare her unicorn wanted her to be, but it was hard. Every instinct seemed to be the wrong one. Every word made Miss Sparkle angry. Sometimes the only thing that kept Rainbow from fleeing in her confusion was her mule-stubborn pride.
But then, few and far between, there were those moments of warmth: the time Miss Sparkle had thanked Rainbow for taking care of her when she'd been sick on the basement floor, or the time she'd cried in Rainbow's hooves and told her all about the lies Rarity was spreading. Most of all Rainbow appreciated the little things, like a quick thank-you when she fetched something for her or that little smile Miss Sparkle gave her when she said something smart... That simple smile changed everything about her. It stripped away anything cold or awkward or alien and replaced it with the warmth of innocence, a mother's compassion, and an endless capacity for love.
And then there was that one thing she'd done in her sleep...
Twilight cocked her head at her, and suddenly Rainbow Dash realized she'd been staring into her friend's eyes for a good while. She smiled crookedly and tore her eyes away.
“What's the matter, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked.
She tried to play it cool, but the words wouldn't come. “Um, Miss Sparkle?” she asked instead. “Do you know what day it is?” Twilight chewed her lip, and just like that Rainbow sensed a wall building between them. “It's Hearts and Hooves Day,” the pegasus continued.
Twilight's stance grew more guarded with each step she took. “So?”
“So, um...” She chuckled nervously. “I was hoping today would be less crazy.” Twilight grunted noncommittally. “I kinda thought we'd spend the day doing normal stuff, like going to Sugarcube Corner for some cupcakes, or... or flying around town...”
“I can't fly,” Twilight muttered darkly. She blushed as she realized how petulant the words made her sound.
“With me, I mean!” Rainbow said hurriedly. “Or we could stay in and read instead. I could get into that. You know, the two of us curled up on the couch with a good book...”
“We're not dating.”
Her friend's harsh tone made the pegasus stop in her tracks. “I... I know that,” she mumbled. “But I think it'd be fun anyway. We might not be special someponies, but we are really good friends, right?”
“Yes, Rainbow,” Twilight sighed. “We're really good friends.”
“And single friends do stuff together on Hearts and Hooves Day too.”
Twilight stopped to rub her forehead. “Rainbow Dash, I know what you're getting at and I have to stop you there. I don't feel for you what you feel for me, okay?”
The pegasus shrank back. “I know!” she whined.
“Then tell me what you want from me,” she ordered. “I can't love you like you want me to.”
Rainbow stammered as the words bounced around on her tongue. She didn't have the right words to explain what she wanted.
“Do you want me to take advantage of you?” she asked. “I can't do that either. I'd never forgive myself.”
All she had ever known was action.
“What do you want from me?”
Rainbow lunged forward on her hooftips like a nervous doe and planted a kiss on Miss Sparkle's lips.
One pair of eyes closed and another opened wide. “Rainbow Dash!” Twilight squeaked, the words muffled by her friend's lips. Rainbow's muzzle parted to accept her words...
Twilight's hooves rose up and forcefully pushed the pegasus away. Rainbow barely caught herself before she hit the ground; when she looked up her ears lay flat against her scalp and self-loathing had turned her eyes to pinpricks.
Twilight stared down at her, eyes wild and mouth agape. “No!” she said roughly. “Bad!” Rainbow flinched as the unicorn raised a hoof to scrub away her friend's saliva. “By the Princess's mane...”
Rainbow danced a few steps away. “I'm sorry!” she whimpered. “I don't know how else to show you.”
Twilight threw her hooves wide, revealing her beet-red cheeks and nose. “How about 'do you want to be my special somepony?'” she exclaimed angrily. “How about 'hey, Twilight, let's make out!'”
Rainbow ducked her head. “I'm sorry, Miss Sparkle. I'm really sorry I did it. Please don't be mad.”
Twilight stalked away from her. “Come on,” she growled. “Let's keep going.”
Her pegasus darted after her.
The two mares walked in silence beneath Celestia's sun, but its heat was nothing compared to Rainbow's burning cheeks. The chill of the morning dew was warmer than Twilight's cold shoulder. The solitude of their journey was too much for Rainbow to take. “I'm really sorry, Miss Sparkle,” Rainbow muttered. “I really feathered up. I didn't mean to make you mad.”
Twilight watched the grass pass between her hooves. “It's fine.”
“I thought it would be okay,” she continued. “I thought you'd be into it.”
“I said it's fine,” she said gruffly.
“Then why aren't you?” she asked, embarrassed to even broach the subject. “Did I do it wrong?”
“I don't know,” Twilight muttered. “I've never done that before.”
“D'you only go for stallions?”
Twilight's frown took on an embarrassed twist. “I don't know!”
Rainbow bit back a growl of frustration. “Come on, Miss Sparkle, work with me!”
Twilight spun back to her friend. “I told you I don't feel that way about you!” she barked.
“But... But you feel something, don't you?” Rainbow pleaded.
Her cheeks flushed. “My feelings for you are entirely platonic,” she said firmly, but her voice trembled a little as she said it.
Rainbow knew what that meant. “I've seen it when you look at me,” she insisted. Her eyes were damp with longing. “I can hear it in your voice. Why won't you just give me a chance?”
“You never...” She clamped her teeth back and whatever she'd intended to say was swallowed back. “I, well, but you... You're imagining it.”
Rainbow pranced a few steps around Twilight. “Is it 'cause I'm not good enough?” she asked. “Is that it?”
Twilight hesitantly shook her head. “Rainbow Dash, you're one of my best friends and I love you very much,” she said soothingly. “I just... I never thought about you girls as anything more than friends until you started... you know, flirting with me in the library.”
“But what did you think then?” she asked hopefully. “Did you think it would be cool to think about me like that?”
“No,” Twilight said stiffly, turning her head to hide a blush. “It made me uncomfortable.”
Rainbow's shoulders slumped.
Twilight sighed. “It's not that you're not good enough...”
Head hanging low, Rainbow looked up hopelessly into Twilight's eyes. “Is it one of the other girls?”
“No!” Twilight exclaimed with a surprised laugh. “There isn't anypony else. It's just that I'm not really comfortable with the idea of trying to find a stable relationship just yet. I've been too busy studying to even consider the possibility of... dating.”
“Well, consider it,” Rainbow begged. “Please. My feelings are real!”
A sudden memory forestalled Twilight's argument and slowed her stride. “Applejack said you had a crush on me once,” she said. “Is that true?”
“Well... yeah,” she replied. “See? I kinda liked you even before you – somepony did this to me. I couldn't figure my feelings out on my own, is all.”
“'Kinda' isn't love,” Twilight argued. “Maybe you just had a passing crush.” It sounded even weirder when she said it out loud. “I'll never understand why.”
Rainbow's muzzle dropped open. “Why not?” she asked. “You're really sweet and smart and you're always pushing yourself and–”
“Anyway,” the unicorn said loudly, blushing furiously at her pegasus's praise, “I might have been tempted to give you a chance if it was really you asking, Rainbow Dash, but it's not. You're under a compulsion, do you understand?” she said firmly. “I'm not the one who did this to you. I don't want you to love me like this. I won't let you do something you might regret when this is over. I am definitely not going to kiss you. Okay?”
Rainbow sank lower and lower with every word, but there was no arguing with Miss Sparkle when she made a decision. She worked some moisture into her mouth. “Okay,” she said simply.
“Okay,” Twilight sighed. “Now that that's over with, we've got a lot of ground to cover if we're going to reach the other side of the bog before noon. We'd better get to it.”
Rainbow nodded, and the two of them proceeded south toward their unknown destination. Rainbow walked without protest beside the object of her desire, casting neither glance nor compliment in her direction. No matter what she felt, Rainbow was determined to see this through for Miss Sparkle's sake and her own.
But she wanted to fly so far away...
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Alright, chapter four of act two is live! Same as always, let me know if you spot an error or dislike something you read.
You'll understand when you read it. Enjoy!
Oh, and I just wanted to say... Finally!
I'm not much of a shipper. I'm not really into reading a purely ship fic between the mane 6, but you do a good job of dancing it among the lines as a subplot. I find Twilight's attempts to be levelheaded and respectful believable.
Oh, ow, Twilight! That's so cold!
Even though I understand where Twilight is coming from, it still sucks to read Rainbow's reactions and emotions.
Twidash!
But this isn't good Twidash. It'll be when Rainbow's brain gets fixed.
Wings and wavy hair...that was features of the pony that the picture Angel tried to show Rarity was of. ...Is it possible one of the PRINCESSES is actually behind this? Wait no...Rarity's reaction... Huh, I think I'm back to my Chrysalis did it theory.
Aww. So romantic.
That's just sweet. And sad. But we all know Twilight likes it
She just doesn't realize it yet.
Keyword here is YET!
4161682 Nicely done...I wished it answered a bit more though...
I'd hate to abandon the current theory but something is suspicious about Rarity's reaction to Angel's drawing/sketch. From what I gather Angel either drew one of the Princesses or Fluttershy...
Assuming its Fluttershy Angel drew, Rarity's reaction would make sense if she (Rarity) interpreted the drawing as "SAVE FLUTTERSHY".
But maybe the unthinkable and totally out-of-the-blue conspiracy theory that one of the Princesses are behind it!
But I think I'll stick with :
I still think RD could be behind all this. She did have a crush on Twilight, and hopefully wanted to bring it to the next level but it either backfired, or it might actually be working however she wanted it to (although RD doesn't strike me as the type that has things well planned out...it still could be workin'!)
Twilight is saying lots of dangerous things. "Never, definitely not"...stuff like that we know she's not gonna stick to. At least thats what the "Romance" tag suggests!
Looking forward to tomorrow's! (or...well don't stress out. I'll pump some EXP into my "Patience" stats.)
4161682 finally what? i may or may not of missed it
I know i have said it alot but i so want Twilight to be innocent just to see how Rarity would react upon hearing that all along she had been wrong.
4161704
mlponline.net/attachments/134559461773-jpg.1236/
I just... I don't even know what to say to that.
4161735
I know, I know. It sounds ridiculous. Well, thanks for the reassurance! I was afraid I'd botch the story once I got to the romance part.
Nor am I. To be honest, it makes me a little uncomfortable.
4161773
Yeah, especially because due to the magic affecting her, she can't do a thing about it.
4161776 4161845 4161855
Thanks! I'm trying my best. At first I wasn't sure how well the two would mesh, but they're a surprisingly good match.
4161827 4161967
I only have one thing to say to these theories, but I'm not ready to cause a flurry of excitement or a shitstorm or some big upheaval so I'll bite my tongue. I'm sure somepony will catch it, though.
4161967
In her defense, that was 'never, definitely not' as far as taking advantage of Rainbow's condition goes. She practically admitted to being intrigued by the idea.
4162080
Two things...
First, I've had the Twilight, Rainbow, and Romance tags on this story since day one and we're only getting to the Twidash now that we're three-quarters of the way through the story!
Second, every clue you need is there. I'm not hiding anything anymore. Every piece has been placed on the table, and now I'm just waiting for somepony to put them together.
4162226
I've also left enough clues to help you decide whether Twilight is guilty or innocent. Have fun decoding!
wow, twilight, way to be a bitch about the whole thing.
New theory: Sombra ate some Ravioli and BOOM BRAINWASHING!
4162494 hmmm, im still saying it is rarity, mainly cause she was there and has no allaby for any of the mind control incidents, she lacks self control and isnt acting very stable. My main peice though is when angel shows a pic of fluttershy (?) and she gets all emotional saying she is sorry (why would she be sorry if she didnt do anything to her?)
What? I don't ever recall there being a male character with wings and a wavy mane, unless it's a dreaded OC. In fact, that whole scene was kind of confusing. Why did Rarity cry? Why did Angel draw a picture in the first place?
If I'm Twilight, I'm moving back to Canterlot when this is all over. Rarity and the Mayor can both go fuck themselves. The Elements are done, so there isn't much reason staying from a logical standpoint.
Dash, how about we wait until after you haven't been brainwashed and Rarity's willing to let the borg take over the Enterprise to bring in the shipping. Let's prioritize, shall we?
'His'? 'Wavy mane'? 'Wings'? So a pegasus stallion with a wavy mane did this? Maybe? Argh! I JUST WANT TO KNOW, DAMMIT!
Also, as a side note; Dayum Twi, you cold!
4161827
Well, it's said "his" wavy mane and not "her" so it can't be one of the princesses nor Chrisalys but i had a similar thought when i first saw it. In the end i have no idea! xD
4162542
I think she handled it rather well, all things considered. She's been a lonely little filly all her life; I'm sure Rainbow's little smoochy-smooch threw her off her game.
4162572
Another poor decision made under the influence of Italian cuisine.
4162658
She could just be having a bad time. Everypony goes a little bit crazy when their world falls apart.
4162982
This is Twilight Sparkle we're talking about! After what they've been through during the Return of Harmony and Canterlot Wedding arcs, she'd never give up on her friends.
4163029
In the long run, hearing a few harsh words is less painful than being used.
4163067
There are only four chapters left. We're bound to figure it out soon. In the meantime, good luck!
I believe I have found our culprit...
img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111216012452/mlp/images/3/34/Cappuccino_S01E16.png
4163522 i know, but she's still being a bitch about it. she keeps trying to tell rainbow that her feelings aren't real, and that she doesn't feel the same way, yet continues to treat her like a marefriend half the time, and then violently push her away the rest. i'm surprised rainbow hasn't told her off yet.
4163522 bah i just think that you are trying to keep it under wraps
Were the masks pointing to the alchemy book, or south?
I'm assigning a somewhat higher probability that Dash is the perpetrator.
Did Angel witness Rarity's assault of the brown pone? I'm assuming that Angel just served Rarity.
Reading the rest of the thread, I'm not sure that Angel saw the culprit. It's entirely plausible, and possibly probable given that there are only four chapters left.
If what Angel drew was the culprit... I have no clue who it could be. Male creature with a wavy mane and wings...
Twilight should have put it like this: the sooner they find the culprit and cure Wobniar Hsad, the sooner Twilight might be able to give them a chance.
4162494
You realize what saying that makes me want to do, right? I want to cloister myself with the story in its current state and pore over it for years, until I finally come up with my perfect solution.
And then I leave my hermitage to find that FiMFiction was C&D'd.
Aha it was Zecora! No wait it was Soaren! No wait! Of course! Why didn't I see this all along!
derpicdn.net/img/2013/2/2/231541/full.jpg
it's angel bunny. he's the mastermind, it is him.
The culprit is male, has wings, and a wavy mane... The only thing that immediately comes to mind is Sombra possessing somepony that has wings.
Wait...
img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111216012452/mlp/images/3/34/Cappuccino_S01E16.png
"Cappuccio"
I think I found him...
In the time it took me to write this story, both of the dogs I spent my time with in my bleakest days, the closest friends I had during the later years of high school and for two years beyond... Well, they left for Rainbow Bridge, as it were. I might not be on tonight. Thanks for understanding.
...No April fools, just bad timing.
This is so amazing. A very entrancing and well written story.
I'm sorry to hear about your dogs. I have lost my own dog and I know what that is like. I hope that all the good memories will stay with you forever.
How does Rarity already know Zecora's missing?
Of course. Should have known a villain smart enough to do all of this would have thought to get to Zecora, too.
Well, at least Zecora had enough presence of mind to leave a clue.
Wait, you mean there are more ponies disappearing? I imagine this had to be leading to something big. It can't be done solely to continue to make Twilight look bad.
Okay, this is the most obvious clue of all. We now have our culprit in the form of the pony Rarity accidentally hit with her magic. If he's not the culprit, he at least knows what's going on or has a vital clue. Absolutely no question, particularly considering there's almost no way Angel witnessed her do that, so how would he know what the pony looked like? In fact, his importance should have been clear to me just by the fact that you went through the trouble of describing his colors, something you've not done for any other background pony. The question is, who is he and why is he doing this? Is it an established character or an OC? I would hope an established character, but you never know, and I can't readily think of any pegasus with that particular description, except the dumb jocks from "Sonic Rainboom" (and I seriously doubt it's them).
I can't tell you why, but this talk between Rainbow and Twilight puts the image in my head of Rainbow prancing around playfully at Twilight's heels like a big-eyed puppy. It's f-ing adorable.
Y'know... why doesn't Rainbow just, I dunno, fly them past the bog? Surely Twilight can deal with the discomfort for a little while.