Pony Noir: We Crusaders Three

by Commissar Rarity

IV. Reparation

IV. Reparation

♪ If you’ll excuse an expression I use, I’m in love, I’m in love, I’m in love, I’m in love, I’m in love with a wonderful guy! ♪

Fluttershy was at the top of her form, dancers were joined at the hip, the air was nothing but blue smoke. It was a good night for the Haute Couture. It would soon be a good night for Spike. It would be a good night for Dash… and for me.

Spike reclined in his chair, watching the bassist in the band with a hungry gleam in his eyes. A white-hot spark of anger rushed through me. Octavia was a sweet mare, one of the few in the band who ever treated me with respect, and he was eyeing her like a piece of meat.

I plopped the package down on the table, focusing my long-festering hate in one fiery glare. Spike flicked his eyes to me. He adjusted his hat, running a claw through the feather. “Hello, Sweetie.” The way he said my name made my skin crawl and my stomach churn.

“Here’s your package,” I spat. “Good ponies got hurt for this. You better not screw the deal.”

“I am a dragon of my word,” Spike said. “Sparkle’s got your cash. And your crush is free now. Now get the hell out of my nightclub.”

I was elated, high on success. I barely remember asking Sparkle for my pay. I remember how happy she was when I told her about Dash. I don’t remember what she said.

I remember Dash. She sat alone in a booth against the far wall, watching Fluttershy, that look of defeat staining her features. I remember telling her she had been set free. I remember her giving me a disbelieving look. For a moment, I wondered if she had truly been beaten so much that hope was beyond her reach.

Then… she smiled. It was a slow, gradual smile. I found myself matching it. I remember thinking at that moment, she was the prettiest mare I’d ever seen. She engulfed me in a hug, sobbing her thanks. As she held me tight against her body, I felt warmth spread across my cheeks. I wrapped my arms around her and lost myself in a friend’s embrace. It was the best feeling I’d ever had in my life.

Dash was gone. The feeling remained. I stayed longer than I planned, just sitting there, listening to the music. I was in a hazy, dreamlike state, barely paying attention to anything in the club. And I guess that’s how She found me.

“Sweetie?” Celestia, I had forgotten just how pretty her voice was.

I was still too high on Dash’s show of love to try to avoid her. I almost wanted to-

To…

To see if I was right. To see if she truly did love me, love the dirty, rotten thief I had become.

“Sweetie, can you ever forgive me?” I felt as though I had been kicked in the stomach. I.. I hadn’t expected…

“You don’t – you don’t know what you mean to me. You don’t know how hard this was.” Her big, royal-blue eyes glistened. Her voice was breaking. No, it couldn’t be…

“I always meant to come back and get you. I came and you were gone. You were gone! Oh, Sweetie!”

My vision swam. Oh, Celestia! It wasn’t true I refused it to be true! Oh, Celestia.

“I- I looked all over and you were gone-” her voice caught and she stopped. She looked down and let out a quiet sob. “And then I saw you that day and you ran. You ran. You ran from me! Oh, Sweetie! I’m sorry I left you! I’m sorry I didn’t bring you with me. I’m sorry for running! Oh, Sweetie, please forgive me – please!” She was racked with tears, body shaking uncontrollably. Her mascara was starting to run.

My heart broke. The lump in my throat swelled, tears started to flow. Oh, Celestia why was I so dumb and selfish? I had only thought of me. Never had it occurred to me that she did this for me.

“Please say you forgive me, Sweetie,” she whimpered softly, a big tear dripping from her downcast face to the floor. “Please… It’s been so bad…”

I embraced her, wrapping my arms tightly around her. “Yes! I forgive you! I’m so sorry, I’m the one who was wrong! I ran away when you just wanted-”

She- Rarity, my sister, my big beautiful sister – she just squeezed me tighter. “Ssh,” she said quietly. “No words.”

She was right. There were no words to say.

Except…

“I love you, Rarity.”

And that was it. As ludicrous as it seems, we made up. “Made up”… That phrase seems lacking, given the circumstances. But despite the years of worry and heartache, that one instance somehow made it all better.

W ell, not all. There was still the problem of Spike. I wasn’t around for when Detective Derpy finally took him down, but I was there long enough to see the crumbling of his empire. What happened to us, was, Rarity managed to find herself in the arms of a wealthy politician. He liked us well enough to take us out of Ponyville.

To say Spike wasn’t happy was an understatement. From what I’ve heard, the moment he lost my sister was the moment his empire disintegrated. Without her, he turned dumb and overly greedy. Diamond Dogs and minotaurs wouldn’t put up with him and started pushing back. The cops got snapped out of apathy long enough to strike back, and that was it.

As for my friends, Scoots and Bloom… Well, I didn’t see them much afterwards. Rarity was always dragging me around. I later figured she was keeping me away from them. When that happened, I got mad. But then I realised, they weren’t the best of influences on me. At least, Scoots wasn’t.

One night I snuck out and found Bloom alone in the markets, eating a pear.

“I thought you didn’t like pears,” I said, trotting up beside her.

Bloom choked. For a moment I thought I was going to lose her, but then she coughed, and turned towards me. “Sweetie!” She hugged me tightly, like a drowning pony would grab a log.

“Hey, AB.”

“Ya wouldn’t believe what happened!” Bloom smiled broadly, so wide I thought for sure her face would fall off. “Mac came back!” Seeing my confusion, she added, “Big Macintosh. Y’know, mah brother?”

I nodded, memory coming back. “That’s great, AB. But I thought he was–”

“Dead? Yeah… But it turns out Em-Aye-Ay means ‘Missin’ in Action’. He weren’t dead, jus’ lost. An’ when he came back, they gave him all sorts’a medals and he’s a cap’n now.” Her smile fell a little as she continued. “He ain’t quite the same though… I think summat terrible happened t’ him Over There.”

I nodded. A few days before, Rarity had talked my ear off about a sweet soldier she had met at a benefit ball. She said he had been in the War, and had lost an eye. Apparently, he had known her prior to leaving. He was a little strange now – well, stranger, according to her – and seemed a little on edge, at all times. I wondered if that was what her brother was like now.

“He said he’s gonna march up t’ Spike an’ get Applejack back, even if he has t’ tan Spike’s hide.” Apple Bloom sounded awful proud of her big brother. And you know what? She had a right to be. I sure was proud of my big sister now, which was something I had thought impossible months ago.

“That’s great, AB.” I gave her a quick hug, and quickly explained I had to be back before Rarity noticed. Unfortunately, she did notice, and I ended up in a world of trouble back home. But later that week she met Senator Fancypants, and she forgot all about my late-night excursion.

I never saw Scoots after my reunion with Apple Bloom, but I heard an awful lot about her. Like I said earlier, she became a test pilot.

As for me… Well, you know all about me, kid. Otherwise you wouldn’t have tracked me down, eh? Sorry I couldn’t help more with your article. I think you got enough for a damn good story though, even if it’s not the one you set out for.

By the way, what’s the name again? Tracey? Tracey Lulamoon? Well, good luck, Tracey. I hope you sell your article.