////
Confrontation
////
Hours had passed, and Pinkie still had no idea where she was going to go with the information she had just been supplied with. So many things were thrown in the air when she learned of Rainbow Dash and her time spent with Speed, that she was having trouble keep track of exactly what it all meant.
She had been over it again and again, and still wasn’t sure who the pony at fault here was.
In his defense, despite her running from their first night together, she came back and asked for more, telling him that it was nothing more than an… exchange. She got to release tension, and he got, well, to bang Rainbow Dash. In many circumstances, that would be a dream come true for any guy. But, from what the letter said, he obviously fell in love with her over the months they secretly spent together.
Had she really kept using him, despite hearing that? Any sensible pony would have ended things right there. But, if she did indeed continue their relationship… that would make her terrible.
However, on the other hoof, Speed may have had more control than Pinkie was giving him credit for. After all, he did practically beg Rainbow Dash in to sleeping with him, while she was drunk and he wasn’t. That’s like playing tennis with the net down. And further, despite his confession of love to her, he may have begged her to stay when she tried to leave, or he may have even only confessed his love to her on their last encounter before she ended things… But that letter did sound like it was the end-all. Had Alex not returned, would she have gone back?
The problem was, there were too many questions.
There were two ponies in the world who could answer these questions for her, and she had no idea where one of them was. So, truly, her only option to keep her from going mad with these endless questions, was to confront Rainbow Dash.
But what if she exploded again? What if she lost her mind? Dash was obviously guilty that she had done what she did…
Then it dawned on Pinkie. A sad, sad revelation.
How bad did Rainbow Dash feel right now? Horrible. Worse than Pinkie had ever seen her friend. She was sad, she was exploding at her friends, and worst of all, she had lied to them all to cover it up.
Those feelings couldn’t have just started now. If Pinkie were in the same situation, where somepony she loved went missing for an undetermined amount of time, and she were to sleep with some stranger, it would have destroyed her. It would have made her feel worse than that time she ate an entire wedding cake in one bite. And that was bad.
So, if something were to make you feel so horrible, why would you go back ten more times?
Pinkie was afraid of what the true answer might be.
But, she needed to learn it for herself. No matter what it cost her, or Rainbow Dash. Her faith in one of her best friends was shaken, and she wanted nothing more than for this to be a grave misunderstanding. So. She was going to go to the source.
The barracks in Ponyville.
////
Rainbow Dash sat at her desk in silence. Across the table from her, was somepony she would usually be happy to see. The fun-loving Pinkie Pie. The mare she had spent countless hours with, partying, pulling pranks, and all around having a good time. But, not right now. Neither had exchanged a word yet, but they both knew the topic of conversation the moment Pinkie walked in to the room and threw a letter on the table.
The letter Rainbow Dash had sent to her lover, Speed, a little over a month ago, when Alex had been freed from his stone imprisonment. It was a secret that had literally been ripping her apart from the inside since the changelings had been cast out of Canterlot. A part of her was incredibly happy to have the secret known by somepony else… but she knew that happiness wasn’t what she was going to be experiencing during this exchange between them.
“Where did you get this?” Dash asked flatly, her eyes locked with Pinkie’s.
“I think you know the answer to that question.” Pinkie said back, a sharp edge in her tone.
Dash narrowed her eyes, and looked away from her friend, “Listen, Pinkie—“
“Don’t try to feed me some line, Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie barked, “You’ll answer every question I have!”
“Fine.” She said, knowing this to be the best way of surviving this.
“How many times did you see him?” Pinkie asked, her voice shaking in both fear, and anger.
Rainbow Dash was silent for a moment, before looking up from her desk, “Twelve times.”
A small squeak escaped from Pinkie’s throat, breaking both her own heart, and Rainbow Dash’s. However, she held her composure, and continued her line of questioning.
“Why did you tell us all it happened once?” Pinkie asked, “If you had come out with it, everything would be so much better for you.”
“Because!” Dash said, standing up, “I was supposed to be the one fighting for him! And I- I was out there fucking some other guy! How could I ever explain that to him? I almost convinced myself it only happened once, with the amount I lied about it…”
Pinkie shook her head, and she thought back to Speed.
“Did you go back to him, after he told you that he loved you?” Pinkie exhaled, knowing the answer already.
“Yes…” Dash said sadly.
“How could you do that?” Pinkie asked, not expecting an answer for this one, as she continued talking, “How could you play with the feelings of this guy? Nopony deserves to be used, Rainbow Dash.”
She had no answer.
“How could I ever look at you the same way again?” Pinkie asked, her voice tearing, showing her incredible sadness, “You might as well have gone out and murdered somepony, because… you’re not the pony I thought you were.”
“You don’t know how lonely I was!” Dash retorted, her eyes now filled with tears, “A-and he… He reminded me so much of Alex!”
“So that’s the only prerequisite?” Pinkie snapped, tears running down her own cheeks, “They have to remind you of the pony you love? Because it doesn’t sound to me like you love him!”
Dash was silenced by this.
“I understand a lapse in judgment, and I can even see it happening twice,” Pinkie said quietly, “But tonight, Rainbow Dash, I think you ended our friendship.”
“Pinkie…” Dash muttered, having no luck finding the words for her
“Lying, cheating, leading him on… you aren’t loyalty anymore.” She continued, smashing Dash’s heart to pieces, “I wish I’d just wake up from this horrible dream…”
Dash wished that she could articulate her feelings about all those times she had cheated on Alex. But she was helpless to do so. What good would it do to say that she simply couldn’t control herself, because of how good it felt? None.
“What are you going to tell everypony?” Dash asked quietly, fearing that this would be the end of her life as she knew it.
“Nothing.” Pinkie said, turning and walking away from her.
Dash perked up at hearing this.
“On the condition that you come clean yourself,” Pinkie said over her shoulder, exhaling sadly still, “Prove to me that you still have somepony good inside of you.”
Dash closed her eyes and felt that familiar, horrible pang of guilt.
“Alex is my friend too, Rainbow Dash,” Pinkie said, “I won’t let him be kept in the dark for long.”
And with that, Pinkie stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Dash was able to hold herself up for only a moment, before she collapsed in to a quivering pile of worthlessness. She hated herself. She hated how much she loved what she did with Speed. And she hated the fact that his face would come to mind, while she was spending time with Alex.
Pinkie was right.
She was a monster.
She had tainted what it meant to be loyal. And when she finally came clean to everypony… she was going to leave. There was no happiness in her life with Alex being lied to like this, and there would be no happiness even if he were to forgive her.
“I’m sorry, Alex…” She muttered through her tears, “Soon, I won’t be your problem anymore…”
////
I was truly a shame that Alex had decided to surprise Dash with dinner, as he was the third participant in the conversation between the two girls.
////
awww shit. This is why surprises never turn out like you want'em to. Psyched for the next one!
Wow, for Alex to find out in this way. I'm surprised he didn't storm in or drop the dishes
One word is all i have for this chapter: Damn
The only way this could get worse is if Rainbow Dash is pregnant.......(shes preggers, called 07/24/14)
*GASP*!!!!!!!!!!!
This is bad
Shit has officially hit the fan.
You know you're in deep when Pinkie, who claims to be friends with every nice pony she comes across, says "We are no longer friends."
It makes me wonder how Alex will react.
4745361 *pppbbbllttthhh* OH GODS IT IS IN MY MOUTH! Why would you *pppppbbbbbllllttttthhhhhb* gag! Why would you say that! Every time someone says that, shit literally hits the fan... *PPPPPBBBLLLLTTTTHHHH* OH YE GODS! IT IS EVERYWHERE! IT IS IN MY EYES! CURSE YOU FAN GODS! CUUUURRRSSSEEEE YYYOOOUUUU!!!
This is getting depressing as hell and there aren't enough sad emoticons to express myself.
At the very end:
It*
Anyway, good work! I'm eager to see the confrontation. This'll be fun.
why dude just why?????????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (you are now a jackass i am sorry but yeah please dont end their relationship alex and rainbow please?????)
The feels! Love every piece of literature here from the beginning.
(Last year i read this and never got the chance to comment. Awesome job.) :-))
Oh..... My....... Gosh........
Guess it is now out in the open. I can't wait for the next chapter. Great job leading up to this.
Ho...ly!!! Ranbow... what did you do?
Alex must be all like . Wonder how he will react to this....
4745234
That would be SUPREME!!!
4745361
DAAMN!!! This is EXTREMELY serious!!!
Mama mia!!! This is bad. I don't want to know how will Alex is going to react when he learns how Rainbow cheated on him 12 TIMES!!!
Part of me is expecting Alex to go full on Dax and pulverize Speed. Can't say he would deserve it, but I still think he's a piece of shit for trying to seduce Dash while she was drunk when she made it clear she didn't want him before hand. I don't know, something seems real off about this whole thing. For one, this is just way too out of character for Dash to go and commit the ultimate betrayal not just one time, but twelve times, her only excuse being he looked like Alex. Rainbow Dash is just not that low, especially on something like this.
I don't know what your angle is with this, but I don't like how you are portraying Dash. Yeah sure she has to show betrayal for that whole element thing, but this just seems a little too extreme. Alex and Rarity may have done some crummy things while they were in the middle of the transformation, but their other half at least had parts of their respective personalities. This is just too far fetched for Rainbow.
I'm starting to suspect that an outside influence may be at work because Rainbow would never, ever do something like this, no matter how lonely she felt. I can see a one night stand becuase things happen in the heat of the moment, but this, no, I'm not buying it. I'll wait and see, but please do well to remember the core of Dash's character.
4746651
Keep that line of thought.
this is way to out of character for dash, im thinking that there was some outside presence manipulating this into happening im thinking speed is a changeling that was forcing her to commit these acts and making her think it was her choice in the matter (the events at the canterlot wedding comes to mind)
Dash liked Speed s much cos he reminded her of Alex?
So, where is Discord and what is he doing?
Who went to Zecora for a certain potion to help them with something, and it wasnt that?
Insert any selection of magical land possibilities here that someone cant affect the Elements directly, so is taking them out by diffuse contamination? Even binary or more complex cross compounds?
I...am a nervous wreck of emotions right now.
On one aspect i'm happy that Rainbow Dash got what's coming to her, what she did was unforgivable. But at the same time, I feel bad for her, throught the entire story she's been really solid as a character and now all that work has come crashing down in this one event.
But above all else, i'm worried what this will do to her and Alex. She obviously feels terrible about it and if Alex can be understanding about it, realize how long she's had to wait, and he's willing to look past this and help Rainbow become a better pony then...I don't know.
Maybe there's still hope for these two.
Words can not describe what I feel right now.
Just. Wow.
I liked this better when I wasn't up to date and I could just click next chapter
ugg my gut.... now the question is, is it in pain from this story or from the cheatoos im eating.......dame you Cheetos why you taste so good
Damn. That was one powerful punch to the proverbial gut. Especially with this line:
If you have Pinkie saying something like that, then you know you done screwed up...big time. Either Dash truly did do this completely by herself or some outside force was manipulating her. Either way, this is bad, and poor Alex. He just had to show up at the wrong time. Hearing that confession like that has got to be eating at him from the inside out.
This was a good chapter, but man was it a killer to the feels/emotions. I also look forward to the next one.
~ Super-Brony12
I keep flashing back to a part of the story where it was revealed, if only slightly, that Dash and Speed were manipulated....
Which chapter was that?
EDIT: It was the Lament story chapter.
Now I can't stop believing that Nightmare Moon is still to blame...
4748606
Again, I still blame Nightmare Moon's manipulation.
Oh noes. Shit is about to hit the fan.
Better get behind some cover, because this is going to get messy!
4748839
I'll direct you to this comment.
4745405
4748878
Based on that last sentence, Alex was within earshot of the entire conversation between Dash and Pinkie without them knowing, correct?
Of course, I want Rainbow Dash and Alex to stay together. Of course, I want Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie to become friends again. Of course I want Rainbow Dash to be comforted by her other friends.
...But deep down, we all long for the opposite to happen, for the sake of a better plot, because all of those going the opposite way will increase the length and depth of the story, and may lead to more insight on the characters. So I'm hoping that Pinkie and Rainbow take a while to make up. I'm hoping that Rainbow and Alex break up. And I'm hoping that Dash's friends all feel the same way as Pinkie, forcing Dash to have to deal with the guilt of her betrayal no longer with support from her friends, but alone. Of course, I want the story to end on a sad note, but hopefully that won't happen for a long time, I'd like this to go on. And what better to extend the story by increasing conflict?
I think I have some of Discord inside of me. The chaos will be real. And I love it.
Some backstory:
I am the kind of person that does not like many things. I am an introvert, I do not like meeting new people, nor do I like experiencing new things.
BUT!!!
When I do find the rare thing I do like, and that I can truly enjoy... I go 100% into it. I become one with it. Too awkward? Hmmmmm...
With that said:
Do that many people not know what happened with RD? *leaving out the exact spoilers beacuse IDK how to do spoiler tags* but it's been said in a prior chapter. You just had to have been paying attention to it. I missed it the first time, then I re-read it and then I was like "WHOA, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED!"
Part 2 of backstory:
Being un-sociable means that I say things too bluntly. Believe me when I say I am truly sorry for any offense I deal out to anybody.
4746906 You are testing the very limits of my patience.
Damn.
Keeps getting 20 percent better by the chapter.
by the name of me and every other god out there. that was just. wow. just. wow
and there the m word dropped.
Well this turned sad fast. Here's hoping the story has a good explanation for what happened here... RD is the last character I'd expect this from.