Second Death's Always the Harder
The following day, a dull amber sun sank towards the west edge of Rohbredden. Mortuana and her fellow Heraldites trotted a winding path along the upper cliff-faces of the Star Fringes. Scaling boulders and stony ridges, the group gradually made their east towards a low valley filled with snow and tundra. Even more mountain ranges loomed in the distance, forming a jagged horizon.
As ever, Remna took point, trotting first across the gravel-laden promontories and ledges. Wildcard and Ariel glided overhead, minding the north and south ends of the trek, respectively. Bard followed Remna at a distance while Flynn and Logan kept close to Mortuana in the center. Towards the very rear, Kepler pulled his wagon. The wyvern quietly hummed to himself—a low breathy tone. Otherwise, the snowscape was perfectly still, silent, and tranquil.
Rainbow Dash limped forward just ahead of Kepler. Her hooves were heavy, plodding things as she rounded a curved ledge that led northeast past the edge of a towering summit. Cold shadows crossed over her. The mare hung her head, glaring eastward. There was a glint in her eye—sharp and chiseled—that outshone even the orange shimmer of Yaerfaerda in the distance. She sighed multiple times, her nostrils flaring... her ears drooped.
Behind her... four mare friends floated icily. Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy levitated behind Rainbow, their beady eyes plastered to the mare.
The feathers of Rainbow's right wing twitched—as if feeling their solid glares. Slowing ever so slightly, Rainbow stopped and looked back.
The mares blinked. They stalled slightly. Pinkie Pie tried on a cheeky grin—but it didn't seem to fit.
Rainbow's brow furrowed. After a moment of stagnant silence, she looked ahead and continued a sluggish trot.
The four spectral ponies resumed floating after her. Their unbroken gazes were locked on Rainbow's figure.
Silence reined, aside from the grinding of Kepler's wheels. The four spectres didn't let loose a single peep.
The pegasus' ears shifted. Rainbow took another look behind her.
Again, the mares blinked. Again, Pinkie almost smiled... but ultimately fidgeted, avoiding Rainbow's gaze.
Rainbow breathed. She turned forward once more—but ultimately lurched with a heavy sigh. "Grnnngh. Okay." She stopped entirely and grit her teeth. "Look." She turned around, facing her friends. "I like mares. I've always liked mares. I prefer curved muzzles over flat noses... small hooves over shorn fetlocks... high pitched voices over surly grunts... pretty plots over—"
"We get it, Rainbow," Twilight said with a bright-eyed nod.
"Y-yeah!" Pinkie Pie grinned crookedly. "And it's totally cool, Dashie!"
"Then why are you all staring at me like I've got pony polio?!" the mare growled.
Kepler grinded to a stop with his wagon. "Is therre a prroblem, Rrainbow one?"
"S'all cool," Rainbow muttered without looking. "I've got this."
"If the Austrraeoh needs the Herrald to stop momentarrily, then—"
"What the Austraeoh needs right now is for Mortuana and all her cronies to take a friggin' chill pill!" Rainbow growled aside. "Thanks for your concern, Kepler, buddy." She stared at him, gulping. "But... th-this is kind of a private conversation, 'kay?"
"Ah! I see!" The wyvern nodded. "But of courrse!" Clearing his throat, he pulled himself forward by his wing talons and drew the wagon over the nearest ridge. "I shall see to it that the company is... mmmm... casually stalled!"
Rainbow Dash stood dead still, staring at the floor. At last, the wyvern exited earshot, along with his grinding wagon wheels. Gulping, Rainbow looked up at her friends once again. "If... if this is going to be problem, then pl-please... let's air it out right now." She took a long, shuddering breath. "Cuz we've still got one heck of a road trip ahead of us."
"Rainbow," Twilight insisted, leaning forward. "It's no problem. I mean it."
"We're your friends, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said in a soft tone. "We're perfectly fine with you being who you are."
"Yes! Absolutely!" Rarity squeaked, nevertheless sweating slightly. "Being a fillyfooler is nothing to be ashamed of whatsoever!"
Twilight and Fluttershy face-hoofed.
Pinkie swatted her hoof across Rarity's skull. Whap!
"Gaiie!" Rarity winced, then stumbled for words. "Wh-wh-what I mean is... a filly who... chooses to be... uhhh... fr-frisky with other fillies! Yes! Mmmhmm! Perfectly acceptable!"
"There's no choice about it, Rarity," Rainbow Dash droned, glaring. "For years I tried being attracted to stallions, just because every other girl around me was like that and I thought I could fit in." She shook her head. "Couldn't cut it. 'Cuz it's just not me."
Rarity blinked. "Oh! Of course, darling! And I-I'm not challenging that! Why..." She fluffed her mane, fidgeting even more. "...back when I first opened Carousel Boutique, I had many... fabulous stallion acquaintances in... th-the fashion business! Eheheheheheh..." She wheezed through her teeth. "...hehhhh."
"Nnnngh..." Rainbow face-hoofed.
"Uhm..." Fluttershy shifted from side to side. "I don't think we're making this very easy for Rainbow Dash."
"Ignore Rare-Rare, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie said, smiling proudly. "I—for one—think it's super awesome that my best friend ever likes to huff mare plot like there's no tomorrow—"
It was Rarity's turn to swat Pinkie. Whap!
"Ouchie!"
"Ahem..." Rarity cleared her throat and looked at Rainbow with an apologetic expression. "The crux of the issue, Rainbow, is not so much that you prefer mares... but rather that you took so terribly long to share this with us, darling."
"It's not as strange as you might think," Twilight firmly said. "After all, the ratio of Equestrian females to males is nearly four to one. Non-heterosexual relationships are quite common among the national population." The unicorn bore a lavender smile. "Not to mention asexual fringe groups and those who prefer to abstain entirely from even the thought of intimate copul—"
"Please, Twilight, dear..." Rarity rolled her eyes. "This is a heart-to-heart talk, not a sociological treatise."
Twilight frowned at her. "Well excuse me, Miss 'I Have a Bunch of Fabulous Stallion Friends in the Fashion Business'!"
"I was simply attempting to provide a reassuring anecdote!"
"By imposing a flagrant stereotype?!" Twilight hissed back.
"Yeah, Rarity!" Pinkie stuck her tongue out. "Besides, you coulda just said 'I knew a bunch of femcolts!'"
Twilight Sparkle grimaced. "Pinkie, that's insulting."
"Heehee! I just like saying the word, though!" Pinkie rocked her head from side to side. "'Femcolt femcolt femcolt'!"
"Shhhhhh!" Fluttershy insisted. She patted Twilight's and Pinkie's shoulders, pointing ahead. "Girls..."
The mares followed her gesture.
Rainbow sighed, her entire body drooped.
"It's... it's really fine, Rainbow," Rarity said. She gulped, drifting forward. "Please, you must believe us."
"Mmmmff... oh yeah?" Rainbow kicked at a few pebbles on the ground. "Cuz you're taking the news sooooooooo well right now..."
"It's... it's not the nature of the truth, Rainbow," Twilight said. "Like Rarity said a few moments ago... we're shocked—only because you withheld it from us for so long."
"Probably because I knew you'd get all freaked out like this."
"Rainbow, if we're freaked out, it's not because you like mares." Twilight hesitated, and her next breath was a shaky one: "It's... alarming that you don't trust us enough to share stuff like this sooner."
Rainbow looked up, biting her lip.
"You know?" Twilight blinked, fighting back a gloss to her eyes. "We're friends... best friends..." She bore a tender smile. "The best and most important friends that there have ever been in this world."
"Or in all of Urohringr for that matter," Rarity said with a wave.
"Yeah!" Pinkie hopped in place. "Urine ringer!"
"If you can't trust us with everything, then who can you trust?" Twilight asked. She waved at the mountainous path ahead. "We're in this together... far deeper than the Herald... deeper than the Job Squad... deeper than Desperadoes!"
"I... I'm sorry..." Rainbow sniffled, avoiding their gaze once again. "I made a promise weeks ago that... th-that I would be totally honest about everything. I mean, after all the crud in Red Barge went down and... and I told you about Shell..." She gulped, clenching her moist eyes shut. "Well, I haven't been very honest have I?"
"Rainbow, this is different," Fluttershy said, her calm voice taking center stage in the conversation. She drifted forward with compassionate eyes. "This is about you... who you are and what means the most to you and your life. It's more than a matter of sharing with us all of the complexities of Austraeoh. You've been on a journey... a very personal and intimate journey your entire life. And this was long before Discord ever appeared and chaotic events threw your heart and body into turmoil."
Rainbow looked up again, eyes misty.
Fluttershy smiled. "You are so... so very precious to us. And that includes everything about you... including the most special parts of what make you you." She shook her head. "Do not be ashamed to share them with us."
Rarity interjected. "Because we are not ashamed to have you as our dear friend." The unicorn smiled. "We just wish... we expect you to treat us in like-turn. Don't be afraid to tell us any and all truths, darling. We're in this whole thing together."
"Eheheh..." Rainbow rubbed her eyes dry. "Even if... the stuff I have to share makes you cringe."
"I'm not cringeing, darling," Rarity said with a sigh. "Rather... I'm feeling rather foolish in hindsight." She cleared her throat, blushing slightly. "All of those times I made you model clothes for me. Good Goddess... I must have putting you through so much torture."
"Rarity..." Fluttershy sighed through a weary smile. "Just because a mare likes other mares doesn't mean she's adverse to wearing pretty dresses."
"She's not off, though," Rainbow said, chuckling slightly. "Those modeling sessions nearly murdered me."
"Yes, well..." Rarity fluffed her mane. "To each their own, right?"
"Heh..." Rainbow breathed more evenly. "Right."
"I'm actually quite pleased about this revelation!" Twilight said with a bright grin. "Ever since I showed up in Ponyville, I've been proud to be surrounded by so many different and unique individuals. Now I'm learning we were all more unique than I imagined!"
"Pffft! Oh please, Twi..." Pinkie waved a hoof. "You've probably been booksexual all this time."
"Yes, and?" Twilight tilted her nose up. "So what if I was?"
Fluttershy giggled.
"Wait." Pinkie's spectral figure locked in place. She bore a thousand mile stare. "My sister Maud once went out with a dude who was super jerkly and we all forced ourselves to get along with him for a few months just because they were both an item." She blinked. Hard. "Dashie?! Were you and Gilda...?"
"Eugh..." Rainbow rolled her eyes. She spun around with a swish of her short-short tail-hairs. "Don't get me started on that."
"Duaaaaaaaaah!" Pinkie inhaled deeply. "You were!" She bounced-bounced-bounced after Rainbow as the pegasus rejoined the rest of the pilgrimage. "Wowie zowie! That makes so much sense, now!"
"Believe me," Rainbow snorted. "It didn't. I was super glad that it ended when it did."
"But... like... how did it even work?! When you kissed, did—like—her beak go inside your mouth or the other way around?"
"Sweet Celestia," Rarity moaned. "I think I'd rather have Twilight pontificate on Equestrian sociology again..."
"Funny you should say that, Rarity!" Twilight purred, floating after their anchor. "Why—a few months before we... blew up—I remember reading up on a psychological report written on the topic of homophobic attitudes among citizens of rural Breezie Communes. And it's a most fascinating subject, especially considering the fact that the Breezies are such a tiny subspecies of equine that their genitalia are almost biologically identical, aside from function, and that meant—"
"—so, in conclusion, if I recall correctly..." Twilight teetered in place while Rainbow Dash rolled out her sleeping bag for the night. The Herald's bonfire reflected off her lavender dimples in the center of the chilly camp. "...Breezies experienced several cultural reforms, and today it is no longer considered taboo for them to use bumblebee fur as an aphrodesiac in polyamorous mating rituals!"
Rarity and Pinkie Pie cuddled with one another, floating and snoring in place.
Fluttershy bit her lip to suppress a tender laugh.
"Wow, Twilight..." Rainbow stifled a yawn of her own and spread the edges of her sleeping mat out. "That's... super informative." She cleared her throat. "And not entirely eggheadish of you at all to have shared over the past three straight ours."
"Right, well, in conclusion—"
"You already said that, Twilight," Fluttershy murmured.
"No, I mean my conclusion... not the... nyaaaah..." Twilight paused to yawn squeakily. "...not the report's." She swallowed and smiled dazedly. "It's okay to be into mares, Rainbow... especially considering that other ponies in this world—like Breezies—are pretty darn well into anything."
"I know it's okay to be into mares, ya doofus," Rainbow said with a chuckle. Sighing, she turned around three times and then collapsed onto the sleeping mat. "The reason I kept it secret for so long is that... y'know... I didn't want to freak you out."
"Just how..." Twilight yawned again. "...would you freak us out?"
"I don't. I figured..." Rainbow shrugged. "...you girls might get nervous because... because..." She clenched her teeth, sensing a glint of orange light in her peripheral. "...you might think I'd try mackin' on one of you or something."
"Heehee... silly Rainbow," Twilight said. "Even if that happened, we'd take it in stride. You're our friend, after all. I know that I—personally—would have to come up with a polite way to say 'no' to such advances. Not that I wouldn't be flattered, of course, but—like Rarity said—to each their own."
"R-right..."
"Did..." Twilight squinted, teetering some more. "Did you ever...?" Fluttering eyes. "I mean..." She cleared her throat. "I could never quite figure out why you kept visiting Golden Oaks. You couldn't stand books."
"Uhhhhhhh..." Rainbow fidgeted.
"Hmmmm..." Fluttershy smiled. She drifted over and nuzzled Twilight gently. "Go to sleep, Twilight. You did a fine lecture. Now Rainbow needs some shuteye and so do you."
"Oh. Right. Definitely." Twilight nodded. "Don't wanna parade on her rain... er..."
"Best to... uhm..." Fluttershy leaned in, pointing at Pinkie and Rarity. "...take them with you," she whispered.
"Heeeheee... look at them," Twilight said, drifting over and grasping the two snuggled mares. "They're like the yen and yang of fuzz."
"Whatever that means," Rainbow droned.
"I surprise even myself at times." Twilight weathered a final yawn, then drifted backwards into lavender obscurity with the other two snoring ghosts in tow. "Ni Ni!"
"Back at ya, egghead."
With a flash of harmonic light, Rainbow and Fluttershy were alone.
"That was really sweet," Fluttershy cooed.
"Yeah..." Rainbow nodded, lying her chin down on folded forelimbs. "Could have gone a lot worse."
"You really worry too much, Rainbow," Fluttershy said with a smile. "I'm glad that you were able to get that off your chest. It must have been a terrible thing to keep bottled up inside."
"It's... not a thing I ever thought I'd have to share," Rainbow muttered. She squinted across the camp site to where Ariel lay, resting. "Then Flirty McButterFlanks h-had to..." She gulped, her wings flexing and coiling back up. "I'm telling you, Fluttershy... another time... another place."
"She's a very nice mare, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy calmly said. "I think the two of you would be very happy together... I really do." She smiled. "Not to mention adorable."
"Hmmmmff..." Rainbow smiled lethargically. "Sadly, 'adorable' alone doesn't cut it, Fluttershy."
The ghost shook her head. "I imagine not."
"I've always wanted more out of a pony. Always dreamt of... of..." Rainbow cleared her throat. "Well. Whatever. For a second there, I was super scared you would all think I was weird or something."
"Why would we ever think that, Rainbow?"
"I dunno. I've always loved you girls... always enjoyed being so loyal to the bunch of ya. I... never wanted you to question that." Rainbow gazed aside. "Never wanted to get the wires crossed. But... I guess that doesn't matter now. Eveyrthing's cool." She exhaled. "I'm especially glad you didn't freak out, Fluttershy. I mean... you... your words mean so much to me. The way you carried me back in Red Barge? I... I-I just don't know how I'd continue on if it turned out you were super flabbergasted by the fact that—"
"I already knew, Rainbow Dash."
The mare did a double take. "You... you did?"
Fluttershy calmly nodded. "I already knew."
"But... b-but..."
"All those times you defended me from bullies back in Cloudsdale?" Fluttershy softly said. "The days you—Rainbow Dash, the coolest and fastest flier in our grade—chose to hang out with me... a dainty slowpoke who was so far beneath your talents?"
"Flutters... I... they..." Rainbow blinked. "You were such a t-tiny, fragile, dinky thing back then! If I didn't stick around to protect you, then where would you be today?"
"And did 'protecting me' require you to hang out by my side for hours on end?" Fluttershy smiled. "Constantly bragging and showing off. Hugging me close when other mares walked by."
"I... I hugged you?"
Fluttershy giggled. "Softest... warmest wing-embrace I ever received. I never understood it, but I started to look forward to it," she said. "You made me feel so safe, Rainbow Dash. I couldn't have gotten along so well without you."
Rainbow blinked. Slowly, she grimaced. "Unnghhhhhhhh..." Her ears drooped as she buried her face in her hooves. "...I totally did wing-hug you, didn't I?"
"Mmmmhmmmm..."
"Gawwwwwdessssssss..." Rainbow gnashed her teeth. "That must have been soooooooo annoying, Fluttershy."
"Rainbow, it was sweet," Fluttershy cooed, drifting forward. "It was so... so sweet. And adorable."
"I swear to Celestia, I never thought of doing anything dirty. Not even once."
"Of course not, Rainbow," Fluttershy said, shaking her head. "We were foals."
"Yeah, and I was an idiot."
"What for? For showing another pony that you cared for her?" Fluttershy winked. "Especially a pretty, dainty, wilting violet?"
"Okay, look..." Rainbow stared up, brow furrowed. "My tastes changed as soon as... as soon as I got them. Alright?"
"Nevertheless, after we stopped going to school together, and I caught glimpses of you growing up." Fluttershy smiled. "All I could think of—beneath all of the bragging and the daredevilish showmareship you displayed day in and day out—was the sweet, protective, raspy-voiced little pegasus who wanted to make sure her dear fillyfriend wasn't bullied everyday. It was a precious thing, Rainbow. Your kind of love and loyalty is precious, and you should be proud."
"Yeah, well..." Rainbow rolled over until she faced the stars above. She huffed. "...it didn't exactly steer me in all the right paths, didn't it?"
"True..." Fluttershy cleared her throat. "...Gilda was... a bit surprising... at least too me..."
"You want to know the truth?"
"Please."
Rainbow huffed. "I had more or less dumped her before she even showed up in Ponyville. At least... in my heart. I hadn't told her in person, yet. That party we had in Sugarcube Corner? Eh... guess it was my way of testing her to see if she was compatible with my new friends or not. When it turns out she wasn't, I dropped her like a bad habit. Because you gals meant way more to me at the time, y'know?"
"I figured." Fluttershy nodded. "You were starting to change, Rainbow. It was hard for me not to notice. In fact, about a year before Discord, I could tell something was different. You moved into town and stayed there. You had always been such a flighty, migratory pegasus before."
"Yes, well, hard to be the Element of Loyalty on the go... I mean... heh... before all this mess."
"You didn't change after meeting Twilight, Rainbow," Fluttershy said. "You changed after meeting Applejack."
Rainbow's limbs locked in place. Slowly, she tilted her neck back, eyes staring upside down at Fluttershy.
Fluttershy gazed in silence.
With a grunt, Rainbow rolled over. She sat on folded limbs, quivering. "You... uhm... you knew?"
"I'm surprised nopony else knew," Fluttershy calmly said. "The way you teased her... everyday. The way you competed with her... pulled pranks on her... did everything to snatch her attention away and make her break her serious farmfilly exterior."
"Ugh..." Rainbow held a hoof over her eyes. "Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh."
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. "And the Running of the Leaves... that's when I thought you were going to blow a gasket. I was... rather shocked that the two of you parted ways without you opening up to her..." A soft breath. "...and confessing how you felt."
"I... didn't know how I felt, Fluttershy."
Silence.
"Okay... that's a lie." Rainbow lowered her hoof, gazing off into the cold distance. "I knew how I felt... but I also knew that there wasn't a snowflake's chance in Tartarus that she..." She bit her lip, glancing east and instantly regretting it. "...that Applejack would feel the same way."
"So you kept her at arm's length?" Fluttershy remarked. "I saw you challenging her every day, Rainbow. Sometimes the two of you came within a hair's width of punching each other."
"B-because I can't respect a pony unless I can see the best in them, Fluttershy!" Rainbow barked. She lowered her voice so as not to alarm her travelling companions. "And I knew that... th-that I could only like what I see... the more I br-brought out the best in Applejack. And... and..."
"You loved her, didn't you, Rainbow Dash?"
The mare bit her lip.
Fluttershy sniffled. "That must have been so... so very hard for you... when she died—"
"Flutters, all of you 'dying' was super friggin' hard."
"Rainbow—"
"Don't even pretend, girl—"
"—but to lose a mare you felt so deeply about." Fluttershy gulped a lump down her throat. She shook her head. "You poor... poor thing. You must have been suffering so terribly inside... all of those days and weeks and months that you flew east."
Rainbow breathed... fumed. She glared into the night sky. Her voice cracked, "I wanted to die. And Princess Luna gave me just that—a suicide mission. Only, it was painted with the colors of awesomeness. Midnight Amory? Pffft. Whatever. I had just let everything I'd ever been loyal to croak. Might as well toss my sorry butt east and see where it landed."
"You must be glad, then," Fluttershy said. "That we're on our way to free Applejack now."
Rainbow's ears drooped.
Fluttershy noticed it. She leaned her head to the side with a curious expression.
"Applejack, she..." Rainbow shuddered. "Thinking about her was both a sad place and a happy place... even after Discord pooped all over Ponyville and my life." She clenched her teeth. "For months... just the thought of her... of her eyes, Fluttershy, would keep me going. And... and I let that bind me for a long time. Friends I could have made... marefriends who were totally awesome on their own, I... I forsook them because... in my head... n-nopony could compare. And... and that was useful for a while—in spurring me on, y'know? But... but it's different now, Fluttershy." She shook her head. "Everything is so different. After Axan creamed me and I came back from the friggin' dead and made friends with Bellesmith and Pilate... well... the game changed. I had a new lease on life and so I decided to live it and... and I f-found love, Fluttershy. I found that special place that I was always looking for, and when I found it, I just... couldn't understand for the life of me why I nearly had it before and just... kept tossing it away, as if I didn't deserve it."
"It was Roarke, wasn't it?"
Rainbow gasped. She looked up with wide eyes.
Fluttershy spoke in a tender voice: "That name you've... mentioned out loud in your sleep... and when waking." She leaned forward. "That was the love you found? A mare you finally deserved?"
Rainbow gazed back at her, lips quivering. Her knees went weak, and a tear trickled down her cheek. "Y-yes," she whimpered foalishly. "Roarke. I..." She grimaced, the tears flowing now. "I love Roarke."
Fluttershy watched, misty-eyed as her friend collapsed.
Rainbow buried her head in her forelimbs. She sniffled, hissed, and eventually squeaked forth: "You... you don't know what it feels like t-to... be constantly on the run. To have an entire world wanting you d-dead. And... and then there she is... against all odds. She's there to hold you... to love on you. And you know th-that the only reason she's th-there in the f-first place is because you saved her. You s-saved her life, and n-now she's saving you. And... I-I've never been one for poetry, Fluttershy, b-but every damn second I sp-spent with Roarke was like a song... grkkt... th-those nights we just... cuddled in the hammock, watching the clouds and mountains roll past us... in the starlight... friggin'... grkkkg... Celestia..."
Fluttershy sniffled. She floated closer. "You once thought you were on a suicide mission, Rainbow Dash. But you found love. I'm so happy for you—"
"No, d-don't you get it?!" Rainbow Dash wailed. It was a struggle to keep her voice low and not alarm Bard, Wildcard, or the Herald. Nevertheless, she looked up with tear-stained eyes. "It was a suicide mission, Fluttershy! I know because I died! I've died multiple times! I died when I lost you in Ponyville! And I died in Val Roa when... when..." She sobbed. "...when I gave Roarke up. When I gave Belle and Pilate and Kera up. All of them!" She buried her face again, shivering. "And I-I feel like a total jerk b-because so much has ch-changed and I have you girls back again... at least m-mostly and it's s-such an awesome thing and I'm glad for it but... but I can't stop thinking about Roarke... about whether she's alive or not... if sh-she's given up on living b-because she can't rightfully expect m-me to live beyond the Grand Choke and... dang it... I-I can't stop, Fluttershy! I can't go back! Not to the Jury... not to Ponyville. All I have is this stupid quest to keep moving f-forward and all it d-does is... is just turn me inside out, y'know?"
"I know, Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy lifted her hoof, making gentle motions as if to "stroke" the mare's mane. "I know."
Despite the ghostly gesture, Rainbow calmed slightly. She sniffled, staring into the fire.
"And I also know that this task couldn't have befallen a worthier pony." Fluttershy smiled through moist eyes. A proud smile. "You're more awesome than the Herald or Austraeoh or even the Elements of Harmony. You're the sweet, daredevilish mare who saved my life back in Cloudsdale. If you love a pony hard enough, you can bring them back from the dead. Me, Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity are proof of that. And soon, so will Applejack."
"Yes, well..." Rainbow sniffed, rubbing her cheeks dry. "...knowing all of that isn't going to magically make Roarke's lonely life b-better now that I'm long gone."
"That's okay," Fluttershy said, her voice calm and peaceful. "You can tell her yourself."
Rainbow flashed Fluttershy a look.
The ghostly mare smiled. "Tell her when your journey is complete... and you reunite with her." She winked. "Some day... sooner than later..."
Rainbow stared back. Her muzzle hung open. "When... I reunite with Roarke..."
Fluttershy smiled, nodding.
Rainbow blinked. Something came out of her—a burst—like a melted sob transfigured back into a laugh. More tears streamed, but they were hotter this time. She looked into the flame. The orange light was bathing, baptizing. "I'll... I'll be lucky to even make it past Starkiss, Flutters, ya dinky little feather duster. You kn-know that."
"All the more to boast to Roarke about," Fluttershy said. "We can help you with the details... right after you introduce us. Applejack too."
"Hah!" Rainbow blurted, causing a few concerned heads to turned. She instantly smiled, wiping her cheek again as she reclined on the bed. "Hahahaha... when... when I introduce you..." She shivered, smiled, and shivered some more. The mare hugged herself as the giggles rose through her, crisp and cleansing. "Yeah... sure thing... heeheehee... sure thing, Fluttershy..."
"I, for one..." Fluttershy squatted beside her with a sly grin. "...really look forward to this 'catch' that stole my best friend's heart."
"Yeah, well, make sure it's not on an empty stomach." At her own words, Rainbow rolled her eyes. She hugged herself tighter, giggling like a foal as she weathered the last of her tears.
Off in the distance, Remna squinted curiously. She glanced aside.
Wildcard's goggles reflected the violet bounty hunter. The griffon smirked, finished whittling at a piece of wood, and stuck a fresh new toothpick into his beak before retiring for the night.
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k
Bwahahahaha! Funniest April fools prank ever!
derpicdn.net/img/view/2015/11/28/1032074__safe_rainbow+dash_screencap_animated_smiling_cute_open+mouth_filly_food_reaction+image.gif
This is something else.
>inb4 it's all true
Pizz-fah-Wizz...
AAAAH-AAAAAAAAAH!
One-word chapter title? What heresy is this?
Oh, wait. I see. it's still 1st even here.
Love these
I'm sure it depends on what kind of saving you mean.
So deliciuosly meta, you had me in stitches the whole time.
Well.
That was certainly a thing.
This is amazing
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Wrong A word.
i dont get it
AJ's cut tho
Reboot of ponies are the size of cats? I'm sold. Sorry east horse.
I didn't actually realize it was April Fool's Dat today until halfway through this.
So that was Verlax's plan all along, huh? Bankrupt the studio with all her special effects? You evil, evil lizard.
Remember that scene where the Jury was saving those foals from the goblins and their mechanic-tank? Dash said this chapter title somewhere in there. To this day, I still say 'zoop' when I'm leaving a conversation quickly.
Yes, I suppose I am impressionable. Why do you ask?
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good, it wasn't just me
Ohmigosh, I'm dying
I'm sad they weren't all just smoking.
Ps ):( should totally spend a week just cruising Disneyland whip we lose our minds think he's dead.
files.gamebanana.com/img/ico/sprays/50bfe63223b02.png
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I don't even.
IC, you deviant.
Also:
To grrr so hard it's also used as an adjective. Heresy.
Now there'll have to be an update today! If not, and this survives till tomorrow, it becomes canon.
Red Dwarf:Better Than Life.
If youre going to, borrow, go to the best.
After all, he already has The Bard.
*sigh* I know RD, I really wanted that update as well, but I have finally given up hope...The story that started me on my Skirts obsession and caused me to make a fimfic account shall never be finished.
Absolutely beautiful
Yep, I distinctly recall something similar to this happening before...
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasdf
They could have finished it by just using one still per scene instead of animation. Even using long shots to not have to animate the mouths.
i.ytimg.com/vi/i1jkj1l-mlM/maxresdefault.jpg
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welp, seems like the EoP budget is still non-existent.
Someone saves these, right?
I got to save that one for work.
... ... ...
What you did there? It was as heartless as me always pestering you about continuing it. I deserved that.
*sobs controllably*
But you do know it's still not marked hiatus or cancelled.
7086339 EoP is just aging like a fine wine. Some believe that our exodus from Austraeoh will mark a new beginning for EoP. Thus will be the day when the Noble Jury sees EoP, resurrected in all its glory. For many years we have slumbered as we await the glorious day when SS&E descends from the sky carrying the story's conclusion.
7086752 You really, really should read what SS&E has written about EoP in his blog posts.
You have a team of Heralds currently, so you could ask for vanishing act for some chapters anytime while they do work. Dial Verlax to teleport you to some prison or something.
A lot of Utaan was preparations for that Fifth Seed event, so if they decide to skip it, they lose a lot of scenes.
That's what she gets for messing with the Kokiri Knight of God's Will
I'm considering going into fact checking as a full time job. please support my gofundme page
Fishberry drops their device, and raises two angry fists to the sky.
APRIL FOOLS DAAAAAAYYYY!
Fishberry produces a spiral-bound notebook bearing the title 'Revenge List' on the cover, flips it open, and scrawls 'April First' underneath of 'Circus Clowns'.
Rad chapter, IC.
Well played sir...well played
Funny stuff lol I've always kinda wondered if this story impacted IC in a negative way. Love the series to death but I wouldn't want him in a bad spot over it. Cheers!
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It was nice while it lasted.......time to pack up and go home I guess....
7086860 I have. That doesn't stop me from hoping. If I repeat the idea enough times i might start to believe it. Heck you might start to believe it. Enough times and even SS&E will start to believe it. You see I am playing the long con.
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Fluttershy is awesome here. Also, yay Rainboarke!
Good chapter
So Rainbow has finally come out of the closet with her first friends. Well some of them (one already knew, I am guessing that the shock in the previous chapter was from actually showing it
), I was kind of hoping that they all (except for Applejack) already knew. And of course they are more disappointed that Rainbow didn't tell them (though to be fair to Rainbow not only is this kind of thing hard from what I can gather, it is also not something that tends to come up in usual conversations with friends
) then they are mad that she is one, I think some of them might actually be a little flattered, Twilight certainly was
.
The chapter people won't notice exists because it appears they've already read it
I knew that Fluttershy knew, kind of surprised that Pinkie didn't pick up on it as well. They all took it well (if a bit awkwardly) which is nice. Twilight being super informative book horse as usual was funny. I really, really want them all to meet Roarke (and the rest of the Jury of course) that would be one heck of a meeting. And to me this seems to be final confirmation that she has gotten over Applejack romantically.
You did a fine lecture.