Only One Speck of Dust

by TheMareWhoSaysNi

Chapter 9

There was no reason to make a government affair about it. It was nothing extraordinary. That maybe was surprising when her character was known, for sure. The news had been sudden and it had been a while since she seemed to be particularly uninterested in this kind of stuff. All the same… Why such a performance?

True to herself, Pinkie Pie had climbed on the breakfast table, and had took out some parchment from out of nowhere. With a half-solemn attitude which, coming from her, looked like a parody, she mimicked the classical period announcers.

“Hear ye hear ye, good ponies! The dreaded Thunder of Revenge has found herself a very special somepony! Take the cider out!”

It was a good thing if it made the others laugh. A little bit of relaxation after a night watch was always welcomed. She simply would had appreciated it better if it had not been at her expense. While Rainbow Dash stared at the floor sulking, her cheeks crimson, Soarin did not look the least bothered by the whole scene.

Of course, Applejack and Caramel, and even Melrose at the end of the table, laughed heartily to the pink mare’s tomfooleries. Big Macintosh kept what he felt to himself, saying nothing, eating his scrambled eggs with his head low. She glimpsed at him, discreetly… Maybe she was mistaking yet she had the impression he did his best to avoid her eyes.

“Please, Pinkie… Can’t we change the topic?”

“Why? You’re soooooooo cute when embarrassed, Dashie!”

She crossed her forelegs and sulked again.

No one had noticed during their watch. In fact, it would have stayed this way if, once arrived at the inn, Soarin had not shown his desire to be sitting by her side. Obviously, the others had wanted to know why and she had said them implicitly, thinking they all would be too tired to really care.

It was misjudging Pinkie Pie’s bottomless energy. There might be some kind of on/off button behind her back, always on, permanently feeding her blood with sugar. Rainbow Dash had always had trouble displaying affection in public when it was not toward her parents. Far from being taken with cautious by her friend, this was one more occasion to play to the gallery. She had no ulterior motives, needless to say, but instinctively knew when something was conducive to laughter. And this was.

Now she understood how Caramel felt each time she annoyed him. And this chap made the most of it as much as he could. Fine. There would be a price to pay. Just wait and see.

Like often, things calmed down in a relaxed manner. Pinkie Pie stopped her act when the second strawberry cupcake batch arrived, a batch Melrose had prepared for the mare’s exclusive pleasure. When they were done laughing, the couple formed by Applejack and Caramel ate back their breakfast. As if they thought no one would see, they deluged themselves with subtle small attentions, like letting the last juice glass for the one, or moving forward the plate of waffles for the other.

It was sweet, especially as it came out very naturally. There were worse attitudes… Double Diamond, for example, during the first months of his affair with Applejack, behaved with her as if “fragile” had been printed on her flank instead of her Cutie Mark. He always did too much.

Rainbow Dash knew Soarin looked at them enviously. Although these attentions were not much, nothing really shameful or “uncool”, for now she recognized she could not do the same with him. Him being by her side and spending most of the watch with her already was a big thing to start with.

She was not deprived of affection, quite the opposite. In private, she could be tender and considerate, as long as no one would watch. Bit by bit, with Time Stellar, she even had been able to feel at ease when he publicly held her wing… but nothing more.

With Soarin, it was too premature. After all, she had only said “yes” a few hours earlier and not in a really romantic way.

“I’m sorry, Soarin”, Melrose said. “I didn’t know you’d be here again for breakfast so I haven’t thought about baking something you liked.”

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Melrose. Don’t bother for me. Especially as my position here is temporary.”

He was not a member of the Head’s Council. He only replaced Double Diamond who kept on being called on sick. As soon as the white stallion would feel better, he would take his position back and Soarin would be the simple First Class Lieutenant he was supposed to be. Even if, when being completely honest with himself, he had to admit he could wait until this would happen. He liked it in here. Caramel was one of his friends, Pinkie Pie made him die of laughter, Applejack had been really nice to him, and he liked being with Rainbow Dash as much as before, although she was rather authoritarian with him during the watches.

The only one a little cold-shouldered was Big Macintosh. According to Rainbow Dash, his attitude was not cold or distant. Applejack’s brother was shy and not very talkative. That was the way he was with everyone. Soarin was not quite convinced about this last argument.

While they all got done with their breakfast, talking various inoffensive topics, a parchment like out of nowhere fell on the table, right in front of Rainbow Dash. Her first reaction was to glare at Pinkie Pie. No pony really knew how she was able to do this kind of things yet she was able to make items appear as if by magic.

“Not me, I swear”, she said with a wide smile.

“Maybe a unicorn Spotter”, Applejack suggested.

If this was the case, that meant something unexpected had occurred. It was rare that the day teams would disturb her when she was home. Generally, they would get to the main squadron, the one made of delegates she had appointed to replace her when she or Applejack were unreachable.

They all looked at her as she unfolded the parchment and read it. They saw her eyes go into a panic, skimming the lines at full speed and her hooves closing in on the paper, to the extent of being on the verge of tearing it.

Then, without warning, she left the table, took back her cloak and opened a window in order to leave the room.

“Stay here!” she ordered them letting a rainbow trail behind her that smelled the spicy scent of saffron, cinnamon and ginger.

When Soarin tried to get the parchment in order to read what it contains, it ignited and became a pile of ashes. They all glanced at each other, flabbergasted. They were her Council. Generally, there was not a decision she took without their consent. They had taken an oath, promising to protect Equestria and Ponyville as well as their Head. Her excluding them from something that seemed to be dangerous was not made to make them feel reassured.

“What’s happening there?”, Caramel asked with the rhetorical art which characterized him.

“Dunno, sugar cube, but it sure smells bad…”

Hush. They all looked in each other’s eyes, not sure whether there was something to add. Pinkie Pie was the one to break the silence, with an irrelevant smile which surprised no pony, not even Soarin.

“What if we all go and see?”

A few minutes later, they were gathered outside in front of the Royal Tavern and Inn’s wrought iron gates and none of them could believe what they were seeing.

Rainbow Dash was in front of a purple unicorn dressed in a long red coat, with an eye-patch on her right eye and one of her hooves apparently made of wood. Double Diamond’s body, suspended into the air, was floating in the middle of a sparkling mauve halo, seemingly inert, lifeless. One of his hooves had been chopped off, scraps of flesh hanging along a burned wound. His face was barely identifiable, his white coat sprinkled with big reddish injuries which had been poorly healed and stank out in all directions.

What had happened? None of them knew and Rainbow Dash did not seem to get neither. She said a name Soarin never heard about but that the others all remembered:

“Twilight Sparkle…”

Both were staring at each other, eyelids shrunken and jaws tight, holding mutual gaze in the hope to see one or the other giving up first.

“Nice to see you again, Rainbow Dash. It’s been a while, isn’t it?”

“Nice… Speak for yourself.”

Hearing them talking this way, it was easy to believe they were former rivals. Yet it was not the case. In the past they even had been good friends. Twilight’s hard-working and diligent nature contrasted with Rainbow Dash’s foolhardiness, the foolhardiness she had learned to channel to make it one of her greatest strength. With this, they had found a certain balance, some kind of complementarity. When possible, they used to help each other a lot.

Then, happened what had happened. Twilight Sparkle disappeared from Ponyville. She was said to be living in the Everfree Forest, completely secluded, if not a little insane.

If today they were both looking at each other scornfully like old nemeses, it was only because Twilight had seemingly gone over to the wrong side, and set an aggressive offensive against her and the whole Militia by delivering Double Diamond’s mutilated body, on someone else’s behalf. Some mysterious army said to be “unavowed” which she never heard about before.

“I’m sorry that’s how you take it, sincerely.”

“I’d really like to chat about the good old times on a cup of tea but I can’t wait to go to sleep, see. You got a so-called message to go with your… em… present. Spill the bean!”

“Oh yeah, that thing. Well, the Unavowed Army’s leader asked me to tell you this is just the beginning. He hopes you and your minions had trained very hard, because he got the intention to destroy you and to get his rightful position back.”

The more Twilight spoke; the more Rainbow Dash could feel something rising up inside of her. Some kind of uncontrollable rage against which she struggled with all her might. It had started to appear a very few times before yet she knew how to spot the portents – hatred and anger taking more and more room, cold that no longer existed, the other sounds of the world which were getting unclear and everything slowly altered into red overwhelming shades.

The Black Blood. This curse running under her skin that none could eradicate.

It had to stop, not to take over her… But Twilight kept on talking and boasting though she had been of an exemplary humility back then. Bitterness and time could become lethal enemies. They could turn the purest of integrity into a despondency so devastating it corrupted what was still alive.

There was only one shield against it. To be the first to attack. To make her understand she was not impressed, that her words she did not dread. Thus keeping quiet that the most terrifying thing right now was lying deep within herself.

Rainbow Dash leapt toward Twilight at the speed of thunder. She was the fastest flyer of Ponyville, maybe even of Equestria, and the unicorn in front of her was so concerned with her speech and the fact she was still holding Double Diamond suspended in the air thanks to her magic that she not even thought for a second to use it in order to push away her attack.

She probably did not expect at all for the young pegasus to pounce on her horn and to bite it hard. The representation possibly looked funny… Yet the result was not. Twilight shrieked uncontrollably, something high-pitched that tore the air up. Immediately, Double Diamond’s dead-still body fell back on the snow wrapping the ground, and the rest of the Council dashed off to get him back.

Tears dropped along Twilight’s eyelashes, the pain was indescribable. Horns maybe were some kind of bone made with ivory with a thin layer of fur yet it was connected to many nerve endings directly linked to the brain. It was a little like pegasus’ wings which, unlike those of birds and flying creatures like phoenixes, were made of feathers, bones and muscles.

The other difference was the sensations. Biting a pegasus wing could be rather pleasurable, when done cautiously. Biting a horn was always painful.

“Stop this! You’re insane!”

Rainbow Dash obeyed but did not let time for Twilight to breathe. To get together after such an attack always was sensitive… She knew it and was about to make the most of it.

With flaps of her wings, she settled herself right above the unicorn, pinned her against the ground with her hind legs and with her forelegs, she grabbed Twilight’s viable hoof and pulled it with all her strength.

Once again, she shrieked. She could feel a bone deviate from its natural frame and could not help new tears to appear. If only she still would have been able to feel her horn, she could have freed herself easily with just one magical trick. If only, during all these years, she had not practiced magic for utility but kept on training seriously. She would not have forgotten most of the significant spells…

And there was something else. Something else Rainbow Dash hurried to remind her, not without a bit of disdain in the voice.

“What a shame you never learned how to use your Sacred Eye. You could have anticipated most of my attacks.”

Like many of the unexplained gifts that peppered Equestria, sparing neither earth ponies nor pegasi or unicorns, the Sacred Eye was a curse and a bless at the same time. When mastered, it made a pony almost invincible. When not, it prevented from having a normal life, being oblige to conceal the said eye in order not to make even the faintest of light burning your retina.

And Twilight had always refused to believe the unexplainable. These famous gifts were nothing natural. According to her, they had been made by ponies, somehow, for a reason she ignored. Undoubtedly it was linked to the Spider God, shapeless deity with cruel precepts.

Anyway, most of the unicorns had their own deities to worship.

However, this morning she regretted her choice with a little bitterness, as well as the choices she had been making during these latest years. She could have avoided the humiliation she was suffering from right now.

Rainbow Dash pulled on the hoof a bit more and this time, everyone heard the bone splitting with the clearness of a sharp razor blade. Her face went from redness to extreme pallor in a couple of seconds.

“Tell your lousy army’s leader that there are things which cannot stay unpunished. If he wants to rip into The Militia, fine. Let him come and we’ll have a welcoming party up to his standards.”

She finally eased off the pressure and left Twilight’s back to fly toward the rest of her Council. The latter felt herself like bogged down in half-consciousness. Violent electric shocks still run through her hoof – that she knew was dislocated – as well as her horn where she felt her heart thumping. It asked a huge effort, somehow with a strong focus, she was able to start purple sparkles and within seconds, she was gone, teleported elsewhere.

It did not matter whether she stayed or not now. She had done her part of the deal. Now Prince Blueblood had to respect their agreement. Although… Sneaky, he had set a condition. In order for her most precious wish to become reality, he had to be victorious of what was about to be launched. And of course, he counted on her and many others to make it happen.

After all, she knew how The Militia worked, for she had been its Main Quartermaster…

Applejack had put Double Diamond’s head in the pit of her hind lap. A rush of guilt like never before shook her right through. She could not help but thinking all this had happened to him because of her. She had been too sharp in the way she had parted from him. She had chosen to confess to Caramel too quick. If only she had waited, at least a little bit, giving him time to make sure he would digest the separation, he never would have been in such a state today.

At first sight, he seemed to be dead. His body was like a devastated forest after a storm. Injuries everywhere, most of it suppurating… His face sparkled with lumps and purple and red scalds. It even was almost black at some spots. His breathe was weak, it whistled and along his mouth dropped a trickle of blood. She had said his name many times and he had not reacted. There were very few chances he still was conscious.

Caramel did not dare stepping closer. He had been so happy when Applejack had confessed his feelings that he only thought about himself. Of course he did not know Double Diamond the way he knew the others. All the same, they had forged links of friendship, or at least some kind of bond. He knew how much he cared for Applejack, and yet in no moment had he tried to spare him from the heartbreak that it might be to know them together.

“What are we going to do, Rainbow Dash?”, Pinkie Pie asked, sitting close to Applejack.

Her pink mane had lost a bit its puff and her coat looked darker, of a greyish shade of pink.

It was only her transitional state and it was the first time Soarin, who stayed at the background, saw her like this. In his own opinion it was as shocking as this horribly mutilated body which he could only take guesses about how painful it might be.

But more than anything, he felt he was not wanted. He was not really one of them. All he had done was to take an opportunity he had been given. He had seized it to prove something to himself as well as to prove Rainbow Dash, whom he immediately had a crush on, that he was able of doing much better than what he had showed her.

Now he fully realized his position had been depending upon somepony else’s hardship. A notion with which he was not feeling at ease.

“I don’t know,”, Rainbow Dash confessed, looking away. “Preparing an attack on an army which I don’t know a thing about, it’s… complicated. What is sure is that we won’t let ourselves be pushed around. The better would be to organize an exceptional assembly of the Council, tomorrow. I’ll ask the reserves to do our watch.”

Never before since Rainbow Dash acceded to the Militia’s leadership had she have to call on the night reserves. It took action on very rare cases. Consisting of former Members of the Council, a Head had to have excellent reason to ask them to take the reins. Seeing Double Diamond’s wrecked body let her think this was not an exaggerate decision.

Some bad feeling had been taking over her when she had thought she had seen Twilight Sparkle on the roof for the first time. This foreboding was confirmed today. Something was brewing, something that was going to be tiresome. The Militia, Ponyville, maybe even Equestria were at a dangerous turn of their existence.

“What about Double Diamond?”, Big Macintosh asked, speaking to Rainbow Dash for the first time of the day.

The white stallion had not moved. Not even when Twilight had lost her hold on her spell and he crashed against the snow. All his wounds were infected, and Rainbow Dash would not have been surprised if somepony told her he was suffering from a septicemia. It was probably useless to heal him, if not impossible.

What she was about to do broke her heart in advance. But it was the only solution to let him keep the little dignity he still had.

She trotted closer and asked Applejack to pull aside. They all moved back, suspecting what was about to come. Heads low, they stared at the snow at their hooves. Soarin only, unsure of what would occur, kept on staring at Rainbow Dash, who took Double Diamond’s neck between her hooves and twisted it sharply, a few bones cracking in the process.

His weak breath like the wind whistling under a door stopped suddenly. Soarin had not expect this yet expected it anyway, and had not been able to suppress a jolt.

In rare circumstances, he knew it, the Head’s Militia was allowed to kill recruits. Personally, it was the first time he could witness such a thing. Judging by everyone’s shattered look, they never witnessed it before too.

After she had closed what was left of his eyelid, Rainbow Dash turned around, tears hanging at her lashes that she had pain to conceal. With the back of her hoof, she wiped her eyes before talking to Soarin:

“I would understand if you don’t want to be a part of our organization anymore after what you saw. Yet, if you still desire to be a Member of Ponyville’s Militia, the vacant position in my Council is yours. I won’t force your hoof. The choice’s up to you.”

She was sad and angry too. Deep inside. Soarin could feel this wrath, this fury boiling down that she tried to tame because it was uninvited. It was understandable. Circumstances had forced her to do what no pony would want to do, especially not to a friend.

He could not give up on her. Yes, he was scared. Yes, he knew this corpse about to be prepared for the Cloth could be his own future. Despite it all… As strange as it seemed since he did not really know her well in fact, he cared about Rainbow Dash. He had made some promises to himself that he wanted to keep.

“I take it.”

“Fine. Applejack is about to perform the Sacred Procedures… Go and get some rest and don’t forget about the assembly.”

“I’ll be there.”

Soarin wanted to comfort her. To hold her between his hooves, softly, and to soothe this buried wrath. She would have ordered it to him, he would have stayed by her side, and give up everything else.

Rainbow Dash only patted his shoulder and flew away, not turning back. Lights were on at some of the Inn’s windows and he realized with horror that some ponies had witnessed what had happened. They were now looking at Applejack binding together Double Diamond’s forelegs with a silk thread before she put them against his heart.

Soarin’s eyes met Big Macintosh’s, giving aid to his little sister. He felt a rush of animosity then some kind of renunciation, sudden and resigned.

Came to his mind that he was still a stranger. Although Rainbow Dash had asked him to join, although she had consented to be with him, he was not truly “one of theirs”. It was the kind of things that came with time. Or with shared ordeals.

Comments

[Dusk_Writer]

Oh Twilight…looks like you haven't made the best decisions here…

[Joybelle]

'Portents' is such a great word. Rarely ever see it used.