Azure Edge

by Leaf Blade

31. What's Bothering You?

Despite Rarity’s previous gripes regarding the town’s lack of modernity, Haysead Swamp turned out to be quite the pleasant little vista. The entire town was built atop the swamp, using wooden bridges to connect various houses and shops, and the residents were very relaxed and friendly.

Rarity and Rainbow had made the necessary preparations, checking in with their client and learning everything they knew about the target, and were sitting down in an outdoor seating area enjoying refreshing beverages before they set out into the swamp proper in search of their coveted cragadile.

Tall, looming trees surrounded the village, and Rarity couldn’t help but think they almost looked like the town’s protectors; sleepy guardians that would come to life and enact nature’s vengeance upon anyone who would harm the town’s people. Rarity wondered if any of the locals thought of them the same way, but she acknowledged that she was probably just being very silly.

Though she also wondered if there was such a thing as a tree that came to life to protect ponies, then remembered of course there were, she fought some of them no less than two weeks ago.

I wonder if Twilight’s ever seen a timberwolf? Probably, if she’s been all over.

Rarity took another look over the quaint bog town as she took a sip of her tea, and as she observed the ponies going about their days and the looming trees all over, she thought about her conversation with Twilight regarding the flora and fauna of the swamp.

She couldn’t remember any details of the conversation, nor anything she had ostensibly ‘learned’ about swamp inhabitants, but she knew that if Twilight were here she could almost certainly answer any questions Rarity might have had about the environment around them, and that thought brought a smile to her lips.

I wish she were here.

That thought made Rarity nearly choke on her tea, and she sputtered and coughed as she chastised herself for thinking it. Rarity had only just met Twilight, and now here she was fawning over her like some smitten kitten? How very un-Rarity of her.

Rarity looked across the table to see if Rainbow had noticed her little incident just now, but unless Rarity had quite literally exploded in a mass of fiery devastation, the pegasus staring blankly into the distance away from Rarity wouldn’t have noticed a single thing.

Rarity took in a deep, silent breath. She was concerned for her partner, who had barely spoken a word since they departed Canterlot that morning despite nearly always being lightning fast with a clever quip or teasing remark.

And on the subject of teasing, Rainbow hadn’t returned Rarity’s earlier ribbing with snarky retorts of her own; if Rarity hadn’t known better, she would believe that Rainbow was actually hurt by Rarity’s gentle teasing.

But that couldn’t be right… could it?

Rainbow never let anything bother her; she was always full of enthusiasm and confidence, and nothing ever got underneath her skin. And yet, looking at the pale blue mare resting her head listlessly against an arm propped up on the table, Rarity couldn’t help feeling that her partner looked incredibly worn down.

“Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow’s eyes flickered over toward Rarity, but she barely gave any hint of acknowledgment.

“There’s something bothering you,” Rarity said concernedly, “I can’t pretend I don’t notice.”

“It won’t affect my work,” Rainbow replied sternly, as if that was what Rarity was concerned about. “Promise.”

“That’s not—” Rarity shook her head “I’m worried about you, darling.”

“Why?”

“Wh—why?” Rarity leaned back, aghast at such a ridiculous question. “Because you’re my friend, dear, and I can see that you’re struggling! If there’s anything going on that I can help with, I want to—”

“Nah,” Rainbow shrugged and batted her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it.”

Rainbow’s dismissal of Rarity’s concern seemed sincere enough, but something was still eating at Rarity. Something wasn’t right, but what was it? Rarity tried to think back to their conversation around breakfast time, and what was it that set Rainbow off before? What had they been talking about when Rarity first noticed Rainbow was very obviously not feeling well?

Haycakes. It was just the haycakes. They hadn’t truly spoken before Rainbow took off to that stream.

But, before they sat down for breakfast, Rainbow had fallen behind. Why again?

Rarity scanned the horizon, searching for an answer as she took another sip of tea, and as her thoughts idly gravitated toward the Golden Oaks Library again, it hit her like a steam train.

“Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said cautiously, “may I ask you something?”

Rainbow took a sip of cider and arched an eyebrow at Rarity, but she said nothing.

“Why haven’t you allowed me to properly introduce you to Applejack? I think you two would get along famously.”

Rainbow blinked. She grabbed her mug of cider and pressed it to her lips, taking big, noisy gulps from the mug until she had emptied the entire thing in a single sip, and slammed it onto the table as she stood on her hooves.

“How ‘bout we save the personal talks until after the mission,” Rainbow grumbled.

“But we will talk after the mission?” Rarity asked, her tone a carefully measured mix between gentle and firm.

Rainbow said nothing. Just walked away.

For what felt like the thousandth time that afternoon, Rarity found herself wishing Twilight was here. Either so Rarity had someone to talk to or because she thought Twilight might be able to get through to Rainbow where she could not, somehow.

Oh well, Rarity thought as she took the finishing sip of her tea, it doesn’t matter, I suppose.

Twilight was not here, but Rainbow was, and— more importantly for the moment— so was a vicious cragadile.

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!