Rainbow in the Dark

by Raeligath

Chapter 5: Breakfast at Rarity's

The following morning was marked by chirping birds, a gentle breeze, and, at least for Rainbow Dash, a shrill ringing noise. After trying in vain to blot out the alarm with a pillow over her head, Rainbow slapped her bedside clock with a hoof, silencing the noise but causing the device to clatter to the floor. She seemed to find this fitting punishment for whatever dared interrupt her sleep.

Idly, she noted with her tongue that her teeth were no longer nearly as sharp as in her nightmares. With that small comfort, she nestled further into her bed, as if to dig in and plant roots, but then took a second look at the clock.

“Wait… Nine thirty already?!”

The pegasus popped up out of bed, tossing her blankets aside with one good flap of her wings. She paced in place, looking around frantically. When she eventually spotted a pair of saddlebags balled up in the corner, she zipped over and tossed them onto her back.

All the while, Tank watched curiously from the comfort of his own bed. He was in no rush.

Rainbow spotted the tortoise and shot him a smile. “Oh, mornin’ Tank! Whew, you would not believe the dream I had last night. I’d love to stay and chat about it, but I’ve got breakfast with the girls this morning and, well, I’ve got zero minutes to get there on time sooo…”

She trotted over towards the nearest window, then backed up a few paces. After a quick yawn, she began stretching her limbs out.

“Well at least it’s a pretty day for a fly. Let’s see how fast I can get to the boutique!”

Rainbow began her running start towards the sky, wings outstretched and a smile across her face. This plan was short-lived, however. The instant her snout and hoof passed into the open sunlight shining through her window, she felt what could perhaps best be described as instant regret.

In other words, she immediately caught on fire. Spontaneously combusted, if you will.

“GYAAAH!! Ouch, ow, hot! Hot!!”

Thinking quickly, she dove for the cloud floor, using her pegasus privileges to pull a piece off and shove her ignited snout and hoof into. The moisture within the cloud made swift work of the flames and even helped cool her off, though the cloud itself soon dissipated into steam afterwards.

“What— Tank, you saw that, right?!”

Tank merely blinked in her general direction. She took that as a yes.

Rainbow trotted out of her room and to the hall bathroom. Wincing for fear of what she might see, she flipped on the lights.

The good news was she didn’t see any severe damage to herself. In fact what she did see seemed to be fading before her very eyes. Well, it seemed that way, but it was hard to tell, what with her whole reflection having faded to near nothingness.

— What in the world are you doing?! — spoke an unfortunately familiar voice in her head.

It was at this moment that the entire previous night came crashing down upon Rainbow like a freight train: heavy and inevitable, but never quite on time.

“Good mornin’ Fae,” she said with a sigh.

— That implies such a thing exists. What in Equestria possessed you to awaken during daylight?! —

“Uh, I’ve got plans today? Duh,” Rainbow countered.

— Rainbow Dash, we’re vampires. Daylight is very bad for us. —

“Yeah, I kinda figured that one out…”

— … did you touch the light and immediately get burned? —

She shuffled her hooves and said, “... Maybe.”

— Rainbow, if you keep ignoring my warnings, you’re going to get yourself killed. Or worse, exposed! —

“Okay, first of all, can you really blame me for waking up during the day? Kinda hard to break a lifelong habit!” said Rainbow, rolling her eyes. “Second, aren’t vampires immortal or something? And what do you mean ‘exposed’? Not like I wear clothes all that much.”

— Your instincts should be stopping you from waking up when the sun is out. Hopefully that’ll kick in soon for you. We may be immune to the passage of time and able to regenerate from most wounds, but the sun will reduce you to a pile of ashes within minutes. Furthermore, not only would being exposed as a vampire be very bad for you, but also for the rest of your new family as well. —

Rainbow furrowed her brow. “I guess that makes sense? I mean, I’ve still got a life, y’know. I’m not gonna miss hanging out with my best friends!”

— You’re willing to lie to them, then? Because if you so much as think of telling them of your new nature, I can and will put a stop to it. —

“I… yeah, okay. I’ll just make somethin’ up if they ask about any weirdness. How hard could it be? And like, my fangs are gone for some reason, so it’s not like I’ll have to explain that.”

— Your fangs, along with some other changes, will come back at dusk. Don’t you worry about that. In the meantime, I suppose there’s no harm in letting you socialize… but do tell me, what is your plan for dealing with the sun? —

Rainbow thought for a moment, pacing in front of the mirror and occasionally squinting to get a better look at herself. “So, if sunlight touches me, that’s when it hurts?”

— Exactly… wait, why do you ask? —

“Cuz that gives me an idea,” she said with a smirk.

— How horrifying. —

Rainbow stuck her tongue out at the mirror, hoping Fae would take the hint. She then hopped up and zoomed back up the hall and into her bedroom. The pegasus pony barreled into a pile in her closet and began tossing various articles of clothing about. Within a minute, she found what she was looking for, donned the pieces, then zipped right back to the mirror to check out the results.

Interestingly, her new clothes were not at all translucent like the rest of her was. Also interesting was her choice of attire. She had put on one of her Wonderbolts flight suits, a grey hoodie, and the literal tail end of a dress. With the hood pulled up, tail tucked, and wings stuck under the hoodie, there was barely any part of her not covered up.

The voice in her head burst into a storm of laughter. — You look absolutely ridiculous! —

“Yeah, this looks a lot less cool than I pictured in my head. But am I sun-proof or what?”

— Hmm… this could work, so long as you are mindful of the angle of the sun… Oh, and so long as you don’t mind looking like you’ve lost your mind. —

She shrugged. “Eh, I can live with that. Beats being burned alive.”

— Agreed. Just one more question: how do you intend to get down from your cloud home while your wings are hidden? —

Rainbow blinked. “Uhh… Oh, wait! Another idea!”

— This oughta be good… —

Rainbow Dash may not have been the most clever of ponies, but she certainly was capable of thinking on her hooves. One way or another, her stubborn determination often led to success. The degree of success was of course quite variable, but a win was a win, even if it came with a few bruises or a concussion.

In this case, the conditions of victory were simple: make it down from her cloud home and to meet her friends in one piece. Her solution, at least in her head, was surprisingly elegant. In practice, however, there was one major flaw.

— You’re insane. You’re clinically insane. —

“The word you’re looking for is ‘amazing’.”

Rainbow stood at the edge of her cloud ‘porch’, balancing awkwardly on her hind hooves while clutching a large ball of cumulus in her front. She flattened the mound of fluff into a rough triangle shape, then leapt forth into the open air. Her snout was briefly singed by some combination of sun and wind-burn, but soon after was shrouded beneath the pegasus pony’s makeshift glider as it drifted along towards the world below.

The flaw in this plan was, as it turned out, her upper body strength. While yes, she was a regular athlete and very much in-shape, she sorely underestimated how long she would have to hang from her cloud.

She shifted uncomfortably after a minute or two. “C’mon, gravity, you can do better than that…”

— When you inevitably fall, I feel obligated to warn you- —

“When I fall?! Who said anything about falling? I’ve got this totally under control!” Rainbow would have pouted, but her forelegs were a little preoccupied.

— Look, just try to keep your heart from getting impaled, okay? There’s not much that can outright kill you, but that just so happens to be one of those things. —

Rainbow scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, like I’m gonna fall on a stake. I mean— not like I’m gonna fall at all!”

— Contrary to the myth, it doesn’t need to be a stake, or even wood for that matter. Your heart is your magical epicenter. If it is destroyed, so are you. —

“I mean, what else is new? I’m no doctor but I’m pretty sure non-vampires need their hearts intact. Just sayin’.” Her hoof slid slightly, and she quickly flailed to correct it. “Look, I ain’t gonna fall, alright? Just drop it!”

— Oh, I’m sure one of us will. Don’t look down now. —

The Carousel Boutique had undergone something of a metamorphosis in the years since its owner’s business had taken off. While it was never quite the financial success as the Manehattan or Canterlot locations of Rarity’s small empire, the fashionista had sunk quite a few bits into her Ponyville home. Several new rooms had been added to the various sides, coupled with a more modernistic makeover.

Inside one such extension was a well-furnished dining area, complete with geometric floor tiles, a central round table with black marble top, flush cabinets over ergonomic sink, and wide windows for optimal natural lighting.

“Sounds t’me like somepony had money to burn,” said a certain mare with her southern drawl.

Rarity scoffed. “Sounds to me like somepony is a little jealous.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Jealous o’ what?! Eatin’ off a rock?”

After a brief pause filled with a staring match, both mares burst out into laughter. The others at the table, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, laughed along albeit in an uneasy tone.

“Whew,” said Fluttershy, “and here I thought you were actually upset with one another.”

“Naw, we’re fine!” said Applejack with a chuckle. “I’m just givin’ her a hard time since it's been a while.”

“Indeed,” Rarity added. “Although, given this whole ‘lockdown’ business, I doubt I’ll be going anywhere anytime soon.”

Pinkie Pie huffed. “Right?! Who do these weirdos think they are, tellin’ us what we can and can’t do, huh?”

“Um… the law?” Fluttershy offered. Again, the ponies at the table shared a laugh.

It had been at least a year or two since the friends got to sit down together again. Rarity had a poorly disguised silver streak through her mane, Applejack was trying a new hat, and even Pinkie Pie had been, for lack of better term, ‘toned down’ in the intervening months. In fact, only Fluttershy really looked the same, relatively speaking, and she had recently had her mane trimmed.

“So, uh, when’s breakfast?” asked Applejack. “Or brunch, or whatever we end up eatin’. No rush or nothin’, just mighty curious.”

“Ah, yes,” said Rarity, clearing her throat for effect. “Since this is a special occasion, I’ve actually ordered something a little special; catering from the famous Croissant a Crete de la petite Prance!”

While the unicorn finished with a flourish, the rest of the room stared back in marked silence.

“Um… from where?” asked Pinkie, first brave enough to speak.

Rarity groaned. “It is an authentic Prench pastry shop, all the way from Manehattan. I had the food shipped in a couple of days ago. All we need to do is cast a little spell, then the food will be just as good as fresh from the oven!”

“But not actually fresh from the oven,” Applejack mumbled.

“Oh, what did you want from me?! I had to spend all day yesterday making calls and writing letters to let everypony I work with know that I’m stranded here! When was I supposed to cook?!”

“When have you ever cooked?”

Just as this tension began to simmer once more, the front door back in the foyer slammed open, almost knocking the little bell above off its rack. Bewildered, Rarity galloped over to see who or what had caused such a racket. This left Applejack to awkwardly sit back down into her chair.

And yet, where she had expected to see a bear or yak or even her sister, she instead saw the far overdressed and out-of-breath figure of Rainbow Dash, just before she collapsed to the floor.

“Oh my… Rainbow, darling, are you alright?”

Rainbow took a deep breath to try to stop herself from panting so hard. “I’m not late, am I?” she asked.

Before Rarity could respond, Fluttershy swooped in with a horribly worried look on her face. “Rainbow Dash! What are you doing? You were so sick just yesterday!”

“What? Nah!” Rainbow quickly hopped up to her hooves, half-tripping on the dress piece hanging from her hind end. “I’m fine! No idea what you’re talkin’ about. So we doin’ breakfast or what?” She forced a smile, doing a rapid double-take of the motion to make sure she wasn’t simply baring fangs at her friends.

Fluttershy furrowed her brow and asked in her most motherly tone, “You’re not just pushing yourself for our sakes, are you?”

“Fluttershy, I’m fine! Was just one o’ those… twenty-four hour thingies,” said Rainbow, trying her best to avoid eye contact. “Yeah, I woke up feelin’ great! Ready to attack the day and all that jazz.”

“Glad to hear it,” said Rarity. “But um… oh I can’t help myself; what in Equestria are you wearing?!”

“It’s called fashion, sweetie, look it up,” Rainbow grumbled. “I mean… it’s a uhh… new training regimen! For the Wonderbolts! Yeah, like, gotta make sure we don’t get thrown off by stuff we’re wearing, in case we do like some kinda costume show.”

“Costume is right,” said Rarity, wincing. “Well if you insist. Feel free to get more comfortable while you’re here.”

“Gladly,” said Rainbow. She tossed back her hood and wiggled her wings free, giving them a good flap. Meanwhile, Rarity trotted back towards the others, with Fluttershy not far behind.

And as soon as she moved, Rainbow spotted the massive, floor-to-ceiling windows that effectively made the dining area into a sunroom.

“Oh horsefeathers,” she said with a shudder.

The wonderful smells of hot pancakes, waffles, apple pie, and more filled the room. Clinking utensils and collective ‘mmm’s from everypony helped cement the feeling of a warm, comfortable morning amongst friends.

Yet Rainbow Dash found it hard to fully enjoy herself for a multitude of reasons.

“Mmf, Dath— ulp, I mean, Dashie?” asked Pinkie. “You sure you’re alright? You’ve barely touched your… um, pancake.”

It was true; her plate held but a single pancake, topped with pat of butter and a quick drizzle of syrup. Rainbow quickly snapped up a fork and pulled off a piece to eat. Despite a faint hope deep inside, it still tasted like nothingness. Still, she made the token effort of gulping it down and licking her lips, which seemed to placate Pinkie.

“There ya go!” she said “Erm, I guess. You sure you don’t want more, Dashie? There’s apple piiie!”

Rarity wagged a hoof at Pinkie. “Pinkie, please. I’m sure if she’s already on some sort of exercise regimen, there’s a diet to go with it. Whatever Rainbow Dash needs to do to remain in peak form, I for one am in full support of.”

“Wonderbolts goin’ on a diet?” said Applejack, raising an eyebrow. “Eh, I’ve heard o’ stranger stuff. Speakin’ of, though, how’s it going being part of your dream team, Rainbow? Been too long since we heard from you.”

Rainbow, who until this point had been sitting awkwardly sideways compared to the table, in the furthest seat from the dreaded sun windows, finally turned her head to face the others. With an admittedly weak smile, she said, “Oh, you girls don’t want to hear about all that. Just boring old sports talk, you know me…”

“Yes, Rainbow, we do know you,” Fluttershy chimed in. “That’s why we’re taking an interest in your interests.”

“Spoken like a true professor o’ friendship, Fluttershy,” said Applejack. “I thought you were retiring?”

“Starlight Glimmer is looking for a replacement. I promised her and Twilight that I would stay until then.”

Rainbow frowned. “You’re retiring already? Isn’t it a little early for that?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I’m only retiring from teaching. I want to start working at the animal shelter full-time again. Doctor Fauna can’t do it all by herself…”

“Oh!” said Rarity. “That reminds me; I heard through the grapevine that the captain of the Wonderbolts is going to be retiring. Is that true, Rainbow Dash?”

“Oh, that, um…” Rainbow sighed. “Yeah, Spitfire’s lookin’ to call it quits in a year or two. I heard, well… rumors, I guess, that I’m being considered for her replacement. So that’s cool, kinda.”

“Kinda?!” said Pinkie. “That sounds like a dream come true! Except joining the Wonderbolts at all was your dream but that’s already come true so it’s like a double dream come double true!!”

“I think what she’s trying to say,” Applejack said, “is if you do get the promotion, we’re gonna have to celebrate. Not to mention, uhh…” She doffed her hat, holding it over her heart. “Rainbow, you’ve been workin’ your tail off with the Wonderbolts, and it’s payin’ off. I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that you get to be Captain one day. Heh, looks like it just took you gettin’ involved with somethin’ you’re truly passionate about to learn the value of hard work, but regardless, I’m still awful proud of you.”

Rainbow blinked in astonishment as her friends all looked on expectantly. Then she cracked a wobbly, emotional smile. “A-aww, Applejack!” she whined. “Why’d you have to make this all mushy?”

“I’m just speakin’ the truth, Rainbow. You know that.”

Everypony else at the table shared a myriad of adoring and supportive reactions towards both of them, mostly Rainbow, as she just shrank further into her seat. “Girls, please! It’s not a big deal! Can we just… talk about something else?”

Suddenly, Fluttershy gasped. “Rainbow Dash! Your eye!”

Rainbow blinked once more, only this time she felt some sort of moisture on her cheek. She dabbed it with a hoof, trying to wipe it off.

She did not expect her hoof to come back stained red.

“Oh goodness, dear, you’re bleeding!” said Rarity.

“So much for bein’ fine,” Applejack snapped. “You crazy filly, what’re you doin’ out and about like that?”

Fluttershy slid up closer and began examining Rainbow’s eye in excruciating detail. “Well I don’t see anything wrong… then again, I’m more used to looking at animals, so—”

Rainbow slid back half a foot, glaring bemusedly at the others. She then proceeded to wipe her eye with the sleeve of her outer-layer hoodie, and once she was done, there was no more redness to be found on her face.

“I’m. Fine,” she growled. “I must’ve got something in my eye on the way here. It’s no big deal, stop worrying so much about me!”

“Well sor-ry, Dash,” said Pinkie Pie with a cup and a half of sass. “With all this weird stuff lately, we’re a little on-edge.”

“... right. Erm, sorry,” said Rainbow, sheepishly looking away.

Rarity tapped her hoof on the tabletop. “Girls, let us take a moment to calm down, shall we?” she stated, voice raised over the others’. “None of us, nor any of our loved ones, are missing. We should all be grateful to be safe and to have each other in these troubling times.”

She demonstrated a long, deep breath for the group. Most of the girls followed along on the second and third repetitions; Pinkie’s breaths were a little exaggerated compared to the others’, while Rainbow just felt weird with the whole thing.

“Uh, so on that note,” said Rainbow, once again tilting away from the windows due to a sudden glare. “I kinda, well, passed out early yesterday. What exactly is going on in Ponyville?”

“That’s just it,” said Rarity. “Nopony really knows. I doubt even those Agents have the full story as of yet.”

“I don’t trust ‘em,” said Pinkie, pouting. “I don’t trust anypony that dull, boring, emotionless, trench-coat-wearing—”

“We get it, Pinkie,” said Applejack, “you’re a conspiracy theorist.”

“Am not!” Pinkie blew a raspberry at Applejack. “All I’m saying is that we were havin’ an amazing Nightmare Night, then the next morning these guys show up and there’s ponies missing. Are you saying that’s just a coincidence?!”

Fluttershy cleared her throat. “Well, from what me and Rainbow saw yesterday, I don’t think they’re up to anything bad.”

“Besides,” Rainbow added, “they say there’s a bunch of ponies missing, but do they have proof?” She smirked. “For all I know, it’s some made-up horseapples. Do we know who’s ‘supposedly’ missing?”

“Unfortunately, I wouldn’t really know,” said Rarity with a sheepish smile. “I’ve been off on business for so long, I couldn’t name too many ponies who still live in Ponyville.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I might know some of the students at the School of Friendship, but most of my time is spent with the animals,” she said. “Er, and Discord. And Doctor Fauna. And sometimes Applejack and Pinkie Pie.”

“I think I might’ve recognized one or two of ‘em?” said Applejack, scratching her head. “Not by name, but by face. I reckon they must’ve bought somethin’ from the market stall.”

Pinkie Pie then let out a window-rattling groan. “Are you kidding me?!”

“Uh, Pinkie, this was your theory, wasn’t it?” asked Rainbow.

“Hmph!” said Pinkie. She hopped up from her chair and began pacing in front of the windows; Rainbow figured she’d rather risk sunburns than the wrath of an upset Pinkie Pie, and turned to face the party pony. “Ahem; Sky Arrow, stallion, weather pegasus, likes his donuts with sprinkles but not green ones. Amethyst Aura, mare, record-keeper in Mayor Mare’s office, secretly loves all things strawberry. Ivy Rose, mare, local gardener and gossip, currently on a diet but occasionally sneaks a slice of cake. Frost Blossom, teen colt, quiet kid but a real smart cookie, loves to come around for ice cream. Needlepoint, filly and student at the School of Friendship, big fan of spooky stuff and books, regularly orders a baker’s dozen cookies for a snack.”

The other girls just stared for a beat.

“Ugh!” Pinkie rolled her eyes. “I know everypony in Ponyville, duh!! I’ve been worried sick since they went missing… I thought that maybe, just maybe, spending time with my best friends could get my mind off of all this, but…”

At this point, Pinkie slumped over with a sigh.

“Sorry we brought it up,” said Rainbow at a half-whisper.

“I’m not upset with you girls,” said Pinkie, sniffling. “I’m just… overwhelmed lately. Could we please just, mayhap, talk about happier stuff?”

Fluttershy hugged Pinkie with one wing. “Of course, Pinkie.” This was followed by general hums of agreement from the rest.

Rarity opened her mouth to chime in, but just then she heard a chime back at the front door. “Oh, for Celestia’s sake… I swear, I set the sign to closed! I’ll be right back.”

As the unicorn trotted back to the foyer, Applejack and Rainbow joined Fluttershy in comforting their friend.

“It’ll be alright, girl,” said Applejack. “I’ll bet they all turn up in another day or two.”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, what she said. I mean, I turned up, and they thought I was gone!’”

Pinkie gasped, bolting upright. “That’s right! Oh, Dashie, I’m so glad you’re safe!”

“I thought we’ve already been over this like a dozen tim—”

Before Rainbow could finish her thought, she found herself tightly embraced by the party mare. Almost painfully so, as if Pinkie never wanted to let go. The pegasus pony awkwardly patted her friend on the back, in spite of limited mobility. “Pinkie, please. You’re kinda smothering—”

Th-thum th-thum th-thum

On pure instinct, Rainbow sniffed the air. To her horror, her senses were overwhelmed with the scent of honey-sweet cider tinged with bitter iron. She could see the pulse on her friend’s neck, and her mouth began to water.

“Mm!” Rainbow yelped, pushing off of Pinkie. The earth pony was effectively tossed to the ground, while Rainbow flailed and fell back herself.

Fluttershy and Applejack shared a startled and confused look, which they then directed at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow sheepishly grinned back at them, almost curling up into a ball.

“I, uhh…”

And then Pinkie snickered. “It’s okay, Rainbow Dash. I know I can get a little extra-excited sometimes.”

“Yeah, that’s… that’s what happened,” Applejack muttered. “Was still pretty rude, Rainbow.”

“Well yeah, but she was, uh, kinda crushing me? Yeah, and… I guess I panicked?”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “That makes sense, I think.”

For another few awkward seconds, the four looked around to each other in silence. The silence was broken not by them, but a pair of sets of hoofsteps entering the room, one far more brisk than the other.

“Pinkie Pie,” said Rarity, “you have a visitor. Sounds like something— well, not exactly urgent, but pressing surely.”

Her new guest stepped out from behind her, a grey earth pony whose expression was as flat as it ever was. “Good morning Pinkie. Good morning everypony else.”

“Maud!” Pinkie sprung right back up and, giving Rainbow a sense of deja vu as the pink pony pounced upon her sister. “What’s up?”

Maud was literally unmoved by the hug, yet figuratively seemed to be oh-so-slightly affected. “Pinkie Pie, can we talk about something? In private, if possible.”

Pinkie blinked in shock. “O-oh. Yeah, of course, Maud,” she said. “Erm… excuse me girls, gotta go deal with some Pie family business, apparently.” With that, the two trotted back around the corner.

Rarity turned to the others with a smile. “Well, hopefully they won’t be long,” she said. “I see we’ve gone through most of the food by now. Could I interest any of you in a game or two of Old Mare while we’re all here?”

“Gee, Rarity,” said Rainbow Dash, “you know I’d love to, but I just remembered a thing at a place that I should, uhh… go to. Like, soonish. If not now. Yeah now’s probably best.” She smiled as if to offer an apology, but in reality it looked painfully toothy.

“Oh,” said Rarity. “Well, of course, Rainbow. I wouldn’t want to keep you.”

“Thanks Rarity!” Rainbow blurted out, already trotting for the door. “I owe you a game sometime— Later!”

She was out the door before anypony else could get in so much as a ‘goodbye’.

“So,” said Applejack, “that was weird, right?”

Rarity shrugged. “I’d say yes, but I never know with that pony.”

Fluttershy simply furrowed her brow. “Rainbow Dash,” she mumbled to herself, “what are you hiding?”

Comments

[Grey Goat Gal]

We are probably going to meet the missing ponies at some point.
That also got me thinking, how come RD, unlike everyone else, managed to come back? You would think she would end up with all the other turned ponies. I doubt every single missing pony was 'lost', especially the weather pegasus, so they had to be taken, right?

So wtf is Fae planning?!

[BluePonyOverlord]

I agree with pinkie about the Trenchcoats. A missing persons case is hardly a reason for military occupation.

[BluePonyOverlord]

10195877
I think rainbow was able to came back because she, being the element of loyalty, was resistant to the psychological change.