• Published 12th Sep 2012
  • 25,131 Views, 589 Comments

Third Time's a Charm - RazedRainbow



After Rainbow Dash saves her life yet again, Rarity lets something out.

  • ...
40
 589
 25,131

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Rarity shivered as consciousness crept back into her. The cool dampness of the early morning air seemed to have wrapped itself around her. She let her eyes crack open and take in the appallingly gray dawn. A fog had settled over the valley, and Rarity swore it looked just like a scene out of a zombie movie. Not that a lady such as her would dare watch something as barbaric as a zombie movie. Well, not frequently at least—she was allowed an escape from time to time, was she not?

Groaning, she attempted to roll onto her stomach, but her deceitful body decided that now was as good a time as ever to betray her, and she simply did a barrel roll. A sound came from somewhere behind her, but she couldn’t tell what—it almost sounded to her like a laugh. Rarity muttered profanities, begging for forgiveness for her uncouthness seconds after they’d been uttered, and was eventually able to get her legs beneath her. Standing was a struggle, and when she tried to take a step forward, she resembled a newborn deer learning to walk. The sound came again, louder this time. Rarity knew exactly what—or rather, who—it was, and she made sure she had her face set in her best ‘disapproving glare’ before she whirled around.

The sight of Rainbow Dash was not a shocking one; as much as she didn’t want it to be the case, she was stuck with that cocky ruffian. Part of her wished that Rainbow would go on without her; leave her to wallow in her misery in peace. Still, Rarity knew that that part of her was stupid: Rainbow wouldn’t just leave her, and she didn’t want to be alone.

Rainbow Dash was sitting near the shore of the pond, facing away from her. However, Rarity could see her stealing an occasional glance over her shoulder. As she approached, she couldn’t help but notice that Dash seemed a bit... deflated. Her ears were pressed flat against her head, her mane was even more disheveled than usual, her wings hung loose at her sides, and her head and shoulders sagged as if an entire planet rested upon them.

“Morning,” Rainbow said, her voice quieter than Rarity had ever heard.

“Good morning to you as well,” Rarity said as she sat down beside Dash. She waited for a response, but the only sounds she got were cricket chirps and wakes in the pond. “How’s your wing?” she added. “I see you can unfurl it now.”

Rainbow looked to her left, flapped the wing a few times, and grimaced. “Yeah,” she replied. “Still pretty stiff, though.”

Rarity nodded and looked at the sky around them. She let out a soft chuckle. “Lovely day.”

“Yeah.” Rainbow snorted, fidgeting slightly. Rarity noticed Dash biting her own bottom lip. She let out another chuckle.

“Do you happen to know what time it is, Rainbow?” Rarity asked, scraping at a wretched glob of mud that’d had the audacity to stick to one of her hooves.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “What makes ya think I’d know that?”

“Aren’t all pegasi naturally attuned to the skies?”

“Well, yeah, but—”

“Furthermore,” Rarity continued, “isn’t time judged by the position of the sun or moon in the sky?”

“I guess, but...” Rainbow threw her forelegs in the air. “Look, what the hay does this have to do with anything? What are you gettin’ at?”

“Nothing,” Rarity said, glancing at her forehoof—it wasn’t clean or filed nicely, but it would have to do. “I just wanted to know what time it was.” She wiped at her nose with her foreleg; her coy smirk was left unseen.

There was a long pause as Rainbow stared at Rarity, eyes narrowed. Eventually, she sighed and glanced at the murky veil above them. “I’d say it’s around six-thirty. Seven-thirty at the latest.”

Rarity let out a dramatic gasp. “My, my. I had—”

She was silenced by a hoof being thrust into her mouth. Rainbow’s stare could freeze Tartarus.

“What are you trying to do, Rarity?” she asked, her voice as cold as her glare. “What do you want me to say? Just get to the point already.”

Rarity sighed. What did she want her to say? The more she thought of it, the more she realized just how pointless her attempts at small talk were. Did they serve a purpose? Most definitely not. Maybe it was because she hated the silence. Maybe it was because she hated to see anypony in a seemingly down mood—sure, she wasn’t a Pinkie-Pie-level smile-lover, but she hated the sight of a frown. Or maybe it was just that she wanted to hear Dash speak, see her smile, giggle at how flustered she could get when something annoyed her. Finding no answer, she shook her head. “Nothing, Rainbow. Just trying to make conversation.”

“Well, then,” Rainbow said, rising to her hooves. “How ‘bout ya try ‘making conversation’ on the road. I’ve had it up to here with this friggin’... everything.” She snorted and trudged away from the pond. It took Rarity a moment to register that Dash was marching off, and by the time she was up and following, Rainbow was already a good hundred meters away. Though Rarity was more of a snail than a track star, she was surprised at how quickly she was able to catch up. Rainbow Dash had returned to her slumped form. She trotted up beside the droopy pegasus and leaned down, trying her best to lock eyes—eye contact was proper etiquette and of utmost importance in dealing with a distressed friend.

The thing that took Rarity most by surprise was Rainbow’s face. Her mouth was curved downwards into a tight scowl, but her eyes glowed with what Rarity could only call pain. What was bothering her?

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than Rarity spoke. “Rainbow Dash, can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, sure, what?”” Rainbow muttered, not looking up or losing a step.

“Well,” Rarity said. “I couldn’t help but notice that you seem a bit... bothered this morning.”

Rainbow stole a quick glance at her, eyes burning. “Yeah, so?”

“I was wondering if, perhaps, you’d like to talk about it. Do you want to?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

Rainbow stopped and looked Rarity dead in the eyes. Rarity expected Dash’s eyes to be filled with anger; instead they simply looked tired. “Why’re you so set on getting me to spill my guts to you, huh?”

“Why, it’s only fair,” Rarity said. “You listened to me when I was upset, so why shouldn’t I want to return the favor?”

“Fine. You want to know what’s wrong? Well, I’ll tell you. I haven’t flown in two days, my wing hurts, I’m tired and hungry, and I only slept about an hour last night because I realized how big of a jerk I was to you. So, yeah, that’s what’s wrong.” Rainbow’s voice began to crack near the end, and from the look in her eyes Rarity knew it was far from one of her typical voice cracks.

Rarity bit her lip and kicked a twig sticking out of the grass. “Oh, Dash, you weren’t a jerk... well, not a big one at least. Sure, what you did was a bit rude, but, well, I probably shouldn’t have been quite as... dramatic.” She added a laugh at the end; the corners of Rainbow’s lips didn’t even fidget.

Silence overtook them—it was becoming as normal as the wind nowadays—as they continued to move forward. There were treetops in the distance, Rarity could see them clearly without squinting now, but besides that there was simply grass as far as the eye could see, the occasional rock or hill making a surprise appearance before vanishing among the endless green. Rarity groaned. While she was not one for adventuring through the unknown, and while she was glad that she was at least safe, she did wish that something would happen to make all this walking a tad less dull.

Maybe a deer tribe or even a herd of nomadic ponies. She went through the ideas in her head, smiling slightly. Ooh, yes, deer would be splendid. I hear that antlers are big in Manehattan this year. Oh, the fine hats I could make. And they have such a fond appreciation of the colors of nature too! She sighed. No, Rarity, we mustn’t get our hopes up. Deer tribes don’t travel through the plains; they are forest dwellers. A small squeak escaped her lips as she glanced to the distant trees. Hmm, maybe I...

The thought was left uncompleted as Rainbow Dash spoke.

“Look, I’m really sorry about last night.”

“Rainbow Dash, we have been over this. There is no need to—”

“Let me finish!” She jumped back a little, seemingly shocked by her own volume. “Please,” she continued in a much quieter voice, “just let me finish.” She sighed. “I shouldn’t have laughed at you. I was just...” The words drifted off as she glanced to her right. “Yeah, I was making fun of you at first. I mean, you were as obvious as an elephant in a flowerbed there, Rare. Just all like...” Rainbow’s eyes bugged out and let her tongue hang out of her mouth. After a few seconds her composure fell and she giggled, but it lacked the luster it usually held.

Rarity didn’t notice this; she was too busy scoffing. “I resent your accusation! I most certainly did not like some sort of feral dog!”

Rainbow shot her a brief smirk. “And you know what your face looked like, how?”

Rarity said nothing, instead resorting to pouting.

Rainbow gave a quick chuckle—though, judging from the way her face fell, it may have just been a grunt. “But... then...” She sighed, veered in front of Rarity, and nearly pressed her nose against hers. “Rarity, you have to promise me somethin’.”

She nodded. Rainbow’s expression didn’t cool down a bit.

“What I’m about to say doesn’t leave this valley.”

“Okay, Rainbow Dash, if you insist.”

With a nod, Rainbow turned around and began to walk forward again, Rarity tripping over her own hooves behind her. Eventually, she got her legs to cooperate, and was parallel to Rainbow once more. It was then that Rainbow began to speak.

“At first it was all for giggles. You were obviously checking me out, and I decided, ‘Hey, why not have some fun with this?’ I mean, these last two days have... well, I want to say ‘sucked,’ but that sounds a bit mean. You’re a pretty cool pony, Rare. That is, when you’re not going head over hooves about boring crap like manes and clothes.”

Rarity frowned, but nodded for Dash to continue. All the while, she could feel a storm welling in her gut.

“But then you... ya said that you were... I don’t know what that word means, but there was a look in your eyes.” Rainbow bowed her head, and Rarity could have sworn she saw her shoulders shake. “Nopony’s ever looked at me like that before. And it... it cut deep. Like I really felt bad—still do.” She sighed and and her gaze moved from the ground to Rarity. The look nearly made her stop. Dash—Rainbow Dash: self-proclaimed queen of ‘awesome,’ and postermare for all that was ‘cool’—was crying. Not sobs or even steady streams, but the lurching of her chest and misty eyes told the tale. When Dash spoke again, it was barely above a whisper. “I don’t want to hurt you, Rarity. I like you too damn much.”

Rarity couldn’t believe her ears. She could barely even think, and when she replied, “I like you too, Rainbow,” her lips were moving completely on autopilot. Rainbow liked her. That shouldn’t come as a surprise—they were Elements of Harmony, and, even though they weren’t ‘super-ultra-bestest-friend’ they got along perfectly well in spite of their glaring differences in attitude and opinions. So, why did this revelation make her heart nearly leap out of her chest? Why was her face as hot as metal on a summer day? Why was it that the only thing her legs wished at that moment was to be wrapped around Rainbow Dash?

She was about to respond—with what words, she could not say—but Rainbow had already started walking again. It took her longer to catch up this time.

“Heh, you’re right, Rare,” Dash said as soon as they were side by side again. “Lettin’ junk out really does help.”

“I told you it would,” Rarity said quickly. “But, I have to ask, is that all you wanted to talk about?” She had no idea what she wanted out of Dash, or at least that’s what she told herself. In the back of her mind, though, she knew exactly what she wanted Rainbow to say.

A confession. A declaration.

“Eh, pretty much,” Dash said with a shrug. Suddenly, her eyes brightened. “Hang on. There is another thing. A... preposition.”

“I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘proposition,’ Dash.”

“Whatever.”

Rarity couldn’t help but chortle. It was good to have the old, brash Rainbow back; upset Rainbow just didn’t feel right. “Anyway,” she said once her giggles were under control, “you were saying?”

Rainbow shrugged again. “It was nothing, really.”

“Hmph!” Rarity stuck out her bottom lip. “You can’t just pique my interest and leave me hanging like that.”

“Well, tough luck.” Rainbow gave a quick laugh. Rarity had to admit it was strange, the way Rainbow Dash could transition between emotions in a flash; all evidence that Rainbow had even been upset was gone, save for Rarity’s memory.

All of a sudden, Rainbow gasped, and her eyes lit up like the Las Haygas strip. “Hey, whaddya say we make this trek a bit less boring?”

“What did you have in mind?” Rarity asked.

“I dunno. I was gonna suggest a race, but that’d be silly.” Rainbow shot her a smirk. “I mean, you’re not much of a racer, and besides, I don’t want to embarrass you.”

Rarity arched her eyebrow. “Really now? ‘Embarrass?’ And what do you mean by that, pray tell?”

“No offense, Rare, but I could beat you in a race if my wings and legs were lopped off.”

“How sure are you about that?”

“Two hundred percent,” Rainbow said, an impish grin spreading across her face.

“Where to?”

Rainbow tilted her head. “‘Scuse me?”

It was Rarity’s turn to smirk. “You want to race? Well, let’s race then.”

“You sure?”

“Of course. What makes you think I’m not?”

Rainbow simply smiled and shook her head. “Fine. Here—” She pointed to a distant speck. “—to that boulder over there.”

Rarity squinted, stared at the boulder, looked over to Rainbow Dash, then back to the boulder, and gulped. What had she just gotten herself into? Her definition of a ‘hard run’ was a sprint to the kitchen to turn off the oven before Sweetie Belle burned the Boutique to the ground.

Sweetie Belle...

A race gave her an excuse to speed up, and the faster she moved, the faster she got back home. She glanced at Rainbow Dash, who was already preparing for the race. She was stretching, just as she always did before any race, though she didn’t seem to be taking it that seriously. Rarity smiled. They always underestimate a lady. Daft ponies, the lot of them. As Dash began to stretch out her hind legs, she shot Rarity a knowing glance. Rarity simply rolled her eyes, and looked off towards the boulder—the forest couldn’t be far beyond it. She looked back to Rainbow. Even if she did lose horribly, at least there was a lovely view she could enjoy.

A part of her wanted to slap herself for such crude thoughts. That part was obviously the kind that didn’t enjoy a bit of fun, and she ignored it as she should.

“So, you ready to lose,” Rainbow called out, rousing her from her thoughts. She was low to the ground, ready to bolt.

Rarity chortled. “Oh, it is on, darling.” She lowered herself into a ready position as well. “How should we start this?”

“On the count of three,” Rainbow said. For a while, all was silent, save for distant birdsongs. Then Rainbow continued, “One... two...

“...Three!”

As was to be expected, Rainbow got a good start, and was many meters away from Rarity in a matter of seconds. Still, just as Rarity guessed, Rainbow clearly wasn’t looking at her as serious competition; her run was more of a trot than a gallop. Rainbow was comfortable. Rarity had her right where she wanted her.

A lady doesn’t leap. A lady paces. A lady waits. And when she sees an opening, a lady attacks full-force.

Every muscle in her body pushed at once, and Rarity soon found herself gaining on Dash. She looked over at her and gave a sly smile. Rainbow still thought she had a good lead. Oh, Dash, Rarity thought. So confident, but oh so oblivious. Her gaze traced Rainbow’s body, from her flowing mane to her thundering hooves. A familiar heat rose in Rarity’s chest. She’d always had a weakness for athletic bodies.

Around the moment that Rarity’s eyes moved from Rainbow’s waving tail to her... intriguing posterior, a loud yell entered her mind. She looked away quickly, and noticed that Rainbow had noticed her. Why must she always catch me at the worst possible times? However, judging by Rainbow’s quick increase in speed, she was far more concerned with losing than what Rarity’s eyes might be lingering on.

By that point it was a lost cause. Rainbow was putting actual effort into racing her now, and was already way ahead. Rarity should have just given up then, slowed her gallop and lowered her head in defeat, but something pushed her forward. Her legs were working harder than they’d ever done before, and her whole body was encased in a feeling of numbness. At that moment there was only her and Rainbow Dash. By some miracle, she found herself gaining ground again. It was like a dream; even her mind felt like it was adrift. She couldn’t hear her hooves or breath, couldn't feel the burning in her legs or chest—she wasn’t even sure if she was moving anymore. Her eyes were locked on Rainbow Dash, admiring the natural way she moved at unnatural speeds, enjoying the way her muscles rippled, and adoring the gleam in her eyes—one of pure joy and determination.

And then, all at once, it stopped.

Rainbow slowed, and Rarity slowed with her. They both came to rest in the shadow of a boulder as tall as they were. For a second, everything was peaceful. Then all the exertions hit Rarity at once, and she collapsed to the ground in a groaning heap, her legs splayed out and her back shaking. Everything hurt.

“Rainbow...” she managed to whimper.

“Yeah?” Dash gasped out a response.

“Remind me to never do this again.”

Rainbow laughed. “I’ll try.”

Rarity could only whimper in response.

“I gotta admit,” Rainbow said after a long pant-filled pause, “I’m impressed. Didn’t think you had such a flair to you, Rare.”

“Neither did I,” Rarity said, her voice but a squeak.

“Man, that was cool. We should race again sometime.”

“Let’s not and say we did. I don’t think my legs will ever move again.”

“Eh, you’re fine,” Rainbow said. Rarity could hear her hooves breaking blades of grass as she walked around. How is she able to move already? “Just gotta remember to prep yourself next time,” Rainbow added. “Racing on stiff muscles is just asking for a bad time.”

“Sure...” was all Rarity could manage. How could Rainbow Dash, or any athletic pony for that matter, deal with a life of pain such as this? All she wanted now was to lay there and never move again.

“Hey, Rare, get up!”

“Ungh...” Rarity mumbled.

“C’mon!”

“No.”

“I think you’ll like this.”

“Rainbow,” Rarity muttered, lifting her head, “I swear if this is another one of your jokes, I’ll... I’ll... huh?”

Rainbow was standing a ways off, staring at something Rarity couldn’t see on the account of the boulder. Rainbow looked over at her and motioned for her to come over. Rarity sighed whimpered as she slowly rose to her hooves. She couldn’t feel her legs, but somehow she was able to make it over to where Rainbow stood. She leaned against the giant rock and glowered at Rainbow Dash. “This had better be good,” she groused.

Rainbow said nothing. Instead she shot Rarity one of the biggest grins she’d ever seen—winning-the-Best-Young-Flyers-Competition-level big. With a groan, Rarity followed Rainbow’s gaze...

...and her lips formed a smile that was just as wide.

Before her sat a large crack in the earth, as wide as a street, twisting off into the distance.

Ghastly Gorge.

She fell back on her haunches, the smile on her face only growing. She felt Rainbow give her a pat on the back, but her mind barely registered it. She was too happy to think or feel.

They were almost home.

Author's Note:

Here we are, folks. A new chapter. Sorry it took so long; me and this fic have a bit of a love-hate relationship at times. Still, this was a fun chapter to write in spite of how long it took me to get off my lazy ass and actually type it, and hopefully it satisfies the fans of this fic (and boy are there a lot of you O_O )

A big thanks to Bronius Maximus for proofing this chapter, and also a thanks to Cynewulf for keeping the RariDasher in me alive and hungry for diamonds and polychromatic rays of light.