Guardian Angel

by The Mysterious N

Double Edged...Guitar?

Guardian Angel

Chapter 10: Double Edged...Guitar?

Rainbow Dash took a sip of her tea, looking around the inside of Rarity's boutique. After having planned out the concert a few days ago, Twilight and Rainbow had started thinking of an idea for Rainbow's costume. Having no such luck, Rainbow found herself in the position of asking her fashionista friend in designing a costume.

For now she waited; Rarity was finishing an order for a customer, which gave Rainbow time to prepare. She looked over at the old practice helmet resting on the couch beside her. It had been found during one of the aforementioned brainstorming sessions; an old remnant from Spike's hoarding 'episode'. Glancing over Rainbow noticed Rarity approaching, a pleasant smile on her face. Rainbow gulped. This was it.

"Well I thought I'd never see you in here willingly darling. I must say I was quite surprised to see you walking in through my door." Rarity greeted. It was true, Rainbow was the last pony she expected to see visiting her. Rarity sat down across from Rainbow, and picked up the other tea-cup in a blue glow. Taking a sip of the warm liquid, she studied her guest. Rainbow seemed okay, but Rarity could detect a hint of nervousness in the pegasus. A peculiar helmet rested on the couch beside Rainbow, vaguely reminiscent of the one worn during the Hearth's Warming Eve play. "Now what can I help you with dear?"

"I need a costume for Nightmare Night." Rainbow simply responded, her voice neutral.

Rarity was a bit surprised, Nightmare Night was still a few weeks off.

'Why would Rainbow need it so early?' Rarity wondered. No matter, her friend was asking for help and Rarity would give it. Besides Rarity had always enjoyed making costumes, this would be a nice change from the slightly boring formal wear she had worked on earlier.

Nodding, Rarity asked the next question, "Isn't it a bit early to be requesting a costume for Nightmare Night? It's still weeks off, though it is nice to prepare ahead of time," Rarity noted, thinking over Rainbow's somewhat odd request."And do you have an idea about what you want this outfit to look like?" She asked.

"Well...I haven't really thought of that. I guess something like that Commander Hurricane outfit would be okay. This helmet is really all I've got." Rainbow responded, prodding the helmet with a hoof. Rarity picked up the piece of headgear in a field of magic and studied it. It was a fairly plain helmet, faded black material with a faint purple trim around the edges. A worn plume rested on top.

Rarity could work with this, "I'm guessing you want something to go with this, perhaps something similar to the armor worn by Princess Luna's personal guard?"

Rainbow brightening at the idea, nodded eagerly, "Yeah, but lighter. I need to be able to move in this, so no heavy plates and stuff."

Rarity smiled once again; she had a pretty good idea on what to do but first measurements were required. "I'll need to measure you then, please step over here." She replied, pointing to the desired spot with a hoof. Rainbow trudged over, albeit reluctantly. Calling over her trusty tape measure with a wave of her horn, Rarity got to work. She quickly took all of Rainbow's dimensions, noting with amusement the discomfort present on Rainbow's face. The last time they'd done this, the cyan pegasus wouldn't stop fidgeting; spouting complaints about how she'd rather be flying. Stepping back she nodded once to Rainbow, signifying that the job was done.

"Now dear as much as I enjoy your company, I do need my space to work." Rarity declared, gently nudging Rainbow in the direction of the door. While it seemed a bit rude, Rarity did need her space. The last week had been pretty stressful, several large orders had been placed. No argument was given from Rainbow, and they moved towards the door.

"So when can I pick it up?" Rainbow asked. She really wanted this over and done as quick as possible. Stepping outside Rainbow stretched her wings, readying herself for takeoff.

Rarity chuckled, "Give me a few days, then come back. I promise it'll be wonderful dear."

Rainbow smiled, taking off into the sky. With one last glance at Rainbow's receding form Rarity turned back to her shop. She'd need to contact one of her friends from Canterlot, a blacksmith by the name of Hammered Steel. He was a fairly frequent visitor, often needing outfits for various formal events. Being the Royal Guard's go-to-blacksmith had it's quirks. With a smile Rarity walked back into her home, the idea continuing to refine itself in her head.

---

Rainbow Dash returned home exhausted. Finishing her business with Rarity to create a costume, she'd spent a few hours just flying around. She'd lapped the surrounding area of Ponyville several times. It was a good workout, especially when done at Rainbow's usual speeds. After grabbing a quick bite in town and visiting Twilight, she had made her way home. Right now she paced her living room, lost in thought.

Twilight had told her to be on the lookout for a letter from Vinyl. She wasn't at all surprised, expecting the musically talented unicorn to be involved with the concert. What did surprise Rainbow was that Twilight was getting personal lessons from the Vinyl Scratch. She'd mentioned something about controlling her body language, along with some singing techniques. While Rainbow was more open to the idea of sharing her guitar playing now, she didn't know if she could do it. By now she'd entered her studio, and simply stood there and looked at her guitars. The two hung on the wall, similar to each other, and yet radically different.

Picking up the electric guitar, Rainbow looked at her reflection in the glossy black surface. Her visage stared back at her, a look of deep thought etched on it's face. The guitar was a touchy subject for Rainbow. It really was a double-edged sword...guitar. The instrument in general represented so much to Rainbow, both good memories and bad ones.

On one hoof, playing the guitar symbolized freedom. It was more liberating than flying. Rather than stretching her wings, playing the guitar let her mind soar in its own sky. Behind closed doors, she could be whomever she wanted. No stares, no fear of being judged. It was her own personal paradise, an escape from her daily troubles. She'd always had trouble expressing herself, not boasting, but showing who she truly was. It also helped Rainbow remember her mother. Every glance at the acoustic brought on a cherished memory. Her mother had taught her to play; to channel her feelings into music when words failed her.

On the other it represented years of suffering. From being constantly put down by Gilda, the impertinent griffon doing her best to slander anything "weak" she saw in Rainbow Dash. While she never publicly confronted Rainbow, she kept it as blackmail, constantly threatening to spill the beans. It hurt Rainbow to have to hide such an important part of her life; who then wanted nothing more to be accepted by the griffon. She cried herself to sleep almost nightly for several weeks; her guitar and the pleasures it brought forgotten. Rainbow now realized how truly horrible of a friend Gilda had been, even before her visit to Ponyville.

Even after Gilda had stopped being an influence on Rainbow's life, the damage was done. She was terrified of sharing her talent with anypony; the constant heckling from Gilda echoing in Rainbow's head. Even when she'd started dating Rainbow held back. Her relationships, the few she'd had, failed quickly; she just didn't want to share herself, always afraid of what the other would think. The most heartbreaking one was her first sweetheart since high school. They'd hit it off well, being classmates in their first year of college. She felt like she could be herself and be accepted. Rainbow was crushed when her special somepony chose his career over being with Rainbow.

For a while Rainbow didn't know what to do with herself. She relentlessly cursed the world for it's cruelty. Why couldn't anypony understand her?! Eventually she hit her breaking point, fed up with the acoustic she had decided to give up. She'd had the instrument raised, poised to smash it against the unforgiving ground; to be rid of it from her life forever. She couldn't do it. The memories and the hours spent playing the instrument were just too much; it was the last real memento that Rainbow had of her mother. The cutie mark engraved on the wooden surface brought up so many happy memories. So she'd left Cloudsdale, guitars in tow, and made a new life in Ponyville. She'd practiced her craft in near secret; the only pony to know being Lyra, who was the main source of musical goods in town.

Then it all changed two years ago. Rainbow met Twilight Sparkle, or more accurately crashed into her. The two became friends quickly, even before discovering that they were both Elements of Harmony. Their bond only strengthened during the course of their various adventures; from dragons to Discord. Around Twilight, she felt more carefree; she knew Twilight would never hurt her. Well almost never; memories of Mare-Do-Well came to mind, but she quickly pushed those memories back; they weren't important now. Twilight had helped Rainbow's discover the joys of reading. She'd helped Rainbow pick her own pet; Tank never gave up. Rainbow wouldn't either.

She'd shared her secret hobby with Twilight; and was glad to have done so. Twilight enjoyed every minute of it, never once expressing any negative reactions like Rainbow expected. It felt good to be accepted for who she was. Rainbow found herself playing with more and more enthusiasm every time. It felt great to play for an audience, to see the appreciation on Twilight's face. Most importantly Rainbow felt like she wasn't letting herself down for once. She was as carefree as could be when she played, sometimes even trying songs she'd never thought of playing ever.

They grew closer, able to trust each other with anything. The recent events, slightly marred by Rainbow's early misinterpretation, had brought them even closer together. Twilight had confided her insecurities in Rainbow and like the element she embodied, Rainbow Dash was there for her. It was then that Rainbow came upon an epiphany. Her answer to the question that had plagued her life.

She'd simply never had anypony put their complete trust in her. Aside from her parents, whom she missed dearly, nopony had trusted her as much as Twilight did. That night when they sang together, Rainbow realized that she didn't care what others thought. It was worth it; to see the lavender unicorn smiling.

The dedication Twilight showed to her, it warmed Rainbow's heart. Even when faced with the prospect of singing in front of hundreds of ponies, Twilight had accepted her condition without any hesitation. Rainbow had strived for everypony's approval, wanting their adoration, but missing the point of music itself. It wasn't about getting praise, but about expressing oneself. The praise from ponies was just a nice bonus.

Giddy at her revelation, Rainbow couldn't concentrate long enough to play. She lovingly ran her hoof down the neck of the instrument, enthralled that she hadn't given up. A single tear splashed on the body; she was finally ready to stop running from her past and she'd do it in a loud way. Rainbow went to bed that night very happy-she'd finally found a purpose in playing the guitar.

She'd do it, not just for herself-but for Twilight as well. Rainbow Dash would do anything to make Twilight happy...

Author's Note:

Well, I'm happy to get this out finally. Many revisions later we have this chapter. Thanks once again Red-Dream for the fantastic beta work.
Next week we finally wrap up the Nightmare Night mini-arc. So far the chapters turned out great. It'll be up next weekend.
Until then, rock on!
~Nuuk

Comments

[Shielded Myth]

nice, very very nice
i really liked that chapter, almost as much as i liked the rainbow and twi talking chapter
great work and keep it up

[Dr. Equestria]

DAM MAN, YOU MAKE THES- *cough* What I mean to say is, that I wish the length of your chapters would be even longer. But as I can see they steadily increase per chapter so I am content.

Nice to see that the ground roots for the ship have been set.

[starwarsbrony]

i'm really hyped about next weekend

[The Mysterious N]

2061915
I'm working on it. Not so easy, but I'm getting there. Slowly but steadily...

~Nuuk

[DerpyDash2131]

2061915
2071996
Long chapters are hard to get sometimes. Hey, if we get a chapter once a week, I'm content with the length.

[The Mysterious N]

2072436
That's what I'm aiming for. :)

[DerpyDash2131]

2074728 With school and extra curriculars, I get one chapter a week with 750 words -_-

[The Mysterious N]

2075702
Ah, the joys of college life...
Anyways, the concert chapter is coming along nicely. Should be posted Saturday-ish so be on the lookout for that. ;)

~Nuuk

[Wyst]

http://lostzilla.deviantart.com/art/Guardian-Angel-352052176

[The Mysterious N]

Alright, so I feel like I owe you guys an explanation. I had originally planned to release the next chapter on Saturday, but a recent flux of schoolwork has kept both me and my beta busy. He's been really quiet for the past week or so, and I'm guessing schoolwork.

I've also stumbled upon some writers block, and boy is it annoying. I took a break from this story, and now feel as if I can return to writing.

I'm not making any promises, it all depends on whether I hear from my beta these next few days. If not, then we'll see. You'll know if there's a new chapter up.

Thanks for putting up with me,
~Nuuk.
P.S. : In no way is this story abandoned, updates are just a bit slow right now.

[Daring Cammie Do]

Rainbow was crushed when her special somepony chose his career over being with Rainbow

Like most good things, this too had to come to an end. After graduation her marefriend was given a choice: pursue a career in Manehatten away from Rainbow Dash, or stay in Cloudsdale. She chose her career.

I'm pretty sure that these two are the same pony but ones a stallion the other is a mare. I think that's a mistake.