Honesty and Loyalty
I see angry ponies around me. They want my head. Bloom cowers beneath me, she's scared. Mac is on my side, we are trying to protect Granny Smith all their fury. For years and years we have been proud to Ponyville, our apples reached all four corners of Equestria. There was not a single pony that knew them, from the poorest to the princesses.
Now Ponyville want our heads. It all started over a family reunion, we had a few barrels of cider left over from last season and decided to open them. I could not imagine was that some few mares and stallions could drink as much cider.
The destruction it was overall. The library, City Hall, the Fluttershy's chicken coop, the SugarCube Corner, the Carousel Boutique, the fair, the gardens of Rose, Lily and Daisy, the vegetable garden of carrots Carrot Top ... There as nothing left whole, except perhaps, the Sweet Apple Acres and Rainbow's cloudhouse too. I can see it from where I am, so pompous and majestic as ever.
Bloom is crying, she is afraid of the torches and pitchforks that ponies are holding. I can see Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and even Twilight. Fluttershy is not as calm as the usual, her expression is hard. Pinkie Pie is not smiling. Rarity's countenance is not nothing like a elegant pony. Twilight's horn is shining really bad.
"You will pay for what they did. For your fault, Poyville is destroyed!" It was that the chorus of voices screamed loudly.
Somepony ripped Apple Bloom from under me. she's never been so scared as now, and I could not do anything. It was my idea to open the barrels. But Bloom did not deserve to pay for my mistake, Big Mac did not deserve to pay for my mistake, Granny Smith did not deserve to pay for my mistake. I would protect my family until the end.
"Drop her now! Was my fault what happened. If you want to punish someone, punish me, but leave my family alone!"
"No, sis! You didn't have blame for anything!" Bloom cried, his tail stuck in the teeth of the pony that pulled her.
I did not see what happened next. A flash hit the pony that was holding my little sister, freeing her. Bloom ran towards me again, cringing now at Big Mac
The flash was Rainbow Dash.
I had seen Rainbow Dash furious sometimes before. But not like now. The feathers of her wings were shaggy and ruffled from the base to tip. Some were crushed, as if she had been tied.
"I told you not to meddle, Rainbow! Did not you have your home or shop devastated by those ruffians!" Rarity threatened to grab a rope to tie Rainbow Dash again.
"Have you ever stopped to count how many times was destroyed Ponyville? And we always reconstructed exactly as it was before being destroyed!" The words of Rainbow spitting anger and contempt for the population of Ponyville that time.
"Trixie could not be avoided, Parasprites could not be avoided, or a bunch of scared rabbits. Ponies drunks can be avoided!" Fluttershy screamed, but it had no effect on the prismatic pegasus front of me.
"Out of the way, Rainbow! We do not want to hurt you more than it already did." The magic of Twilight was beginning to form another layer, but Rainbow did not move.
A knife went through the cheek Rainbow, causing a deep cut and stopped meters from me. Blood dripped from his cheek cyan, dripping on the floor. Blood? Not Rainbow, you will not bleed by me!
"You asked for it, Dash" Cloud Chaser picked up a stone and threw directly in line one of the wings of Rainbow.
I heard the sound of a thin bone breaking. No, Rainbow, stop! Get out of there! You do not need to pay for what I did. You do not need to be that strong wall! Get out of there!
She did not move a hull. She stood there, taking every stone, every magic attack and each stab. Their hooves firmly on the ground, it was clear that she would not leave. I felt salty tears streaming down my face, Mac was capped Bloom's eyes and I could hear his soft cry.
I COULD NOT STAY STILL THERE! MY FRIEND WAS DYING FOR ME!
I had no more strength on the hoofs. Every bruise, every broken bone, every cut was mine too. Those crazy ponies were not realizing that they were killing a pony.
Her beautiful wings so majestic, now reduced to a tangle of bones, feathers and blood. Her mane so rare, of all colors of the rainbow, now restricted only in a dark red . Her cutie mark, the cutie mark that generated not only mine, but the of others elements too, was now a cloud of blood. Her dream of to be a Wonderbolt ended.
The rainbow of Equestria collapsed limp on the ground. Even at night, the world seemed to lose all its colors. I could see her beautiful magenta eyes shining as much as when she spoke about her dream. I could see your lips move, saying the last words in that shrill and loud voice for the world.
"I love you, Applejack."
The ponies have finally woken up to the reality, too late. Trotting without any force, I arrived until my friend who defended me until your last breath. She gave one last cough.
"Be yourself, Apple Bloom. I always loved you, Applejack, just never had the courage to ... "
Say... oh, Rainbow...
************************************ Months After ************ ******************************
I remember a few things from the funeral of Rainbow. I remember your parents, mane of Pinkie deflated, the official anthem of Cloudsdale. Celestia discoursing about the anger of ponies and about loyalty.
Bloom called the entire population of Ponyville to show them a job she has done during these months. Her memory of Rainbow Dash is intact, I did not let her see the body disfigured.
While I brushed my mane for the event, I heard what I thought was the sound of weeping. It was impossible, there was no baby in the family Apple had years and years. As the crying persisted, I decided to go downstairs and check what it was. Big Mac was bring a box to the middle of the room.
"I found them while picking apples from the east field."
I looked inside the box were two babies pegasus a filly and a colt, twins. I took two baby bottles from the cupboard and filled it with milk. I put the twins on my lap and took a bottle to each, they drank all hungry.
"We will stay with them, big sis?" Bloom looked tenderly babies while they are breastfed.
I looked at the box in which they came, it was made of a simple cardboard and thin blanket that they had been wrapped. Written in a bad handwriting were the words of a desperate mother pegasus: "Give them a good home." There was no way to refuse this request. Rainbow told me that many pegasi become orphans in this way. Scootaloo was one of them until Cheerilee found her.
The filly had a mane ruffled red, yellow and orange. Her coat was white as snow, and she had beautiful blue eyes. I'll call her Apple Dash because his mane reminds me Rainbow. The colt has a cyan coat , his eyes are green as the hills and his mane is purple, green and blue. I think I'll call him Zap Apple. Because Zap seems to be an appropriate name for a future fast flier and everypony knows that the zap apples are rainbow.
If they ever ask me about their father, I will say with all pleasure that is Rainbow Dash. The pegasus who loved me until the last breath, and only revealed it in moment of her death. If she were alive, we'd be dating. I stopped to think about her last words days after the funeral. All that supposed rivalry and arrogance were actually a love restrained. I know because now I realized that I felt and still feel the same for her. My precious rainbow.
"Yes, Apple Bloom, they will be your nephews from now. Apple Dash and Zap Apple."
Bloom kissed the little face of each. "Welcome to the Apple Family, Dash and Zap."
Put them to burp, feeling their little heartbeat. Joyful tears rolled down my face, I was the luckiest mare in the world. I could not get more my rainbow, but now I had two small pieces of it. Two little pieces that one day would brighten and impress Ponyville.
"You better hurry up, sis. Mac and I are going, we expect you and the babies there." Bloom adjusted her pink bow and trotted happily.
I searched the old saddlebag that Mom used for carrying Mac and me. She had kept every thing ours, however insignificant it was. Carefully, I cleaned it and put on my back. Zap and Dash were playing on the carpet when I returned to the room. Their shrill giggles filled the air with a happiness that Sweet Apple Acres not lived for years. The joy of a new life. Or rather two.
I approached with extreme caution, Apple Dash ran up to me and bit my tail with her little mouth without teeth. I smiled and took it, putting her on one side of the vessel. I got Zap Apple and put him on the other side.
"My little ponies, now we'll take a little walk with Mom."
Upon arriving at the place where Apple Bloom had chosen, I noticed two things: first, was where that Rainbow had died for me and my family, and second, most ponies looked at me as curious when I arrived.
I can not blame them, the twins are much like Rainbow and all of them were there when she has declared to me. Apple Bloom goes up on stage and get everyone's attention.
"Good afternoon, Ponyville; few months ago I've been working on a secret project, this week I finished it. With the support of Mayor Mare, I decided to make it a historical monument in Ponyville. A monument to remind her bravery, her determination , her companionship, her friendship, her loyalty. because her loyalty was not just a title and everyone witness to it. "
"Thank you for being the motivation to find my cutie mark, thank you for being a big sister so good for Scootaloo, thank you for helping Pinkie Pie to make all the ponies smile with your jokes, thank you for taking such good care of Ponyville's weather , thank you for having defended Fluttershy from those bullies and for showing my sister the way back home, not once but twice. Thanks for showing that with a little determination anyone can achieve their dreams, thanks for being the Element of Loyalty and have defeated Nightmare Moon, Discord and so many other bad guys, thank you for making the impossible happen and become the legend of the Sonic Rainboom true. Thanks for loving my sister and for choosing Tank among many other cool and awesome pets. And above of all, thank you for saving my family. Thank you, Rainbow Dash. "
Carefully Apple Bloom snapped the tip of the fabric that covered what appeared to be a statue, revealing the pegasus that I loved so much. Her cyan coat , her rainbow mane , her cutie mark, her beautiful magenta eyes, her determined smile. Her wings majestically opened, as if ready to take flight, to challenge the wind and sound barrier. The Element of Loyalty majestically laid on her neck. Not a copy, not carved in marble, but the real.
If it were not marble, I could have sworn it was the real Rainbow Dash. All ponies seemed to think the same, they began to beat their hooves on the ground, in approving the artwork of my little sister.
A small bright flash in her flank and the next second an apple wood partially painted red and a brush became her long awaited mark cute.
I put babies on the statue, Apple Dash laughed and said to Rainbow Dash.
"Mommy."
"I got my cutie mark, look Applejack, I got my cutie mark!" Apple Bloom looked their own flank, radiant with the appearance of their cutie mark.
"Cutie mark!" Zap Apple repeated, laughing with her aunt.