A secret Rarity and her sister tried to hide begins to fall apart, a secret that hides a past so painful it brings tears to her eyes just to think of, will she be able to tell the ponies she loves the truth?
What lengths would you go to for family? Would you care for them? Be honest with them? Keep a secret for them? Sometimes, family relationships can become strained or volatile. But once you feel love towards your kin, it never truly dies. A certain dress-maker from Ponyville can attest to that fact, in more than one situation. But when a secret she and her sister tried to hide begins to fall apart, a secret that hides a past so painful it brings tears to her eyes just to think of, will she be able to tell the ponies she loves the truth?
“Has anypony else been wonderin’ about those two lately?” Applejack mumbled quietly to Pinkie, Twilight and Fluttershy, as they passed the window of an expensive coffee shop, looking in to a sight that hardly surprised them. The four friends had decided to make a trip to the market to catch up after a rather busy week, and were chatting away in excited tones. The autumn air was crisp and cool, and the streets were unusually busy with ponies trying to get some early holiday shopping done. The orange pony was grateful for a break from her relentless work on the farm. Apple buck season was in and the whole family had been quite busy with the harvest. But when she reached this café, she came to a stop at a very familiar scene, looking in through a window adorned with festive décor, to see Rainbow Dash and Rarity sitting close together in a booth, laughing and talking over a light lunch, neither of them saw the ponies looking in on them.
“Applejack,” Twilight Sparkle chided. “Usually Rarity is the one meddling in personal affairs.” Her tone was jovial, but the orange pony shot her a look anyway.
“Ah know, but I’m not the only pony who’s been noticin’ how much time they’ve been spending together, right?”
For the past few months Rarity and Rainbow had been spending an increasing amount of time together, to the point of occasionally brushing off their friends to spend time by themselves. Applejack hadn’t though much of it at first, but it was becoming a reoccurring issue that definitely caught her attention.
“Do you think they might be seeing each other?” Fluttershy piped up in a surprised tone. Pinkie let out a loud gasp.
“Oh my gosh, they totally are!” Pinkie shouted. The other three ponies shushed her and ducked away, worried Rainbow and Rarity had heard her outburst.
“Pinkie, please! So what if they are?” Twilight asked once they started walking again. “What would it matter?”
“Well they’re our friends, you’d figure they’d tell us if they were in a relationship.” Applejack said.
“It’s their business, and we aren’t even sure if they are dating.” The purple unicorn lectured her friend. “And if it turns out they are, we should be supportive.”
“Oh I support it!” Pinkie shouted again causing them all to cringe a bit. “It would be so great if they were, they’d make such a cute couple!”
“Well, nothing is for sure right now, so I say we just let the matter drop. If it turns out they are seeing each other, I’m sure they’ll tell us eventually.”
They continued to the market place, and true to their word, the topic of Rainbow and Rarity’s relationship wasn’t brought up again for a while. Though Applejack never stopped noticing each time the two got a bit too close.
A few weeks later, Applejack was resting at home with her family. The holiday season was upon them, and with the harvest done, most of the year’s work was behind them, much to the relief of the orange mare and her brother. Apple Bloom was putting on her blue boots and hat, about to go outside to meet with the other crusaders. Applejack stood in the kitchen, rinsing off the dishes that had been made after their lunch. Beyond the window, she could see large snowflakes falling gently to the ground. She hummed a little tune in contentedness, listening to the sound of Granny’s snoring as she took her afternoon nap. She watched her little sister run past down to the entry way.
“Bye Applejack!” She called behind her, her voice muffled a little by the scarf she wrapped around her face.
“See you later!” The farm pony replied. “And be careful!”
She returned to the dishes, listening as the door opened. She jumped suddenly as she heard a small grunt followed by something falling into the snow. Applejack put down her cloth and spun around with a sigh.
“What did Ah just tell you Apple Bloom?” She called rhetorically on her way to the door.
She arrived at the door to see her sister fallen in the snow, next to an unexpected visitor.
“Hello Apple Bloom.” Rarity said, giggling, surprisingly happy for a pony who’d just been tackled into the powdery snow.
“Apple Bloom!” Applejack scolded, helping both the ponies up to their hooves. “You say sorry right now.”
“Oh, Ah’m so sorry Rarity.” The little filly apologized, her face red. “Ah didn’t see you.”
“It’s quite alright, just try to be more careful.” Rarity said with a smile
She nodded and ran off. Rarity watched the little pony run a small way before turning back to her friend.
“Sorry ‘bout that Rarity,” Applejack greeted the alabaster unicorn with an apologetic smile. “What’s up?”
“Oh not much,” she said, brushing away at the bits of snow that clung to her coat. “I was just wondering if you would be free to come over the boutique this evening for a little get together before the holidays.”
“Um, sure,” The orange mare said, happy for the invitation, but a little confused. “But Ah thought Pinkie always hosted the holiday parties. And they were always on the holidays.”
Rarity made a face, like she was choosing her words very carefully.
“Well, yes but, I’m afraid I will not be able to attend this year, so I thought I would invite everypony over to my house so that we could still spend some time together.” She gave a sheepish smile.
“Well, in that case, Ah’d love to! When should Ah come over?”
“Whenever works for you. You’re the last pony I had to invite, so we could even walk there now if you’d like.” She offered. Applejack felt a slight twinge of annoyance being the last pony to get invited, but she knew she lived pretty far away compared to the rest of their friends. Besides, walking with Rarity didn’t sound too bad, it had been a long time since they had a chance to catch up. The farm pony agreed with a smile and called to the sleeping Granny Smith that she was heading out for a while.
The two mares made their way down the snowy trail, their hooves crunching in the freshly fallen snow. Rarity was wearing earmuffs, a scarf and her favorite pair of boots. Meanwhile, Applejack wore only her boots and hat. Working outside so much gave her more tolerance towards the cold weather. Though she supposed it was probably best her unicorn friend wear something, her gleaming coat being so close to the colour of the snow, she could sometimes be difficult to see.
“So, how’ve ya been?” Applejack asked as they walked the trail to town. “I haven’t seen you for a while.”
“Oh I know,” Rarity said. “And I do apologize for that. But it has been unbelievably busy at the boutique lately, and I’ve just been losing track of time. But I am doing quite well, thank you for asking.”
“Don’t apologize Rarity, you ain’t the only pony who’s been too busy to hang out. We put off the harvest a bit too long this year, and getting’ all the apples down before the cold really hit was a real challenge. But we got it done, and now we can wind down for the season.”
“That’s good to hear.” The alabaster mare smiled. “I love this time of year, everything feels so cozy. Well, unless you’re outside of course. But all the snow is very beautiful, and the holidays are such a delight.”
“Hey speakin’ of which, why can’t you spend time with us on Hearth’s Warming?” The other mare asked.
“Oh just spending it with family this year. I’m sure we can still see each other, I just won’t be attending the festivities with you.”
Applejack nodded. Of course she understood; nopony understood family more than her. So they continued with their walk, catching up on the things they missed. The farm pony enjoyed the walk. Despite how much they liked to bicker, she really enjoyed Rarity’s company, and was glad she was asked to take the trip back with her.
But as they trekked the snowed-over trail, the more Applejack listened, the more she noticed one name in particular come up. Rainbow Dash. Rarity talked about going to the café with the blue mare, taking shopping trips with her, watching her practice her moves. Applejack knew it would be prying, but she felt almost… betrayed. Not due to any personal affections, but because if two of her best friends were dating, she felt like that would be something happy, news they would want to share with their friends, not kept a secret. But it was their business, it wasn’t her place to go accusing her, or demanding an answer.
“You sure have been spending a lot of time with Dash lately.” She cursed herself. Where the hell did that come from? She felt her face grow hot, and she scolded herself in her mind, the way she did to Apple Bloom when she misbehaved. Her anger towards herself only increased under the white unicorns stare. She wasn’t naïve, especially when it came to the art of conversation, and the look in her eyes suggested she knew exactly where Applejack was going with this.
“Yes I have, but what exactly are you implying?” Rarity said, stopping to look at her. Applejack felt a bit of her embarrassment turn to anger. She was going to make her say it?
“Ah’m not implyin’ anything, just making an observation.” She said, a little too defensively.
“Oh my word, Applejack you know how bad of a liar you are so don’t even try. You think Rainbow and I are dating don’t you.” Applejack maintained a sullen silence.
“Oh I don’t believe this! First of all, if I were in a relationship with her, why would it be any of your business?”
“Ah’m sorry.” The farm pony said, sounding less apologetic and more spiteful. They were having such a good walk, why did she have to go and spoil it?
“No, I’m not going to let this drop so easily. I start spending more time with one of my friends and suddenly I’m in love with her.
Where on earth would you draw that conclusion?”
“Well I just wanted to know if two of my best friends were seein’ each other. Why does it need to be a secret?”
“Why does what have to be a secret?! Rainbow isn’t my fillyfriend, she never was!”
“Well would you mind an explanation then?”
“For what? What needs explaining? What is so suspicious about spending time with a friend? You and I have been walking alone for fifteen minutes, are we dating now? Should I have brought flowers for you, should-” She stopped suddenly and her eyes narrowed.
“Why you Applejack?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Why were you the one to bring this up? The rest of our friends haven’t mentioned this, if they’ve even noticed it at all, so why were you the one to speak up?”
“So you admit you have been spending a lot of time with her.” Applejack said triumphantly.
“I’ll answer that question if you answer mine.” Rarity said, not sounding at all embarrassed about her friends discovery.
“There’s no reason, it’s just that she’s all you talk about and-”
“Applejack are you jealous?” The unicorn asked. Her words were no longer condescending or accusing. Her tone was level and genuinely curious.
“No.” The farm pony retorted, wincing. She paused too long, the unicorn hit much too close to the mark. But so what if she thought Rarity was attractive, that wasn’t what this was about.
“This isn’t like you. All I wanted was to spend an evening with you and the girls.” Rarity said, sounding hurt.
“Well, why did you have to get so worked up about this? You could have let it drop!” She was just lashing out now. She knew that she was the bad pony here, she was in the wrong. Her friend had pressured her, she’d gotten angry. Sadly, the posh mare had gotten angry too.
“Because you invaded my personal business when it was none of your concern. I know we are friends, but that doesn’t mean I have to share everything with you. And it especially doesn’t mean you can just make unfounded assumptions about my love life. How would you even know if I was into mares?”
“You know what,” Applejack had snapped. “I think I might be a bit too busy to come to your party. I’ll see you later Rarity.” Her friend let a shocked expression slip through for a fraction of a second, but it hardened back into anger.
“Fine. Have a happy holiday Applejack.” Her words full of venom. The pale pony spun with a huff, and continued back to her boutique. Embarrassed and ashamed of herself, Applejack sauntered slowly back to the barn, regretting every word of what she said. But she couldn’t apologise, not today at least. It would be best to let the wounds heal and let the tension die, that was always how they did it. She knew in a few weeks, they’d be talking and laughing as though nothing happened. But in a few weeks, the holidays would be over, and the two of them would have spent all of it at ends. She began to shiver as she traced her own hoof prints back to the farm.
Rarity’s fire had cooled almost immediately, and she sincerely considered turning back to apologize and re-invite her to their gathering. But she knew that orange mare was stubborn and would continue to fight her. She was quite offended by her assumption, but maybe she had gotten a little too angry with her friend. Though there was no stopping her now. Rarity looked back to see her still stomping down the path in the opposite direction. So the unicorn continued on her way too, she had to prepare her house for the guests she was bringing over. She tried not the fret about Applejack, sometimes there were some little disagreements, but they would always come around in the end, they were friends. But still, that could have been the last time she saw her until after Hearths Warming, they might have to spend the rest of the holiday season estranged! She turned back towards the farm, and then back again to face town. What could she do? Applejack, as sweet as she was, was also one of the most bull-headed ponies she had ever met. Even if Rarity ran back to apologize, it was unlikely the farm pony would change her mind, if just to spite her.
So she made her way back into the town, forcefully pushing her orange friend out of her mind. The weather was oddly warm for the season, though that wasn’t saying much, usually it was absolutely frigid outdoors. Many ponies were out and about playing or finishing up errands before the holidays. The town was adorned with decorations, wreaths hung from nearly every door, tinsel of red, green and silver wrapped around the lamp posts. Their small town decorations didn’t quite hold up to the standards set in Canterlot, but even so, they felt homey, and perfect for the season. She and her friends declined the offer to star in the pageant this year, they felt a Hearths Warming at home would be best.
Her boutique came into view at last, and she finally let herself smile as she approached the door. With all the invites taken care of, she had to make sure the house was presentable, and finish fixing up the snacks for her friends. Perhaps it was best that Applejack didn’t tag along. She would probably offer to help set up, which, as kind of a gesture as it would be, would make her feel like a terrible hostess. She pushed open the door, listening to the bell above her head tingle. It was a comforting sound. Though a sound she didn’t expect nearly gave her a heart attack.
“Hey Rarity!” An excited little voice rang out. The mare jumped, looking into her kitchen. Her little sister stood there, looking a little embarrassed. “Oops, sorry didn’t mean to scare you.” Her two friends ran up beside her. “Hey.” Scootaloo greeted, and Apple Bloom just waved, clearly still a little apologetic for bumping into her this morning. Rarity’s heart rate slowed a little. “Now girls, you know that you’re always welcome here,” Rarity said, relieved it was just the girls, but still a bit annoyed at Sweetie. “But I don’t want you running around my boutique unsupervised, so just make sure-”
“They aren’t unsupervised.” A familiar raspy voice came from behind her. The white mare let out a small screech as she spun around coming face to face with Rainbow Dash.
“Oh my word, Dash!” Rarity said, trying to be stern, but soon she broke out laughing. “Don’t do that to me. What are you all doing in here?”
Rainbow folded her wings. Oh well, I saw the crusaders running by and I thought I’d invite them in. We had a huge party, lots of colts, trashed some of your dresses.” She winked playfully at her unicorn friend, obviously not fooled. “Nah, come here! We all have something to show you, right girls?”
Rainbow galloped excitedly around the corner. Rarity followed, after removing her boots and muffs and such, curiously wondering what she was being shown. Her little sister followed suit with her friends, each of them giggling to one another. Rarity wasn’t quite sure what to expect, and with Dash, it truly could have been anything. When the white mare rounded the corner into her living room she was awestruck. The room was decorated beautifully from the roof to the floor. The holiday colours were on display wherever she looked. Streamers and tinsel hung from the walls and doorways. Strings of lights were wrapped carefully around her mannequins, and cotton meant to look like snow was placed carefully on the ground. It was playful and silly, but festive and obviously done with considerable precision.
It took Rarity a few moments to find a voice, and her unexpected house guests simply stood and smiled.
“Rainbow, this is incredible!” She exclaimed, moving about the room to examine all the hard work on display.
“Yeah is, isn’t it? But it wasn’t just me, the girls were a huge help. Sweetie helped me find where you keep your decorations.” The little fillies beamed.
“But some of this isn’t even mine!”
“Yeah I brought some stuff from my house,” The blue pegasus explained. “Most of it hasn’t been used in years, I was glad to pitch it in.”
“Oh, thank you all so much.” The surprised unicorn pulled everypony in for a hug. “You didn’t have to do all this though, I feel terrible for making my houseguests decorate for my own party.”
“Oh it’s no big deal. I had the day off, and I figured it would be a nice surprise to come home to.” She looked to the girls. “You’re free to go. Thanks again for the help!” The fillies scampered off out the door to enjoy the day. Rarity watched them until she heard the bell on her door ring. She turned back to the cyan mare.
“I really do appreciate this.” She pulled her into another embrace. “It’s really no problem. Consider it a Hearth’s Warming gift.” She gave the white mare a kiss on the nose. “But I did leave the baking to you, I’m no good in a kitchen.”
Rarity hardly minded, most of her afternoon would have been consumed with the decorating, and by herself, it wouldn’t have looked half as amazing. So she moved her way into the kitchen, glad to once again have some company. She rummaged through her freezer, pulling out some various dough’s she had prepared a few days prior. She also brought out a bowl and some ingredients to whip up a quick batch of sugar cookies. She knew Pinkie Pie loved those.
Rainbow pulled a chair into the kitchen and watched.
“Wow, you make it look easy.” She said as Rarity brought yet another tray of warm cookies from the oven, while measuring baking sugar. She smiled at the compliment.
“Yes, luckily I didn’t inherit mother’s skills in the kitchen.”
Rainbow let out a small chuckle, looking out the window.
“You still up for spending Hearths Warming with me? I’ll totally understand if you want to party with the girls, I’m fine either way.”
“No, no it’s been a long time coming, and I’ve wanted to spend the occasion with you for a while now.”
Rainbow nodded with a smile, clearly relieved. Her gaze returned to the window.
“So you still haven’t told Sweetie Belle huh?” The pegasus asked.
“About what?” Rarity replied, distracted by her work.
“You know, about us.” Rainbow gestured to herself then to Rarity with her hoof. The unicorn’s ears perked up a bit.
“No I haven’t, did you?” She asked, worried for a moment.
“No, I figured you would be the best pony to tell her, it’s just I don’t see why we have to keep this secret. She’s a good kid, and I want her to feel like she can trust me as a sister too.”
“I know. You and I been together much more often now, and I think I’ll be ready to tell everypony soon. I’m just worried,” She turned to look at Dash and show her she was sincere. “I just don’t want it to happen again. I’m not sure if I could take it.”
“Hey,” The other mare hopped down from her seat, planting a kiss on Rarity’s cheek. “There’s nothing to worry about. But I’ll leave it to you, whenever you feel comfortable. I love you.”
“I love you too Dash.”
“So,” She said, returning to her usual, upbeat tone. “Is everypony coming?” She grabbed a cookie straight of the baking tray, earning a look of mock severity from the unicorn.
Rarity sighed.
“Mostly, though I’m afraid Applejack may not be attending.”
“Oh,” The other pony said, surprised. “Did she say why?”
“She started asking about us and I got a bit defensive. I think I might have made her angry.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That I was offended by her assumptions and that she was being jealous.”
“Oh. Do you want me to go talk to her, try and calm her down?”
“No that’s alright, you’ve done enough for me today. I’ll go down to the barn and apologize tomorrow. It’s-” She was cut off by a knock on her door. “Oh, it seems we have a guest already.”
She trotted over to the door. Her horn illuminated with its blue aura, and a similar one covered the door handle. She swung it open, expecting Twilight due to her punctual nature. Though her guess proved false as she met eyes with a bashful looking farm pony. Applejack held her hat in her hooves.
“Hey Rarity.”
“Ah, hello Applejack.” She replied, surprised. The pony at her door cast her gaze to the ground as though searching for her words.
“Look, Ah’m real sorry about what Ah said back there. I shouldn’t have made such a bold presumption, and I don’t want our last meetin’ before the holidays to end in a fight. And, I would love to come to your party, if the invitation is still open.”
Rarity smiled, yet again surprised by how fast the usually stubborn pony came around. She put a hoof on her shoulder.
“Of course it is.” She stepped aside to let her friend enter her home. “And I feel that I must apologise as well, I might have been a little bit rude myself. I should have let the matter drop.”
“Well it’s Hearth Warmin’, why don’t we let bygone’s be bygone’s.” Applejack offered, her smile shifting from sheepish to friendly.
“Deal.”
The orange mare sniffed the air.
“Sure smells good in here.”
“Ah yes, Rainbow and I were just in the middle of some baking.” Upon hearing her name, Rainbow came around the corner.
“Oh hey Applejack, glad you came.” The pegasus said, obviously as surprised as Rarity, but happy to see her all the same. Rarity winced, knowing how suspicious it looked to have Rainbow in her home alone with her after their argument, but Applejack said nothing about it, she didn’t even make a face.
The holidays came and went without a hitch in Ponyville. All Rarity’s friends came to her party at the boutique, happy to spend the time with each other. And true to what the posh pony had said, none of them saw her on the day of Hearths Warming. The other five friends all came to Pinkie’s party, and for hours upon hours they all laughed and partied, feeling a sense of happiness only the pink pony could bring about in them. The top level of Sugar Cube Corner was decorated with a combination of festive décor, and her trademark party items. She made enough baked goods and sweets to have dessert for a month.
But a certain Pegasus left far earlier than the rest. When the party was almost half done, Rainbow Dash announced to everypony that she was feeling a little under the weather, and was going home to let her stomach settle. And while she had eaten enough platters of sweets for several ponies, Applejack couldn’t help but feel her suspicions beginning to bubble up again. Suspicions about where exactly she was going. It wasn’t the first time since she accused Rarity on her walk, and she doubted it would be the last but she pushed the feeling aside and bade her friend farewell as she left. She was done with trying to figure out whether or not her friends were in love, feeling the full force of Rarity’s wrath was enough to make her back off.
The remaining ponies continued to party, and though the room felt a little empty, Applejack enjoyed herself nonetheless. Nopony seemed too deterred about their missing friends, Pinkie’s parties provided more than enough entertainment. She, Twilight and Fluttershy left Sugar Cube Corner in the early hours of the morning, stuffed with cake, and feeling as though they could sleep for a week. Even Pinkie almost looked as though she might be running out of steam by the time the party ended. As the crowd thinned out, with each mare going her separate way, the farm pony found herself stopped for a moment, standing in the middle of the street, staring off into the direction of Rainbow’s house.
Was she really home?
She shook her head. If, she was home, she would have pestered her sick friend for no good reason. And if she wasn’t that would hardly prove anything, Rainbow could sleep comfortably almost anywhere, and it was really quite rare that she did fall asleep in her own house. The light in Pinkie’s bedroom went out, darkening the street, and Pulling Applejack back to her senses. Her hoofsteps echoed through the streets of the little town as she made her way back home for a good night’s rest.
Right around the time all the girls vacated the pink pony’s apartment, Rarity’s eyes snapped open. Her chest was heaving greatly, beads of sweat rolled slowly down her face. She wiped her eyes, unsure if the liquid around them was tears or just more sweat. Even her pillow was soaked. She drew the covers up around her laying body, perfectly warm but still shivering. She ran a hoof through her mane, feeling as it completely ruined her careful styling.
What an awful nightmare!
It was one the white unicorn had been having all too often, each time waking in a horrible state of fear and disorientation. She pulled her hoof back from her mane and let it slide down her face, jumping slightly when her elbow brushed up against something beside her in the bed. Something warm.
She rolled onto her side, her eyes meeting the back of Rainbow’s head. To see her there brought her some much needed serenity after such a horrible night terror. It was good to know she had somepony near, somepony she trusted. Somepony she loved.
As wonderful as her time spent with Rainbow over the past few months was, it seemed as though the longer they were together, the more vivid her dreams became, adding more detail, bringing clarity to the voices she heard. It was the worst when they shared a bed, locking the terrible visions in her head. And worse, they were impossible to forget, for the images in her nightmares were real, memories of her youth, repressed, but finally beginning to break the surface. Despite her rude awakening, her lips pulled back into a rueful smile. How ironic, the pony who seemed to bring on these terrible scenes was the only one who could provide her with the comfort to ignore it. Why should she let such memories haunt her? Rainbow was here now and that was all that mattered.
Rarity realized she had her legs crossed, and with her mind now absent of thought, she noticed how badly she had to use the little fillies’ room. She slid softly from the bed, landing delicately on her hooves. It was difficult to keep hoofsteps quiet especially on the hardwood floor of her room, but she managed and made her way from the room in silence. She continued to watch her step as she left her room, staring down the hallway to the room in which Sweetie was staying the night. It was nice to be with the two fillies she loved on such a wonderful holiday, but they made for quite the obstacle to overcome at night. She felt no fear as she wandered her home in the dark. She knew the halls well, and the monster in her dreams held no sway here.
She returned to her room just as quietly afterwards, nearly having a heart attack when she opened the door to her bedroom. The room was dark, the only illumination coming in through the street lamps outside the window, but the light shining in was more than enough to make out Rainbow’s magenta eyes open wide, locked with her own.
Rarity placed a hoof on her chest, trying to regain her breath from such a start.
“Rainbow!” She half whispered, half gasped. “I’m so sorry, did I wake you?”
“No, no. Well, yes, but I’m a really light sleeper. I don’t think anypony could have been quieter.” She kept her voice low, so as not to wake the filly in the next room. She rolled to her back. “Didn’t mean to scare you.” Her voice was groggy and tired, but considerate.
Despite the cyan mares assurances, Rarity felt awful for waking her, there wasn’t much that made her angry then being awoken unexpectedly.
“My apologies dear, I didn’t mean to.”
“Nah don’t.” She paused, tilting her head to look at Rarity. “You have another nightmare?”
Rarity found herself at a significant pause. How could she know? It wasn’t often the blue pegasus spent the night-although she wished it was-and Rarity never once mentioned those nightmares to anypony. But, though the question surprised her, she saw no reason to lie to Rainbow.
“I… Yes, an awful one, but how-”
“Not the first time you’ve woken me up. When I was here a few days ago you kept mumbling ‘no’ and shaking. I stayed up to make sure you were alright. And earlier tonight you kept talking, and when I tried to move closer to you, you punched me.”
“No I didn’t.” Rarity scoffed in disbelief.
“You did too. I have the bruise to prove it.” She laughed, quietly. It was a funny sound.
Rarity felt truly horrible now, feeling so comfortable next to Rainbow while causing her such distress.
“Oh my goodness darling, I’m so sorry.”
Dash just laughed harder.
“Why are you laughing?” She felt her guilt turn to slight annoyance.
“It’s funny to think about.” She breathed before falling into a pit of quiet hysteria, rolling and shaking her legs. The unicorn was glad to see Rainbow wasn’t taking the disruptions to her sleep too hard. After a few moments she calmed down.
“Sorry,” she whispered, sitting up in the bed while Rarity climbed back in. “Do you want to talk about it? Your bad dreams I mean, not you trying to assault me.”
The white mare shot her a glance, a little upset that she was so jovial about the situation.
“Not particularly no.”
“Aw come on. You can tell me, I’ll take it seriously. I’m no stranger to bad dreams.”
“This one’s different.” Rarity said, keeping her eyes on her covers, unwilling to meet Rainbow’s eye, feeling almost ashamed of the visions she saw in the night.
“I know it is, a strong pony like you shaking? Something is obviously wrong, so let me help.”
Rarity locked eyes with the pony in her bed. Her expression was serious now, and she had no doubt Rainbow was willing to listen. The unicorn sighed.
“It’s about… then. And him. And what he did to you.”
“Oh Rarity, you’re not still worked up on that are you?” Her tone wasn’t dismissive, but concerned.
“Yes I am! And I for one am shocked that you aren’t. All that time, what you were put through, it was nothing short of awful.” She said, her voice turning to a whispering shout.
“Yeah but I got over it. It was a long time ago, but even back then I never let it get to me.” Rainbow whispered. As they held each other’s gaze, Rarity actually found herself believing what she heard.
“But I can’t help feeling like I could have done something. I know what you were put through, but it was just as painful for me to sit by, watching helplessly.”
“What? What could you have done? Is that the problem, you feel guilty for what happened to me? None of that is on you Rarity, absolutely none of it, please believe me. Never once have I blamed you for what went down back then, please don’t beat yourself up for that. Trust me.” She placed a blue hoof on her shoulder.
“But he wouldn’t have been as hard on me-”
“Rarity please don’t. What happened, happened and I’m past it. If I don’t blame you, you shouldn’t blame yourself.” Rarity was far from feeling alright with what happened, but knowing the pony beside her held no resentment towards her for the tragedies that befell her so long ago, was a huge weight off her mind.
“Thank you Rainbow,” She whispered. “You actually helped a little."
“See, told you, I’m good at this stuff. Helping ponies feel better, it’s what I’m here for. Now come on.” She tossed the covers off of her and slid out of bed, using her wings to ensure her hooves landed softly.
“What, where are we going?”
“Well, it’s pretty obvious that you’re not getting back to sleep, my mind’s too busy to rest, and I have no clue how your coffee maker works.”
With that less than apt explanation she left the room, and Rarity followed her. Rainbow used her wings to lightly glide down the stairs, while Rarity was forced to move slowly, taking each step as soft as she could.
Oh she’s so hopeless. But I love her.
Finally she made it to the bottom of the flight, and allowed herself a bit of noise, being so far from Sweetie’s room. When they met again in the kitchen, Rainbow was already in a seat. She had turned the lights on in the kitchen, and both mares had to squint their eyes to adjust to the light.
“Hey Rarity look.” Dash said, with a bit more volume now that they were downstairs. She pointed a hoof to her chest, where a large purple blotch was forming. She wore a smile but Rarity was mortified.
“Oh my Dash, I am so sorry! That looks very painful.” Her voice was still quiet, the habit now formed in her mind.
“Yeah, you have a pretty wicked swing, you should take up boxing.” She said with a wink. Rarity didn’t feel quite as compelled to apologize seeing as how the pegasus seemed to find her injury comical. Rarity walked past, stopping to give Dash a quick peck on her head, feeling her ratty multicoloured mane brush against her muzzle. Her horn began to brighten and she used her magic to open the cupboard and pull out her coffee machine. As she passed a window, her own reflection caught her eye, though not in a good way. Her hair was in absolute disarray, and she groaned. That couldn’t be fixed, she’d have to rewash her hair and work again from the ground up. Lost in her thoughts, the posh mare neglected to watch her step and walked the coffee maker into the counter with a loud crash. She cringed.
“Woah keep it down Rarity, Sweetie’s still passed out upstairs!” Dash said sarcastically, poking fun at her for all the times she made a similar statement to the pony in the chair. The unicorn stuck her tongue out, making a rather childish face. Rainbow laughed, not used to seeing such a high class mare act so silly. Dash seemed to bring out the filly in her.
“You really do love her don’t you?” Rarity asked.
“Sweetie Belle? Of course, she’s a great little filly.” Her friend paused again. “The way she looks at you… do you think she’ll ever look at me that way?”
Opal appeared out of the shadows and jumped on Rainbow’s lap. Late at night was the only time that cat was friendly, being too tired to swat at anypony. The pegasus scratched her behind the ears.
“In time, I have no doubt.” She said, truly believing it. She poured the ground coffee beans into the filter. “But I feel as though she’s already warming to you. She had a lot of fun tonight.” She recalled to earlier in the evening. Their Hearth Warming was far quieter than the party at Sugar Cube but special nonetheless.
“So did I. Thanks for letting me stick around for the holidays. It was great to spend the time with you two.”
“Of course, you’re always welcome in our home."
The blue mare traced lines into the table with her hoof.
“Do you think it’ll be weird for Scootaloo? I mean, when we tell her, do you think it will affect how she sees Sweetie Belle? I love them both but I’m worried it might make her jealous.”
The suddenness of the question made the unicorn think Rainbow had been pondering the problem for a while. Rarity had never given it much thought.
“Well, it will certainly change how they see each other, but they are such good friends, I doubt it will affect that bond.” A dark brown liquid began to fall from the machine, dripping into the cup and filling the air with the scent of caffeine. Rainbow smiled, obviously relieved to hear that both of her little sisters would still be friends. Rarity used her magic to pull sugar from the shelf and cream from the fridge.
“How do you like your coffee, Dash?”
The multicoloured mare looked up.
“Oh, jeez, I was too distracted, I meant to help you out with that!” She began to stand but a gentle push from Rarity’s magic sat her back into the chair.
“It’s quite alright, I made a cup for myself as well.”
“You’re too good to me.”
“Well, you’re lucky I love you.”
“Two cream, two sugar please and thank you..”
Maybe that brash pegasus was beginning to learn a bit about manners from so much time with the posh unicorn. A cup surrounded in a blue aura hovered over to her, which Rainbow accepted gratefully.
Rarity filled a glass of her own and carried it to the table. Rainbow took a sip of her beverage and let out a sigh of happiness.
“Oh, and I love you too.” Dash said remembering what Rarity expressed to her earlier. Rarity gave a smile at the remark, but her expression quickly turned to horror as she heard a small sound behind her. It was the surprised gasp of a filly. Rarity whirled around in her seat. A pair of peering green eyes stared back at her from around the corner. Realizing she’d been caught, Sweetie Belle stepped slowly into the room. Opal jumped from Rainbows lap and ran off again.
Sweetie Belle’s look was one of confusion and curiosity. Her mane was messy from just hopping out of bed but her eyes were wide awake. She’d obviously heard all the commotion downstairs, and came down to listen in. But this time Rarity knew she couldn’t bust her little sister for snooping.
“You love her?” The filly asked. Rarity bit her hoof. This wasn’t exactly how she had intended for her sister to find out. Oh, where to begin this explanation? Rainbow Dash stepped up, beckoning with her hoof for Sweetie Belle to come closer. Rarity could see it in her eyes; she knew just as well as she did that this was going to be a long and confusing talk for the little filly. But Dash’s face was kind and comforting, as she brought the little unicorn into a hug. For her brash nature and slightly self centered ways, that blue mare made a pretty good sister.
Rarity’s assumptions played out, both her and Rainbow talking with Sweetie until the sun began to rise in the sky. Many more cups of coffee were brewed as the two mares explained the situation to the young pony, who sat in a chair with her own little glass of hot cocoa, taking occasional sips. They left some things out of the story, of course. Things she didn’t need to know, things she wasn’t ready to hear. They would tell her one day. All in good time. Sweetie listened well, asking a couple questions, and sitting politely as they talked. Rarity kept a close eye on her sister’s expression making sure she was alright, that it wasn’t too much for her. She was obviously confused by what she was hearing, but she took it very well. Truthfully, most of the talking was done by Rainbow, with Rarity being there to fill in the blanks. She didn’t mind though, she doubted she could have relayed the tale half as well as the pegasus.
When she finished talking, Rainbow gave Sweetie a kiss on the top of her head and waited. Rarity waited as well, each staying quiet, letting the filly take in all the information. It was truly quite a lot to handle, and the white mare found herself a little anxious, worried her little sister’s reaction wouldn’t fare well. For nearly a minute, the only noise was the ticking of the clock in the kitchen, and the distant chirping of the birds outside, signaling to everypony the dawn of a new day.
The little filly looked from one mare to the other with slightly watery eyes. Rarity could feel her heart pounding, she held her breath. Finally Sweetie Belle wrapped her hooves around Rainbow, and she returned the hug. When they broke apart she ran up to Rarity, embracing her as well.
“How do you feel about all this Sweetie?” Rarity asked, combing the filly’s hair softly with her hoof. She didn’t doubt the strength of her little sister, but what she had been told, all of the things that had been hidden and kept from her, Rarity was surprised by her maturity to it all.
“A little confused,” the little unicorn admitted. “But I’m glad I know. I just can’t believe I didn’t figure it out before.”
“Dash and I have been trying to hide it, for reasons I’m sure are obvious. I’m glad you know now, and I’m glad you’re handling it so well, but you have to promise keep it a secret for us now too. Even from Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. Do you promise?”
Sweetie Belle looked up, and slowly lifted her hoof, using it to cover her eye with a kind smirk.
“That’s my filly.” Rarity said holding her in for one last hug. “Thank you. I love you.”
“I love you too.” She looked over to Dash opening her mouth to say something, then blushing. She left the kitchen and turned the corner. Rarity could hear the slow clacking of her hooves as she ascended the stairs back to her room.
With the little one out of the room, Rarity let out a long sigh, collapsing into a chair.
“Are you okay?” Rainbow asked, still kneeling in the spot where Sweetie Belle hugged her, hardly moving.
“That wasn’t a discussion I planned on having with her for a while yet. Oh I was so worried! Do you think she’s really alright?” She spoke in a hushed tone, paranoid about the filly eavesdropping again.
“Yeah, I do. And I’m glad she knows now, she deserved to know more than anypony.”
Rarity couldn’t argue with her there. She was glad to have yet another weight lifted off of her this morning.
“Thank you so much for taking charge back there. I don’t think I could have handled that on my own.”
“No problem.” She said, finally lifting herself back onto her hooves. Her stare was distant and a little concerned. Rarity realized nopony had asked her if she was ok.
“Are you alright darling?” She asked. Rainbow blinked a few times, as though she were trying to pull herself back from her thoughts.
“Hmm? Oh, right, yeah, I’m good thanks.”
Rarity chuckled at her stuttering.
“No you aren’t. What’s wrong?”
“I know what she was going to say,” She nodded her head towards the stairs. “I totally know what she wanted to say to me, and I think you know too. But she didn’t say it. It makes me a bit worried, about how she thinks of me.”
Rarity gave a slow nod, understanding what the blue pegasus was trying to convey.
“Rainbow, that was quite a conversation for her to wake up to. She’s confused, and I can’t blame her for that. It’s going to be difficult for her to adjust to you, and the role you’ll play in her life. Give her time, she’ll say it eventually.”
“I hope so. I just don’t want her to be afraid of me.”
“Oh heavens dear, I don’t think you’ll ever have to worry about that. She’s already quite fond of you, and I can’t really imagine that changing.” She got up from her chair and gave the pegasus a hug, which she returned. “Now, is there anything else you need? I was going to head upstairs to shower and sort out the mess I’ve made of my mane. Feel free to stay and have some breakfast, I keep the pantry stocked in case of company.”
“No, no,” she said. “It’s alright. I think I’d better head out now anyway, they’re calling for partly cloudy skies today, so I should get to it.”
“Alright.” Rarity said, knowing it would be fruitless to invite her to stay longer. Not even she could keep that pony in one place for too long. The two mares made their way to the foyer, one opening the door to leave, the other beginning to climb the first few stairs.
“Have a good day Dash. I love you.”
“Love you too.” She said, before heading outside. A few stray snowflakes made their way into the house as the door closed, making a little pattern on the mat. Rarity sighed as she climbed the steps to the top floor of her home.
What a morning.
Months began to pass quickly. Rainbow and Rarity still spent much of their free time together, and of course with their friends. Applejack remained skeptical but silent about the extent of their relationship. She talked and laughed with the two mares as though nothing bothered her, and in truth, sometimes, for just a few moments, she could forget about it, and believe that nothing had changed. They were just friends, the way it was before.
Sweetie Belle kept her promise well, never speaking a word of what she was told to anypony. Although, the words Rainbow wanted to hear, she was still unwilling to say, which she learned to live with. Out of fear, Rarity still kept it a secret as well, and though Rainbow didn’t see the point in hiding it, she would respect the unicorns choice and wait. The pegasus knew that Applejack still suspected that she and Rarity were together, and sometimes it got difficult. Rainbow wanted to tell her, but she was pulled between her want to speak, and her obligations to the unicorn. But, all that meant was the subject of Rarity was taboo, they could still hang out right?
The brash pegasus refused to blink, staring down her opponent. The ceaseless buzzing in her ear was ignored, she had to sit still, she had to focus. She faced a worthy adversary, one she knew had determination and resolve to stand a chance at besting her. Rainbow gazed into her opponents eyes, standing before the farm of one of her best friends. The day was bright and warm, the sun in her eyes threatening to break her concentration. She fought her every urge to blink.
“I’m not gonna move, you move.” Her words muffled as she hardly moved her lips. She couldn’t disturb the bees that covered her face and body. Or worse, let them in her mouth.
“There’s no way ah’m movin’.” Applejack retorted. Dash tried her best not to smile.
“This is the most daring dare anypony dared dare another pony to dare!” Pinkie blurted out, bringing her hoof down upon a desk that Rainbow never recalled being there before. After receiving a confused look by the two mares covered in bees, she explained further.
“It’s exciting!”
Rainbow locked eyes with Applejack once more, determined not to crack, when she heard another voice pipe up.
“Uh, what y’all doin’.” Asked a stallion in a bee keeper’s suit. Rainbow was a little annoyed at the interruption, but as she thought about it she began to wonder. Neither she nor Applejack ever asked the pink mare where exactly she got the bees from.
“Rainbow Dash and Applejack are competing for the title of most daring pony!” Pinkie shot over to them. “This is the final test… The Bee Stare! Last pony to blink wins!”
The stallion seemed rather unimpressed.
“I’m gonna need my bees back.”
“But then we’ll never find out who the most daring pony is.” Rainbow complained. She looked to Applejack once more. She had no intention of blinking. The bee keeper woudn’t have it though.
“Sorry ‘bout that” He said before turning away. He whistled, and every bee took flight off their bodies, both mares disappointed. Applejack slid the cover of her own bee keeping suit.
“Well, what do we do now?” She asked. Rainbow was happy they were able to distract each other like this. It felt like old times, before AJ got all fussy about Rarity.
“Don’t worry ladies, I’ve been keeping excellent score all day!” The pink pony trotted over to the note pad she’d been carrying through each event. She mumbled a bit as she hovered over the page. “Congratulations, you’re tied!”
Rainbow had suspected as much.
“Tied?” Applejack asked.
“You can’t be tied for the most daring pony!” Rainbow said.
I dunno, numbers don’t lie!” She held out her notebook for each pony to observe. The page was covered with sketches and doodles, and a completed tic-tac-toe game that honestly scared Rainbow a little. But Pinkie sounded confident in her math, and Dash had learned not to ask when it came to her pink friend’s logic.
“I’d love to stay and keep keeping score, but I promised to help test the new school bell!” Pinkie said. Rainbow winced a little at that last word.
“I get to ring it all week, non-stop! And I don’t even have to take turns, ‘cause nopony else volunteered!” She giggled as she bounced her way back to town, leaving Dash and AJ standing alone, without a winner. Dash wasn’t ready to call it though, not only because it would be a slight on her honour, but competing with Applejack had felt great. It wasn’t often they got to hang out like this anymore. So Rainbow kept pushing.
“Okay, no problem,” She said, kicking her own bee-proof suit of her body. “We just have to come up with another daring dare!”
“Right!” Her friend agreed. The two of them looked around the farm. There wasn’t much to do here that hadn’t been done. Nearly every time they faced off against one another was at the farm, so options of unique and daring challenges were running pretty slim. Then Applejacks ears perked up, and her lips pulled back into a wicked grin. That was a good sign.
“Ah think Ah might have an idea of what we can do.” She nodded her head towards the trail that lead into the Everfree Rainbow displayed a grin of her own. Anything beyond the boundaries of the Everfree Forest had to be daring. The daylight had almost run out, but she had no doubt they could keep this contest going as long as it took. Hell, she hoped it lasted for a long while yet. She hardly saw any of the farm mare since the crisis with the forest a few weeks ago.
Before an hour had passed they stood in the foyer of the Castle of The Sisters. The sun was low in the hills, and any minute the night would begin. Long shadows crept up the walls, and over grown plants snaked their way through the ancient stones, shattering and breaking them. The once beautiful decorations that adorned the room had fared even worse than the building itself. Rainbow was immediately disappointed.
“What’s so daring about this place? This is where we found the Elements of Harmony.” Rainbow though fondly for a moment of her own Element of Loyalty, locked away in the tree. It was just an object, but she did miss it sometimes.
“When Ah was just a filly, Granny Smith told me of an ancient legend,” Applejack said. Rainbow tried not to smirk. “When Nightmare Moon was banished, not every last bit of her dark magic went with her. Granny used to say, when night falls on the castle, that magic takes the form of, The Pony of Shadows!”
Rainbow snorted. Applejack had never been as good as her at telling ghost stories, but Nightmare Moon was a presence foals were taught to fear from an early age. She was a tale told by parents and siblings to make foals behave. She was the centre of the most frightening holiday of the year. And Rainbow had faced her first hand. The notion that part of that evil still may lurk in Equestria, let alone in the very building in which she stood, made her a little uncomfortable. Her eyes lingered on the shadows that painted the castle. They could be hiding anything, a veil to whatever or whoever resided behind the black curtain. The cyan pegasus swallowed, but she couldn’t let Applejack see she was unsettled.
“You mean like a ghost?”
“Nopony knows.” The farm pony said dramatically. Rainbow made a face. Though the thought of such an apparition did scare her a bit, she didn’t believe in ghost stories anymore. Now she told them. If this was the best her friend could come up with, this competition was about to get a lot longer.
For a while, Rainbow’s disbelief seemed founded. The two mares wandered the halls silently. The shadows shortened, being cast in the light of the moon. But the shadows that remained were pitch black. Anything could be hiding in those corners, foul dark creature preparing to pounced as she walked past. But she held her position: there were no ghosts in this castle. Still the night dragged on, with each passing hour adding difficulty to the challenge placed before her. Sounds in the dark, objects seeming to move from one area to another when her back was turned. She wasn’t scared so much as she was unsettled. She knew it was all in her mind, maybe Applejack wasn’t half as bad at telling ghost stories as Rainbow gave her credit for. Truthfully, the thing that really kept her there was Applejack. Not just because she wanted to win, but because knowing she was there, if things did get dangerous, she knew she had somepony at her back who she could trust.
Or at least that how she thought she felt. Just as she was explaining for the twelfth time how she didn’t believe in ghosts, more for her own sake than anything, when the tapestry beside them began to move, and both mares lost it, taking off deeper into the surprisingly long corridors of the castle. Rainbow was so spooked, she even caught a bit of air time. It kept getting worse after that, though sometimes things could calm down enough for them to talk a bit. Rainbow wasn’t sure what it was, whether enough time had passed, or the fear had thrown Applejacks caution to the wind, but as the two made their way through another quiet, snaking corridor, the farm pony piped up suddenly, causing the pegasus to jump a bit.
“Rainbow, can I ask you something?”
“Yeah, sure.” She breathed.
“You and Rarity, is there anything there?” She sounded desperate, like she just had to know. For the first time in hours Rainbow allowed herself a little smile.
“Are you still going on about that?”
“What do you mean ‘still’?” She asked, obviously a bit put off.
“Rarity told me about your little spat on the way to her party."
“Oh she did?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry though, I won’t chew you out for that.”
“Will you give me an answer?”
She almost did. She opened her mouth to say it, then quickly closed much the way the little filly had done to her just a few weeks ago. She couldn’t tell her. She’d made a promise to Rarity, nopony was to find out until she was ready to talk.
“Why is this bugging you so much A.J.?” She asked, redirecting. Applejack groaned.
“You know, she asked me almost the exact same thing when Ah asked her about it. What’s the big deal, why can’t you just tell me?”
“You didn’t answer my question, and I’m guessing you didn’t answer Rarity when she asked either.”
“There’s no reason.”
“Oh come on, I see how you look at her sometimes, the way you act, how you stand a bit closer to her than the rest of us.”
“What are you sayin’ Dash?”
“I think you totally have a crush on her.”
“No.” Her answer was hesitant, and Rainbow knew she had her.
“Haha, she was right you are totally jealous.”
Applejack was silent. She lost the conversation, and no matter how much she denied it, Rainbow knew the farm pony hated losing just as much as she did.
“Alright fine, let’s just say I do have a bit of a crush on her. How do you feel about that?”
“I don’t care. Well maybe that’s a bit mean. I respect your feelings and all, but it’s not happening.”
“Why not?”
“Because she already has me to deal with.”
Applejack made a face, not sure how to handle that information, but before either of them could continue the conversation, the all too familiar sound of an old pipe organ echoed through the halls, carrying with it an eerie chill.
“Maybe we should continue this in a less creepy place.” Rainbow said. Applejack nodded and they made their way further in. Hours continued to pass, and the two mares remained mostly quiet unless to tease or scare each other. The orange mare seemed to have accepted she wouldn’t get a straight answer to her question. The shadows remained ever dark, and no matter how much time she was sure had passed, the sun refused to rise, heralding the end of the competition. The low echoes of the organ seemed to keep them moving, and every so often Rainbow could swear she heard a third set of hoofsteps following her. But oddly enough, Rainbow was having fun again, and she suspected Applejack was too, despite her frustration. Maybe we should do stuff like this more often. She thought.
But the fun feeling dissipated when they reached a hall full of old suits of pony amour. The hulking iron sets were lightly rusted, but still mostly intact and looked very formidable. Rainbow stared at the set closest to her.The eye slits seemed to give the helmet a scowling expression, as though it wanted her gone.
“What’s the big deal? It’s just old pony armor.” She said, trying to keep her voice steady.
“Yeah, it’s not like they’re going to come to life… Right?”
Applejack continued to walk ahead, while Rainbow kept her focus on the armour sets. She really hoped they wouldn’t come to life. As she stepped lightly through the hall, she heard the sliding of a hinge and a rush of wind. She looked to where her friend had been only moments before, her place taken by another set of empty armor. Rainbow let out a shriek. She stared at the iron set. It couldn’t have grabbed her right? What if the suits were the lifeless bodies of the Pony of Shadows’ victims, doomed to forever remain sentries to this wicked place? Rainbow shook her head. The air was starting to get to her. Up until now, the thought that Applejack was beside her had been helping her to not lose her cool. But now there was no Applejack.
“Applejack, if you went back to Ponyville, that means I win right?” She threatened the empty hallway, in hopes that the orange mare was just playing a dirty trick. But she knew Applejack was scared too, and wouldn’t put herself in a situation that left her separated. But then, where did she go? She continued to back down the hallway, looking left to right, making sure the armour stayed at ease. Old metal doesn’t come to life… but she didn’t feel like taking chances. She felt something cold touch her back, and she turned just in time to see one of the hulking iron figures tumble towards her. She ducked out of the way with yet nether shriek. Her wings shot out at her side and she took off in the opposite direction. It was difficult to fly with speed in the tight stone corridors, but her nerves were shot. The blue mare flew with the utmost accuracy, all the horrifying things whizzing past in a blur. Where was Applejack? Where was anything in this castle? Free of the scary sights, her terrified mind quickly became angry. She was done with this! Applejack had disappeared, the competition didn’t matter now. She had to find her friend and get away. Somehow, in her frantic flying, she found the main hall. She slowed down then made her way up.
“Haunted statues, creepy armour,” She muttered angrily. Her wings carried her out a window. She was out. She could go home. But at the same time she couldn’t. The farm pony was still in there, and she had to bring her out. She turned to face the crumbling towers of the building that had caused her such distress. “Come on castle, is that all you got?”
Lightning arced down from the clouds and she recoiled. She hated Everfree weather, it couldn’t be controlled or tamed. Her heart was pounding. She lowered herself back down. She wished Rarity was with her. Nothing was scary when she was there. She let herself fall further from freedom, the walls of the castle growing around her yet again. It had to morning soon right? This place wouldn’t be so scary in the light of day. And the Pony of Shadows had no power in the day, right? Wasn’t that what Applejack said.
She was pulled from thought as once again her rump brushed up against something unfamiliar. But it wasn’t cold and hard like the armor. It was soft and warm. She’d bumped into a pony. Rainbow lost it, she brought down her wings as hard as she could, just trying to get away. She was blinded by fear, she kept hitting the walls, but she couldn’t stop, she couldn’t look. The Pony of Shadows couldn’t get her if she just kept moving. She heard other screams, the tortured souls of other who’d wandered into the castle never to see the light of day again; she thought she could hear Applejacks scream among them. Her mind generated a never-ending flow of horrifying images as she cried out in terror with the rest of the chorus of the dead. She wanted out, she wanted Applejack, and she wanted Rarity. She wanted to go home.
Then all of the sudden it stopped. The other screams fell silent as did her own. Her wings stopped flapping, though she felt no rush of air as she fell to the ground. Am I Dead? She opened her eyes, her vision was directed towards the ground. Everything seemed to have a sort of purple haze. But through that she could still see the shy little pony sitting on the ground before her.
“Must… Save… Angel.” She said her voice concerned yet soft as ever.
“Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked in disbelief. “What are you doing here?”
“She’s with me!” She heard a voice that she loved so. What was Rarity doing there?
The haze around her dissipated and she felt gravity take her again. She flapped her wings. And lowered herself back down. As she looked around the room she saw all of her friends gathered there, Applejack and Rarity included. Her heart slowed a little at the sight of all of her friends. Twilight seemed the most confused of everypony, especialy at the mention of the Pony of Shadows.
But as the pipe organ blasted yet another tune from afar, Twilight decided to investigate, and all her friends followed. The pony at the keys turned out to be none other than Pinkie Pie, excited as ever and not even remotely scared of the creepy castle in which she resided. Rainbow remembered the song Pinkie sang out when they were in the Everfree, the night they found the Elements. Rainbow wished she could have remembered the pink ponies advice. With the horrors of the castle unmasked, and the first rays of the sun breaking through the overcast skies to shine in through the windows, all the friends ascended the steps to the entrance, following Twilights lead.
Applejack was more than pleased to have found Rainbow Dash again, and even more so to have her friends gathered with her. She didn’t even feel all that embarrassed about how she was acting earlier. She stayed further back from the others, recalling fondly the events of the night. She hardly thought of it at the time, but spending the night here with Rainbow had been some of the most fun she’d had in months. Even though most of it was scary, the time she spent with Rainbow was great. Which is why it kind of burned her up to see her walking so close to Rarity again. It was their day to spend together, and now Rarity had taken her away again. Rainbow Dash had been right, she did have feelings for the white unicorn, but that had never made the posh pony any less frustrating.
But at least today had proved that Rainbow still liked to hang out, so at least she wouldn’t lose that. Rainbow whispered something in Rarity’s ear and she giggled. Applejack picked up her pace, wanting to get home. Granny Smith would probably have some choice words to say when she got back to the farm, being out all night without warning. She caught up with the group, all chatting and laughing about how silly they had been. They reached the top of the steps, the echo of twenty-four hooves clattering against the stones. Suddenly there was a different clattering noise followed by a crack. Twilight’s step faltered and Applejack came to a stop.
“What was that?”
“Twilight,” Spike chirped in uncertainly. “What was that you said about this castle falling apart?”
Twilight looked around the room.
“Come on girls, double-time.” All six ponies began to speed their trot, Pinkie stopped bouncing. Applejack gave her hat a small tug the way she always did when she was nervous. Rarity and Dash walked so close their bodies touched, and Fluttershy kept her body low to the ground, her ears bent down. They made their way down a hall. Just ahead the light of day shone through an open doorway. Twilight lead them that way, taking them into the entrance hall, they could see the door. They slowed their pace again, with no roof above them to come down. Applejack touched the brim of her hat again.
“Ah really don’t like this castle.”
“Tell me about it.” Rarity breathed sympathetically. Applejack smiled when yet another loud crack resounded to her left. The wall beside them racked along the base, spitting out rocks. There was a loud moan as the wall began to collapse inward atop all of them.
“Go!” Twilight shouted. As she reared up and gave it her all towards the exit. The two pegasi spread their wings and shot off, with Pinkie and Rarity right behind them. But Applejack thought too long. She was the farthest back from the exit, she could only make it if she was fast. She could run to the other side of the room, but the wall was tall, and it might still be able to hit her there. By the time her hooves began to move and carry her to the other side of the room, she could hear the falling stones beside her. She closed her eyes and prepared for the impact. But the hit she felt didn’t come from behind her, but beside her. She heard a rush of wind and opened her eyes in time to see a flash of blue, before two hooves slammed into her chest. Applejack was tossed off her hooves flying sideways through the air. She hit the ground and rolled hard. Tears formed in her eyes, as she heard the wall come crashing down.
When Applejack came to a rest on the cold stone ground, the room had stopped shaking, but it was not void of sound as she heard her friends cry out in horror. She opened her eyes. Everything hurt, especially her chest where Rainbow’s hooves connected. She brought a shaky hoof up to her head, upon which somehow her hat remained. Still laying she turned her head to the side, seeing Rarity atop the pile of rubble left by the collapse. The rest of her friends stood for a second in awe before joining her. But it wasn’t the rest of her friends, somepony was missing. Where was Rainbow? She watched as blue and purple auras began to surround the large chunks of mortared stones, tossing them aside. Fluttershy and Pinkie used their hooves to lift alongside the unicorns. They were digging frantically for something.
Applejack trembled.
No.
“Rainbow!” Rarity cried.
No! The farm pony rose to her hooves with a scream of agony. She brought a foreleg to her chest. Some ribs were broken. Hearing her cry, Fluttershy looked up and flew to Applejack, obviously trying to help. But the orange mare waved her off.
“No! Dig! Get her outta there!” She screamed, gritting her teeth in pain. The yellow pegasus looped back around. Applejack moved towards the pile of stones as fast as her body would let her. Her chest felt like it would explode, but she refused to stop moving. The mess the wall had left in its wake spanned thirty feet in one direction, and about ten in the other, and was more than deep enough to completely cover a pony. Rarity began moving the pieces with magic and hooves grunting with each action she took.
“Rainbow Dash!” She cried frantically, almost begging. Soon her grunts turned to open, wailing sobs. But she didn’t stop digging, her vigor unending. Applejack joined the others, lifting large pieces with her hooves, rolling chunks as large as her down the pile. Her body was in agony, but she felt almost numb. Rainbow was buried because she’d been slow. Why had she been so stupid?
If she’s not okay…
She couldn’t finish the thought. Of course she was alright, she was Rainbow Dash! Ponies didn’t come tougher than her. She would be ok, scrapes and bruises, maybe something broken. They could take her back to the hospital, she’d be fine. Rainbow would be fine. Just scrapes and bruises. Her tears began to soak the rocks she was removing, when she heard the pale unicorn call out.
“I found her!” All the mares clambered to her across the shifting rubble. Rarity was still digging when they made their way to her. Her mascara was running wild down her face, her coat and mane tinged grey by the settling dust. Her teeth were gritted in a combination of pain and ceaseless resolve. Rarity wanted the pegasus out. She continued to sob and call Rainbows name, and whispering something in a voice to low to hear over their effort. But she did catch one word repeated over and over.
“Please.”
Applejacks heart was in her throat. She felt awful for Rainbow, she felt awful for the obvious suffering Rarity was under. She had to find her friend. A flurry of solid rock was tossed aside as Rarity cleared her way. Applejack saw what the unicorn was digging around and began to help her. Rainbow’s cyan hoof hung out limply and covered in cuts. The mares began to dig with renewed fury, slowly unearthing the rest of her cyan body.
The very first thing Rainbow was aware of was the light. It pierced her eyes like a knife, blinding her, stinging, causing tears to roll down her cheeks. Sunlight spilled down upon her from the jagged holes in the roof. Next came the pain. It was excruciating, as though her body were being saturated in agony. There wasn’t a single part of her that didn’t hurt. She wanted to scream to vocalize the torture she was being put through, but no sound escaped, her throat was dry as a desert. Once the light subsided, she could see faint figures looming above her, and distant yelling. Eventually some of the words began to register in her mind.
“Don’t move her yet, get the rocks off her legs first!” A commanding voice shouted.
“What are we going to do?”
“I could fly her back.” A scared yet determined voice offered.
“I’m sorry Fluttershy, but I don’t want to risk her falling, and I don’t think there’s anyway you could hold her without putting her through more pain.
The faces came into focus. Her friends stood around her crowding, and anxious. Almost all of them were crying. Even Rarity. She tried to speak, to ask what happened, but all that came out was a muffled sounding groan. All the mares looked down on her.
Twilight knelt down swiftly, putting a soft hoof to her forehead.
“Rainbow, don’t try to move. We’re going to get you out of here, to a hospital, please stay still.” The purple unicorn stood back up.
Suddenly it all came back, the wall, Applejack. She began to understand her own pain, and she moaned again.
“Fluttershy, you’re still the fastest, I need you to fly back to town and tell the hospital what happened, make sure they’re ready to receive Rainbow.”
The pegasus didn’t hesitate, taking off with as much speed as she could muster.
“Rarity, I’m going to lift her out, I think magic is the only way we can move her without harming her. I’m going to need you to help me keep her steady.”
Swirls of purple and blue began to envelope her and she began to float towards the sky. Her vision swam then disappeared, and the pegasus faded into darkness.
“Fluttershy, I can’t thank you enough for this favour, it means a lot to me.” Rainbow expressed to her yellow friend, as she carried a small box into the little cottage.
“Oh, it’s no problem Dash,” The shy mare replied from behind her, carrying her own little package. “When I heard you were coming to town I figured it would be a nice way to catch up. Besides, Ponyville only has one inn, and it’s pretty run down.”
“Speaking of which, how much do I owe you?” Rainbow grunted as she let her box down on the hardwood floor. Fluttershy set down the other with a confused look on her face.
“Owe me?"
“Yeah for letting me stay with you. I know it can be a pain to take in a houseguest and-”
“Rainbow, we’re friends, you don’t owe me anything! I’m happy to take you in.”
“Really? Are you sure, because I can pay you, I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage.” Rainbow said, quite shocked by Fluttershy’s kindness.
“Of course I’m sure.”
Rainbow pulled the mare into a hug. She’d been stressing her money situation for a long time, and knowing that she didn’t have to pay for lodgings was going to make things a lot easier. Fluttershy’s face reddened by the unexpected contact, but she wrapped her forelegs around her all the same.
“It’s great to see you again Rainbow.”
“You too Fluttershy.”
“I-I’m sorry about what happened to your parents.” She said, doing her best to look Rainbow in the eye. She looked almost scared for saying that, as though it would make her angry. But Rainbow put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder.
“Me too Fluttershy. But don’t worry about it. You know me, I’m tough as nails.” She put out a friendly smile, and Fluttershy smiled back, obviously happy to have that conversation over with.
The kind pegasus showed her around her cottage. The rooms were full of animals, but very well kept considering. Rainbow didn’t mind that too much; it was a small thing to deal with for getting to stay without rent. The cottage was small; much smaller than she was used to, but it was homey, and warm, and it would be nice to have somepony she knew so close to her as she adjusted to the change.
“And here’s where you’ll be sleeping.” She opened a door to a large room, with a comfortable looking queen sized bed and beautiful decorations. It was the only room she’d visited so far that didn’t have a critter in it.
“Wow Fluttershy this is amazing! Thank you so much!”
“You’re quite welcome. Sorry it’s nothing special, but I only have the one bed. But I cleaned up as best as I could, and I even animal-proofed the door, so you don’t have to worry about any unexpected visitors."
Rainbow smiled, but it dipped a little as she played back what the other pegasus had said.
“Wait, one bed? Where are you sleeping?”
“Oh, I was just going to take a blanket down to the couch and sleep there.”
“Oh, no, no, no. Fluttershy, I can’t let you do that."
“It really is fine, I don’t mind! I couldn’t ask you to sleep on the couch.”
“Yes you could, that’s actually what I expected. Seriously Fluttershy, you’re already doing too much for me, you keep the bed, I’ll take the loveseat.”
“Well, if you really want. But I won’t be able to keep the critters off of you. I mean they’re all harmless, but I know most ponies don’t appreciate waking up to mice snoozing on them.” As unsavory as the mouse prospect sounded to her, Rainbow refused to take such a kind ponies bed. The two descended the stairs again. The cyan pegasus felt very grateful. It had been nearly two years since she last saw Fluttershy. A lot of things had changed for Dash since then, but thankfully her friend hadn’t. The yellow pegasus smiled and giggled as they talked, and blushed when she said anything remotely negative.
While they were reminiscing about their days as fillies back in Cloudsdale, Rainbow felt her stomach growl, and Fluttershy gasped. At first the blue pegasus giggled, thinking the noise from her stomach startled the timid mare. But Fluttershy got straight up from her chair and took off into the kitchen, with Rainbow tailing behind her.
“Rainbow Dash, I’m so sorry! I was so busy getting the house ready for you, I completely forgot to buy groceries, and I’m out of food."
“Don’t worry about that Fluttershy. What do you need?"
“Oh Dash, I couldn’t ask you to do that, you’re my houseguest, I want to make you feel welcome, not send you out on my errands.”
“It’s really no big deal. I really can’t believe you’d do all this for me, I feel like I owe you something. I mean, groceries won’t totally pay you back, but consider it the first of many repayments.”
“But, you don’t know where the markets are. I would go with you, but I have a sick patient and I’d really prefer not to leave the house.”
“I’ll just do a quick flyby, it can’t be too hard to spot.”
“Are you sure? I’d hate to impose.”
“Oh, of course I am. Besides, it’ll give me a chance to see a bit of the town, see what’s going on."
“Alright. But remind me later and I’ll be sure to give you a proper tour of the town.”
The light stung her eyes again as they slowly opened. Swirls of purple and blue slowly passed in her line of vision, like clouds moving across the sky. Her head was still facing the sky,the sun and sky beaming down on her- or perhaps she was looking down upon the sky. The pain made it hard to tell, hard to care. Her head felt like it was being crushed in a press, and her entire midsection felt like it was being stabbed with hot blades. She tried to writhe her body, see what still worked, if there was any muscle that didn’t feel as though it was being torn out of her. But she was held in place by invisible restraints. She heard a low humming, then a gurgling sound like a fast moving river. Then voices, coming from below her. She was floating.
“Twilight! Watch her back right!” A pony with an accent called. Applejack.
“We are, her leg is bent wrong!” Twilight shouted back in an aggravated voice. Rainbow tried to open her mouth, tell them not to shout, but her mouth was frozen like the rest of her body, and her voice couldn’t be found. The voices below went silent, except for one who only whispered.
“Please be okay. Please be okay.” Pausing only to suck in gasping breaths. Rarity. Even without seeing, Dash could tell she was crying. Again she tried to speak, tell her something comforting, but even if she could, what comforting words could such an uncomfortable mare give? The leaves of the forest consumed the sun as Rainbow’s lidded eyes closed once again.
Rainbow had to admit, she didn’t expect the marketplace to be as big as it was, especially for such a small town. She walked the trails, with the list her new roommate had given her in her saddlebag. It was going to be a while before the pegasus got used to the feel of solid ground beneath her hooves again, it had been a long time since her last trip from Cloudsdale. Walking on clouds was a lot easier on the hoofs than the dirt and rocks of the ground, but she would cope, she was an adaptable. She walked to the stalls she could find and asked directions to those she couldn’t.
“Excuse me,” She said to an orange earth pony with a mane to match. Her ears perked up. “Do you know where I could find the celery stand?”
“Oh, sure! New in town huh?” Her tone was jubilant and friendly. “Just walk that way, turn left and you should find it two or three stalls down on your right!”
Rainbow memorized the directions and thanked the mare. The pegasus looked back as she walked away. It was rare she ever met somepony so friendly. But the more she walked, the more she realized friendly attitudes weren’t rare around this town; quite the contrary. Ponies would walk up and say hello to each other as though they were the best of friends. Coudsdale wasn’t like that at all, ponies would hardly give another the light of day, but maybe that’s because it was too big. Maybe Ponyville was just so small, everypony knew each other. Of course there were exceptions, some would say hello with a bit of venom in their voice, and very few wouldn’t even turn their heads when they were being talked to, though for the most part the townsfolk seemed very amiable. Rainbow had been a bit concerned at first about moving to such a remote town, but the attitudes of all the ponies here alleviated a lot of her fears.
Her list was almost complete, and already she was thinking about all the tales she would have to tell Fluttershy, when she slammed head first into somepony. Rainbow was knocked back to the ground by the impact. She gently rubbed her hoof on her head. That would leave a goose egg.
“Oh my goodness darling, are you alright?” She heard a rather elegant voice speak to her.
“Yeah, I’m good.” She opened her eyes to see a white hoof extended out to her. She reached her own out and allowed herself to be helped up to a standing position.
“Thanks, I-” She paused, her eyes gazing upon the mare she had run into. Her purple mane was styled with care and precision, her forelock curled above a unicorn horn. The white mares eyes were a deep blue, and filled with a mixture of concern and compassion. Her coat practically sparkled, it was so well taken care of. Rainbow found herself at a pause at the unicorn’s beauty, but there was something else.
“I’m so sorry, I really should watch where I’m going, but I was just so excited to get home and…” As the unicorn spoke her voice trailed off more and more, until she too was silent, and her face, while maintaining her look of concern, also displayed a certain curiosity. She tilted her head and made a face as though remembering something. Rainbow knew she was noticing the same thing.
“You look really familiar… Do… I know you?”
Rainbow was pulled to consciousness much more violently this time, gasping for breath. Had, she been slipping? She could still hear the voices below her and see the melding auras of magic that held her.
“Rarity, I think I can hold her on my own, can you focus your magic enough to keep and even pressure on that cut? She’s still bleeding.” The blue aura slowly trickled from her vision until it was completely purple, as Rarity wordlessly accepted the responsibility given to her.
The cut must have been bad if Rarity knew exactly which one without asking. Suddenly, the side of her chest felt as though it had been set aflame. Rainbow’s purple sight turned red, and she struggled violently against Twilights restraint. Rainbow would have gritted her teeth and tried to hold it in, but being unable to move, she couldn’t stop herself from crying out in pain. Rarity began to sob again aware she was causing the pony she loved such pain, and Twilight groaned under the stress she was being put under.
Rainbow coughed, sending spikes into her skull. She felt tears welling as the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. She wanted to spit, but couldn’t. She felt sick.
“We’re almost there hang in there!” Rainbow couldn’t tell who Twilight was talking to.
“What are you saying?” Rarity demanded. “We still aren’t even close to Ponyville!”
“All I need is to be close. Once we near town, I can teleport us the rest of the way. But we have to wait, because I need to be accurate, my magic is already strained, and if I try to go too far, I’m not sure which direction I’ll go!”
Rainbow stopped screaming, instead breathing heavily. Then softer, and softer. She felt tired, she wanted to rest. She wished for a soft blanket to curl up with, on a fluffy cloud in the clear blue sky. She didn’t hurt so bad anymore. She felt a hoof against hers, and a voice speaking.
“You have to hold on Rainbow, please hold on.”
Hold onto what? She thought distantly. I’m floating…
Rainbow walked with the mare she’d come to know as Rarity. It had been six day’s since they met, but it felt like she’d known the unicorn for a lifetime. They talked and laughed and spent time together. They were on their way to the boutique, Rainbow had yet to see the inside of her friend’s shop. She’d passed Carousel many times of course, and if the interior was half as beautiful as the exterior, Rainbow would be far past impressed.
Rarity held open the door with her magic, letting Rainbow enter first. She could hear a little bell ring as she made her way in. Rainbow had never really been one for dresses, being the athlete she was, but even she was amazed at the works on display. “Oh my gosh Rarity!”
“I know it isn’t much, but all the outfits here were hoofstitched by me, and only my favorites make it to the mannequins.” “Not much?” Dash exclaimed. “Rarity this is crazy! You made all of these?”
The unicorn nodded, not bashful in the slightest. She showed her around the shop which doubled as her home. She made Rainbow some tea, which the blue pegasus had never tried before. Rainbow continued to fawn remorselessly over all the hard work Rarity had put into her business, and the white mare smiled and thanked her, and explained whenever she had a question. Rainbow felt great when she was with this pony. The first day had been confusing and a little scary. She wasn’t sure about how she felt about the mare she’d bumped into, she didn’t trust some things she said. But now, after only a few days the two were inseparable, and Dash hoped it stayed that way. The visit was going well, she heard hooves knocking on the door.
“Hello? Rarity? Are you home?” A stallion’s voice called from outside. Rarity dropped her cup to the floor. The porcelain frame shattered upon impact, making Rainbow jump. Rarity looked almost ready to cry.
“No, no, no. Why today, of all days, why today?” She sounded distant, getting up frazzled and looking around the house. “Rarity, what’s wrong?” Rainbow asked worriedly, her first thought was that the mare was being robbed. But the voice at the door sounded far from malicious.
“It’s them, he can’t know you’re here!” It took Rainbow a moment to process what she was hearing.
“Wait, you mean ‘them’?” The knocks on the door continued.
“Yes, mother and father sometimes drop Sweetie Belle on me for a couple hours so they can do errands.” She stood up and pranced on the spot, thinking unsure what to do.
“You’re sure you don’t want him to see me?” Rainbow asked, more out of courtesy than anything. She didn’t look forward to meeting the unicorn’s parents. From what Rarity told her, he wouldn’t approve of all the time they had been spending together.
“No, not now Rainbow. Nopony can know about us!”
“Alright,” She nodded, secretly glad. “Do you have a back door I could slip out of, hell, I’d go out a window.”
“Well, yes there is a back door, but I would prefer if you’d stay.”
“I thought you said-”
“Yes I know, but I just need you to hide, my parents won’t even enter the boutique. There is somepony I want you to meet.” Another knock on the door.
“Hey Rarity!” The voice called again. Knowing who was at the door now, the sound of his voice made her cringe.
“Just stay in the kitchen, around the corner, and please don’t come out until I shut the door.”
Rarity’s voice was so commanding, Dash doubted she would be able to refuse even if she wanted to. She waited where she was told and listened as the door opened.
“Hiya there kiddo!” Rainbow heard a stallion’s voice that she remembered all to well.
“Hello father, hello mother. Hello Sweetie.” She said the last name a little sweeter than she did the others.
“We were hoping you wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on your sister for an hour or two while your mother and I run some errands.
“No of course not, Sweetie’s always welcome to stay. How are you Sweetie Belle?”
A small voice responded too quietly for Dash to hear.
“Thanks a bunch Rarity.” A mare’s voice said this time. “We shouldn’t be out too long, but she hasn’t had lunch yet.”
“Not a problem, I’ll be sure to find us something to eat.”
“Alright bye you two, love you!”
“Love you too!” Rarity called. A smaller voiced called out.
“Wuv you.”
Rainbow heard the door close and she stepped out. In the entry way, the white mare knelt before a small filly. She couldn’t see much of her with Rarity in the way, but she was white with a purple mane just like her sister.
“Sweetie, there’s somepony here I’d like you to meet. A… dear friend of mine.”
She stood up, and Rainbow got a good look at her. Her mane was curly and coloured with two shades of purple. She was a unicorn,probably about three or four years old, but Rainbow wasn’t very good at guessing ages. Her big green eyes sparkled with youth, with a touch of mistrust towards the new pony before her. She ducked behind the legs of her sister. Rainbow wasn’t sure how she felt. She was beautiful, an adorable, innocent filly. But knowing what she was supposed to be to her, the thought made her stomach churn. Still she put on a brave smile and knelt down where she was, not wanting to scare Rarity’s sister.
“Hi there Sweetie, I’m Rainbow Dash.” She found herself choking on the words. Dash had never been too keen with children. Rarity looked down to Sweetie.
“Say hello, Sweetie.” She whispered gently beside her ear.
“Hewwo.” She finally said shakily, not looking the pegasus in the eyes. She held tighter to her sisters legs. Rarity giggled.
“Still haven’t gotten the hang of your ‘L’s yet hmm? You can run along now, I left your colouring book in your room, why don’t you draw a picture for me?” The fillies ears lifted and she took off without another word to either of them. Rainbow watched her go, listened as she ran up the steps. A slight chill ran down her back.
“She’s very shy,” Rarity said distantly. “Thank you Rainbow.”
“For what?” She said with forced nonchalance.
“For everything. Meeting the family is always stressful it seems.”
“You know, you parents are going to see me eventually, I make the weather, they’ll see me flying.”
“Yes of course, but it’s not like they’ll approach you. I just don’t want anypony to know about us. And please don’t take that the wrong way, it’s not that I’m embarrassed of you it’s just, I’m not ready for ponies to know yet.”
“It’s no problem. Your sister, she’s very… cute.” Then Dash felt something overcome her. Maybe it was the sight of the little filly, how affectionate she was towards the mare she cared for. Rainbow cared for her too, so why couldn’t she do the same? She wrapped her hooves around the white unicorn, pulling her into a hug. She was very warm, and soft. Rainbow felt her face warming, when Rarity returned the embrace. Then to the surprise of them both, Rarity spoke up with words Dash didn’t expect to hear. Well, she wanted to hear them, but she didn’t think it would come so fast.
“I love you.”
“That’s it, I have to risk it, we can’t waste any more time!” Twilight's magic must have been weakening, Rainbow began to tremble violently.
“Twilight, if you go in the wrong direction, your effort will have been for naught!”
“We’re out of options Rarity! She’s fading!”
“I’m with Twi, we have to risk it.” Applejack said.
Rainbow felt herself being lowered, the cold hard ground upon her back. Once again, her friends loomed above her. Rarity knelt down and planted her lips upon her cheek. The tired feeling that had enveloped her was gone, pushed back by her will power. How could she have been so selfish, letting herself fade away? How could she let herself die with the ponies she loved watching, trying so hard to save her. She would hold on, she wouldn’t fall asleep. As Rarity pulled away, Rainbow watched as Twilights horn illuminated. She looked to her side. Applejack was staring at her, guilt plain to see on her face. The ground beside Rainbow’s face began to soak with blood. With a sudden pop, the Everfree Forest disappeared.
When Applejack’s vision cleared, she and her friends were upon the threshold of Ponyville Hospital. Normally after Twilight's teleportation spells, she would her head would spin and a queasy feeling would befall her, but ever since Rainbow’s accident those sensations had become the norm. The farm pony felt so relieved she thought she might cry. They made it. They’d gotten Rainbow to the hospital. She turned her gaze once again to the pony who lay upon the ground. Her eyes were still open, trails of tears running down her face. It hurt Applejack more than she could say to behold her friend in such a state. Both her wings were bent at painful angles, as well as her left foreleg and her back leg on the same side. Her body was covered with cuts, and one massive laceration across her rib cage. Rainbow was broken, shattered upon the ground before her, and it was all her fault.
Purple and blue auras surrounded the pegasus’ body once again, as she was lifted, both Rarity and Twilight giving it there all to get her into the emergency room. Pinkie ran behind them, and Applejack kicked up dust to run next to Rainbow. The doors opened before them and Rarity was the first to burst out.
“Help! Somepony help us please!”
Fluttershy came into view, flanked by two doctors, each wearing looks of severity. Fluttershy’s chest heaved, she looked about ready to collapse to the floor, but she joined the rest of her friends.
“What happened?” One doctor asked.
“There’s no time, she needs oxygen, we’re losing her!”
Applejack met eyes with her athletic friend, who was blinking slowly with a distant look. One doctor’s horn lit up as he rolled a stretcher over. The other’s horn also illuminated, casting a third aura over the blue mare. Each unicorn set her down as gently as they could, but even so when her body touched the stretcher she cried out and tried to curl up. The doctor with a brown coat and mane took off with their friend in tow, barking orders to the nurses. All five friends began to take off after him, but the mare who had entered with the brown stallion held them all back.
“We have a room prepped for her, this young mare explained the situation.” Said the other doctor pointing a hoof at Fluttershy.
“Though I’m afraid you all must remain here until we have her stabilized.”
Applejack looked up with shock and both she and Rarity began to shout arguments, but the mare wasn’t having any of it.
“Please, stay here, and we will inform you when the situation is under control.”
Just as Rainbow’s body began to round the corner, Rarity cried out.
“I love you Rainbow!” Her knees buckled and she fell to the floor sobbing. Pinkie and Fluttershy began to cry nearly as hard, while Twilight maintained a look of concern she rarely ever wore. Applejack simply stood, allowing tears to roll down her cheeks as she cried silently. This was all her fault. Scrapes and bruises. But it wasn’t. Rainbow had nearly left them as they ran to save her, the orange mare watched as the light dimmed in her eyes. One of her best friends was in mortal danger, and she was the cause. Her breath shook. She noticed what Rarity had shouted, but she paid no mind. She loved Rainbow too, she didn’t want her to die, especially not for her own sake.
Twilight was the first pony to make her way to a chair in the waiting room. Wordlessly she walked, slowly and deliberately, taking a seat in an uncomfortable green chair, staring down the hall blankly. Taking notice, Fluttershy followed her purple friend’s example, sniffling and crying all the way to the chairs, where she sat next to Twilight, resting her head on her shoulder. Pinkie followed next, not bouncing, not frolicking. Her face was pointed down as she joined her friends. Applejack followed next, her ankles itchy from standing still so long. Rainbow had been injured grievously, it would be a long while before any news from hospital staff came. She took her place far from her friends however, unwilling to be in such comforting company. She didn’t want company; she didn’t deserve it.
Rarity remained in her own spot however, resting her haunches on the floor, allowing her mascara stained tears to fall to the floor. Applejack watched her. Another casualty of her dimwittedness. She wished she could get up and do… something. Hold her, tell her it would be okay. That this day wouldn’t end in tragedy. But she hardly believed it herself, and even if she did, as she looked upon Rarity, one feeling began to prevail above all others. Fear. She was afraid of Rarity. What she was thinking, how she was feeling. Does she hate me? She wondered. She hoped she did. She hoped that beautiful pony would hate her, with every fiber of her being, that she would scorn her, wish her dead. It would be a fitting punishment, one Applejack would take gladly, though it would hardly begin to make amends for what she had done.
But despite her hopes fear still held sway in her heart. She wanted to be hated, but she didn’t. What she really wanted, was for this day to have never happened, for Dash to be alright, for them to be sitting down eating breakfast, not crying in a hospital. If only she had blinked.
An hour came and went, and the five mares had hardly moved. Other ponies in the ER stopped to talk to them sometimes, asking what happened or telling them Rainbow was in their prayers. Applejack ignored any who came her way, unwilling to deal with their petty false condolences. She just stared down the hall, waiting for a doctor to round the corner. Part of her almost didn’t want to see the doctors return. As long as they were away, Rainbow was still alive and they were fixing her.
Finally, Fluttershy of all ponies stood up from her chair to go to the white unicorn, who sat upon the cold hospital floor. Applejack cringed, expecting Rarity to lash out on the poor timid mare. But Fluttershy said nothing, only putting a hoof on her back. Rarity looked up and put on a brave smile for her friend, more than could be asked of anypony in such a situation. Thinking on it, it dawned on Applejack that had the yellow mare approached her, she might’ve snapped at her, told her to leave her be. The thought only added to her guilty heart.
The farm pony felt confused. All the things she wanted contradicted each other. She wanted to be with her friends, but she wanted to be left alone. She wanted to offer her sympathies to Rarity, whom she thought the world of, but she wanted Rarity to loath her, look at her with disgust. Only one thing made sense in her mind. She wanted to see Dash again, smiling and happy, her pain alleviated. She didn’t want her friend to die.
Rarity held Fluttershy’s hoof and rubbed her cheek on it, looking for comfort. She got up onto her hoofs and followed the pegasus back to the chairs, making Applejack the only pony out of the group. But she wouldn’t follow. Her friends knew it, she was a stubborn bull headed idiot farm pony who didn’t know nothing about anything. Tears began to well in her eyes again and she buried her face ing her hoofs. She wept silently, her guilt riddled heart broken. Why were they here at the hospital? So many times had they taken Dash to the hospital, her daring lifestyle introducing her to many injuries, but never had they waited to hear whether or not their friend would live or die.
A world without Rainbow. It was difficult to think about, mostly due to the fact that when she tried, she just cried harder, knowing that the weight of such a world would rest on her shoulders, because she made a stupid mistake. While wallowing in her own retched feelings, Applejack felt a soft breeze, and heard the chair beside her creak slightly. Fluttershy sat beside her. She didn’t put a hoof on her back, but she locked concerned eyes with her. The orange mare felt embarrassed, her friends thought she was acting out to gain their sympathy.
“No, no Fluttershy, Ah’m fine, you go back.”
The shy little pony said nothing, only stareing at her with concern. She opened her mouth to tell her to leave, but she couldn’t. Did she want her to leave? She couldn’t tell. The chair to her other side made a noise as it scratched the floor. In it rested a pink pony, giving her the same look as Fluttershy. Twilight walked over next, standing in front of her, the strong leader of their group.
Applejack began to tremble.
“Please don’t.”
Finally she looked up to see Rarity, her tear stained face a mask of all emotion. Aplejack felt ready to wretch.She decided; she didn’t want her friends. Or at least, she didn’t want them to want her. She stood up from her own uncomfortable chair fast enough to send it sliding back a little.
“Look… Ah’m gonna go get Apple Bloom, and try to find Scootaloo. They should be here.”
Rarity held her stare.
“She’s right, the fillies should be here, I’ll go get Sweetie.”
“No Rarity,” Applejack said swiftly. “I’ll find her too. Odds are they’re all together anyways, and you need to stay in case- When Dash gets up.” She was worried the unicorn would attempt to argue, but she nodded solemnly, finally dropping her eyes from Applejack’s. The orange pony shuffled past her friends, keeping a steady trot towards the door, and going faster, and faster the further she got away from the hospital, until she was sprinting with all the speed she could muster, kicking up a dust cloud. She was half right. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo where together in the streets, only a block away from the hospital.
“You two need to get to Ponyville hospital.” She said urgently.
“Why what’s happened?” Sweetie asked, her smile immediately vanishing.
“There’s been an accident, Dash’s hurt, but Ah don’t have time to explain. Do you know where my sister is?”
“She got hungry and decided to go back to the barn.” The uncorn filly said, taking initiative. Scootaloo looked terrified, and pulled her friend down to the hospital.
Applejack didn’t say another word, making her way back to the farm. When she did find Apple Bloom, she scooped her up and put her on her back explaining the situation along the way. Despite her ease in locating the fillies, the trip from the hospital to the farm was an extremely long one to make, and it had taken her the better part of an hour to finally return. When she re-entered the ER, all her friends and the little fillies she had directed there were gone. She saw nurse Redheart approaching.
“The doctor came out not two minutes ago and told your friends to get to room 211. If you're fast I bet you could meet them along the way.”
The farm pony tipped a hat to the kindly nurse and followed the signs to the designated room. True to her word, as she rounded one of the last corners, the hallway was packed with seven ponies all trying to make their way down.
“Rarity, what’s going on?” She asked.
“We aren’t sure, he just said to follow him, and he would explain when we got to her room.”
Applejack didn’t pressure her further, not wanting to speak to her grieving friend more than she had to. All the ponies walked silently at a brisk pace wanting to see their friend. If he dragged them all the way out here without explaination, she couldn’t be dead right? They had saved their friend. She knew it wasn’t certain, but still Applejack let the smallest hints of relief creep in, and it relaxed her like nothing she ever felt before. She counted the rooms.
209
210
211. They stopped. The doctor leading them was the brown coated stallion again, and the farm pony was immediately disquieted by his look of uncertainty.
“We have done everything in our power to help her. Your friend sustained a terrible amount of damage. Broken bones, multiple lacerations, severe blood loss and internal bleeding. Quite frankly, it’s amazing she lasted as long as she did. She isn’t in any pain, we’ve given her the strongest anesthetics we have, and a few moments ago she regained consciousness for the time being.”
“So, she’s going to be okay?” Rarity asked, her tone cautiously hopeful.
“Honestly, we don’t know. As I said, we’ve done all the reparations we can, but I’m not sure if it was enough…”
Rarity looked down, a tear slowly rolling down her cheek. Twilight stepped up to the front.
“May we see her?”
The doctor gave a small smile, Applejack twitched slightly. Who could smile in a situation like this?
“The first thing she said when she woke up was that she wanted to see her friends. Now, according to hospital policy, not all of you should be in the room at a time. But, it’s rare we ever see circumstances like this, so I’ll just look the other way.” The stallion’s horn illuminated with a blue aura. The same aura coated the door handle and it swung open.
“There is a panic button under her bed,” He said before they all entered. “If her condition changes suddenly, please do not hesitate to press it.” He stepped away from the door and all the ponies entered, save for the doctor, who pulled up a clipboard and walked back in the direction of the lobby. Applejack wondered what kind of news the next ponies would get. A beloved family member passed on? A co-worker who would never come back to the job site. Hospitals always held an air of doom to Applejack, but she forced her mind in every possible way to attempt positivity. Rainbow deserved that much at least. The fillies and mares walked calmly, with the farm pony at the back of the herd. The area just after the door was very tight and enclosed, but she could see where it would open up. Where her friends hospital bed lay. They gathered around it. Applejack expected to see a grim looking pony, laying frail, breathing heavily as she sat upon deaths doorstep.
But Rainbow seemed fully awake. Both her left foreleg and her back left were in casts, the latter limb being held up towards the ceiling. Her foreleg was in a green sling, matching her hospital gown, underneath which she was sure was wrapped in gauze. A bandage was wrapped tightly around her head, and, upon closer inspection, Applejack could see both her wings in casts. Though the sight of all the medical equipment holding her friend together made her wince, just seeing her with open eyes was enough to bring some light back into Applejacks heart. The blue pegasus stared out her window, the sunlight streaming in through the translucent curtains. But as her friends slowly encircled her bed, she turned to face them, her eyes bright and clear despite the pain-killing drugs being dripped into her bloodstream through her I.V. Her face lit up with a smile, and already, Applejack could feel her eyes watering, but she held back.
“Hey guys.” Rainbow’s voice was happy, but lacking her old excited joviality. Everypony was silent, unsure how to react. The three young fillies stayed close to each other, their bodies pressed together, all of them staring worriedly and confused at the spectacle before them. But even with the silence, the blue mare’s smile didn’t falter. Rarity stood to the right of Dash’s bed, already sobbing heavily, her eyes wide open staring at the bedridden pegasus. She rested a white hoof on the thin green sheets, obviously afraid to touch Rainbow, fearing she could hurt her.
“Oh Rainbow we were so worried. When we dug you up, I wasn’t sure if…”
“Hey,” She said sympathetically, scooping up her white hoof and placing it on her chest. “Don’t freak out. The doctors told me everything. I know it could change later but as of right now, I’m fine.” Rarity sniffled wiping away her own tears. She was the first of the friends to let themselves smile. She bent her head to kiss Rainbow on the cheek. Somewhere distantly Applejack felt something resembling satisfaction, but her guilt was far too heavy to dwell on it. But it didn’t her heart good to have one less thing to wonder about. Rainbow looked around, her eyes landing on the fillies, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Hey girls, I didn’t think you’d be here. But I’m glad you are.” Using her good hoof, she tapped a spot on the bed, beckoning for the little ones to come and sit. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo immediately took off for the bed, clambering into it.
“You can sit too Apple Bloom, its okay.” Dash said. Apple Bloom looked to her big sister, unsure if it was okay. Applejack nodded.
“Just be careful, don’t hurt her.” Applejack said to her younger sibling.
“Oh, it’s fine AJ. These painkillers are crazy.” Rainbow smiled to her orange friend, but Applejack looked away, unable to meet her eye. When the young ponies were up with her Scootaloo was the next to speak.
“Rainbow, what happened?”
“It doesn’t matter,” She responded sweetly. “But there are some things I’d like to say to you three.
“Scootaloo, you are an amazing filly, you have so much heart, and bravery it bewilders me, and believe me, the day I took you under my wing, I was just as proud to call you my sister, as you were to call me. Don’t stop doing what you’re doing. Because I know one day, wings or no wings, you’re going to soar. And no matter what happens to me when that day comes, I’ll still look to you with nothing but pride and love.” She gave the filly a small peck on her purple mane. Scootaloo let a few tears roll down her face.
“I love you too Rainbow Dash.”
“Sweetie Belle.” Rarity’s little sister blinked her big green eyes. “I know this whole thing between me and Rarity was confusing for you, but you took the news like a champ. And I just wanted you to know every time I came over to the Boutique I was always hoping you’d be there, because I just love seeing you. And I know I’ve never said it outright to you, but we are sisters, you and I. And I love you.” All the girls looked bewildered at the news but thought nothing more of it, but Sweetie crawled over and nuzzled her face into the crook of Rainbow’s shoulder.
“I love you too! I tried! I tried to say it so many times, and I’m sorry I didn’t!”
“No, no, don’t apologize Sweetie. It makes me so happy to hear you say that though. Hopefully soon, we’ll be saying it every morning.” After a few moments, the little pulled her head away. Rarity was still crying, she covered her mouth with a hoof, happy to see her sister taking so well to Rainbow.
“And Apple Bloom. We haven’t spent too much time together, but I’ve known you for long enough to know that you are an awesome little filly, and a great friend to both my sisters. And I was hoping to ask a favor of you. If the worst does happen, it would mean the world to me, if you would keep looking after my family.”
The little earthpony was shocked that Rainbow had anything to say to her, with two filles she loved sitting with her, but Apple Bloom nodded her head.
“Good, it’s a relief to know they have somepony as amazing and competent as you looking out for them."
“Now, I think that’s about as grim as I feel like getting today.” Her tone suddenly changing again.
“Alright everypony, this isn’t my first hospital trip, and I feel way better than I look. So how about we talk and laugh, just like we do every time I end up in the emergency room. I have no intention of making this my final visit, so let’s stop talking like it is.”
It took a long while. The mares remained reserved and worried for nearly an hour, but as Rainbow talked and laughed it became more apparent that she was indeed feeling good. The whole wall incident had been frightening, but ponies didn’t come tougher than that blue pegasus, if anypony could survive such an accident, it was her. All the friends began to shed their fears and for anypony who wasn’t looking, it was just like any of the other dozen trips they had all made to the ER with Rainbow in tow. Applejacks mood improved, but still, she laughed a little less than the others, spoke a little more quietly.
Even if Rainbow was fine, it was her fault they had ended up here, terrified, wondering if one of their best friends would survive. She found it difficult to meet Dash’s eye. She would give her a proper apology soon. But the day dragged on and the sun dipped, and they all knew soon the doctor would come by and tell them to leave. And as the clock read eight o’clock, the stallion poked his head in, visably relieved to see his patient in such high spirits.
“Sorry everypony, but visiting hours are over, I’m afraid you will have to come back in the morning.” All the mares said their farewells and again Applejack was at the back of the pack as they filed out of the room. She looked back, seeing how empty it was. With everypony else gone, she could finally apologize to Rainbow, and maybe she could help her come to terms with her guilt. It was worth a try, she couldn’t see herself sleeping very soundly tonight in any case.
“Hey doc,” The orange pony called. “If it’s alright with Rainbow, could I stay overnight?” He arched an eyebrow.
“Rainbow, what do you say?”
Applejack turned to face her cyan friend. She looked almost happy she’d asked.
“Of course she can stay!"
Applejack stopped.
“Alright then,” Said the doctor. “You may stay, but I cannot let you leave the room until tomorrow morning, is that alright?”
“Yes of course.” The farm pony said, happy as she could be on a day like today. Rainbow’s doctor was very kind, she wished she’d taken the time to learn his name. She turned around and was about to get settled when another voice piped up.
“Oh, doctor, would it be alright if I stayed too? I would feel much better to know I was close to her.”
“Yes you may stay as well, but I’m afraid everypony else will have to wait until morning.”
“Thank you very much.”
Applejacks heart leapt into her throat as Rarity walked back into room 211, and the door shut tight behind her.
Applejack sat herself down in a rather hard couch in the corner. The apologies she wished to make would have to wait, she had no intention of breaking down in front of Rarity. Just saying sorry for such a tragedy would be hard enough without having her there. The white unicorn took her place beside Rainbow, holding her hoof. Despite her excuse to the doctor, Applejack knew Rarity wouldn’t be sleeping either way. The farm pony was exhausted, but she had little intention of letting her eyes close. If she wasn’t going to talk to her friends, the least she could do was stay up with them. She wondered if any of the girls would sleep tonight. She doubted it.
“Are you in pain? Do you need us to do anything for you?” Rarity asked, her calm demeanor beginning to waver with the room so void.
“Well, I’m still hurting a little, but there’s no amount of painkillers that could fix that. I can tough this out, don’t worry. I’m glad you two are here though, it sucks sleeping alone in the hospital.”
Both ponies turned to Applejack, Rainbow smiling, and Rarity still unsure. Applejack slid her hat off and smiled back.
“No problem. I’m gonna owe you a lot of favors after this.” She kept her voice steady, with a bit of a fight. Rarity winced, but the pegasus waved her good hoof dismissively.
“Applejack, its fine. Everything turned out alright, don’t beat yourself up.”
She couldn’t bring herself to respond. The sound of Rainbow’s heartbeat monitor rang in her ears.
“I know you would have done the same thing if I’d been under that wall.”
Applejack was a humble pony, but even then she had to admit, had the roles been reversed, she would have done the same thing as Rainbow in a heartbeat. The thought didn’t do much to make her feel better, but she managed to conjure up a little courage.
“Rainbow, Ah… Ah’m really sorry about all this. Really sorry.” It was a weak apology. She promised to give her a better one later, but for what little it was worth, Rainbow simply smiled and nodded.
Applejack stayed rather silent after that, sitting in her chair, listening to the two ponies talk. With all the horror past her, she allowed herself a moment to reflect on what she’d heard earlier. Rarity loved Rainbow Dash. The revelation hardly shocked her, but she couldn’t figure out how she felt about it. She was proud that she was right all along. She was annoyed with Rarity for being so angry when she asked, and for lying to her face on the trail so any months ago. She was disappointed the pony she’d admired for so long was in love with one of her best friends. But the feelings could hardly register in her mind. She was tired, scared, confused and guilty. There was too much to handle, so some things would have to be put away in her mind, to think about at a less turbulent time. Rainbow’s heartbeat monitor continued to sound at a regular pace.
Rainbow and Rarity talked for hours, thankfully not too focussed on the subject of her injury. Applejack felt guilty enough. She felt bad for making the effort to stay, only to sit back in a chair silently, saying nothing to her broken friend, but she supposed with Rarity at her side, the pegasus would be just fine.
She thought about the way the unicorn kept looking at her. The farm pony wished she could tell how she was feeling. Did she forgive her? Did she hate her for nearly killing the pony she loved? However she felt, Applejack wouldn’t blame her for it. Rainbow’s face began to grow visibly more tired, she had been up for nearly two days, with life threatening injuries to boot. She would need some rest soon. And the Applejack would be alone, locked in a room with Rarity as her only company. She could only hope the unicorn was too angry to speak to her. And sure enough after two and a half hours of nonstop talking Rainbow yawned.
“Alright, I should probably get some shut eye.”
“Ok, Rainbow.” Rarity said sweetly, rubbing a hoof through Rainbow’s mane, before planting a kiss on her cheek. “Have a good sleep.”
“Love you too.” Rainbow said, already sounding as though she were merely mumbling in her sleep. Before a minute had passed, the sound of Rainbow’s snoreing filled the room, a welcome break from the constant noise of the heartbeat monitor. But Applejack knew she shouldn’t complain. Each little beep was another beat of her friend’s heart, another few seconds, she could feel assured that she hadn’t murdered the blue mare.
As soon as she knew she was asleep, Applejack felt a tension she hadn’t noticed leave her body, and she heard Rarity let out a long sigh. She sat at Rainbow’s bedside for a few minutes, their hooves still pressed tightly together. Applejack’s eye kept floating between the unicorn and the chair that sat beside her own. Rarity stood up on her hooves, and came to sit down beside Applejack. Then she looked at her. Applejack only held eye contact for a few moments before looking back to the pegasus, but she could feel Rarity’s eyes burning a hole in the side of her head. She looked back to Rarity, still staring, still completely unreadable. Applejack knew if she wanted relief from the tormant of Rarity’s ambiguous stare she would have to make the first move.
“Why are you looking at me Rarity?” She whispered simply. The unicorn blinked her big blue eyes a few times. Applejack sighed.
“Rarity, when Ah apologised, Ah meant every word of it. Ah’ve got no shortage of guilt right now so Ah’d really appreciate it if you could just say something to me. Good bad, Ah don’t care, but I just need to know what you’re thinkin’ while you stare at me like Ah got two heads.”
“I know you feel guilty. I know that seeing her lying there in such a state tears you apart, just as it does me. But I also know that she wouldn’t be there at all if it hadn’t been for you.” Applejack could accept that. “The truth is, I’m not quite sure how I feel.” She rested an alabaster hoof on her shoulder.
“But I don’t hate you. I’m not angry, it was an accident, I know that too. I think the day’s events have left us all confused on how to feel. But I’m glad Rainbow is breathing, and I’m glad that I can still call you my friend.”
Applejack felt a combination of relief and displeasure so strong it nearly drove her to tears again. She was happy beyond words that Rarity didn’t hate her, but it didn’t feel right. She didn’t deserve forgiveness, she deserved the hatred of her friend.
Rarity let her head incline slowly until her head was resting on Applejack’s shoulder, and she wrapped her forelegs around her body.
“I can guess how you’re feeling.” The unicorn said eventually.
“Ah really doubt that.”
“Applejack, is there anypony who knows you better than I?” She asked. The question brought a rueful smile to her lips.
“Ah suppose not.”
“You feel guilty, you’re heart aches to know she lies there because of you. Don’t worry, once she gets up, she’ll tell to chin up and let bygones be bygones. You hurt her, but you love her. As do I, even if a little differently. I assume you are also angry with me. After all that was said today, you think me a liar.” Applejack didn’t have a polite response in mind, so she kept her mouth shut.
“Applejack, I’m sorry I defended our secret so vigorously, but you don’t know the whole story. And I assure you that I was not lying.”
Applejack turned her head, confused.
“Rarity, I’m sick of playing this game with you. Maybe for once could you just straight up tell me what you’re tryin’ to say.”
The white unicorn opened her mouth, but immediately closed it again. Her left ear twitched. The farm pony wore a look of confusion for a moment before realizing Rarity was listening. Listening to Rainbow’s heartbeat monitor. Her snoring had stopped.
“It’s different.” She whispered. The noises signalling each beat of their friend’s heart were few and far between. Applejack lunged from her chair towards the button, but she hardly made it half way before a blue aura coated it and she heard a click as Rarity did it for her. The unicorn stood up from her own seat and galloped to the sleeping pony.
“Rainbow?” She called, gently trying to stir the pony into consciousness. She didn’t stir. Neither pony wanted to touch the mare in her state, so they waited impatiently for the doctor. In fifteen seconds he burst through the door, two nurses trailing behind him.
“What’s the problem?” He asked in a serious tone.
“Her heartbeat has gotten weaker and she won’t wake up.” Rarity said frantically. The doctor inspected the monitor for less than a second.
“You two will have to wait outside.” He said, not even turning to speak to Rarity or Applejack. Nurse Redheart trotted up to the two mares and ushered them out the door.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure she’s fine, but we’ll have to run some tests just to be certain.”
Neither pony resisted being pushed out the door, whatever the doctor needed they were happy to do. But as their hoofsteps echoed in the empty hallways, and nurse Redheart shut the door to the room where their friend lay in a horrible state, Applejack caught the doctors words just as the door clicked shut behind them.
“Name: Rainbow Dashery Belle….”
The farm pony turned to Rarity again. The unicorn heard it too, and looked down to the floor. Applejack wanted to ask so badly, to know why the hell Rainbow had just been referred to as Belle. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t get on her case while their friends condition remained a mystery. Applejack tried to reach up and touch her hat, before realizing she’d left it in the room. The two mare’s sat in the dark hallway, silent for minutes. Finally, Rarity let out a long sigh knowing exactly what AJ badly wanted to ask.
“She’s my sister Applejack. Rainbow Dash is my twin sister.”
Rarity felt an unseen pressure lift from her chest. Though not knowing what Rainbow was going through was tearing her mind to pieces, finally telling somepony the cold hard truth gave her sort of a release. Applejack gave her a quizzical, disbelieving look. She knew it made sense, but she refused to believe. The unicorn was ready to share with her, but there was so much to tell, she waited for the orange mare to ask a specific question.
“But… how, that doesn’t make sense.”
“Rainbow is my fraternal twin. I love her because she’s my sister. And because she shares blood with me, she shares it with Sweetie Belle also. Nothing you have heard from me has been a lie.”
Applejack looked down the hall.
“No it’s not possible. Ah’ve known you since Ah was a filly. Rainbow moved here when we were teenagers, and even then, it was a few months before Ah ever talked to her.”
“Applejack, I understand that you find it hard to believe, but I swear to you it is the truth. I would never fib about something so serious.”
“If this is true, why haven’t you told anypony? Why would y’all keep something like that a secret?”
“Because I was afraid. I didn’t know what you all would think when you found out. And… what father would think.”
Applejack squinted again, and Rarity looked down, cringing at the flood of memories. With all that pain coupled with Rainbow’s scare pushed her over the edge, and she began to cry again. She closed her eyes and hung her head low. Her breath shook and her chest heaved. She jumped a little when she felt something resting upon her. She opened her tear filled eyes and looked up to Applejack, who rested a soft hoof on her shoulder. The farm pony didn’t smile, but her eyes were as warm, comforting, and homely, and Rarity knew that now that the truth was on the table, she would be willing to listen.
“Rarity, Ah still want to know. But we don’t have to talk about this right now. Today’s been really rough on everypony and-”
“No, I’m ready to talk. I’ve kept this secret so long, I have to start talking, or else it’ll eat away at me like a sickness. I fear it already has. If I don’t I’ll just silently fret about Rainbow. I love her so much Applejack. It terrifies me to see her like this. But… I haven’t been very fair to you. And I have a feeling I’m going to have a lot to explain, so I may as well start now."
“Rainbow and I were both born in Ponyville, in this very hospital. When our parents got the news that they would have twins they were overjoyed. Mother said they always talked about all their plans for us. When the day finally came and we came into the world, both of them were shocked to see a pegasus. As far back as my lineage can be traced, we are a purely unicorn family. Mother loved us both. But our father was… less than pleased. He has nothing against the other races, but he wanted to keep our bloodline pure. He never loved my twin. From the moment he laid eyes on Rainbow, he despised her. He started by ignoring her cries in the night, leaving her wailing until the morning came. It only got worse as she aged. With each passing year her resilience to punishment grew, and father could get away with more without… without killing her. When we were five, she broke a plate in the kitchen. Father beat her, and when he was finished he tossed her into the glass shards. I’ve never seen so much blood, not then, nor since. I thought that she would die that day. She was so young, and I felt awful for her. I loved her, but I was terrified. Father never raised a hoof to me, but I was so afraid he would, all I could do was watch.
“When she was even remotely disobedient, she would be thrown in the basement for twenty four hours, without food or water. I didn’t know why he was so cruel, it took me so long to realize he was in the wrong. But I still loved my sister, I would sneak her meals, and as much water as I could carry, in the middle of the night. That was the only time we could speak with each other, father hated it when I spoke to Rainbow, especially when I spoke to her as an equal. But I was her only friend, she loved me more than anypony she’d ever met. It was the only time when she would smile, and the horrified look would leave her eyes. She knew she could trust me, she knew I was safe. And I was kind to her, because I seemed to be the only pony with the capacity to do so. Mother held no disdain for her, but when father punished her, she never raised a hoof to help, she was even more scared than I. But she made up for it one day, when she gave her away.
“I don’t know what finally broke her, but one night she came into my room and asked for my help. She was trying to get Rainbow to follow her out of the basement, but she wouldn’t go. Rainbow knew she would be beaten if she left. But she trusted me, and I promised her she would be safe. We snuck her out in the middle of the night, and took her to the orphanage. Usually the foals left on the doorstep are newborns, but she was almost seven. She didn’t understand. Her life was miserable, but it was the life she knew. As my mother and I turned to walk away, Rainbow latched onto my leg, and begged me. She looked into my eyes, tears rolling down her face, and pleaded. Over and over she asked me not to go. But we did. I cried all night, I didn’t want to leave her. Several times, I thought about leaving, running back to my twin. Not to bring her back, but to leave with her. But when the sun rose in the morning, I was still in my own bed. Mother said she didn’t sleep all night either, she was worried about how father would react. But he was almost pleased. His home was free and pure. Nearly a year later Sweetie Belle was born. We all loved her, but it was only after a few years I realized; Father intended her to be a replacement. Sweetie was born to fill a place. It disgusts me still. But everything was peaceful. I was young, and with my father through with his fits of rage, I thought we could be a normal family. It went on for so long, I forced all of the awful things he did to the back of my mind, kept it sealed behind concrete walls. I almost forgot about my twin sister. Until she returned. She moved to Ponyville, and we collided in the marketplace. She looked familiar and she was a friendly enough pony that I decided to walk with her. It wasn’t until the next day I finally remembered her. I saw it in my dreams. The blood, her broken body laying starving in the basement. I left again to find Rainbow, but she found me first. We rejoiced we were reunited. I felt as though I’d found a missing piece of myself. We agreed to keep all of it under wraps from our friends. I hid her from my parents. They know she’s here of course, but as far as they know, I’ve never spoken with her. We celebrate out birthday’s a week apart, it would be a bit uncanny if we shared our birthdays. And recently, we’ve decided not to try as hard to hide it. We openly spent time together, trying to make up for years spent apart. But we still hide desperately from father. I don’t know what he would do if he found out.”
By the end of her tale Rarity was sobbing. All the memories she was still trying to force down were brought up full force as she relayed the tale to her friend. Applejack was aghast. Her mouth hung open, trying to get a word out, but couldn’t. The disbelief in her eyes was gone, much to the relief of the unicorn. It was hard to explain her past to her friend, and she knew the pony had no reason to believe her claims. Applejack stayed silent for a while but Rarity didn’t mind. Applejack still had a hoof on her shoulder. She knew she was there for her.
“Rarity… A’ve met your dad before. He never seemed like all that bad of a guy.”
“I know.” She sobbed. “He’s since put on a mask, and he wears it well. He never once regretted what he put her through, but worse still, it’s possible he may have forgotten. But ever since Sweetie Belle was born, he’s looked like a loving father. So many times I’ve wanted to take her away from him, knowing the monster that lies beneath… But, having Sweetie around usually makes him better. He doesn’t deserve the love she feels for him. I’ve told my sister about Rainbow, that she was my twin. I told her Rainbow had to leave our family. But I didn’t tell her why.”
“Ah, just can’t believe somepony could commit atrocities like that against such a young pony. Against Rainbow.”
“I know. Thinking back, I have no idea how she turned out as wonderful as she has. Her parents in Cloudsdale must have been very kind, and nurturing. I wish I could have known them, thanked them for saving my sister but they both fell ill and passed away before she move here. It’s been so long since I’ve heard my father raise his voice to anypony, some days I can almost believe maybe it never happened, maybe it was a terrible nightmare. But it wasn’t. I’ll never forget the pained look in her eyes when I left her. I lost her once Applejack. I don’t ever want to lose her again.”
The two mares fell wordless, the halls echoed with the sounds of Rarity’s sobs. Applejack shift and held her tightly. Applejack was such a warm, and sweet pony. But even she could do little to stop Rarity’s episode. She knew she just had to let it ride out. As Applejack held her, the door behind the opened. The brown stallion stepped out. Rarity stood up. Her heart hurt. Her head hurt. She hoped and prayed for good news from the doctor.
“H-How is she?”
“I’m afraid… she’s fallen into some sort of comatose state. We can’t wake her up.”
Rarity trembled, she felt as though she could vomit. How could this be? Just an hour ago they were talking. She was getting better. She buried her face in her hoves, feeling them soak with her tears. Applejack stepped up.
“And how long until she comes out of it?”
“We don’t know. She could wake up in a few hours or in a few years. She’s still stable though but just barely, I believe her body is trying to devote more energy into keeping her alive, so it stopped keeping her awake. I am truly sorry. We will continue to monitor her daily. You may re-enter if you still wish. If not I can let you out of the hospital.”
“No! No, I’d like to stay.” Leaving her dear sister now was the farthest thing from her mind. She turned to Applejack. She watched her expression, hoping so badly she would say yes. She needed somepony in there with her. Knowing the state Rainbow Dash was in, she wouldn’t be able to handle it on her own. The farm pony nodded her head slowly.
“Yeah. Course Ah’ll stay.”
The kind doctor opened up the door with a solemn look on his face.
As they stepped back into the room, Rarity was met with a fresh new wave of tears. Rainbow’s heart beat monitor remained unchanged, still slow and faint. On her face was an oxygen mask, her every breath audible. It broke even more than her heart to see her like this. It tore her down. Seeing that mask on her face made it so surreal. If Rainbow survived, she might still be in her coma. She might never speak to her sister again. She felt dizzy, she didn’t even notice she was falling. But the next thing she was aware of was Applejack, cradling her collapsed body on the ground. Rarity swung her forelegs up, wrapping the mare in a tight embrace. Applejack put her sister here, but she felt no harshness towards her friend. It only made her feel even worse. But now Applejack was her rock, somepony she could cling to, lest the turbulent river of her own emotions sweep her away, leaving her in a state not unlike that of her bedridden kin.
“Rarity, you need some sleep. I reckon you’ve been up about as long as me, and Ah’m ready to pass out.”
“I can’t” She moaned. “I’m so tired, and Rainbow… I have to stay up. I need to stay with her.”
“Don’t worry, Ah’ll stay awake, and keep an eye on her. But Ah need you to at least try to close your eyes.” Applejack said, in an almost motherly tone.
The orange mare picked her up and handled her gently. Rarity let herself be propped up on one of the chairs in the corner. Applejack slid in beside her in the same chair. The farm pony grabbed her hat and slid it back on over her golden mane. It was a little confining, but Applejacks body was warm, and comforting. Rarity let head fall on the orange mares shoulder, trying her best to stop the flow of tears. She felt disgusting, it had been more than a day since Rarity’s last shower, she probably looked a horrible mess. She closed her eyes. She tried not to focus on the past, but on what was happening right now. Applejack put two hooves around her, keeping her close. She was sad too, maybe just as sad as Rarity. But she would never let it show, not with anypony around. Rarity wished desperately for the capacity to comfort her. Applejack was the reason Rainbow’s life hung in the balance, but that fact hurt Applejack more than anypony. The most the unicorn could do for her was return the embrace. Rarity fell asleep to the loud beeps of Rainbow Dash’s heart monitor.
Applejack waited patiently, sitting close with her friend in the dark hospital room. The sound of Rarity’s breathing could be heard almost as loud as Dash’s. The sight of that oxygen mask had really scared the unicorn. It had scared her as well. Every once in a while Applejack would tilt her head to look down upon her friend who had her head resting softly on her shoulder. Her eyes darted around under her eyelids, and sometimes she would squeeze them shut tightly. The farm pony kept her eye on the clock most of the time, listening to the rhythmic sounds of beeps, ticks, and breathing. She looked down to Rarity again after two hours. Her mouth hung open slightly, a little strand of drool falling onto her lap. Applejack wiped Rarity’s mouth, though it remained open. She was confident the lack of sleep had finally bested her friend.
The orange mare lifted a hoof up to slide her hat a little further down her forehead, hiding her eyes. She let her tired eyes close, though she had no intention of sleeping. She’d made a promise, and honestly, despite her exhaustion, she doubted she would ever sleep again after this hospital trip. Instead, Applejack let a tear fall, felt the little watery droplet slide slowly down her cheek. It felt cool and refreshing upon her face. Another followed the first, then another, and another. She kept her breath steady so as not to wake the pony resting on her shoulder, and she made no noise. It was only tears. They ran rampant down her face as she allowed herself a moment to let out some of her anguish. It felt good to finally let herself cry, but it still didn’t near the release she needed. The only thing that could ever bring her release would be the sight of Rainbow walking out of this hospital, but even then, she couldn’t imagine a future in which she would ever forgive herself.
Applejack couldn’t tell how long she cried for, but eventually she ran out of tears to let fall. She lifted her hat and wiped her eyes, which she had no doubt were red as the coals of a fire. Her face was absolutely soaked, many of her tears traveling down to her midsection. She noticed with a bit of horror that some of them had even fallen upon Rarity. She wiped the unicorn’s forehead gently before cleaning herself up. She wished she could go into the bathroom and wash herself off, but moving might disturb Rarity, which was the last thing she felt like doing right now. She cleaned herself up as best as she could with her hooves, and waited until morning. It came much faster then she had anticipated.
Rarity opened her eyes only moments after the first few rays of sunshine came in through the naked windows. Applejack felt her head shift around a bit on her shoulder. She let out a large yawn, and rubbed her closed eyes. When they opened and adjusted to the light of the room, Applejack heard the unicorn sigh.
“I had hoped it was just a nightmare.” She muttered, almost inaudibly. Once Rarity was fully awake, Applejack got up from the chair to give her some breathing room.
“So do Ah.” Applejack stated simply. “You feelin’ alright Rarity?”
“As well as I can feel. Thank you Applejack.”
“You’re welcome.”
“No, I meant really thank you. You’ve been so patient and considerate towards me. I was so distressed I never got a chance to state my gratitude.”
“It’s alright Rarity. It’s… the least Ah can do. Thank you for tellin’ me the truth.” Applejack cast her gaze to the comatose pegasus.
Sisters
It made a lot of sense, and the emotion with which Rarity explained herself was more than enough to convince her of the unicorn’s honesty. But still, it was difficult to believe. Rarity also got up from the chair, and made her way to her kin. She held Rainbow’s good hoof in her own, while Applejack stood silently, and awkwardly.
“Applejack,” Rarity spoke suddenly, breaking a long silence. “Do you think she’ll pull through?”
The way she spoke was practically emotionless. It was the first time anypony had dared to ask the question out loud, though in their own minds, it was the only question that mattered. Applejack told the white mare the same thing she’d told herself over and over.
“Rainbow Dash is as tough as they come. If anypony can pull through from this, it’d be her.”
It was the only grain of truth she could offer, unwilling to stand on either side of the fence, out of fear. Rarity nodded silently. Applejack watched the two sisters for a moment. She wished more than ever that she could have left well enough alone. It felt like years ago that she actually gave half a damn whether or not the two where in love. She thought of al the time she’d butted in on the two of them while they spent time together. It was innocent, but thinking back, it was time they were spending as a family. And as horrible as the prospect was, that time together may have been running short.
Applejack winced. It hurt to think about such a grim prospect. She cast her eye to the clock. It was almost seven. The hospital would be letting visitors in soon. Applejack returned to the chair. All three of the mares were in the same places they were last night, but now the air felt a lot more depressing. It pained Applejack to think about how foolish she’d been. Not just for the accident, but for refusing to give her proper apology until she could be alone with the friend she’d almost killed. Now she may never get that chance.
The instant the clock struck seven o’clock, Applejack stood up. She needed to get out, even if only for a few seconds, else the guilt weighing down on her might’ve crushed her completely.
“Hey Rarity, do you want anything to eat? Ah’m just gonna get out and stretch my legs for a minute or two.” If she was leaving the room for a bit, she may as well make herself useful. The hospital had a few places for visitors to buy food, so she wouldn’t have to go too far anyway. And if she promised to get Rarity some breakfast, she would assuredly return.
“Oh… yes please.”
“You want anything in particular?”
“No, just whatever you can find, you know what I like.” She didn’t look up.
Applejack nodded silently. She opened the door and walked into the empty hallways. Two minutes later, she returned with a carton of hay fries. They didn’t sell too much at the hospital, but she knew fries were a guilty pleasure for Rarity. She had expected to see the rest of the girls on their way, wanting to come visit as soon as possible, but she didn’t see any of them. She wondered who would have to tell them the bad news. Hopefully the doctor would be in so neither she nor Rarity had to explain Rainbow’s deteriorating condition.
When she came back into the room, Rarity still hadn’t moved. Applejack came up beside her, and sat herself down on the floor, resting her back on the hard metal of Dash’s hospital bed. She held up the box to Rarity. Her effort was rewarded with a small smile, which was more than enough payment for the overpriced fries. Applejack picked at the food with her friend. She had never been a big fan of fries, but her hunger won her over. Once the box lay empty except for the grease that pooled in the corner, she got up to put the box on the table.
As she made her way across the room, she heard a knock on the door. She let out a sigh. She wanted so badly to have the company of her friends again, but she dreaded having to tell them about Rainbow. Though as she shuffled to the door, the knocking became almost frantic. Her first thought was that it was the doctor, with urgent news to share with them. Her shuffle turned to a swift trot. She pulled the door open, and was surprise to see Rarity’s other sister. She was breathing heavily.
“Hey Applejack.” She breathed before running between the orange mare’s legs to get to her big sister.
“Rarity!” She said frantically. “Rarity, I’m sorry!” She jumped on the white unicorn and held her tightly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, it slipped out. They asked me and it slipped out.”
“Sweetie Belle, what ever are you talking about?” Rarity asked her sibling, obviously confused.
“I told them. They know. They’re coming right now.” The little filly burst into tears, repeating that she was sorry. Rarity’s face became even gaunter upon hearing that news. Applejack was confused for a moment, but the look on her friends face clued her in. Their parents were coming. Applejack touched the brim of her hat, and set it a little tighter upon her head. Rarity continued to hold her sister. The filly babbled out endless sorry’s with her little head buried in her chest, while Rarity tried to comfort the upset little unicorn.
Both of the mares looked towards the still open door. They could hear hoofsteps echoing down the hallway. Applejack realized with a start that her right hoof was trembling. She held it steady. She locked eyes with Rarity, unsure of what to do. Neither pony knew what would happen. Applejack brought herself closer to Rainbow. She didn’t know what else to do.
Two shadows came into sight upon the floor, followed closely by their owners. Rarity’s parents entered the room. It was odd to seem them both unclothed, bare of their usual embarrassing attire about which Rarity would complain endlessly.
“Hey there Rarity.” Her father said. Applejacks ear twitched. His tone was dangerous and his eyes were cold. He seemed almost a completely different stallion. “What’s going on in here?” Rarity’s mother looked to Rainbow’s body with wet eyes, though she dared not move with her husband there.
“Nothing that concerns you, father.” She spat out the last word.
“Oh come now, this is a family matter, and we’re all part of the family aren’t we?”
Applejack was speechless.
She never heard Rarity’s dad speak so threateningly. Rarity’s eyes were terrified, and Applejack was shocked yet again by her next words.
“Applejack, could you leave us for a moment?” She said, not taking her eyes off her dad.
“Are you sure about that Rarity?” The farm pony asked, concerned.
“Yes thank you.” Applejack wished she could stay, it didn’t feel right to leave her with that fiend, but she had no intention of defying her friend. This was her fight, she knew best. Rarity’s dad shot her a look as she passed, and Applejack immediately stopped. She brought her muzzle closer to the stallion, until her mouth was almost in his ear. Then she spoke quietly.
“If you lay a hoof on any of them, Ah’ll break your neck myself.” She pulled the brim of her hat down to make a point.
“Ah’ll be right outside Rarity, call if you need anything.” She sauntered out the door making sure to close it shut behind her.
“What are you doing here father?” Rarity asked.
“Well I should ask you the same thing Rarity.”
“She’s my sister, and she’s hurt. I need to be at her side.”
“She’s not your sister. She never was.”
“Rainbow Dash is just as akin to me as Sweetie. I love them both with all my heart.”
“Don’t you dare put your little sister on the same level as her.” He gestured to Rainbow, still sleeping, and silent. “Sweetie Belle, come here.” The stallion said with a fooling smile. The little filly made to go to him, but Rarity held her firmly.
“Little one, I think it would be best if you stayed with me.” Sweetie looked up to her sister confused
“Oh don’t be ridiculous Rarity. Sweetie, come over here.”
“Sweetie Belle, please stay here.”
“Sweetie Belle, now.” He growled. Rarity could tell from her sister’s reaction that she’d never once heard that voice come from him. But Rarity had, long ago. No matter how hard she covered her ears, his taunting voice still got through. It was the voice he would use when he beat Dash. Sweetie Belle buried her face in her big sisters shoulder. Rarity felt wretched for having to make the filly choose like that, but she had to. It was for her safety. Her father was displeased.
“Why do you insist on defying me, for her?
“Because she’s my sister!” Rarity said. “We’re family, we look out for one another. But you never understood that, all you knew was cruelty. I can’t even fathom how you could’ve hated a filly so innocent as Rainbow.”
“That pegasus was a stain upon our family. And I would appreciate it if you would quit referring to her as your sister.”
“I don’t care what you would appreciate!” Rarity screamed. Sweetie’s sobs became louder and heavier. Rarity could feel her warm tears soaking into her shoulder. She held her sister a little tighter. “I would appreciate not losing countless hours of sleep to the sounds of her cries! I would appreciate spending my childhood with a sister who didn’t fear for her own life! I would appreciate not having to take on the role of her caretaker, because you couldn’t stand to look at her!” Rarity continued to shout. Her mother began to cry. “I love her. And I loved you once too. Can you even imagine what it’s like to watch your own father beat your sister senseless, for no other reason than being born different than you would have preferred.” Rarity felt her eyes getting watery, but she would not show weaknes in front of her father. This time, she would stand up for her twin.
“I am your father! You will not speak to me that way!”
“Fathers are supposed to love their children! But you never felt an ounce of love for her. To this day I have nightmare about all that you did to her. And the fact that a monster like you would ever love me, or somepony as beautiful and pure as Sweetie Belle, makes me sick!”
Her father’s face reddened with anger. Rarity truly began to feel nauseated. Her father felt no remorse, he didn’t see any of his actions as ever being wrong. All he saw were two disobedient daughters who spoke nonsense.
“Rarity, I am losing my patience. I came here to see if you truly rekindled her relationship with her. I can’t believe you would go back after giving her away like that.”
“How dare you speak as though you stand upon the moral high ground?! Mother and I saved her! We helped her escape from the torture you put her through. And saying good bye was one of the most painful thing’s I’ve ever done to this day.” Her father raised an eyebrow.
“You honestly feel love towards that pegasus don’t you? You would put her before your own family?”
“Rainbow, Sweetie Belle and Mother are the only ponies I can truly call my family now. I don’t know what you are, but you are not my father.” The words felt like a release, as though she had come upon a revelation. As though she had broken free. Her father’s face boiled with rage, while her mother and dear little sister continued to cry. Sweetie was scared and confused. She didn’t know all the pain that had just been recalled in this room. Rarity prayed she never did.
“After all I’ve done for you. For our family. I never would have expected this from you Rarity.” His tone was dangerous, and for a moment the white unicorn contemplated calling for Applejack, when a sudden unexpected noise reached her ears. The constant beeping noise to which she had become so accustomed, became a flat tone. Rarity turned to the monitor in horror. The line was flat.
The unicorn couldn’t think, she couldn’t catch her breath. The sound of Rainbow’s breath against the plastic mask on her face had ceased.
“Applejack.” She muttered almost in audibly. Somewhere far away her little sister was saying something. That she was scared, that she didn’t understand what was happening. But Rarity’s mind had broken. The name, I have to say her name. What was her friend’s name? Who was standing outside? She had just said it a second ago, what was it? She had to remember, she had to call, she needed help. The flat tone of the heart monitor rang in her ears like the bells of hell. Fear and pain welled inside her, she felt as though she were drowning. The name… What was the name? Applejack.
“APPLEJACK!” she screamed, her voice reaching a shrill tone. Faster than she could blink, the door burst open. Applejack’s eyes flashed with rage, followed by sudden shock at the sound she was hearing.
“Help, please help Applejack!” Her entire body trembled as she held her little sister close.
The orange pony galloped the short distance of the room. She shoved her father aside roughly, the stallion fell to a heap upon the floor. She slammed her rugged hoof repeatedly upon the button under Rainbow’s bed, summoning the doctors. Her breath was heavy and fast as she placed her hooves upon the pegasus’ blue chest. Sweetie began to cry as Applejack performed the chest compressions.
“Come on.” She muttered savagely under her breath. “Not today Rainbow, not today.”
Rarity’s mother began to sob, her father looked confused. Rarity held a shaking hoof to her mouth as she watched Applejack push down on her chest. The flat tone never picked up.
“Damn it Rainbow, you are NOT doing this to me today. Please. Please, don’t do this to me.”
Rarity once again found her sisters head buried between her neck and shoulder, and she held the little filly like a lifeline. She coulldn’t take her eyes off what was happening. Her twin sister was fading. After what seemed like an eternity, several doctors came galloping into the room. The surrounded the bed and prepared a plethora of medical equipment. Applejack didn’t stop, she was so focussed, trying so hard. After repeated requests from the doctors, she had to be literally thrown off of the bed by one of them. She curled up on the floor, but now that she was off, she had no intention of disrupting the medical staff. They were their final slim hope. By now her mother had broken down completely, while her father just stared on, with a look of intrigue.
Rarity’s eyes began to brim with tears, from fear and her loss of breath. How to breath? She couldn’t remember that either. But she remembered perfectly how to cry. She watched in terror as Rainbow’s cyan body arced as they shocked her with magical energy. The heart monitor spiked. Then fell flat again. Rarity returned her sisters gesture, nuzzling her shoulder with a wet face. She could no longer bear to look. There was yelling, so much yelling from the doctors, as the sound of crackling energy filled the air, it scared them both. And then suddenly it stopped. Silence. Save for the flat tone of the monitor. Rarity lifted her face up, staring at the doctors. Her mouth hung open. The kind brown stallion raised a shaking hoof and slid the oxygen mask of Dash’s face. The mask hissed as it released the gas into the air. The heartbeat monitor was disconnected, and fell silent.
“Time of death?” He asked flatly, unable to lift his head.
“S-seven eighteen AM.” A nurse said shakily. Rarity’s world suddenly fell dark. Where was the light? She was scared. Rainbow, Rainbow Dash was always there for her when she was scared, she promised she would always be there. But where was she? Where was the light. There were noises, ponies speaking, ponies holding her, but it was too dark.There was no light. Rainbow’s body appeared before her, but it wasn’t the same. She was small, just a filly, younger than Sweetie Belle.
“Please Rarity!” The little Rainbow begged. Her magenta eye’s watery, tears streaming down her soft blue cheeks. “I love you, please don’t go!” She wailed. Rarity tried to answer, tell her she would never leave, but no words came out. Then she disappeared once again fading from existence, the world became black once more. Where was the light? Where was Rainbow Dash?
Applejack went numb. That was what she did during times of tragedy. She caught all the sadness and bottled it up for later. That was what she did, when Granny Smith had told her, so many years ago, that mommy and daddy weren’t coming home. She would let it out eventually, when she could be alone, when nopony could see her cry, but as she gazed upon the body of her friend, she only felt numb. Her mind couldn’t wrap around the concept. Rainbow Dash was just gone. How could it be possible? She knew the tears would fall from her eyes eventually, her sadness would hit her with a vengeance. But she wouldn’t let it happen just yet. It didn’t feel right. Rainbow deserved tears.
The doctors left the room, to give them time to grieve. The kindly doctor who’d taken care of Rainbow offered his sympathies, before shutting the door behind him. Applejack heard them, but couldn’t for the life of her remember what he’d just said. Rarity and the little filly had both collapsed on the floor in agony, sobbing. Applejack wanted to go to them, the hold them try to give the small amount of she could offer. Even her mother showed the proper response, she sobbed and wailed, gave Rainbow the tribute of tears she deserved. Applejack still felt angry towards both parents, but at the very least, it seemed her mother had loved Rainbow, enough to know that now was the time to grieve. But then her eye’s fell upon the father. Applejack looked at him. There was only one thing in his eyes as he looked upon the lifeless husk of her friend. A subtle satisfaction. Applejack walked to him. Her vision suddenly turned red.
“Leave. Now.” She growled through gritted teeth.
“I intend to. Right after I get Sweetie.” He made to walk to his grieving daughters. Sweetie Belle had thrown herself upon Rarity, both of them sobbing uncontrollably. Applejack put out a hoof to stop him.
“Y’all are either gonna walk yourself out that door, or Ah’m gonna send you out the window.”
The stallion scoffed. His scoff was met with a swift hoof to his face. Applejack relished in the feeling of his muzzle cracking as she swung. Rarity’s dad landed on the floor. The farm pony knelt down beside him as her groveled on the hard cold tiles.
“You have five seconds before Ah open up the window.” The stallion didn’t scramble away, nor did it take him less than five seconds, but he walked himself out the door nonetheless, attempting to stop the blood dripping from his nose. Applejack turned back to the bed. Rainbow laid there, her endless energy brought to an abrupt and premature halt. No more competitions. No more talks of things she only felt comfortable discussing around her. No more would she her the rasp of her voice or be graced with her smile. One of the ponies she cared for most in this world had left her. Applejack breathed heavily through gritted teeth, fighting the urge to cry. This was her fault. All the ponies around her were in the worst pain they had ever know because of her. Rainbow said she didn’t blame her for what happened but that didn’t nothing to keep the orange mare from blaming herself. Rarity finally found the will to stand. Applejack saw her hooves were shaking. The orange mare ran to her, steadied the two sisters. Rarity’s sapphire eyes locked with her own. Somewhere mixed deeply within her endless torrent of pain, her eyes flashed with anger. She pushed the farm pony away. It wasn’t a rough shove, but Applejack let herself be moved by it. It wasn’t a rough shove, but it still hurt.
The two unicorns made their way to the bed, followed by their mother. Had she not looked so disturbed, Applejack would have asked her to leave to. But she had loved her daughter, just as all mothers should, and Applejack felt her contempt towards Rarity’s mother lessen slightly. Applejack stayed back, just as she had the past few days. Applejack loved Rainbow, just as she loved all of her friends. But they weren’t family. Applejack made her way towards the Belle’s. She wouldn’t linger much longer. Her friends needed to know, she would have to tell them. It would hurt to tell them but she wouldn’t cry. Not yet.
Applejack clasped Rainbow’s hoof in her own. It was still a little warm.
Rarity read the eulogy. It seemed only right. None of the five friends exactly clamoured to be the one to read it, but Rarity thought it should be her responsibility, and none of the other mares contested. All of them had a part in writing it though. That as well, seemed only right. Rainbow was an important part in the lives of all her friends, so of course each of them had something to say. They wrote of her bravery, her tenacity, her beauty. They wrote of her nature and never ending loyalty to her friends. And Rarity wrote of the love she felt for her twin sister, and how losing her was the worst experience of her life.
The funeral was beautiful. They pegasi kept the sky clear for miles, the sky was bright. The service was held outside. Rainbow Dash never liked being cooped up indoors for too long. It was a small service. Rainbow’s closest friends, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and of course her two sisters. The princesses also came, remaining silent and respectful, simply offering their condolences.The rest of the ponies sat down, resting their haunches upon the soft green grass. Rainbow would be buried in Ponyville, but her funeral was held outside of town, in a small clearing. It was warm and peaceful. Rainbow’s body lay in her casket, made of oak, elegantly carved and inlaid with jewels of varying colours.
Sweetie Belle sobbed, making a valiant effort to remain as silent as she could while her sister stood up and spoke. Three weeks had passed since the day Rainbow’s heart stopped beating, but from what Applejack had seen, the little filly hadn’t stopped crying since. She didn’t envy Sweetie, but at least she had the courage to cry for Dash. Applejack had kept her eyes dry refusing to let her emotions out. She knew the day she finally started crying, she wouldn’t be able to stop. So, she held back, out of fear. And she couldn’t think of a worse way to disrespect Rainbow Dash’s memory.
Scootaloo cried nearly as much as the unicorn filly, but they sat far from each other. They could hardly look each other in the eye since Rainbow passed on. Apple Bloom was trying her best to keep the group together, holding on her fellow crusaders like glue. Applejacks little sister spent more time with the little pegasus though, seeing as how she didn’t have many ponies to lean on, now that Dash was gone. At least Sweetie Belle still had a sister.
Applejack stared forward again, to Rarity, who stood before the crowd, just ahead of the large casket, and tried desperately to keep her voice steady as she read. Applejack couldn’t listen though. She had read the thing more than a hundred times, but what did it matter? What could a piece of paper do sooth everypony’s suffering? How could their words bring back Rainbow? Applejack knew the profound love they all felt for the pegasus, she didn’t need Rarity to stand before her and remind her.
She looked to her side again. Nearly all her friends were dabbing at their eyes. Fluttershy sobbed silently, taking herself far away from all the other ponies, but still close enough to hear the words the white unicorn was reciting. The princesses were solemn, standing tall and regal. Aside from herself and the royalty, the only other pony who kept their eyes dry was Twilight. But the farm pony knew she had already let out her emotions. The night Rainbow passed, the entire town had awoken to the purple alicorn’s fits of rage. Applejack saw it for herself, while she wandered the streets, still unwilling to go back home. The windows of Golden Oak’s flashed with magenta light, the sounds of breaking glass, dull thuds of books being tossed throughout the building, and Twilight’s own screams of anguish could be heard throughout Ponyville.
When Applejack approached the door to the library, Pinkie Pie and Rarity already stood there, as well as Spike, watching the scene from the windows, their faces bathed in the light of Twilights aura. Applejack joined them, peering through the glass panes at her friend. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the brightness. Twilight was standing in the center of her library, where a table and a horse head statue once stood, both now lay broken in the corner. Her purple horn wasn’t only covered in the aura, it seemed almost ablaze, with sparks firing out, most of them tumbling onto her mane. Books and Twilights own possessions alike were flying all around her in a torrent. Sometimes she would separate a large group of the objects she held suspended and sent them crashing into the wall.
She was sobbing uncontrollably, and every time her head moved she cried out in strain and agony. Applejack was horrified by what she saw, and tried to rush in to help her. But the instant the door opened, Twilight turned on her, her horn lowered dangerously.
“GET OUT!” She screamed in a voice that hardly seemed her own. Applejack felt herself get tossed like a ragdoll by an invisible force, and she heard the door slam shut as she landed upon the ground. Applejack returned to her friends, all of whom were crying.
The best they could do was assure the townsponies that everything was alright, and keep them away from the library. After a few hours, Twilight’s energy finally seemed to fail her and she collapsed to the floor without warning, along with all the objects she had still been holding, much of which landed atop her crumpled body.
Since that day, Twilight had also refrained from letting her emotions show. As Applejack looked to her friend, Twilight looked almost tense, as though she was getting ready to jump. Her eyes were fixed and focussed on Rarity, and after a moment, Applejack figured it out. She was expecting Rarity to break down, to fold under her emotions and cry. Twilight was getting ready to come to the unicorns aid when that happened. As prudent an action that seemed, the farm pony felt almost disappointed in her friend. Applejack knew Rarity was strong. She was crying, but she would see the eulogy through to the end. She and the alabaster unicorn may have been at ends, but there wasn’t a pony Applejack knew as well as her. Well, except for Rainbow Dash.
Rarity hadn’t spoken a single word to her since the day Rainbow died. And as much as she tried to ignore it, she wished more than anything that the grieving unicorn would speak to her for just a moment, and just outright tell her how she felt. Applejack couldn’t tell what Rarity saw when she looked into her eyes. There were so many emotions she could feel them radiate from her. She was angry, grieving, unsure. She had said before that she didn’t hate her, that she wasn’t angry. But that was when Rainbow seemed to be getting better, when they thought things would eventually go back to normal.
Now, Applejack didn’t know if the unicorn hated her. She very well might, and Applejack wouldn’t have blamed her in the slightest, but the uncertainty just added to the already endless ocean of pain in which she seemed to float. She had taken away Rarity’s sister, after she had endured so much torture and separation. She had killed her. The orange mare’s eyes saw past Rarity, and gazed upon the coffin which held one of her best friends. Rainbow Dash lay in there, prepared for her burial. After today, she would never again look upon the pegasus. All that would remain of her would be photographs. And a tombstone.
She stopped thinking, let her mind go white, and tried to refocus. Her eyes had begun to water. She wasn’t ready to let herself go yet. Though it appeared Rarity was. Applejack tuned into the eulogy just as the white unicorn finished.
“Goodbye Rainbow. I love you.” The words were soft as a whisper and shaky as an autumn leaf. She turned and rested a hoof upon her twin’s coffin. And yet again she let herself sink to the ground. The white mare hadn’t fainted this time, instead she simply lacked the will to stand, as she lay upon the soft green grass, and cried out. Everypony got up on their hooves, even Applejack. She had been selfish enough for that day, and inside she knew, she needed contact, even if she didn’t want to admit it. They all rushed to Rarity, and held her close, all wrapping their forelegs tightly around each other. Applejack felt the hooves of Fluttershy, Sweetie Belle and the Belle's mother on her back, while she held Pinkie and Rarity in her own embrace. In that moment she fought the hardest she had yet to keep her tears in.
Several minutes later, they finally separated. They knew it was time to finish. They all looked to each other.
“Who’s going to go first?” Twilight asked.
“I’d like to.” Fluttershy said, now calm.
The others nodded in agreement and backed away from the coffin, leaving the yellow pegasus to speak her piece. They were much too far away to hear what she said, but eventually she fell into ragged unhindered sobs, and Twilight had to come to carry her away. It made the most technical sense for their mother to go next. She simply stood there like a statue, She was devastated having lost one of her dear children, her mouth once or twice attempting to form words, before she finally walked away without saying a thing. She only think of how horrible her daughter's life must have been and how her foalhood was stolen from her by her abusive farther who didn't bother to show up deciding to stay home and watch the hoofball game instead. That thought alone brought even more tears to the already endless stream running down her cheeks and was enough for her to decide right then and there that that despicable stallion wasn't getting any love for a long time.
Twilight was next, then Pinkie Pie, as one by one, each pony approached the casket alone to say their goodbyes. Applejack didn’t want walk up, she hardly saw the point in it. What words could she possibly say to make things right? What words could she possibly say to soothe the ache in her own heart? She watched Scootaloo stand before the coffin, and for a moment, Applejack thought she might lose her composure. She was so small, standing before such a large casket, speaking her last words to the mare she was closest to. She rested her small hooves on the ornate casket, raising herself on her hind legs to look upon the blue mare. To the shock of every pony, she cried the least as she spoke. Just as all who approached before, nopony could hear exactly what she was saying, but from the way she did it, it was almost like she was telling a story, informing Rainbow about her day, as she had done so many times before. One line Applejack caught more than once from the little pegasus was “Remember when…”
She stayed up the longest. After Scootaloo came down, the only ponies remaining who hadn’t spoken were Applejack and the two sisters of the deceased. Applejack planned on sitting it out, sinking into her chair, her head hung low. But the others stared at her, their eyes boring holes into her. Applejack held strong, remaining rooted to her chair unwilling to break. Until she felt something press against her knee. She lifted her head slowly, and her stare met with Sweetie Belle. The white filly was resting a gentle hoof upon Applejack’s legs, looking up at her with pleading eyes, rimmed with red from so many tears. They held each other’s gaze for a long while, until Applejack finally cracked. She had stolen this filly’s sister away from her. She had an endless road of repayment ahead of her, and it may as well start with something as simple as some final words, to the pony who had been so influential to her.
The farm pony stood up with a huff. Sweetie Belle’s face remained unchanged, but deep in her eyes, Applejack could spot something close to gratitude. Her hooves felt as though they were weighted with lead as she carried herself closer and closer to the pony she had cared so much about. The pony she had killed. She still felt the eyes of her friends upon her, and her guilt continued to burden her, growing heavier with each step. Finally she passed by Rarity, again seeing a subtle hint of gratitude buried beneath a mountain of suffering. Why was she grateful? Applejack felt selfish. She made her way past the alabaster mare, and found herself before Rainbows casket.
There she was. The epicenter of athleticism and energy, lying utterly still. Applejack was thankful she hadn’t eaten yet that day, as her stomach churned and boiled to stare upon her. Her legs began to shake, her stiff upper lip began to tremble, but she held firm still. She still refused to break further, refused to let her sadness show in such a light. She took a deep breath.
Before her lay Rainbow Dash, one of the ponies she cared for most in this world. She was gone now, and Applejack had to say something. She placed the situation in the simplest terms she could to avoid scaring herself.
“Rainbow, I’m… sorry.” The words sat there lamely, almost echoing in the silence. That was it? That was all she could offer her best friend? That she was sorry? She tried to find something else to say, something important, something meaningful. She tried to sum up everything she felt, everything Dash had been to her every year of her life. But all she found was ‘I’m sorry’.
She saw something move out of the corner of her eye, but it was too blurry to tell what. She blinked, and there beside the casket gleamed a lone drop of moisture. She reached up, and as her hoof pressed to her cheek, she felt the wet tracks of moisture running down her face. She started to shake, the dam finally breaking, but behind it wasn’t sadness. Behind it was anger.
She’d killed Rainbow. She’d killed one of the most important- no, she’d killed family, and all she had to offer was ‘I’m sorry.’ Was she really that pathetic? She didn’t deserve to be here, she didn’t deserve to be among Rainbow’s friends.
She was running, away from the casket. She thought there were voices, but she couldn’t hear them, she couldn’t listen. They were Rainbow’s friends, they hadn’t killed her. She had to get away, she didn’t deserve to be here. They were going to stop her, hold her, try and tell her she didn’t do anything wrong. But she knew better, she was a murderer.
Something grabbed at her, but she bucked and threw it off. She couldn’t let them catch her. She couldn’t let them forgive her. She didn’t deserve to be forgiven.
She ran, and ran, and ran. She ran until her legs burned, and her face stung. She barely felt the welts across her face where the branches had struck her. She didn’t recognize the dark and gnarled trees around her. She didn’t remember how long she’d been running. All she knew, was that she was alone.
Alone. This was what she deserved.
She sat down, her legs finally giving out beneath her. There was nothing left in her. There was just the emptiness, and the tears running down her face, until even those were gone. In the end there was just the forest and the silence. Hours passed. Sometimes the bushes would rustle. Maybe it was her- maybe it was Rainbow’s friends, looking for her. Maybe it was timberwolves, skulking about their territory. Either would have been just as welcome.
No, that wasn’t true. She would have preferred the timberwolves. There would have been a justice to it. She didn’t deserve to be brought back to town, told it wasn’t her fault. Told that they all still loved her. She deserved to die, slowly and painfully, just like Rainbow.
Her eyes wandered around the clearing, pausing when a bush rustled. It occurred to her that she should call out. She was never the self pitying type, and now wasn’t the time to start. If something needed to be done, she’d as well be done with it. “Hey! Hey yall good fer nuthin varmints! Ya stupid stinkin stacks of splinters! Remember me?” She scooped up a rock with her hoof, and hurled it out into the bushes.
“Yes, Applejack, we remember you.” From the bushes emerged the last face Applejack wanted to see. Her sapphire eyes brimmed with tears, a wan smile offered to her former friend. “Fluttershy realized you might be hiding from us-”
“No!” Applejack turned to run, but Rarity’s magic caught her around the hoof. If it had been Twilight, she could have lifted Applejack clean off the ground, but the best Rarity could do was trip her for a step. It was enough. The next thing Applejack knew, Rarity’s hooves were wrapped around her, trying desperately to hold on.
“Applejack! Please! It-” she stopped short as Applejack nearly threw her off. Instead, she grit her teeth as Applejack tried harder and harder to dislodge her grip. Years of rodeo experience pitted themselves against Rarity’s refusal to lose another friend. On and on the battle went, until finally, Applejack slipped and fell to the earth, her legs as numb as her heart.
Slowly, Rarity peeled herself off. She looked destroyed. Her hair hung limp and ragged from her head, broken branches and leaves snarled into its shredded waves. Dirt smeared her coat, and a few shallow scratches ran along her sides from where the underbrush has scored her. But her eyes were clear as they locked with Applejack’s. “No,” she said, “not you too.”
Applejack finally opened the flood gates, her body was racked with power sobs as Rarity hugged her and cried along with her.
Applejack walked along the row of apple trees, occasionally stopping to buck one and gather the apples. She yawned, and her eyes were red and puffy, her signature “apple-buck” also appeared rather faulty as only a quarter of the usual amount of apples fell from the tree. She noticed this, cursed her lack of strength, and bucked it again. Again, it was a weak effort. She found her way to a tree she recognized as Dash’s favorite. She could tell by the lightning bolt cutie mark Dash had carved into the trunk so long ago, which she wasn’t to pleased about it when she first discovered it. Rainbow favored this tree because the branches were in a perfect position so that she could always find a comfy place to rest. It was beyond Applejack how anypony could be comfy on a tree branch, she'd always have an apple in reach and be perfectly shaded from the sun.
The farmpony slowly traced the carving in the tree with her hoof and she couldn't help but let the tears roll down her cheeks again as she remembered all the times that they would sit under this tree and just talk for hours about nothing. After a long pause and another pitiful buck she walked to the next tree.
The past few days had been rough on her. She’d been getting little to no sleep due to the immense guilt she continued to feel. Ever since Rarity caught up to her in the Everfree, and brought her back, she continued to feel terrible. The numerous assertions by her many friends that it wasn’t her fault, that she had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, still failed to change her mind. As a result she spent most nights wide awake, staring at the ceiling, sometimes with tears in her eyes, other times with none, remembering the days she spent with Rainbow Dash. Last night had been the worst night thus far. The guilt was unusually strong, and she sobbed until morning without catching even the smallest semblance of sleep. Applejack felt the rational part of her mind receding, even if she was no longer running into the forest and trying end her life.
She wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn’t come. Again she bucked the tree, and again a miniscule amount of apples fell into the waiting buckets. Sweet Apple Acres strained to provide the farm fresh apples the citizens of Ponyville expected, and there seemed to be no end to Applejack’s torment in sight. She glanced towards the sky, wide eyes red and brimming with irrational hope. She hoped she’d catch a glance of that old rainbow colored tail. She sat on the ground, and resigned herself to tremble, since the tears were no longer present.
Rarity awoke to clammy sheets with her heart hammering in her chest, choking back a strangled gasp. She sat up, panting, and grasped the glass of water at her bedside and downed it in a few swift gulps. About a week had passed since she had brought Applejack back from the Everfree. The nightmares of old had sprung up again, plaguing her ever since. This was a new one. Instead of glass beneath the crumpled form of her sister, it was debris from the castle, and her sister was underneath. Night after night she’d witnessed that horrible event with frightening clarity. Night after night she was forced to watch again and again as her sister was crushed by the falling debris. She shook as she placed the glass back on her nightstand and looked to her side. The blankets on that particular side of the bed looked fuller.
“Oh dear, Rainbow I had another nightmare. I-” she began, but as she she reached out with a hoof, it sank slowly into the bed. Reality was painful. The burden of awareness is one everypony must contend with, but every now and again, the truth is even more excruciating when it pierces the heart like a dagger. Rarity felt that particular pain that came with understanding reality. She sat on her bed and sobbed into her hooves, every minute or so crying out for her sister... Her dead sister.
The next morning was dreadful. Rarity followed the normal morning routine, but only with great effort. She got Sweetie Belle ready for school; making her breakfast and such. Rarity noticed that Sweetie’s customary bouncy and excitable mood wasn’t present. She seemed, much to Rarity’s chagrin, to carry herself in the same fashion: Tired and downtrodden. She watched, doing her best to hide her sadness as Sweetie dragged herself from her room to the bathroom for a shower, and finally to the kitchen for breakfast.
“Sweetie, darling, are you alright?” she asked her little sister in the best soothing tone of voice she could muster at the moment. Sweetie Belle simply nodded and silently ate her oatmeal.
“You know if you need to talk to me about anything, you’re always welcome to, right?” Once again, the little unicorn simply nodded. Rarity sighed. She wished there was more she could do for her sister; she knew exactly how she felt. And though she herself felt lame and miserable, the thought of her very own little sister feeling the same made her feel worse.
'That day, a red-eyed Rarity sat in her workroom, ignoring the tangles in her coiffure in favor of staring blankly at the colorful materials of her trade. Inspiration seemed absent."The various outfits she had made could easily be recreated; she had their designs memorized to the smallest stitch. They sold well since everypony in Ponyville appreciated her work and shopped at her boutique regularly, but even the finest outfits ceased to impress when their own unique appeal began to dwindle as everypony became more accustomed to them. The trick to this sort of business was suspense, and the principle was simple: Catch their attention, and once you have it, they’ll buy, and then eagerly wait for the next outfit. It never failed Rarity, until now. She sat and stared dumbly at her materials, struggling to obtain any kind of inspiration. It had been weeks since her last creation, long before that horrible day, and even though the signs of a failing business hadn’t actually surfaced yet, she couldn’t help but feel the pangs of added anxiety from her lack of prolificness.
The door chime announced a visitor, and Rarity snapped out of her exhausted, melancholy fueled stupor, and trotted downstairs. She was greeted by the sight of a certain pink pony. Pinkie had always been a unique pony, yet she always found a way to fit in, anywhere. She did so uncannily . She trotted into the store, her mane slightly frazzled and not as poofy as usual. Like Rarity, her eyes were baggy and slightly bloodshot, however not as bad as Rarity’s. It was strange, and Rarity wondered just how Pinkie managed to look tired, sad, and happy all at the same time. She was less buoyant, and she didn’t bounce as she entered, but she still carried a significant air of joviality.
“Hello, Pinkie. What brings you--” Rarity yawned, “--here this morning?” she finished.
“Oh! I came to invite you to a party I’m throwing tonight!” Pinkie smiled. Rarity noticed her fast paced, minimally punctuated speech hadn’t changed.
“What’s the occasion?” Rarity asked, then thought for a second, and continued, “If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”
Pinkie appeared to deflate somewhat, but only slightly. “Oh, well nothing in particular,” she looked down and rubbed a hoof on the floor, “it’s just everypony’s just been so gloomy lately!” She looked up towards Rarity. “And I felt like a good old fashioned Pinkie party would do the trick!” she finished with some renewed vigor, and showed Rarity a huge grin.
Rarity started to consider the offer, but wasn’t quite sure. Did she really want companionship right now? Wouldn’t it be better to just be alone right now? How could being with everypony else possibly help? Nothing could, right? Then again, did she really want to be alone, either?
Rarity sighed and finally nodded. “Okay, Pinkie. I’ll be there. When will it be?”
“It’ll be at Sugar Cube Corner at eight tonight!” Pinkie replied, her grin growing wider. “But you can come when you feel like it!”
Rarity sighed again. “Alright Pinkie, I’ll head over when I finish some work that needs to be done.”
“Okie Dokie Lokie, see you there!” the pink pony said as she turned around and started walking out the door. She stopped right before she made it out and turned around to face Rarity again. “Rarity you know you can always talk to us about... well... you know we’re all here for you.”
Rarity looked back up from her work giving her a small smile. “Thank you, Pinkie, I know.”
And with that, the party pony was out the door and gone and Rarity returned to her work with a sigh. An hour went by of tinkering and fiddling with the dress she was working on and giving long glances at a picture on the wall of Rainbow Dash, Sweetie belle and herself which was the only photo in existence of the three of them. It was taken just days before the accident. After another twenty minutes of work she put the dress back on a ponyequin and went upstairs to get ready for the party.
She finally made it to Sugarcube Corner, having walked for good ten minutes through the dirt streets of Ponyville. Many ponies said hello to her or complimented her on her appearance as she passed them by. Usually she would greet everypony that greeted her but every day since she lost her sister she had ignored them all. As she walked inside she noticed not many ponies had showed up yet. Looking around she spotted Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack at a table. She slowly walked over and joined them sitting across from Applejack.
“Hi, Rarity,” Twilight began, but Rarity silenced her with a tired look.
“Oh, maybe we should go,” Fluttershy suggested. Twilight nodded and the two mares left Rarity and Applejack alone.
Neither mare spoke or even acknowledged the other’s presence for several minutes before the tension in the air became too much for Rarity to bear anymore.
By chance they both looked at each other at the same time and got a good look at one another’s faces. They could see sadness in each others eyes and the many nights of sleep they had lost over this event.
“Applejack, you know it’s not—”
“Of course it’s mah fault!” AJ snapped as she fixed Rarity with a glare. “Could y’all stop trying to lie to me?” Applejack got up from the table and turned to leave, but looked over her shoulder to give Rarity another glare. “Don’t even think of following me, y’hear?”
Applejack stormed off, ignoring everypony else as she left.
Rarity just sat there for a few seconds, her mouth open in shock. After a few seconds more, she blinked, shook herself, and got up to follow Applejack anyway. She followed the farmpony from a distance through town and down dirt roads. It was dark outside when Applejack reached the cemetery and opened the rusty gate before walking onwards. Rarity immediately knew where she was heading.
“Ah’m sorry,” Applejack whispered, sitting in front of Rainbow Dash’s grave with tears flowing freely down her cheeks, not realizing Rarity was right behind her crying as well.
The grave was nothing special, just a normal smooth granite stone with her cutie mark carved into it with some writing engraved below it. AJ read the writing again for the hundredth time since it was put there.
Rainbow Dashery Belle The Element of Loyalty Loving sister and friend to all 975-1001
“It’s all mah fault,” AJ whispered. “It shoulda been me under those rocks, not you. Ah was supposed to get crushed.” Applejack shook as more tears streamed down her face. “This should be mah grave, not yers!”
Rarity silently walked up to Applejack, sat down next to her and placed a hoof on the farmpony’s shoulder.
Applejack gasped at the realization that she wasn’t alone and looked at Rarity.
“Ah… Ah told yah not to follow me!” she blubbered. “Ah’m a murderer! Ah took yer sister from you! Ah don’t deserve yer pity or anypony else’s!”
“No, you are not a murderer. Rainbow died saving you,” Rarity whispered soothingly, tears running down her face. “She would have done it for any of us. You are not at fault, Applejack.”
Rarity scooted a little closer to Applejack, embraced her in a tight hug, and buried her head in Applejack’s fur as she sobbed. Applejack returned the hug and did the same.
Rarity couldn’t hold back anymore and broke down. “I miss her so much Applejack. I miss her every single day.” Rarity said, and Applejack could feel the unicorn’s hot tears running down her chest.
Rarity had been strong for her. Now it was her turn to be strong for Rarity. She hugged her tighter and tried her best to console the sobbing unicorn even though she was sobbing herself.
“Ah know Rarity. Ah miss her too. Ah’m sorry for all of this. Ah’m so sorry,” Applejack said as she continued to weep with her friend.
“I told you darling, it is not your fault. Please stop blaming yourself, Rainbow Dash wouldn’t want that.
“Ah know Rarity. Ah’ll try my best not to.” She continued to hold Rarity tightly as she stared at the rainbow pegasus’ grave.
They stayed like this for quite some time as the moon shone down on them. Rarity and Applejack just sat there in each others hooves as they let out all of their emotions out and reminisced about all the good, bad, and in-between times they had spent with Rainbow Dash. Eventually they had no more tears to shed and all but the wind was silent until Rarity spoke up.
“Applejack, would you like to stay at the boutique with me tonight?” she said, raising her head to meet the farmpony’s eyes.
AJ hesitated for a few moments before she finally answered. “Sure Rarity. Ah would like that,” she said, getting up and then helping Rarity to her hooves. She grabbed her hat from the ground and started walking away.
After a good ten minutes of silent walking, the two mares made it back the boutique. It was late and most ponies were already asleep. The party had ended a while ago. They quietly walked inside so as to not wake the sleeping Sweetie Belle, making their way upstairs. They parted ways at the top as Rarity went to her room and Applejack went to the guest room. Within minutes they were fast asleep and for the first time in the month since that tragic day, they both got a decent night’s rest.
Rarity sat in a small café with Applejack, the same café she and her sister Rainbow Dash sat in a year ago. She was even in the same booth by the window. It was their favorite booth, and they would always sit there when it wasn’t taken.
“Doesn’t it just smell absolutely wonderful!” Rarity said, taking in a deep breath as the smell of fresh coffee flooded her senses.
“Ah guess so. Are you sure you want to be here, Rarity?” Applejack asked, afraid the café would spark bad memories.
“Oh come now, darling. It’s just a coffee shop,” Rarity put on a smile as the waitress came up to take their order.
“Hello,” The waitress said with a kind smile. “What can I get for you both today?”
Applejack looked at the small, laminated menu. "What the hay is this stuff? Espresso? Latte’s?"
Rarity let out a soft giggle, seeing Applejack’s confused look. “Just two regular coffee’s should be fine.”
The waitress scribbled the order on her notepad, which levitated in front of her. “And how would you like your coffee?"
Applejack knew this one. “Ah’ll take mine with two cream and two sugar, thank ya kindly.”
Adding that to the notepad, the waitress looked to Rarity. “And for you, ma’am?”
Rarity’s smile faded as her focus was fixed on Applejack. Looking into her eyes, Applejack saw that something had put her deep in thought.
“Um… I’ll take the same, please,” Rarity told the waitress, still focused on Applejack.
“Okay,” The waitress jotted down the order before returning the notepad to her apron. “I’ll have them out for you shortly.”
As the waitress walked away, Applejack reached both hooves across the table, resting them on Rarity’s shoulders. “Are you goin’ to be okay, Rarity? We can leave if ya want."
“No, that’s quite alright, Applejack. It’s just…” Rarity took a deep breath. “That’s the way that Rainbow Dash used to drink her coffee…”
Applejack didn’t know how to respond. That’s how she’s always drank her coffee too. “Ah’m sorry. Ah didn’t mean to-”
“It’s okay, Applejack. It’s just- I can’t believe it’s been a year since she passed.” Rarity stared blankly out the window, watching the birds as they soared through the air.
“Yeah. A lot has changed since then…” Applejack said as she leaned back in her seat.
“I think about her everyday Applejack, always wishing I could spend more time with her. We were apart for most of our lives.” Rarity said sadly still looking out the window.
“Ah’m sorry, Ah know how you feel, we all do.” The farm pony said comfortingly resting a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder from across the table. “Are you sure you'll be ok Rarity?”
“I’ll be fine darling I just need to stop dwelling on the past and be thankful for the little time I did get to spend with her.” Rarity said a little cheerier than before and her smile had returned.
Since Rainbow’s passing, a few ponies started to behave differently. Rarity’s mother eventually divorced, kicking her ex-husband out onto the streets. And, with a little help from Twilight and her daughter Rarity, they were able to assign all custody of Sweetie Belle over to her mother. Nopony has seen, or wanted to see that stallion since.
Everypony else changed in their own ways. The rest of the Mane Six stuck together and helped each other in their time of need they especially took good care of Rarity and Applejack. After a while Rarity’s nightmares would come less and less frequent until they stopped altogether. And with a lot of help from her friends, Applejack was slowly able to accept the fact of what happened to Rainbow Dash wasn’t her fault. True to her promise and with a lot of effort, Applebloom managed keep the CMC together, always comforting each other when they were down and they eventually started crusading again. After a while, they were all back to their normal lives.
“Here you go! Two coffee’s, both with two sugar and two cream.”
Both Applejack and Rarity had been so lost in their own thoughts that they hadn’t even noticed the waitress arrive with their coffee, startling them both.
“Thank ya kindly, ma’am,” Applejack said, taking a big sip from her cup.
“Yes, thank you.” Rarity stared into the cup, still lost in her own thoughts.
“Ya know what? Let’s go somewhere real quick.” Applejack said as she rose out of her seat.
“Leave? But we just got here. Can’t I finish my coffee first?” Rarity asked, taking another sip from her coffee.
In one swift motion, Applejack snatched Rarity’s coffee cup and poured it in her mouth. Rarity flailed her hooves as the hot coffee scorched the inside of her mouth. Swallowing the hot beverage, Rarity took a few deep breaths, attempting to cool the inside of her mouth.
“What was all that about, Applejack?!” Before Rarity could react, Applejack had already downed her cup, pulled Rarity out of her seat, and was pushing her quickly, out the door.
Rarity shivered as the snow hit her bare face. By this point, Applejack had stopped pushing her and was fishing through her saddlebag to find her scarf.
“Geeze, Applejack, what is it that’s got you so aggressive?” Rarity asked as she adjusted her own scarf.
Finding her scarf, Applejack wrapped the warm fabric around her neck. “We’re going to go see Rainbow Dash.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The snow looked beautiful, falling from the sky so majestically. As Applejack and Rarity neared the graveyard, they stopped when they noticed a familiar mare standing next to Rainbow’s grave. Upon closer look, Rarity smiled when she recognized the mare.
“I didn’t expect to see you here, mother,” Rarity felt happier, seeing her mother paying her respects.
“Rarity?” Her mother called out.
Upon see her daughter, she wiped the tears from her face before giving her daughter a warm hug. “How have you been? I haven’t seen you in a while.”
Rarity returned the hug, feeling the coldness fade away in the warm embrace. “I’ve been alright. I was very busy making my winter line, so I haven’t been out much. It’s nice to see that you stopped by to see Rainbow.”
Her mother gave a slight nod. “I wish I could do more for her. After all those years of abuse, and all I did was stand there… And then I abandoned her….What type of mother does that to their child?”
“It’s okay, mom. I’m sure Rainbow Dash never blamed y-” Rarity stopped as she saw tears run down her mothers face.
“No… After all I’ve done to her, she’ll never forgive me…” Rarity’s mother looked up as she felt a warm pressure on her back, seeing Applejack’s hoof resting on her shoulder.
“None of us have completely gotten over her. Then again, I don’t reckon some of us will,” Applejack said with a smile on her face. “But Ah used to think just like you, feelin like Ah would never get to say how sorry Ah was. Ah used to think that Rainbow Dash would never forgive me because Ah had killed her.”
Applejack wiped away a tear as she looked up at Rarity. “Ah’ve recently come to accept reality. Thanks to Rarity, Ah’ve accepted that Ah wasn’t the cause for Rainbow Dash’s death. If it hadn’t have been for Rainbow, It would have been me in that grave. Do Ah like it? No. Ah don’t like it one bit. But Ah thank her for it. Because of her, Ah get to see my brother and sister every morning. Ah don’t have to worry about the farm dying. Ah owe my life to Rainbow Dash.”
Rarity’s mother stared into Applejack’s eyes, feeling the honesty in her words radiate through her mind. “So, are you saying that Rainbow Dash forgives me for all the horrible things I’ve done to her?”
“What’s that?” Rarity asked, pointing towards the sky cutting Applejack off before she could respond.
As they all looked up, in the flurry of snowflakes, a small object came into view. Gliding through the sky, a blue feather drifted towards them. Applejack reached out her hoof, catching the feather as it seemed to aim straight for her.
Rarity and Applejack smiled as they looked at the flawless feather.
Taking the feather, Rarity knelt down and slid it into her mother’s hair. “Mom, she never blamed any of us. And she just said that she loves all of us.”
Sweetie Belle walked down the dirt roads of Ponyville waving hello to ponies that would greet her. There was plenty of new faces in town and she could tell from the houses being built, new booming businesses, and many new ponies that moved into town, (each of whom Pinkie Pie threw a party for) that a lot had changed but also stayed the same in the past ten years.
When she wasn’t working with Rarity on a new line of dresses, She was singing at what ever gig she could get, or hanging out with her friends, she would go walking, and clear her mind, on a beautiful sunny day like today. Guess she should thank Scoots for that.
She and the other crusaders had all graduated from Cheerilee’s school a few years ago and were now all in their early twenties and finally had their cutie marks as well. Sweetie’s mane curls and tail were much longer now and it was the same for her friends.
Sweetie continued her walk looking down at the golden chain necklace around her neck it had a magical preserved cyan feather attached to it that belonged to her sister given to her by her mother years ago. She treasured it and would wear it everywhere.
As she was examining it for thousandth time just thinking about her sister a familiar voice pulled out of her thoughts. Looking up to the sky she saw the new head the weather team, Scootaloo giving out orders to some new recruits before they quickly flew off to do their assignments.
It had taken a lot of time and effort and many many lessons from Twilight but she finally mastered the skies and just like her idol she was a speed demon the Wonderbolts themselves would be hard pressed to keep up with her. She eventually took over Dash’s job on the weather team and she was damn good at it too.
“Hey Scoots!” Sweetie shouted with glee hoping the get the speedy pegasus’ attention which she did.
“Unh” Scootaloo said looking around for the voice before finding the source to be below her. “Oh hey Sweetie what’s up.?” She said smiling hovering in front of her best friend.
“I was heading to the cemetery to visit Dash.” She said told her orange friend. “ Do you want to come with?”
“Well I got to keep an eye on the newbies.” Scootaloo answered noticing Sweetie’s smile fade slightly. “But as soon as I make sure they don’t accidently create another tornado again I’ll meet you there promise.” She said seeing her friends smile return full force.
“Okay then that sounds good to me Scoots,” Sweetie said hoof bumping the pegasus. “I’ll see you there.”
“Okay see ya Sweetie its back to work for me.” Scootaloo replied and before the unicorn could even blink she zipped away as fast as lightning kicking up a cloud of dust as she went and was out of sight and earshot almost immediately.
After the dust settled and Sweetie was able to stop coughing she continued on her way to her destination. she had been so caught up in her thoughts that she reached the cemetery’s rusty gate before she knew it. The gate creaked as she opened it and navigated her way through the many gravestones until she found the one she was looking for near the back of the cemetery.
She trotted over to her sister’s grave and took a seat right in front of it. She would come here every now and then to pay her respects. Sometimes she would come with Rarity or her mother other times like today she would come alone.
“Hi, Dash” Sweetie said, staring at her sister’s gravestone. It was an old and faded stone now but it was still perfectly readable. She had read it just as many times as Rarity had.
“I just wanted to come for a visit, Scoots says she’ll be here later.” She spoke to nopony removing some weeds that had grown over the headstone. She and her family had made a habit of clean it every time they came.
“Even though we have all moved on since your passing it still hurts knowing you’re not here even now ten years laters.” The cemetery was dead silent as she spoke and a gentle breeze ruffled her mane.
“It took so long for Rarity and mother to recover but with help from our friends they finally got better and now they are both doing great now.” She continued talk to her deceased sibling. “It was hard at first for Scoots and I we didn’t talk to each other much for awhile we owe Applebloom a lot for being as stubborn as her sister because she never gave up and kept her promise to you and held us together.”
“You know sis Rarity always tells me how great of pony you were and how she wished she had more time to spend with you.” Sweetie paused to take a deep breath. “And that made me realize something, It made me realize that even though Rarity’s time with you was short my time was even shorter and I to wish I had more time to get to know you better.
She looked down at her feather necklace again and gave it a kiss before she began to speak to Rainbow again. “But I’m not going to be sad about that instead I’m going to be grateful for every moment I did get to spend with you even before I knew you were my sister.”
“I don’t remember all of it because I was little but Rarity would tell me when ever she need to work and I was in the way” Sweetie giggled at herself as she reminisced. “You would always be there to play a game with me or color with me and for that I will always be grateful.”
She was about to continue when she heard hoofsteps behind her. She turned around to she see Scootaloo and Applebloom walking up to her.
“Hi Girls.” Sweetie waved at the two mares as they sat down on either side of her.
“Got here as soon as I could those newbies are a real hoof-full .” Scootaloo giggled.
“Don’t Ah know it, they ‘bout drowned the Apple farm last week.” Applebloom huffed then gave an annoyed but happy smile.
“Yea, sorry about Applebloom.” Scootaloo said rubbing the back of her head with her hoof neveriously.
“Thanks for coming girls.” Sweetie said as she continued looking at her sister’s grave.
“Not a problem Sweetie Belle anytime.” Applebloom said.
“Oh hey Dash guess what!” Scootaloo suddenly perked remembering something. “I got accepted into the Wonderbolts Academy I’m leaving next month.” She said gleaming with pride knowing Dash would be proud of her.
“Hey Dash Ah just wanna thank ya for savin’ my sis all those years ago, It means a lot to me.” Applebloom said as she respectfully removing her red stetson.
The three mares sat there for who knows how long just talking and laughing about all the shenanigans they used to cause and what not. Eventually time just got away from them and Celestia’s sun was starting dip below the horizon.
“C’mon girls I think it’s time go it’s gettin’ late.’’ The apple farmer said getting up and placing her hat back upon her head.
“Yea you’re right I don’t want my parents flip out if I come home late again.’’ Scootaloo said remembering what happened last time she came home late.
They were about to walk off when Sweetie Belle quickly turn back around. “Hold on girls I almost forgot the whole reason I came here today.” She said walking back up the headstone.
Sweetie Belle opened her saddlebags and pulled out a bouquet of six different colored flowers and placed them by the grave.
“Happy Birthday Rainbow Dash” Sweetie Belle said to her sister and with that the three mares walked away.
