> Black Canvas
>  by WritingSpirit
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Three Days Prior: On Such A Short Notice?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Tassee..."

The crack of morning light in the horizon was enough of a reason for Rainbow Dash to finally wake up a long sleep, rubbing her eyes tiredly and sitting up on her cloud bed to welcome the start of a new day. Glancing to the side, she smiled once he met Tank's eager face, her pet tortoise already strapping himself to his propeller harness and zooming across the ceiling.
She stretched her hooves, cautiously shifting the blanket of white feathers off her leg; the same one that she had snuggled under almost every other night. With a small, hearty grin, she gazed at the other pony in her bed, which was none other than the patient she had resorted to take care of in the preceding Hearth's Warming Eve, who, in a surprisingly short span of twelve days, became not only her guardian as well (at least, for two weeks until her wounds healed), but also her official coltfriend.

"Tasee," she whispered softly in his ear, his only response being a short whimper.
"Come on, buddy. It's morning already."

Taciturn Bleach. Not entirely the expected stallion of her dreams, as Rarity would oh so put it, but still a gentlecolt, probably even the gentlest of colts. It was on an awkward, wintry day where she happened upon an errand for Fluttershy and unwittingly met him in the hospital. Of course, she became involved in his shenanigans, was swarmed relentlessly by the press, and nearly got killed in a snowstorm, but still he remained the same pony he was: silent and reclusive yet polite and caring.
Of course, being his guardian most of the time (and still is), Rainbow soon found out he inherited some of her traits as well. He had her persistence and determination, directed more onto his interesting artwork, as well as, unluckily for her, her stubbornness.

The cyan mare sighed: he was never a keen pony of sleep at night, but in the morning was a different matter entirely. He never snored, thank Celestia for her, yet nopony oversleeps under the watch of Rainbow Dash. Especially when that pony is her coltfriend.
"Attennnn~TION!"

The blanched colt shot straight up on all four hooves, stiffening up like a poker at the loud rasp of the mare. Taciturn glanced around hastily for a minute, stopping short only when he saw Rainbow rolling about the bed, letting out a loud guffaw with tears springing up at her eyes.
"Y-you should've s-seen... seen the look on your face!" she managed to speak, before bursting out in laughter again. He just rolled his eyes with a small pout: the average Rainbow Dash.

"Come on, Tassee!" Rainbow called, jerking insistently at his hooves.
"We have breakfast to catch up on! Don't wanna miss your pancakes now, would we?"

Taciturn's ears perked up at the mention of pancakes, the colt licking his lips as he slowly trotted towards the dining room. His guardian/marefriend was already outside, his smile widening at the sizzling sound of one of his favorite delicacies being tossed about the black bowels of the skittle.
"Needs a little more salt..." Rainbow murmured. It was thanks to Tassee that she decided to take up a few cooking classes from Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Of course, they were a little more boring than her own flight training, but sometimes, her dad has once told her, it's best to learn more.

In a dash (pun unintended), she tossed a pinch of salt into the mix, the satisfactory crunch of the pancakes simmered to perfection already tingling her own taste buds. Taciturn bounced in his seat eagerly, with Tank hovering down onto his mane, both their tongues hanging out lopsided with the need to have the first bite.
"Here ya go!" the mare finally said, carefully sliding onto his plate while her other hoof tipped a pitcher of maple syrup, fresh from Sweet Apple Acres, covering the stack of brown delights in its gradually-melting coat of sweetness. Of course, the colt was quick to response; he had already begun to slice into the first layer of the tower before she could settle down on her own seat.

"Is it yummy enough?" she asked. She was usually uncertain of her own cooking, and the need to satisfy the appetite of only one reviewer was enough to trouble her.
Taciturn was quick to give three rapid, cheerful nods in succession, which relieved her immediately, despite the uncertainty still lingering in her head. Either it was actually good (to which she hoped) or he was just being the humbly modest pony he is and the pancakes were actually horrible. Of course, she decided to play safe: her breakfast was a lettuce sandwich instead that does not require any cooking from her whatsoever.

"Come on, Tassee!" Rainbow said once he was finished, helping him dab the traces of crumbs and syrup off his snout. Despite him being around her age, there was still a lot of things he was reluctant to do, though such simple things as wiping crumbs off his mouth only made her wonder if he just wanted her to do it instead.
"Twilight arranged a small meetup with the gang down at Sugarcube Corner. We have to be there at around ten and later add some of your new paintings to the gallery. Then, after that, you'll have to learn a little about-- are you even listening?"

Of course, Taciturn nodded, his whimsical smile turning into a wide, attentive grin, his cheeks puffing up at the display of his affection. "Dashie!" he squealed cheerfully.
The cyan mare couldn't help but find his expression slightly cute, almost like a five year old colt. Rainbow chuckled at his blatant attempts to woo her, guiding the colt towards the door as she combed his mane (another errand that he could've done) and tail while he picked up his trusty art materials.

"You still have to hitch a ride on my back?" she asked, to which his answer was a reluctant nod.
Rainbow sighed quietly underneath her breath. He had the guts to protect her against a frenzied swarm of press ponies, save her from drowning in a freezing lake, and giving both of them their first kiss (which she still saw as the most courageous thing he had ever done), yet he didn't even dare to hover down a mere five feet onto the ground!
"Alright, alright," she said suddenly, the colt eagerly hopping onto her back with Tank as well hitching a ride on the top of his head.
"But you gotta learn how to fly by yourself sooner or later. It's a little... embarrassing to piggyback you down like this all the time."

Taciturn playfully nipped at her ear suddenly, making her yelp in surprise and nearly tossing him off his back. The mare shook her head with a growing smile once his coltfriend giggled quietly; Tassee could be such a tease sometimes.
"Stop it," she whined once he did it at a second time, laughing as she helped him get off her back.
"We're gonna be late if we keep wandering about here."

With that being said and done, both stallion and mare marched towards the nearby district of Ponyville, eager to join their company of friends in their small gathering. Rainbow herself had planned to talk to some of them, especially Rarity and Twilight, about her relationship with Tassee.
There were a few things she wanted to be clear about them, and both unicorns possess at least a certain bout of knowledge, what with Rarity being exposed to all her Canterlot-esque culture and drama and Twilight having a library and, possibly, romance novels stashed within, and with her relationship as Princess Cadance's sister-in-law, she might have more exposure to the subject of love than any of her other friends. Might have.
"Come on!" she called back to her coltfriend, whose attention was drawn by a pink butterfly. It was a heartwarming sight, albeit one that she couldn't wait for, the slight disappointment in that forcing out a sigh from her.

Just another day with Taciturn Bleach.








"That doesn't actually means that they were like sticks in a mud puddle, Rarity. It's a metaphor."

"Well, clearly the author has either a misguided or senseless direction in his writing," Rarity scorned.
"Comparing hooves to mere branches dipped in the most horrid of substances seems rather crude, don't you think? Why, it would be the most ridiculous fashion statement in the entirety of Equestria!"

"It's a metaphor, Rarity."
Rainbow shook her head a little, letting out a small sigh. She doesn't know why some ponies take each sentence in a book literally; it's the creativity of the author, and Rarity would know, considering her successful job as a fashion designer, her experience notable from the thriving business of Carousel Boutique.
Her attention turned back to the new book in her hooves that she had picked up from Twilight, titled Daring Do & the Golden Dagger. Like its predecessors, there was that adventure and danger that Daring Do has, and will, face, although the cyan mare herself had read it for an entirely different reason.

Romance.

The author had decided to add an element of love into the story, plopping Daring Do with another adventure pony named Trail Blazer, whom had helped Daring escape from a few ponies from the mobsters interested in the Golden Dagger she was searching for. Apparently, she had read to the point where Daring harbored a slight crush on him, who decided to help out along the way after another run-in at the Haymalaya Mountains.
A part of her cursed herself for reading this, probably because it was a little too snugly for her style, yet she knew Taciturn (who was painting yet again) wouldn't mind if she learn a few tricks about love, even if it was only from some adventure novel. Plus, she could really relate herself to Daring Do: adventurous, intrepid and a daredevil. Perhaps it might be the reason why she likes the book so much.

"But... must it be really... necessary?"

There comes the last two of her friends, Fluttershy and Applejack. She, Taciturn, Twilight, Rarity and Pinkie, who was in the kitchen baking a set of strawberry tarts, were anxiously waiting for them with their pets, though when they stepped in, two things immediately caught her eye.
One: Applejack was livelier than usual, her exuberance only beaten by Pinkie Pie, who was humming loudly in the kitchen. Rainbow could swear she was yodeling some sort of tune underneath her breath, though the loud barking of Winona soon snapped her out of that. Two: Fluttershy was more reclusive than usual, and could've beaten Tassee from the way she was approaching them while her pet bunny, Angel, tugged at her at the hooves, sporting an irritated glare.
"Howdy!" the farmpony spoke first, giving them a jolly wave.

"Hey," all three said in unison, placing each of their books down. Rainbow didn't really know what the other two mares were reading, but she knew that Twilight was reading a small encyclopedia of some sort, while Rarity's was a romance novel she had borrowed from none other than their scholarly friend.
Taciturn, of course, was still absorbed in his painting, with Tank, Opalescence, Owlowiscious and Gummy all glancing up at him. It wasn't soon before Winona and Angel soon joined along, leaving the white colt to entertain his audience of critters.

"So," the cyan pegasus began first.
"What's up?"

Applejack just gave them a smug grin, yanking the seemingly troubled Fluttershy to her side.
"Nothin' much," she replied meekly.
"Just that Fluttersh'ah's gonna have a date with her very special somepony."

"WHAT?!!"
The source of the screech zoomed out in a pink blur through the flapping doors, grinding to a halt in front of the table with the hype that none other than Pinkie Pie could muster. She slammed down the tray of baked tarts onto the table, joining in with the surprised faces of Twilight, Rarity and Rainbow Dash.
"Whoisit, whoisit, whoisit?" she squeaked.
"Is it somepony we know? Huh? HUH?!"

"Ah'd tell ya, but Ah need Fluttersh'ah's permission t'a do so."
All eyes turned to the butter-colored pegasus, who merely whimpered from the five stares. Applejack nudged her shoulder suddenly, the mare's smile widening a little as she asked:
"Whadaya think, Fluttersh'ah? Should Ah tell them?"

"Um... it could be alright, but I-"

"Alrighty then!" the orange pony chirped, cutting her off immediately.
"Ah'm sure ya girls know who that pony is very well, anyway."

Twilight nearly choked on the milkshake she was drinking, her eyes widening immediately when one single name popped up in her head. There was only one probable candidate that could suit the place for being Fluttershy's coltfriend, and she had many suspicions on that one pony.
"Is it," she began, her tone becoming a whisper with everypony else (except Fluttershy) craning her neck closer to their violet friend.
"Is it... him?"

"You bet!" Applejack answered cheerfully.
"None other than Ol' Macintosh himself!"

The four mares started to gasp and mutter with delight, crowding around Fluttershy, whose cheeks were redder than the said pony that courted her. She smiled sheepishly, glancing away underneath her pink mane with her hooves noticeably trembling a little.
"Why, I can't believe it!" Rarity began.
"I suppose a congratulations would suffice, darling?"

"Oh, but it's not a really big deal..." she mumbled, loud enough for her friends to hear.
"It's just spending some time together, that's all..."

"I- you- WHAT?!"
Pinkie raced to her friend's side, the pegasus jumping back in surprise as she screeched:
"We're talking about your first date here! Your. First. DATE!! Do you realize how important it is? All the parties in the world can't compare to something like this!"

"Calm down, Pinkie," Twilight piped in, pulling the pink mare back. Rainbow could understand why: the last thing Fluttershy needs to be pressured about (and she knows how Fluttershy reacts when pressured; she is her childhood friend, after all) is her relationship, especially when they hadn't even began dating yet.
"So Fluttershy," the bookish mare continued, turning to her friend.
"When are you guys going to... you know...?"

"Oh... on Thursday..."

Thursday. Three days from now. More affectionately known as Hearts and Hooves Day.
Rainbow smiled at the coming day; the one that most, if not all the mares of Ponyville were expecting. It was the day where heart-shaped letters, bouquet of roses and the like would be the ones filling up the Cloudsdale Delivery Service all the time, and where plans such as small talks in common cafes and small parks to the more flamboyant ones like ballroom dancing and expensive dining were the norm.
She turned to Taciturn, her coltfriend still busy touching up another picture. Having placed the entirety of her focus on him for that specific day, she had begun planning on how to spend time with him. Of course, being 'special' and all, the choices were limited, despite being more sociable than he was when she first met him.

"Ah'm sure Fluttersh'ah ain't the only pony here spendin' Hearts and Hooves Day with a special somepony."
Applejack's sentence yanked her attention back, her eyes propped open wide at the sight of her friends, who all wore wry smirks. Taciturn, having finished his painting, was now trotting up to the cyan mare, adding a sixth pair of eyes on top of her frightening-stares list.

"Dashie?"

"W-well, it's not really any of you guys' business!" she rasped, her friends laughing in amusement. Her cheeks beet red as the strawberry tarts she was nibbling on, Rainbow reeled in the surprised Taciturn, the colt whimpering as she wrapped her hoof around his neck.
"Tassee and I are gonna have so much fun on Hearts and Hooves," the cyan pegasus declared.
"That all of you are gonna be so jealous, your faces will turn greener than cucumbers!"

"Really, RD?" Applejack quipped.
"Ya know ponies can't change the color of their skin, right?"

"It's a metaphor, AJ," Rainbow replied sharply, her hoof meeting her face at the gullible words of her friend.
"Anyway, Tassee and I," she hugged the blanched colt tighter, his face turning a slight blue, "would have the best Hearts and Hooves day that anypony, be it stallion or mare, young or old, would ever have! Mark my words!"

And, amid the teasing giggles of her friends, she swore to herself that there would be nothing that would stop it from coming true.








"Finally!!"

With a cheerful beat of her wings, Rainbow Dash launched herself into the air and diving face-first onto her couch, happily snuggling about its puffy, cloudy surface. Tank hovered to his owner's side, settling himself down as he loosened himself out of his propeller harness.
Taciturn slowly trotted in, placing the few bags of groceries that they had bought in the marketplace onto the table. His smile widened at the small pile of letters on the floor, immediately grabbing them and shuffling towards the mare, who was lying down, her eyes closed as she relished the comfort of her sofa, for once.

"Seems Derpy delivered some mail for us today," Rainbow muttered, sitting up with a small sigh. She wasn't the keenest of ponies to ever read the mail at night. It would be entirely different if it were some bulky package or at least a gift from one of her friends, but letters? A conversation seemed to be a better option.
Leafing through the miscellaneous envelopes, she could note out the usual ones. There were the letters from Pinkie Pie about plans for upcoming pranks, the usual admirer cards from various fans and one or two from Taciturn's doctor, Tenderhoof Martingale, asking about his well-being and supporting their relationship.
"Boring, bleh, blah," she blabbered, gazing at the indifferent envelopes and tossing them to the side. Taciturn just glanced at each letter flying out of her hooves, ironically amused at her boredom.

Then came the last letter; the only one that piqued her attention. It was crinkled, mottled and yellowed and, unlike most of the other envelopes, was sealed with a red wax, the insignia of a lion stamped into it adding to her interest. Slowly, she chiseled the envelope open, the letter sliding out with ease into her hooves once she tipped it to the side, all the while with Taciturn watching, his head tilted by the weight of curiosity.
"Well..." Rainbow began, having opened the letter to meet a wall of intricately written words. "This is... interesting..."
With a small cough, she began to read it aloud:




														
13, 14/2 Fresian Lane
County of Fillydelphia

To whomever it may concern,

You are invited to the funeral of the late Sir Valente III, who had unfortunately passed away peacefully in his sleep in the late of Sunday night. A procession would be held tomorrow, and your presence, along with Taciturn's, would be of a great necessity in attendance.
If the knowledge hasn't been bestowed yet, Taciturn Bleach, the pony that you had befriended and nurtured, made evident by the news of the opening of the Gallery of White a month ago (which has come to the attention of the late pony himself), was his genetic son. It is important for Taciturn to be present at the reading of the will, where there would be a possibility that he might've inherited something from his father. As such, he is requested to attend the funeral by itself and, if necessary or applicable, bring along any counterparts as he deemed fit.

If unavailable to attend, it is required for you to send an apologetic letter back to this address. As such, anything he inherits would be sent to you at a later, unconfirmed date.

With regards,
Fidus Shadowtear
Butler to the late Sir Valente Accidia Bleach III
Household of the Bleach family




"Celestia," was all Rainbow could say, folding the letter and glancing back at Taciturn. The pale colt was staring at the floor, his brows furrowed with his lips chagrin and straight. She held her breath, edging herself slowly next to him and placing a hoof on his shoulder.
"I... I'm sorry..."

"Dashie..." the colt replied immediately, albeit softly.

Rainbow never knew he still had family by his side. She thought he was orphaned, judging by how Doctor Martingale mentioned he had been taking care of Taciturn ever since he was only five. She herself couldn't imagine it: seventeen years trapped in the custody of a hospital, with only doctors and nurses and paintings to turn to.
Yet, she couldn't understand. All the time, his father was alive. All the time, his father was present, and yet why was he in the hospital? Couldn't his father take care of him back then? Was it his diagnosis with autism that contributed to tearing their bond apart?

She turned back to the letter. It wasn't a 'yes' or 'no' question: they must head to the estate. However, what about their plans for Hearts and Hooves Day? Surely she mustn't need to cancel that for the sake of a funeral on such a short notice? For Celestia's sake, her and her decision-filled destiny...
"You wanna go to the funeral, Tassee?" she asked reluctantly, to which there wasn't an answer. With a sigh, she nuzzled his cheek in an effort to cheer him up, her hoof reaching up to stroke his mane as she tried her best to smile.
"We'll pack up tomorrow, okay? Right now, just try to get some sleep."

"Dashie..." he said again, this time almost a whisper.
Rainbow couldn't imagine how many things were racing through his head now, and even if they were, he was doing a pretty good job at hiding it. His expression was sullen and dull, without a smile nor a frown. At most he only crinkled his brows down at the floor, and that was it. That was all that his guardian could discern from his blanched visage.
Her heart drooped slightly as she helplessly shuffled into her room, leaving him to console himself. She wouldn't know how hard it is to lose a father; hers was still living happily in Cloudsdale. And for somepony so fragile and delicate such as Taciturn to do so... it somewhat made her responsibilities as his guardian and marefriend a lot harder than it looks.
Yet, she swore to herself, she wouldn't back down. Tassee had always been supporting her and sticking by her side, and now he's going through a rough patch himself. You have to be at his side, Rainbow Dash, she said to herself. You're his marefriend, for Celestia's sake!

Taciturn slowly marched in, nearly catching her by surprise. Before she could say goodnight, however, he plopped himself on the bed and closed his eyes, curling up like a feline. Rainbow stopped to blink for a second, before sighing, edging up to him and brushing the side of his face.
"You've been through a lot, buddy," she muttered, absentmindedly brushing his mane. It doesn't seem like a lot, but she couldn't help but think of it that way. He just lost his father! Isn't that a little too much for him to bear?
"I'm right here..." she continued, stopping his slight whimpering in his sleep as she wrapped her hooves around him.

"Dashie's right here..."
> Two Days Prior: A Nice Father
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"That'll be seventy bits, please."

Seventy bits! Seventy ridiculous bits for a five hour carriage ride to a small estate in the outskirts of Fillydelphia! Rainbow wanted to curse and yell at the driver responsible for taking them here, unable to conceive on the possibility of such an expensive price. Sure, she herself couldn't carry Taciturn by herself for five hours on hoof, but at such a staggering price... if only she had enough strength to fly here.
With a grumble, she snapped open a small purse; a gift that Rarity sent on her birthday last year, handing to their driver the said price. Tipping his hat, the driver soon galloped off down the pebbled dirt path to the town of Fillydelphia, the slate roofs and stacks of chimneys visible in the horizon.

"Dashie?"

Taciturn was sitting on one of his luggage bags, no doubt containing all his art materials to pass the time during their stay. He was weary and tired, his eyelids on the verge of drooping, and the cyan mare would understand why; while she had spent three hours of the trip sleeping (the result of waking up a little earlier than usual), the blanched colt stayed awake, gazing like a watchful owl at the ever-shifting scenery around him.
Giving him an uncertain smile, Rainbow then turned to the gates that stood before them. Like most iron gates, it had rails with blunted tips that pointed up to the sky, with iron grape vines entwining them, already ravaged by freckles of rust, along with a plaque at the center, where there was only one recognizable letter 'B' at the side; the others were covered in an obscure sea of brown, though both colt and mare knew what was it trying to tell them.

Bleach.

"Well, this is it," she muttered, holding Taciturn's hoof. It was her decision to come here and, if necessary, spend some time in Taciturn's former home. She had told the remainder of her disappointed friends about it, knowing they were all too eager to see her and Tassee spend what she had proclaimed 'the best Hearts and Hooves day that anypony could have' during their small meetup yesterday. Best Hearts and Hooves at a funeral... you and your jinxing mouth, she scolded herself.
There was one other reason that she decided to come here, and it can be summed up in one word: curiosity. She had never understood, much less bothered, about Taciturn's past, and to realize that he had family all this time was a little surprising and mystifying. Then, there was the impression of royalty in his family, made evident by the intricate design of the gates before her and the stately mansion lying behind it, to his late father's title of 'Sir' and the presence of a butler mentioned in the letter. She chuckled at the irony; if there is one last thing that she expected Tassee to be, it was as the son of some pompous, royal aristocrat leaving far, far away from Ponyville.
"So... wanna go inside? Take a look around and such?"

Taciturn gave a weak nod, and sure enough she marched forward, pushing the gates with a loud creak. Marching hoof in hoof with her coltfriend, her eyes soon rested upon the estate of the Bleach family, her breath whisked away by such an amazing sight.
As expected, it was grand, with untrimmed vines of ivy crawling up its brick walls and a set of wide, stone steps leading up to the front door. Its three rows of windows adorned silky smooth curtains that flutter in the moist air, and the roof bore a slight shade of verdigris, yet still standing strong as the marble fountain situated on the entrance, spraying out sparkling domes of water from its cairn of lotus bowels.

At the mahogany entrance stood a suited pony, a small smile growing around his pale, grayish azure cheeks. His deep blue and grayish (which she believed was due to age) mane was waxen, his mustache trimmed and his tail equally as neat. With one hoof parting, he suddenly gave a respectful bow, the couple exchanging surprised looks.
"Welcome to the Bleach household," he spoke deeply.
"My name's Fidus Shadowtear. I believe you had received my invitation, Miss..."

"Dash. Rainbow Dash," the mare replied hesitantly. She wasn't keen to bother about formalities, and being called 'Miss' just made her feel a little more... older. She really hates having her age toyed just by a small phrase.
The butler soon turned to Taciturn, his smile reaching to the sides of his cheeks. He suddenly gave the blanched colt a tight hug; one which the colt stiffened up in fear, softening only when Rainbow gave him a warm nod. Simultaneously, Fidus gave him two pats on his back, letting out a hearty chuckle with small tears forming at the side of his eyes.

"It's good to see you again, my lad. After all these years..."
With a whimper, Taciturn was soon freed from the other pony's embrace, though he was still frozen in place by Fidus's two hooves on his shoulders. The butler gazed at him from head to hoof, all the while chuckling happily despite the bleached colt's aversion to his gaze.
"You've really grown up. Oh, if only your father could see you now..."

Rainbow could swear she saw Taciturn's eyes jolt at the mention of 'father', unsure if it was from his emotional turmoil, though Fidus soon diverted his gaze to her, snapping her from her thoughts immediately.
"I presume you were Taciturn's guardian? Doctor Martingale had mentioned him having one in the preceding Hearth's Warming Eve around a month ago."

"Yeah. A-and marefriend, yes."

Fidus's eyes grew wide immediately at her words, his head repetitively turning between both pegasi.
"W-well..." he managed to stutter, forcing out a cough.
"That's certainly a surprise, indeed. I never expected him to be in a relationship already."

Nor did I expect you ruining our Hearts and Hooves Day together with some funeral, she added underneath her breath. Of course, she would respect the untimely passing of her coltfriend's father, but it seemed a little too deliberate. A funeral that slices into her plans for spending their Hearts and Hooves Day together? Purely ridiculous!
"You mentioned that Doctor Martingale told you about me being his guardian?" she asked in a bout of curiosity. It was a little surprising for the butler and the doctor, whom she believed they had never met each other at first, were acquainted with each other.

"Yes," was the answer.
"Doctor Martingale was the family doctor for quite some time. Both he and I would spend some time in the gardens together, until his resignation around two decades ago. Of course, we still keep in touch with each other, and he notified of Taciturn having been adopted by somepony as a guardian."

Adopted. There it was again: that blasted word. Rainbow could feel her heart simmer grudgingly at the phrases that both doctor and butler share; either their choice of words are equally bad, or it was just a metaphor, which was still slightly horrible to her ears. Taciturn's not a foal, despite having a few mannerisms of being one. Plus, they were in a relationship; calling it more like an 'adoption' doesn't seem right. At all.
"Well, it's great to meet you, Miss Dash," he said, shaking her hoof and turning the knob, the mahogany door opening with a slight creak, revealing the grand interior of the estate. Rainbow blinked in surprise and awe, lifting her luggage inside with Taciturn clinging onto her hooves as the butler continued:

"Please do make yourselves at home."








"Hungry, buddy?"

Taciturn shook his head, leaving his marefriend with a sigh of defeat. Rainbow placed her spoon back into the half-full bowl of mushroom soup, served hot from one of the few maids scurrying around the estate and performing their duties. So far, they had been working hard to make their recently-returned master (she couldn't think of a better word) feel comfortable after such a long departure from home, though she herself knew all he needs is a moment of consolation and a small rest.
Almost immediately, she tossed herself back onto the plushy queen-sized bed, slamming her head onto a red pillow as she stared up at the ceiling. Despite the passing of what seemed to be the patriarch of the household, his servants were really doing their job; every antique piece of furniture was clean and kept free of dust, and by antique, she really meant it! Everything here was vintage, from the phone and radio to the television and chandeliers hanging in the hallways. It's almost as if she stepped through another dimension in time.

Their bedroom was no different; the dresser was covered in ornate designs, carved into the pine wood it was crafted from. The bed itself had flowery designs carved around the base, with red and white sheets covering its springy mattress. Judging from a globe and telescope standing quietly in the corner and the various books and slips of paper stacked neatly in a bookshelf at the side, there was no doubt that this was some sort of explorer's room. Rainbow's intrigue perked at that, wondering if any of Taciturn's relatives really was an adventurer.
"Must have some sort of family tree or something," she mumbled, trotting towards the bookshelf. Every royal family should have a family tree of some sort, and she wasn't surprised if the Bleach family (for Celestia's sake, why Bleach?) had one somewhere.

"So..." Rainbow said suddenly, turning to Taciturn and letting out the one question nagging in her head:
"How's your dad like?"

There was a soft shuffle of wings, before came his soft, mellow reply:
"Nice."

That was disappointing, a part of her said. At least having 'a nice father' was a good enough hint that the fatherly bond wasn't horrible, but that only piqued her curiosity even more. If there wasn't a problem between father and son, then why was he sent away from the estate at such a young age? What more, does Doctor Martingale's resignation have a role in this mess?
"Well, he seems like a rich pony," she continued cautiously.
"I mean, look at the house around you! Everything here's worth like, what, a million bits each? You could play all the taxi fares in the world for that!"

Taciturn started smiling, the sight of it making her chuckle, her hoof ruffling his mane. She wasn't actually joking when she said that, however; the seventy bits this afternoon was really a pain in the neck.
Settling next to him, Rainbow soon grabbed the bowl of soup, raising up to him whilst she raised an eyebrow. She saw the colt staring quietly at it the entire time, and that, along with a small grumble from his stomach, was enough to tell her that he was starving. "Come on," she beckoned, raising a spoonful of mushroom soup towards his stubbornly-zipped mouth.
"Open wide. You can't stay hungry forever, you know."

And, with utmost hesitance, Taciturn did as he was told. Rainbow soon stuck the spoon into his mouth, serving him like a mother to a baby, except that the 'baby' was ten times larger and not really a foal anymore, before pulling it out with a loud *pop*. A sincere smile crept on her face at the innocence of her coltfriend; if only she had his outstanding memory to capture this scene.
"You know how to feed yourself, right?" she asked, to which he nodded slowly.
"Well, I'm gonna go explore the house a little. Don't wanna get lost the next time we walk around, huh?"

Rising from the bed, Rainbow left the colt to his soup, peering over her shoulder at the door only to catch him eyeing her leaving the room, to which he immediately glanced away, before she shook her head, trying her best not to laugh as she closed the door.
"Now, let's see..." she muttered to herself, pondering as she gave a quick glimpse on both sides of the corridor. Despite the place being old, they were bright as ever, thanks to the small chandeliers hanging overhead. The walls were layered with floral wallpapers, with one or two paintings (she wasn't sure if it was Taciturn's) and portraits hanging around. There were only a few doors present, no doubt entrances to the remainder of the guest bedrooms around.

She headed to the left, her hoof resounding a thud every step along the creaky floorboards, pausing only to take a peek at the map she had slid under her wings, which detailed the floorplan of the estate and its grounds. Fidus had handed it just in case she ever got lost around the mansion, and she knew it would come in handy sometime throughout her stay here.
There were a few rooms of interest that she had noted on the map, particularly the ballroom, the master bedroom (where she guessed that Taciturn's father had stayed) and the nursery. The latter seemed of more importance to the rest; it might tell her something of the bleached colt's five-year stay here as a child, and could probably answer why his father left him in the care of Doctor Martingale soon after.

Another one that caught her eye was the gallery and library/study, both rooms interconnected by a single door. Rainbow could picture Taciturn and his father spending most of their time together there, with the older pony settling his work and finances whilst watching over his son painting from afar.
Her pondering was soon cut off by the sight of an azure-colored pony at the other end of the corridor, standing among a few suitcases. The cyan mare smiled once she got closer to him, who gave one in return as he brushed back his doctor's coat, giving her a wave.
"Miss Dash! So nice of you to be here!"

"The same, Doctor Martingale," she replied, giving him a welcoming hug.
"Did Fidus invite you as well?"

"None than the butler himself, yes."
The doctor peered over her shoulder for a moment, wearing a baffled expression. Rainbow turned around, expecting somepony to be there, but all that met her was the emptiness of the corridor.
"Wasn't Taciturn supposed to be with you?" he asked.

"Oh, he's just busy finishing up his lunch," Rainbow replied.
"He's a little... you know, preoccupied, about his father's passing. I'm not entirely sure if he's okay being here. It's not really like Tassee to just... not smile at all, you know."

"Well, you can't blame him."
Doctor Martingale let out a small sigh, tucking his glasses into his suit.
"His father was the only thing he had left before you came along," he said somberly.
"There was never a more pony nicer to him in those days than his father. To be honest, I wasn't keen on taking care of him myself back then, and had always tried to avoid him or insisted on doing another job, if his father had assigned me to look after him for a moment. My situation with meeting Taciturn in the beginning and yours was basically the same; it was only when his father handed him to me after my resignation that I realized how astonishingly brilliant yet compassionate he is."

"But I don't really understand," Rainbow asked.
"If his father loved him so much, then why leave him into your care?"

"Back then, things were pretty hectic. His father was always swamped in his work, which reminds me: did you know that his father was a prodigy himself?"
The sentence made Rainbow's eyes widened in disbelief, the doctor chuckling as he continued:
"Yes, Valente Bleach was talented in the field of science, be it physics, biology or chemistry. Like his son, he was always keen to make new discoveries and experiment with all the tools in the world. It's a little amazing really; father and son, two geniuses sharing a familial bond. Then Taciturn had a few... problems, I would call it, and his father was forced to sent him to me, to which I soon nurtured him until you took over the reins."

The cyan pegasus started to smile sheepishly at that, earning a laugh from the other pony. She never forgot the first day of Hearth's Warming, where she helped out Fluttershy on sending a peculiar paintbrush to the peculiar pony, who then became her coltfriend.
"But," she began, snapping out of her thoughts.
"What kind of problems does Taciturn have? What would be so problematic about him that separated him from his father?"

"I have no idea, myself," the doctor admitted.
"Though sometimes," his face suddenly turned into a small grimace, "there are some things that are best left hidden behind these brick walls. Bringing back the past might not be the smartest thing that anypony can do, and for the sake of Taciturn, I hope you take these words to heart."

The suddenly sharp and serious tone forced out a small, uncertain nod from Rainbow, which was enough to coax Doctor Martingale's jubilant smile to return.
"Well, I'm glad we have that sorted out," he said with a chuckle.
"Toodle-loo for now. I have some luggage I need to sort out."

"R-right!" she stammered. "Of course!"
With a parting wave, the pegasus watched as the doctor stumbled clumsily down the hallway, eventually stopping to flimsily reach into his suit pocket for the key. Without further ado, she headed down the steps, her head running through the words that the doctor uttered.
There are some things that are best left hidden behind these brick walls... it doesn't sound like Taciturn had the best childhood that a foal could ever have. Whatever problems he had in the past might be plaguing him now, and the doctor knows something about it, but wants it to be kept secret, even from her. But why?

She wasn't a fan of Sherlock Hooves (Pinkie proved to be a better candidate) but it was beginning to look a little suspicious to her. There was something troubling Taciturn; something that Doctor Martingale and, most probably, Fidus the butler knew about, no doubt. It was possible that it had been lingering all along in all of Taciturn's twenty-two years of his life, and somehow, she couldn't help but mash her button of curiosity over it.
"Tassee..." she muttered his name, clenching her hooves. Such a reclusive yet caring pony doesn't deserve to be abandoned like that. No, there was definitely more to it than it seems, and she's going to dig out something, anything, that will help her learn more about it.

Anything.








A whimper.

That was what woke Rainbow Dash from her deep, relaxing sleep. A small whimper. Cruel.
She turned to her side, biting her lip as she saw Taciturn cringing up, his hooves hugging tightly on the sheets. Despite the slightly warm air of the night, he was shivering with cold sweat dripping from his forehead, his eyes visibly darting around in its sockets beneath his eyelids.
His wings, as well, were ruffling about, tossing its large, white feathers around the room like it was some sort of minuscule pillow fight. Her decision to sleep through it (and a horrible decision it was, she scolded herself) was soon met with displeasure from the colt, whose whimpers grew even louder with the inclusion of her name.
"D-Da... Dashie..."

Well, she sighed. At least Tassee's the one doing the whimpering.

"Hey, buddy?" she whispered quietly, his eyes opening slowly.
"What's wrong? Got a little nightmare?"

There was a hesitant nod, prompting her to continue:
"You can tell me all about it. I'm here for you, remember?"

Instead of answering (which she surmised he was trying to, though his trembling mouth stopped once it opened, the words whisked away from underneath his throat), he just shuffled closer to her, caressing her hoof. Rainbow just smiled, proceeding to wrap her other hoof around his body, reaching up to his face and fondling his cheeks.
Her surprise was met when she felt it being damp; Taciturn was crying! Was his nightmare that horrible to the point of him breaking down? Then again, he was a vulnerable pony, after all, but still - Rainbow wanted to smack herself - he was crying!

"Don't cry, Tassee..." she consoled, hugging him tighter and wiping away the fresh tears rolling down his cheeks.
"You know I can't really bear to see you like this."

Taciturn just curled up tighter; any more and he would become a makeshift soccer ball. With a sigh, the cyan mare rested her head onto his hoof, watching serenely as he slowly drifted himself back into the realm of sleep, his trembling body calming down gradually.
"Nothing's coming for you, Tassee," Rainbow gave him a few words of comfort.
"Not when I'm around, 'kay bud?"

Breathing in deeply, Rainbow soon shifted slightly closer to him, quietly humming a small lullaby into his ears; a lantern guiding his lost ship back from troubled waters. The blanched colt soon let out a peaceful smile, and it wasn't long before his marefriend soon yawned herself.
"G'night, Tassee," she whispered.

"It's gonna be a big day tomorrow..."
> The Day Before: Celery Sticks & Innocent Tricks
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Breakfast... is served!"

With a ring of a bell, the pair of doors at the other end of the dining room flipped open, all eyes turning to see two separate rows of ponies, wearing the finest tuxedos with lidded trays of food on their hooves leveled up to their buttoned collars, march down the aisle of seats, aligning themselves behind the chair of each guest.
Rainbow licked her lips as they settled each tray onto the table, removing the domed lids to reveal their requested delicacy that awaits them from beneath. Hers was a salad of diced onions, finely shredded carrots and chunks of potatoes in a vessel of lettuce and purple cabbages, garnished with grated cheese and complete with a small dip of mayonnaise in the center. It wasn't what she would call exquisite; the fancy restaurant back in Ponyville had more elegant foodstuff, but it looked delicious as well as colorful.

Turning to the right, she smiled at Taciturn's watering mouth, his sights set upon his own breakfast; none other than a stack of pancakes, the maple syrup drooling down the tower. Unlike her creation, however, there was a melting block of butter on the top. That's right, she thought to herself upon seeing it. That was what it was missing!
"Is it delicious?" she asked, to which he quickly answered with a cheerful nod. Rainbow personally requested the waiters to serve him those; it is, after all, one of his favorite delicacies, and she couldn't be more happier to have made that choice, seeing how he was enjoying it so much.

Stabbing into her salad with her fork, she glanced at the other guests seated around the table, helping themselves to whatever assorted snacks that they ordered. Besides Fidus and Doctor Martingale, who were both chatting quietly with each other amid their feast, she couldn't recognize anypony else on the table.
They were all dressed flamboyantly, their mannerisms matching those of the ponies in Canterlot. The doctor did mention that they were all friends of Taciturn's father, and were nicer than they look; a sad realization that the only living relative left was none other than Tassee himself, which was a little depressing for her, knowing how he would react to these kinds of situations. Oh well - she tucked her hooves - she hope for the best.

The sweet crunch of the salad soon filled her mouth and, despite how delicious it was, Rainbow chopped a small piece of lettuce for the still-hungry Taciturn, who accepted it eagerly. She couldn't help but giggle as he munched on it enthusiastically, wearing a coleslaw-filled grin that nearly escalated her laughter.
"Well, it seems you two are having fun," Doctor Martingale remarked teasingly, the other guests giving them warm smiles, to which she responded with her sheepish own.

It wasn't long before everypony finished their respective meals, one by one rising slowly from their seats. Of course, Rainbow and Taciturn finished last, having spent most of the time feeding each other, much to the amusement of everypony else. Wiping his mouth with a napkin, the cyan mare soon trotted out of the room, with the blanched colt following closely behind and leaving the clutter of dishes to the various maids around.
"Well, where shall we go first?" she asked. It was now his house, after all.
"There's so many rooms to explore..."

She stopped only when she noticed Taciturn was not following her, his interests set upon one of the many paintings hanging around the walls of the corridors. Once she got closer, however... she thought he was looking at a mirror!
Underneath an efflorescent bronze frame, staring down at both ponies, was a stallion. Like Taciturn, he was white with his mane black, combed smartly to the side. The noticeable differences were that he had a mustache, curled stylishly at the tip of his snout, a small pair of glasses perched like an eagle, and in place of wings, he had a horn instead. At the bottom of the picture was a golden, oval plaque, with the magniloquent words carved into its polished surface reading out:


Sir Valente Accidia Bleach III


"Daddy..." Taciturn muttered, gazing up soberly at the portrait. Rainbow suppressed her gasp, watching quietly with a forceful bite of her lips as the colt raised his hoof, placing it gently onto the cracking varnish of the painting, his eyes glistening with tears.
To see his dad's face for the first time in seventeen years... it was a little breathtaking for the colt, even if it was only from some sort of painting. Rainbow placed a hoof around his shoulder, smiling consolingly at the sight of his despondent expression.

"He really looks like you..."

There wasn't a direct answer, though she knew in her heart that Tassee completely agreed with her. Of course - she assumed from the portrait - his father had more confidence and pride in his work than Taciturn would ever have, seeing how dignified his smile was. Yet, Taciturn was a chip off the old block: both were prodigies, both were geniuses in their own talent and both were admirable. Like father, like son... there wasn't a truer proverb to describe the two ponies.
"Well, one day you'll be like him," she assured, ruffling his mane and making him harrumph, much to her amusement.
"You're gonna go far, buddy, and I'll help you get there."

Taciturn just turned to her, wearing a 'did-you-really-mean-it' kind of expression or, at least, she assumed it to be.
"Dashie?" he questioned with the pure innocence that only a child could give, tilting his head to the side. Rainbow chuckled, her one hoof hugging him tightly around his waist as both pairs of eyes glanced up at the portrait once again.

"Yeah. I mean it."








"Highlanders are move forward. Browning has the ball, then Williams, then he passes to Austin..."

The living room wasn't a place to huddle around a blaring radio and listen to the live news of the Cloudsdale Aerobowl, all the while handing out wads of bits that could've payed for the whole house. Then again, Rainbow wasn't some upper-classed aristocrat who would placed their bets on a harmless sport such as this. Must be a Canterlot thing, she surmised.
She was in, well, the living room, reading a few books that she had took from the bedroom after tucking Taciturn in for an afternoon nap. As she had expected, they were adventure novels, similar to Daring Do, and she would've enjoyed it if not for the cheering ponies at the side, too absorbed in their gambling to notice her disgruntled expression.

Her brows narrowed down at the group, slightly shaking her head at the sight. It was expected for these high society ponies to gamble over sports, but she find it a little disrespectful: one of their friends had just passed away, and they, what, slam their money on his antique tables and holler about his house like it was some sort of celebration? She wouldn't dare do that in any of her friend's house, even if it was something as exciting as the annual Cloudsdale Aerobowl: the one and only pegasi rugby championship in all of Equestria!
It wasn't long before she rose from her seat and left, grumbling loudly only when she was five doors away. They said that walls have ears and, despite not taking it literally like Twilight had once said, Rainbow still scanned the cracks of the aging walls for any secret recorders and such, knowing how desperately sneaky these ponies were. She had met a fair share of them back in Ponyville, and they were anything but friendly.

"Stupid, irritating..." she scorned once she was convinced there was none, though still not as loud as her grumble. Sometimes, she wondered if the ponies even bothered about giving respects to Taciturn's father. Maybe they were here just to get a portion of his will and such. You'll never know, she told herself, these ponies and their blasted greed.
Her thoughts screeched to a halt once she took a glimpse of the map again. If it were right (and she knew it was), the nursery: one of the 'places of interest' in the mansion, would be the next door on the left.

Sure enough, it was the nursery, alright, made evident by the name tag on the door with the exact words printed into it unless somepony here had some morbid fascination to carve it there and toy with her head and her sense of direction around the mansion; for Celestia's sake, her and her confounded paranoia.
Opening the door silently, Rainbow stepped in, glancing around the room. It was sufficiently small, yet she knew it would be a whole empire for any foal crawling about here. Beside the window, underneath a chandelier of planets and stars, was a wooden cradle, painted white complete with the bladed fittings of a rocking chair. Standing against the wall was a cabinet, no doubt filled with whatever toys that could sate the cravings of a child. There was also a small couch, probably for the parents to watch over the children as they read from a stack of magazines and newspapers at the side.

Her attention, however, was soon lulled by the sight of a wall filled with dozens of paper held against its floral wallpaper by strips of tape. Creeping closer, Rainbow held her breath when she realized what they were: paintings, though the more she examined it, the more uncomfortable she became.
All of them, though detailed, were crude; there was one where the body of a pony was scrawled with black and red; another had a small rope dragging him around. The more she looked, however, the more raunchy the paintings became. There was one where it seemed like a mere, black scribble, though she could clearly make it out the silhouette of a pony underneath all that mess. Another was drawn so vividly, with ropes and chains, she couldn't imagine how horrendous it would be if she saw it in real life.

Every line of crayon (she deduced it from its rough texture) was powerful with hatred and disgust, searing across the paper like a cleaver. It's almost as if the painter forced himself to draw them, and judging from how precise they all were, she knew of only one possible pony that could've done that.
"Tassee..." Rainbow muttered one plausible name out loud, her eyes widening in disbelief. These were Taciturn's drawings? But why? Why on Equestria would he draw something this... this macabre?

Her eyes caught sight on a small bulge behind one of the paintings. It showed a door with tendrils sprouting out of the keyhole, which became even more disturbing when she reached behind it and pulled out a key. It was as if Taciturn, or somepony else, wanted her to find it through this... metaphorical painting.
The key was narrow, its spine resembling, literally, a ridged spine, forcibly twisted into an 'S' shape. Its handle was adorned as a miniature pony's skull, with the other end looking like a few skeletal hooves protruding from its body. The pegasus gulped at its design, unable to fathom whatever kind of lock it could open in this house, or the insanity of the locksmith that created this.

"D-Dashie...?"

Rainbow nearly yelped in surprise at the squeak of the familiar voice, quickly slipping the key underneath her wings and turning around instantly to see Taciturn standing at the door, blinking and staring curiously at her. Beside him was Fidus, who, surprisingly still wore a smile at the sight of catching her in the act.
"There she is, my boy," he muttered to the other colt, patting him on the shoulder.

Taciturn suddenly lunged towards her, catching her in a yelp of surprise as he gave her a tight hug, squealing with delight. She started blushing when he squeaked his name over and over, the sight amusing the butler greatly as he watched from afar, trying his best to hide his soft bout of laughter.
"He thought you left him here and ran away," Fidus said, much to her shock.
"He searched through the hallways to find you. I offered to help after seeing him wandering about. He was worried sick about you!"

"Oh, Tassee, you silly pony," she cooed, nuzzling his snout. "You know I will never leave you here!"
She turned to the butler, giving him an appreciative smile. If it weren't for him, Taciturn would be worried sick of her, and she knew of the shenanigans that he might get himself to when he's worried: the last time she left him when he was asleep to have a reading session with Twilight... let's just say Applejack did not have the best harvest of apples on that day, and Pinkie Pie worked extra hard to make a few consolatory pies for a certain, concerned somepony.
"Thanks, Fidus. For helping him."

"Anything for Taciturn, Miss Dash," he said with a grin, shuffling aside to allow the couple to leave the room, their hooves entwined together.
"However," he whispered into Rainbow's ear as she passed by him, stopping her in her tracks.
"I hope you concur that there are some rooms in this house prohibited to strangers, and for a very good reason. If you fear for Taciturn's and your safety, I recommend that you'll halt whatever your curiosity has gotten yourself into, understood?"

Rainbow never even bothered to give a lackluster nod, instead trying her very best to retain her smile as she and Taciturn marched down the hallway and back up the steps. She couldn't help but feel the butler's disturbing stare piercing through her heart at their departure, relief overwhelming her only when she turned around a corner, out of sight from the aged stallion.
That was the second pony that warned her of her actions and, seeing how closely acquainted they were, there was no doubt that both doctor and butler were trying to hide something from her. His words differed in tone from Doctor Martingale's, however; was he threatening her? Whether he did or not, his morosely tone and choice of words (fear for Tassee and her own safety? Really?) served as a warning, and she didn't like the sound of it.

Not one bit.








"Hearts and Hooves Ball?"

Taciturn nodded happily, having handed her a pamphlet that the butler had issued to every guest when Rainbow Dash went out to get some dinner for both of them in Fillydelphia. The said mare was now scanning through every ornate word written on it.
Rainbow couldn't hold back her surprise at the sight of it, of course. A ball just a few days after the funeral? It doesn't seem appropriate for ponies (or, at least, her and Taciturn) to be in the mood after such a depressing event. Then again, the funeral being set on Hearts and Hooves Day, which was tomorrow, was inappropriate as well.

"Each pony is requested to bring their respective spouses," she stopped with a glance at the blanched colt, "to the ball next Sunday, in honor of Sir Valente Bleach. They are also required to have a suitable attire for the occasion, which can be purchasable in the nearby town of Fillydelphia."
Folding the pamphlet, Rainbow turned to the other pony, unsure of what to say. They had three days to prepare for another ball, and she wasn't really sure of what to do; usually Rarity would be the kind of pony that understand how it works, and especially what attire to choose.
"Well... whadaya say, buddy? Wanna give it a go?"

Of course, Taciturn gave a cheerful nod, which made her sigh.
She wasn't sure how he would react to this if he were actually present at the ball itself. Would he scream from all the strangers that might be attending? Not only the rest of the guests were invited, but the ponies of Fillydelphia itself, which sometimes made her question how big the ballroom is.
Then, there was the dancing. She knew how to bust a few moves (as her number-one fan would call it) but she wasn't sure if Taciturn could do the same in return. Was he a good dancer, she asked herself. She surprised him with his ability to learn in the time they spent together, though she knew dancing wouldn't be an easy feat for him to learn.

"Four hours..." she muttered the small details. "Venue, the White Ballroom. Food and drinks are provided free of charge to all attendees..."
That takes care of dinner for that night, she told herself, though the thought of her wearing a dress again started to bother her. She swore to Princess Celestia's vase collection that she wouldn't be caught dead wearing a dress; she had said it a multiple times already, and to be forced to do so again... fate really knows the best ways to annoy her.

The sound of ruffling paper bags caught her attention, her eyes turning just in time to see Taciturn unpacking his dinner: five raspberry muffins and a chocolate milkshake. Rainbow giggled once he licked his lips tentatively at the sight, already starting to chow down on the first of the baked treats.
"Relax, Tassee," she spoke, her hoof shielding from the crumbs flying out from his mouth.
"You don't wanna mess up the room."

The cuteness of his questioning expression that came after, thanks to his bulging cheeks from the muffins within his mouth, nearly made her heart stop. With a chuckle, she patted his head once the colt resumed his chewing, albeit taking his marefriend's advice this time.
"You're so naive sometimes," she muttered, resting her head on his back. If only she were to understand whatever his bizarre past was like and help him out from there. Maybe there might be some sort of explanation for his twisted paintings back in the nursery; the one that probably Fidus and Doctor Martingale might not want her to see. The morbid key she had hidden in the folds of her wings might prove to be an answer for that, and would probably shed light on what they were trying to hide so badly from her.

At least, she hoped it would.

The sound of him crunching into a stick of celery perked her attention back, her eyes widening when she saw Taciturn digging through the paper bag once more, the celery sticking out from his mouth like a cigarette.
"Hey!" she called, pulling him back frantically. Taciturn just gave her a wry smirk, eagerly chomping on the vegetable; her dinner, down voraciously. Rainbow sighed, her hoof meeting her forehead at the sight of his dainty, innocent expression again, shaking her head when he purred gleefully.
"I take it back," she replied, shaking her head.
"You're not naive as you seem to be."

Taciturn, however, still reached into the bag, picking out another stick of celery. He prodded it against Rainbow's hoof, the mare looking in surprise at his actions.
"What?" she asked, to which he suddenly pointed it at his mouth.
"You... want me to... oh no. No, no, no, no-!"

"Dashie~!" he whined suddenly, pouting.

"No, you're not gonna feed me. I can feed myself, thank you very much."

The colt just mewled, his lips pursed and his head slumping down onto the bed at the sight of Rainbow turning away in a huff, her hooves crossed indignantly. However, she suddenly sighed in defeat, perking her coltfriend's attention back to her as she stammered, her cheeks turning slightly pink:
"Al-alright. But j-just this once, Tassee!"

With a squeak of delight, Taciturn quickly sat up on the bed, his hoof guiding the stick of celery like an airborne train down the tracks to the impatient mare's waiting mouth. She cursed herself for blushing, which grew even more frantic as she munched on the stick, her face by then already redder than the raspberry muffins she had bought for him.
"There!" the cyan mare declared gruffly whilst munching on the celery, her hooves still crossed like a stubborn filly.
"Happy?"

With a giggle, Taciturn quickly gave a few rapid nods. The sight of his smile soon piqued Rainbow's lips to curl up as well, before she herself started to laugh at her own predicament, shaking her head with a sigh as she ruffled the blanched colt's mane, to which he cringed meekly at it.
"Tassee, Tassee, you silly little colt," she said breathlessly, gazing into his cheery, black eyes before bringing him in another tight, choking hug with her hoof around his neck, correcting her words with a smug grin:

"My silly little colt..."
> Hearts & Hooves Day: Such A Perfect Mistake
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"...and we commit his body to the ground. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust..."

Rainbow Dash hung her head low at the words of the priest, the dew-covered blades of grass beneath her hooves swaying gently in the spring breeze. The back of her chromatic mane was tied into a bun, and the remainder draped underneath a black veil of lace. Her eyes were frozen at the granite coffin being heaved into a crypt, the prayers the priest was giving starting to drone her head as her concern turned to that of Taciturn Bleach.
The bleached colt was right beside her, wearing a black suit that the butler had prepared for him with one hoof clinging tightly onto her own. There wasn't a single trace of emotion of his face and, despite it being typical most of the time, the mare found it a little unnerving.

"You okay, Tassee?" she asked, to which there wasn't a response.
It was expected of him, of course; she couldn't imagine how she would console herself if her father passed away without notice. Twilight and Fluttershy both did ask her in their letter to give Taciturn some time when she wrote back to Ponyville two days ago, having notified her friends of the recurring events.
She also wrote back to ask her scholarly friend about the key the day before, and she would've lied if she wasn't eager to know what her answer would be. Heck, she even did a rough sketch of the key on the letter; she had actually planned for Taciturn to help her with that, though the last thing she wanted is for the colt to be involved in her mess.

With lanterns in their hooves, the crowd slowly marched downward into the crypt, following the four ponies carefully heaving the coffin down. The musty air that tingled her nose nearly made her sneeze, the flickering candle in Rainbow's lantern revealing to her the mossy, damp stone steps leading downwards into the dark. Echoes of dripping water chimed a rhythm in the air and, with her hooves trailing across the stone walls, the cyan mare held her breath as they reached an opening.
Emerging from the tunnel, her eyes widened at the sight of the dome-shaped antechamber she was standing in. All around her were grilled doors, with matching granite coffins lying silently behind them, their lids adorned with wreaths and flowers.

Sure enough, its newest addition had also had its home prepared: a newly painted grill was wide open, allowing the four ponies to lift the heavy coffin inside, carefully and slowly placing it on the ground with a loud thud. Upon closer inspection, Rainbow discovered that each door held a slab containing each of its deceased inhabitants' names.
Fidus soon stepped from the crowd, slamming the grill shut with a grim frown. Reaching behind, he pulled out from his suit a ring of keys, all rusted and faded with age, before slotting one into the keyhole, the tumblers shifting with a click. From behind, he was soon handed a stone slab, carved with none other than the name of Taciturn's father on it, inserting it into a slot on the iron grill arranged just for it.

"We had lost a great pony today," he spoke with refined dignity, turning to the crowd.
"He has brought us mystery and wonder in his achievements in his development of science, and has been the pioneer of science in the previous generations. He had left us much to admire about him, and the knowledge he bestowed in life had been glorified beyond our common minds. May he be successful in the next life as he was in this. and may his name be remembered by all those who had been with him in all those years."
With that, Fidus raised his lantern up, his voice echoing throughout the chamber:
"à l'Éternel."

"à l'Éternel," the crowd, including Rainbow (despite not knowing what it meant), said in unison.
Rainbow glanced at all the doors around, unsure if the key she discovered was supposed to unlock any of them. It seemed perfect, however: a key resembling a skeleton to fit into a lock in a crypt, though she knew better than to test it out in the presence of dozens of ponies.
She had tried it around a few locks back in the mansion. There were undeniably quite a number, such as a decorated box standing in the pantry, a desk drawer in her bedroom and a cupboard standing in the living room, to name a few. There were also a few doors she tried it on as well, particularly the ones leading into the library and the master bedroom, to which she suspected the butler had locked it up after his master's passing. Of course, she made sure there was no one watching; she didn't want ponies to see her as a sneaky little snooper.

"R-Rainbow?" Taciturn's voice slipped itself into her thoughts. It's been quite a while since she had been called by her first name from the colt, seeing how he preferred Pinkie's version of her last name even more.
From the way he insistently tugged at his hooves and the faint glimmer of his pleading eyes, everypony would knew from him that he was slightly afraid of the chamber they were in. Rainbow would too, seeing how creepy the atmosphere was.

"Doctor Martingale," she whispered to the doctor, who was standing in front of them.
"Tassee's a little... you know, worked up about being down here, and I thought... well..."

"Say no more," came his response, almost as if he had read her mind. With a sincere smile, the doctor patted her on the shoulder, guiding them back to the stairway where they came from.
"It's normal for Taciturn to be uncomfortable around here. Be careful at the steps, however."

"I will," she replied, leading the colt back up into the open.
The cold, wistful air of morning swept across both their hooves, earning a sigh of satisfaction from Rainbow. Breathing in deeply, her lips started to curl into a smile, though it soon faded when she turned to Taciturn.
He was still slightly terrified, shivering from head to toe, though there was something else fluttering in between his eyes; something that Rainbow would never expect, shunning her in a dreadful silence.

Rage.

He was angry... angry about what? She had never seen Taciturn being angry before; she never dared to, and Twilight did mention he can be very sensitive as well as emotional sometimes, which only added to her trepidation. The spring breeze died down suddenly once he gritted his teeth with a harrumph, the grip on her hooves tightening and leaving her to swallow a lump as she called his name in a stammer:
"T-Tassee?"

His frown soon softened suddenly, as well as his fear, all signs of it washed away from his pupils and replaced with a flash flood of innocence. Meekly turning to the mare, a small smile erupted from his lips, which only relieved yet baffled her when he squeaked out his name:
"Dashie!"

"You okay, buddy?" she asked hesitantly, to which his response was an eager nod.
"Well, if something's bothering you," and Rainbow suspected it as such, "just lemme know, okay? Remember I'm here for you, that's all."

Of course, he gave a quick nod, prompting her to trot back to the mansion, with the colt happily glancing around at all the sights (mainly dead trees, pebbles and a field of tombstones) that he could see.
Rainbow's thoughts, however, were flung back to his small bout of anger. It wasn't like himself for the usually calm and collected painter to suddenly erupt into a rage, and she don't think it was because of his emotional turmoil. Was it all because of a small visit at the family crypt, or was there something in there that flared his temper?
Something doesn't seem right, she surmised, and the more she think of it, the more she felt her gut cringe at the one small question raised when she saw those disturbing paintings back in the nursery yesterday:

Was she going to like what she will find?








"You'll be alright, Tassee?"

The bleached colt gave a nod, lifting his paintbrush; the very same one that Rainbow gave the first time they met, from the canvas to do so. She had encouraged him to paint to pass the time while she looked around the mansion for some things to do (like sneaking around), seeing it was obviously his favorite pastime, and how he never had the chance to do so yet when they first arrived here; she noticed him secretly craving for some time to kick back his hooves and use his paintbrush, and it seems destiny had rewarded him with just that.
Returning his smile, the mare rose up from the bed, giving his head a light pat before she left the room. The sounds of muffled, quirky humming soon filled the bedroom, making her giggle before she trotted down the hallway.

Now. Onto the serious stuff.

Slipping the key from underneath her wings, Rainbow slowly turned it around her hooves, her eyes narrowing at its bizarre appearance. Of all the keys she was to be stuck with, it had to be something immensely out of this world.
"What do you open?" she asked it as if it would give a clear answer back to her. With a defeated sigh and a shrug, she slotted it back into the folds of her wings, almost looking like some sort of tribal piercing hanging in the midst of her sky-blue feathers. Thank Celestia Rarity isn't here to see this.

With only frustration as her temporary companion, the cyan mare marched down the corridors, glancing around at wherever her trusty instincts had guided her. She had contemplated yesterday night on the places she was going to explore, and there really wasn't any options left other than, well, the nursery.
Rainbow knew she hadn't quite explored every corner of it yet; the slight interruption of Taciturn and Fidus was untimely. Maybe somepony might've hidden something that could tell her whatever this stupid key could unlock. She saw it happen a few times in the Daring Do books: something about 'the answer is hidden with the question' or some sort of riddle like that.

Retracing her steps, it wasn't long before she met the door again, her hoof hesitantly and slowly turning the knob, which, much to her surprise, wasn't locked. She thought it would be when Fidus caught her sneaking in the room, though it seems some ponies never learn, do they?
"Now, where to begin..." she muttered quietly, shutting the door behind her. The last thing she wanted to was get caught before she even found something, especially it it was by either doctor or butler.

The wall of scrawled paintings were still there, which completely mystified her: shouldn't the maids take it down already? It doesn't seem like they were doing a good-enough job to leave all these crude images here. Perhaps they were restricted from coming in as well? The cupboards and chairs are noticeably much dustier than the rest of the rooms, as if this place had not been entered by in years, decades even!
Stepping towards the cradle: the only object that differs this room as the nursery from the others, Rainbow stopped once a familiar scent wafted through the air. It was flowery yet pungent, though in between that amalgam of scents she could detect the smell of... lemons?

Flipping the sheets aside, Rainbow was met with a sheet of mottled, crinkled paper, yellowed due to age. She picked it up carefully, the other hoof covering her snout as the stench overwhelmed the room, making her wonder if some sick somepony was playing a disgusting trick on her by cutting this out from a used portion of toilet paper.
Lemons... she pondered on that one smell. Placing it on the windowsill, under the bright glare of the afternoon sun, Rainbow sat back at one of the few chairs in the room, her head desperately yearning for a kick to fix its gears.

"You know this, RD," she mumbled to herself with two hooves rubbing on her temple, irritated.
"Lemons, lemons... come on!"

Excluding the swarm of Pinkie's jokes involving lemons in her head, she finally ended up with nothing, much to her disappointment. With a grumble, Rainbow was about to crumple it up with the intention to save it as a weapon for some unlucky pony's face, though she stopped once she laid her eyes onto it, her mouth steadily falling.
There were words! Words on the burnished piece of paper! But they weren't there a moment ago; it was only after she placed it at the windowsill...

Of course, she groaned at herself. Why didn't she think of that before?
Lemon juice is used as a form of invisible ink, and can be only revealed under some circumstances, such as exposure to the radiating heat of the afternoon sun! She had read it in one of the past Daring Do books that Twilight sent to her; oh, if only she had the chance to thank her bookish friend now...

Without hesitance (and at a safe distance, of course), she begin to read the note:




and for the acceptance of her into the Fillydelphia society. I don't think anypony here are ready to accept her back, even if we did shun her out for years.

If you would understand, my lord, I'm afraid she isn't in her right mind as of late. The incidents of the preceding night have scarred her mind terribly. She needs somepony who has the capability to know what she has been through, lest you want her to speak at all.
Something happened last night that changed her. Something horribly devastating. I do wish you come by quickly to have a word with her. There's no other doctor who could figure out the cause of her change.

You are the only one here we, and I would say the town itself, can turn to and trust now, Sir Valente. I hope you would understand.

With regards,
Commissioner Paramount
Head of Council, County of Fillydelphia




"Interesting..." Rainbow mused. "Very interesting..."
There was no doubt that this was sent to Taciturn's father. It sounded frantic, whatever this commissioner was requesting, almost as if begging, him to do. Behind that, there was also a sense of apology, but what did he do wrong that he needed to apologize to Valente for? What was so important that made the head of the town council so... scared?
Whatever his concerns where, they were about a mare, judging from the 'she's and 'her's dotted around the incomplete letter. From what the commissioner said about her, she seemed to have suffered through a lot, but how could this relate to Tassee's childhood? There doesn't seem to be a connection between this and the pale colt's problem, at least no visibly obvious ones.

With a sigh, she carefully slipped out of the nursery and back into the hallway, gripping the letter tight in her hooves and making sure nopony spotted her. There was something sinister about this letter that she couldn't get her mind off of. Was it a mere coincidence that both key and letter were in the same room? Or did somepony leave it there just for her to find?
At least there was some sort of hint: another name. Twilight mentioned before that the library sometimes acted as an archive storage for the town, and she wouldn't be surprised if this 'Commissioner Paramount' would turn up somewhere within. That, along with Taciturn's father being present, might narrow the search down a little.
"Tomorrow..." she muttered, clenching her hooves with determination.

"For Tassee..."







"Wow..."

Amazement swiped her breath away once more as Rainbow's eyes landed on the newest artworks of Taciturn Bleach. Three paintings he had finished upon waiting for the mare to return home from Fillydelphia with, unbeknownst to him, her Hearts and Hooves gift to him, and all three proved once again why the bleached colt was heralded as such a talented artist.
The first was a small ship in a bottle, except the bottle seemed like a surreal, miniature world of its own, seeing how there's the presence of rain, lightning and stormy waves thrashing the freight around and tearing at it sails. Squinting her eyes, she could spot a few ponies manning the ship, their faces, despite miniature, all wore grim faces.

The second painting was that of a lamppost standing in the dark, its lamp glowing an eerie blue. It was one of Taciturn's more complicated works, seeing how he only painted all of it out in the form of vertical lines shooting down like bullets from the top of the canvas.
The third, and no doubt the largest however, was what she admired him for, and the only one that, much to her embarrassment, brought a few tears of joy to her eyes. It was the both of them, laughing at each other with her hoof wrapped around his neck and on his shoulder, their smiles reaching up to their cheeks.

Rainbow held back her gasp, her hoof covering her open mouth when she read the message scrawled in black paint at the bottom of the painting. It said, much to her amusement:


HAPPY HEARTS AND HOOVS DAY, DASHIE!!


"Th-this is...... I don't know what to s-say...!"
Without hesitation, Rainbow reeled him into a tight hug, squealing like a filly that turned into a giggle. She wiped her tears off her reddening cheeks, unable to express her blooming flower of happiness erupting from her heart.
"Just one thing..." she began with a cough, hiding her laughter as she deepened her voice, mimicking some posh critic.
"You spelled 'hooves' wrongly, if I must say. Missed out a letter."

Taciturn's eyes widened immediately, his expression turned into one of panic as he scrambled about for his paintbrush, silently whimpering/cursing at himself. His marefriend just chuckled, holding him back before he could lash out his paintbrush again at the not-so-flawed painting; she don't want him to ruin such a perfect mistake.
"It's still awesome, Tassee," she assured, giving him another comforting hug before he could protest.
"And... it's the best Hearts and Hooves gift that any mare could ask from a colt... a-and... I'm really happy..."

The response made the blanched colt's frantic expression turn into one of a relieved smile, squeaking with delight. Both of them chuckled, ending when Rainbow leaned her head against his shoulder.
"So..." she began with a smirk.
"You wanna see what's your Hearts and Hooves gift?"

At Taciturn's eager nod, she soon pulled from behind a small, heart-shaped box, complete with a pink ribbon so frizzy, it would be the envy of Pinkie Pie's mane. Hurriedly, she lifted its lid, revealing the delights that had nestled within its black bowels: shell-shaped chocolates.
Rainbow chuckled once she saw him lick his lips tentatively; being a big, enthusiastic fan of chocolate, it was expected from him. The colt soon picked up one (she could've sworn she saw his eyes glitter as he did so) and tossed it into his mouth, smiling happily as he chewed the mouth-watering treat within his bulging cheeks.

"Like it, Tassee?" she asked, to which she earned a big nod.
She soon popped one of those treats into her mouth herself, the sensation of it melting inside sparking up his heart. With a sigh, she turned to Taciturn, her hooves clenching tighter onto the sheets as one single thought overwhelming her head, her wall of resistance crumbling with cheeks turning redder and heart beating faster.
In a split second, she brought him closer, much to his surprise, their lips meeting immediately with a fizz. No sooner than  she did that did Taciturn closed his eyes, appreciating her affection as the two of them fell onto the bed, still resuming their kiss. Silence filled the air, with only the two on the bed, happily sharing the small moment of their first Hearts and Hooves Day in the best way they could:

Together.

"Tassee..." she gasped out his name once they broke it, seeing him smile tenderly beside him. She edged forward to him, nuzzling his snout, to which he let out a meek squeal.
The day wasn't the best day, no doubt, with the funeral and all, but they both made up for that with their own gifts and their spirit of love. Rainbow gave him a warm, tight embrace; in return, Taciturn unfolded his large wings, tucking her in between his feathers, filling her in the sensation of warmth.

"Dashie..." he whispered suddenly, to which none other than Rainbow Dash herself would know what it means. With a chuckle, her hoof twirling about his mane, she gave him a sweet, tender reply:

"I love you too."

	
> The Day After: Woes Long Past
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"I don't really get it..."

Fillydelphia. The easternmost district standing tall beyond the grove of mountains with little care for the world that sits beyond it, turning their heads only when the presence of an alicorn, be it by form of voice letter, floods through its slate roads. Despite the slight modernity of a trio of skyscrapers standing like swords jutting into stone, the town was filled with antiquity as well, as Rainbow had noticed from the brick apartments and stone statues around.
She had to admit that it was slightly more industrial (not to mention busier) than Ponyville. There were ponies everywhere, split into two visible groups: those who preferred the exercise of walking, and those who desired the comfort of a carriage. Whatever their choices were, she still preferred the swiftness of flying; it was in her blood, after all.

The mare herself was standing hoof-in-hoof with Taciturn in the middle of the town square, staring at the large map nailed among a clutter of posters and old-fashioned advertisements on the bulletin board. Unluckily for her, the town had some sickening fascination with symbols; there wasn't a single annotation on the map that she could understand, as if all the ponies here were taught of this symbols in kindergarten and had expected tourists to learn the same. 
Taciturn was standing beside her, licking on a popsicle courtesy of one of the vendors. The news of his exceptional talent had even reached the ears of these ponies, though they didn't immediately swamp them with autographs. Yet.

"You know what this means, buddy?" she asked, seeing how visually powerful he was compared to her.
The colt just crept closer to her, squinting at the scrawled designs of the map and harrumphing with resentment; a perceptible note of him criticizing the mapmaker's clumsy efforts. Of course, that was only one mere pebble for him to hop over.

"Capel Lane."

"Alright..." Rainbow noted it in her head. That was were they are right now.
"So where's the library?"

A small moment of silence, before Taciturn answered:
"Two Track Avenue."

"Thanks, Tassee," she replied with a grin, giving him a well-earned, obligatory hug. She couldn't help but find it cute when he says something else other than the usual 'Rainbow' and 'Dashie' that he would say these days as a response. Then again, she would never get sick of him hearing her name in his smooth yet high-pitched voice.
Her thoughts soon turned to that of her plans, particularly of her decision to visit the library. Her discovery of a connection between Taciturn's father and this 'Commissioner Paramount' was a little thought provoking, and seeing how this new stranger was once in the Council, there was no doubt that they had to have his name in the archives somewhere. However, there was only one small problem.

Taciturn Bleach.

Rainbow promised herself that the last thing she needs is the colt getting involved in her discovery of his bizarre and, no doubt, painful past. She had doubts about just leaving him for a while; it's practically impossible for the colt to leave her side without his worries overwhelming him immediately, not to mention the unwanted attention of him screaming her name from the other side of the street.
"What am I going to do with you...?" she muttered, out of earshot from Taciturn. She didn't want to ditch him; she was his marefriend, after all! Fate really played its strings well, much to her disgust.

"Rainbow! Rainbow Dash!"

The screech of a voice whirled her attention to the side, turning to see a mare running up to her in ecstatic joy, her white, spiky mane tossed around in a whirlwind and her rose eyes sparkling cheerfully. Rainbow's expression grew into one of disbelief when she realized who it was, giving a jubilant wave at the other pony.
"Chaser!" she squeaked her nickname aloud, hugging her tight.

Cloudchaser was her full name, recognizable in an instant by her trademark hedgehog-like mane. Rainbow officially met her during their time in the Wonderbolt Academy, and she would usually help the lilac mare in some of the harder exercises. They would usually hang out in the clouds, and sometimes even Taciturn would be brought along to watch their flight tests.
"What brings you to Fillydelphia, Chase?" she asked. She never expected to meet anypony from Ponyville here, and so did Tassee; he was almost standing on the edge of his hooves!

"Oh, the usual. Family matters and whatnot. Wouldn't say the same for you two lovebirds, however."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rainbow griped with red cheeks, her shoulder nudged teasingly by the other mare.
"You know Tassee and I are here on serious business other than... whatever you meant!"

"Heard about it. Flitter told me yesterday in her letter."
With an endearing sigh, Cloudchaser gently patted Taciturn on his shoulder, trying her best to hold her smile. Rainbow could see the colt's mouth droop a little, tightening her grip on his hooves.
"I'm sorry about... well..." she began to stutter.

"He's slightly sensitive about it," the cyan mare piped in suddenly. She doesn't want Taciturn to get riled up about his father's passing again, especially in the middle of the street.
"So...... how's Flitter these days?"

"Oh, she's fine! Would be better if she'd stop hitting on that guy from the Weather Factory."

Rainbow chuckled at her friend's disheveled expression, silently shaking her head. She was the one pony that never approved of Flitter's relationship with that stallion. Sunburst, if she could recall his name correctly, in charge of crafting snowflakes during the winter.
"Seriously, he can be a little bit of a klutz sometimes," came Cloudchaser's blabbering.
"Like there was one time where he accidentally tripped and slammed the whole tray of strawberry cake over her head! I still can't believe she laughed it off like it was nothing! Then there was the time where he..."

Her voice started to drone off, with the makings of a fine plan in place. Cloudchaser could take care of Taciturn for her during her search in the library! Of course! They both know each other pretty well, and Tassee never minded being with her! After all, it would only be a minute or two.
At least, she hoped it would be.

"Chase," Rainbow's voice cut into her friend's ranting.
"First, you shouldn't really complain so much. I mean, did you see Flitter going around saying that you and Thunderlane should never be together?"

"W-well, because Thunder's a more responsible pony than he could ever be!" she blurted out in her own defense, much to Rainbow's displeasure. The cyan mare raised an eyebrow at those words, prompting her to sigh in defeat.
"Alright, alright, Fine. Maybe you're right..."

"Second, I need to ask a favor from you."
Rainbow plopped the bleached colt in front of her friend, much to both ponies' surprise.
"Can you take care of Tassee for a minute?" she asked, wearing the widest grin she could ever muster.
"Just a quick minute, please?"

"Well, I don't know... I still have to help my uncle and all..."

"Please?" she tried again.
"I promise it'll be quick!"

Cloudchaser stopped to think, her hoof rubbing her chin as Rainbow impatiently waited for an answer. Taciturn just glanced at both mares, baffled by whatever's happening between them.
"I'll do it, but on one condition," the spike-headed pegasus said suddenly, much to her friend's discontent.
"That you'll teach me how to do that Cloud Twisting Somersault Three-Sixty when you get back."

Not the Cloud Twisting Somersault Three-Sixty, Rainbow's inner voice groaned in vexation. That was one of the hardest moves that she had recently mastered, and had come to brag about, just last year! To simply teach it to some other pony would be a crime against her own dignity!
Oh, who am I kidding, she grumbled to herself, cursing fate for playing the trump card. It's now or never.
"F-fine!" her reply came out in a stammer.
"Just don't expect it to be easy!"

"Oh, trust me, I'll be prepared!"

Taciturn's whimper suddenly cut into their conversation, the colt having realized what Rainbow was about to do. The cyan mare herself stopped to turn when he tugged at her hooves insistently, almost on the verge of dropping to his knees and beg for her not to leave.
"It'll be okay, Tassee," she assured, trying her best to retain her smile, With a sigh, Rainbow patted his head, the colt retracting his head meekly in response, squinting his eyes as he did so.

"I'll be back before you even know it!"








"That's an interesting choice of words, Miss..."

"Dash. Rainbow Dash," she replied. There would never be a way to understand it, these ponies and their formalities.
She was in the Fillydelphia Public Library, having left Taciturn under Cloudchaser's care while she settles on a cushioned chair, watching the librarian; an old mare with glasses resting on her wrinkled snout, let out a cough as she slowly trotted into the backroom from her respective counter, no doubt to aid the anticipating customer.
The library was huge; a haven for Twilight with its immensely tall cupboards filled with books to the brim. In between every wide alleyway, there were a row of tables and chairs, lit up by office lamps adorning jade-colored shades. Despite the plentiful of dust, the ponies in here were anything but scarce as well, happily going through every thick book they can read.

Rainbow never thought she had to come here for answers, though it seems everything is unexpected these days. She would've laughed it off a month ago if somepony told her that she would spend Hearts and Hooves day at a funeral, and would've done the same a year ago if notified of Tassee becoming her official coltfriend.
Sweeping her thoughts aside, she settled back to what the librarian had called 'an interesting choice of words'. By that, she had meant the words the pegasus had given to the librarian to look up for in the archives. They were specifically the commissioner's name and Taciturn's father's name, though she still didn't understand what the old mare meant by 'interesting'.

Without hesitation, Rainbow quietly rose from her seat, trotting towards the windows and glancing out from between the cracks of the plastic shutters. She smiled once she spotted Taciturn and Cloudchaser, the two pegasi having a small snack of sundaes at the deli across the road.
Her hooves started wrenching up, however, when Cloudchaser offered to feed the bleached colt a tiny scoop of chocolate, which tightened even more so when he eagerly accepted it. Chase is just doing her job, RD, her sound mind told her. There's nothing to get jealous about.

Jealousy... she always wondered if Taciturn was jealous once or twice. He never did show any emotion whatsoever, like the time when she and Big Mac talked after stumbling upon each other on the road. It was a small conversation, which ended in a departing hug; one that Rainbow believed that her coltfriend might grow envious because of that.
"Wait here, Tassee," she could hear Cloudchaser's muffled voice, the mare leaving suddenly, returning shortly with another cup of sundae. Taciturn bounced in his seat at the sight, which made Rainbow's heart warm with satisfaction, yet the envy only grew within her.

"Miss Dash?"

The librarian's old voice whirled her attention back, in her hooves a small yellow document. Rainbow eagerly trotted back to the counter, accepting it eagerly with a small bow of appreciation.
"Thank you."

"I see you're admiring somepony, hmm?"

Admiring somepony? Rainbow stopped at the librarian's words. Does she mean Taciturn? She sure hope as heck she didn't mean Cloudchaser; usually it was the other way around.
"It's just my coltfriend," the cyan pegasus answered.
"You might've heard of him. Taciturn Bleach?"

"Ah yes... Valente's son."
With a senile chuckle, the librarian settled onto her seat, tipping her glasses down a little. Rainbow stood still in the silence of awkwardness, unsure if she could leave underneath the aged mare's observation, though her croaky voice stopped her before she could leave.
"I've heard you and Taciturn were perfect for each other. Like two peas in a pod, they said. You must be such a dear of a mare to take care of him."

"W-well, it's not r-really what I would call 'perfect'," Rainbow stammered, her cheeks turning a slight pink.
"We got off in a rough start, to be honest. Not really what I expected and-- h-hold on... did you say Valente? As in... Taciturn's father?"

"Quite a witty one, too!" the librarian exclaimed with a small laugh.
"None other than the lord himself. We were good friends back then, he and I. Moved in from Vanhoover when I was thirty years old, and that you could say was a pretty long time ago! He helped me settle down in Fillydelphia as the librarian, and had been working in this dusty old place ever since."

"So you know him very well?" Rainbow prodded onward.

"To be frank, not personally. I heard he was married at that time, to a nicest, sweetest mare, those ponies say. It really was a shame back then, with his wife's passing and all. All he could turn to was his son."
The librarian shook her head suddenly, blinking a few times with a click of her tongue.
"Oh, what am I saying, this old, blurting mouth of mine?" she hissed at herself, much to Rainbow's disappointment, the younger mare wanting to hear more.
"Just go on with your findings! Take all the time you need!"

"Thanks again!" she called back, giving a small wave whilst stopping to wonder at those words, particularly when he said all that Valente could turn to was Tassee himself. If he was the only pony that his father could turn to, then why would he be sent away?
With a shrug, Rainbow settled back onto the chair, opening the file to meet a set of newspaper clippings, mottled with age and held together by a rusted paperclip. Shuffling through each of them (due to the lackadaisical content of the news), her hooves finally stopped at one peculiar clipping, her interest piquing her to read:




TRIPLE MURDER STRIKES HEART OF FILLYDELPHIA
Stallions Mutilated At The Hooves Of Local Seamstress


January 28th, FILLYDELPHIA: Police are currently undergoing investigation of what seems to be a triple homicide and an arson case that had burned down the local seamstress's shop in which the murder was believed to have taken place.

At approximately 2 AM in the morning, neighbors have heard screams from the shop/residence of Dove Featherheart, a local seamstress, and found the said apartment on fire. Firefighters, upon putting out the blaze however, soon discovered three bodies inside, where closer examinations have revealed that the ponies were killed before the fire started.
Dove was brought in for questioning immediately, and had plead guilty to all alleged charges of homicide, though police could not obtain a motive for her actions. Interrogators noted she was 'stubborn' as well as 'heartless', and some experts had concluded that her condition was unnatural.

"From what we know during her stay in the hospital, she was affected mentally," said a local doctor (who does not wish to be named). "The police need to seek for help if they intend to obtain answers from her. You might need somepony to understand what she's been through in the entirety of her life."
Dove was said to have a troubling past, though neighbors said she was a kind pony at heart, and wouldn't have the makings of a cold-blooded killer. Commissioner Paramount assured that the truth will be discovered and brought to life, and is seeking for professional help to obtain a full confession.

"There are possibilities that we might turn to Sir Valente, but as of now, we shall see to it



"Bummer," she rasped, reaching the torn bottom of the clipping
Well, that certainly proves it: that the commissioner did turn to Taciturn's father to seek help about a mare. The intentions were clearer this time; about the dreadful murder and how she refused to speak even after being tended to by many doctors and psychologists.
But how was this related to Taciturn, other than the involvement of his father? Surely there's more to it than that? It didn't make any sense if it was left as it is, and how does the strange key fit into all of this?
With a sigh, Rainbow leaned back against her chair, pondering at the small clipping and trying to piece together the incomplete puzzle. A murder, a key and the crude paintings in the nursery... they must have some sort of connection somehow.

The question is, what?








"Thanks a lot for taking care of him!"

"Anything for a friend," Cloudchaser replied happily, giving Rainbow a small hug.
"Isn't that right, Tassee? We had quite a lot of fun together, didn't we?"

Taciturn nodded happily, sipping on a recently-bought frappe from the deli that both of them settled in as they patiently wait for Rainbow, his lips curling into a wide smile.
She had never seen Tassee being so happy without her in her entire life (which was slightly disheartening, but still, at least he was cheerful as ever), which was lucky for her, since she didn't want to deal with his pouting face by the time she finished her small search.
"Catch ya later, Chase!" she exclaimed, giving the other mare a wave.
"Maybe we'll meet again next time!"

"Sure thing!" the bristly maned pegasus replied.
"And remember! You still have to teach me that awesome trick of yours!"

"Y-Yeah!" Rainbow stammered, still surprised that Cloudchaser remembered it. She had hoped that the lilac pegasus would've forgotten all about it during her time with Taciturn, though it seems her anticipation to learn the technique was too important for her to forget.
"I mean, pfftt... it's a done deal, right?"

The couple stood there for the next few minutes, happily waving at their friend flying back into the bustling crowd. It wasn't long before both colt and mare settled on one of the many benches around town, placed specifically for ponies like them to rest their tired hooves.
With a blissful sigh, Rainbow leaned against Taciturn's shoulder, the bleached colt still eagerly slurping up his drink. Their eyes were set at the sun setting behind the western mountains, basking all of the sky in a sea of red, orange and yellow, the clouds swirling with the euphoria of serenity and signaling the end of another disappointing day.

Unbeknownst to her coltfriend, she actually planned to spend the entire day with him. Just him and her together, without nopony to bother them. Of course, that doesn't mean Cloudchaser was the one that ruined it; it was her desire to understand the colt's past that dismissed any chances of them spending time together as well.
"Stupid," she hissed quietly at herself, though it immediately caught the unwanted attention of Taciturn, who had just finished his chocolaty drink, her frustration met by his curious stare.

"Dashie?"

"Nothing's the matter, really," she replied, wrapping a hoof around his shoulder.
"What matters is that you had fun today, and Cloudchaser really did a good job on taking care of you. Maybe... maybe even better than..."

Rainbow closed her eyes, trying to remember the first day that she had to take care of the colt. Cloudchaser brought him to a deli and shared a drink with him on her first day, but she... she lured him like some common animal to Twilight's house and scolded him for his strange painting on her first day as her guardian! Does she even deserve him?
"She might be even better..." her voice continued, albeit slower this time. A small tear crept at the edges of her eyes, the mare clinging tighter on his hooves as she finished her sentence in a quivering whisper:

"Than me..."

With a grit of teeth, the first of many tears fell onto the pavement, dripping incessantly while she drooped her head down to the floor, unable to meet the blanched colt's gaze. Regret stung her heart like the needle of a syringe, unloading its liquid of depression that ravaged through her limbs, quivering from its staggering assault.
Taciturn just purred in response, catching her attention back when he raised her chin back to her. He was wearing a sad smile, his hoof; the one that his marefriend wasn't clutching on, reaching up to wipe away the droplet of a tear. Rainbow just stopped in surprise at his actions, her mouth frozen in a gasp.
"T-Tas..." she stuttered.
"Tassee...?"

"Happy?" he asked suddenly, reminding her of the first time she was asked that exact same question. At that time, snow filled the land, and she had a bruise, which became more of a scar as time wears on. It wasn't on her cheek anymore, yet it tingled whenever she remembered the incident, as if she would relive it once again.
"Dashie happy?" the colt asked again, snapping her out of her daydream. Rainbow blinked for a moment, before hugging him tight, unable to hold back a smile once she saw his quirky, adorable, puffy-cheeked grin.

"Yeah..." she replied, nuzzling his snout.
"With you around..."

"Dashie will always be happy."
> One Day To The Ball: A Grave Revelation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"A ball?!"

"Uh-huh," Rainbow sheepishly answered all five of her friends, their voices chattering happily through the vintage phone; one which took her almost half an hour to figure out how to operate it. She actually planned to send them a letter about it, though the last thing she needs is for the postpony to heave a sack up to the mansion's doorstep.
"It's gonna be held in the ballroom here. Ponies from Fillydelphia are coming as well. Cloudchaser said she, Flitter and Thunderlane would be there too!"

"Why, Ah'll be!" Applejack's smug voice rang through the speakers.
"Ya sure know how to plan a jolly good time!"

"Well, I can't take all of the credit."
The cyan mare turned to Taciturn, who was busy painting yet again, this time drawing a hummingbird landing on a small daffodil. She had no idea where he had even saw a hummingbird in these rural parts, eventually sticking its origins to the conjuration of his imagination.
"Tassee showed me the small flyer about it," she continued, smiling when the colt gave her a meek wave.
"He told he wanted to go, so I thought why not? Maybe make up for lost time on Hearts and Hooves Day."

"Well, he certainly has a flair for gatherings such as this," came Rarity's reply.
"Have you figured out your choice of attire yet?"

"Not exactly."
Rainbow was always uncertain when it comes to getting the perfect apparel for occasions such as this; usually the esteemed fashion designer on the other end of the phone would take care of that. She sometimes felt that Taciturn was luckier to be a colt, judging by how their tuxedos and suits all look the same.
"We're gonna go shopping later to get some. I might need a little advice, though."

"Well, just wear what's appropriate for a ball. A white dress, perhaps? Like the one I made for you for Taciturn's debut of his gallery last year?"

"Dashie?" Taciturn called her suddenly, beckoning her over.

"Hold on a minute, guys."
With a sigh, Rainbow trotted to the bleached colt's side, eager to know whatever business he called him for. It was usually rare for him to ask for her help these days during his painting sessions, since he would usually prepare all the palette and paints by himself.
"What is it that you-"

Her voice was cut off once she saw what he was holding. Instead of the paintbrush that he usually held, there was, much to her horror, the key she obtained from the nursery! The cyan pegasus just stared at his curious expression, her gut tightening and twisting as he observed it delicately.
"Tassee!" she hissed, reaching out of her hoof.
"Give it to me! You shouldn't be looking at things such as that!"

"Are you alright there, Rainbow?" Twilight's voice rang in, no doubt having heard of her shocked voice.
Of course, Taciturn reluctantly handed her the key, though he did so with a whimper of displeasure, to which the cyan mare responded with a small frown. She watched as the blanched colt slumped back to his painting, his wings beating sluggishly as if in protest.

"Y-Yeah," she stammered her answer, her gaze still glued to the colt. "Just a slight problem, that's all."
She knew she shouldn't have left the key unattended like that, especially when around the likes of an inquisitive pony such as him. Plus, the last thing she wants him to remember is something as gruesome as that. If he ever imported its design into his paintings... she could really use a memory spell from Twilight to erase the sight of it.
"Anyways, about the dress, I might need your opinions from it, Rarity. Something around my style, y'know?"

"Well, I could certainly help you out on your selection, but I'm not... exactly in Fillydelphia, to begin with. I'm afraid it's all up to you now."

That's right, Rainbow's hoof met her face. What were you thinking? It's ridiculous, a pony being in two places at once! The next thing you know, all the pigs on Applejack's farm sprout wings and win all three medals in the next Equestrian Games. She shuddered at the thought of it; it would be a first-class horror story right there!
"Well, um... I'm sure you can make the right choice..." Fluttershy piped, snapping her out from her swine-filled thoughts.
"I'm sure Tassee wouldn't mind. He just wants you to be there next to him, right?"

"I guess..." the cyan mare replied, glancing at Taciturn, the colt already finishing his painting.
"Which reminds me... how did the date with Big Mac go, Flutters?

"Superdy-duperdy AWESOME!!!" came, instead, Pinkie's screech.
"You should've seen them! They were like, ooh~! So kee-yute!! First, they had a small picnic, then the birds start singing and he starts singing along with them-- did you hear his voice! Oh, of course you didn't! You're in Fillydelphia after all, unless his voice is that loud! Then there's the best part, and everypony knows what happens then!"
And with that, all of her friends (except Fluttershy, of course) said it aloud in unison:

"The kiss!!"

"They kissed?" she gasped out in disbelief.
"As in lip-to-lip, under an apple tree in the middle of a field below a glowing sunset kind of kiss?"

"Sure betcha, RD!" Applejack declared.
"Came back to the house, both of them. Ya shud've seen their faces! Heck, Fluttershy was redder than Ol' Macintosh himself!"

"R-Really...?" Fluttershy squeaked suddenly, with the remaining five friends laughing in response.
Rainbow sighed, settling herself on one of the chairs and wiping the small tears off her eyes. She never imagined Fluttershy, of all ponies, to actually go out on a date and already share their first kiss! Maybe the butter-colored mare still has some guts left in her after all...

"So is it official? Are you guys really together?"

"No doubt about it," Rarity answered instead.
"I mean, just look at the two! They look so adorable together~!"

"Oh, but it was nothing really..."

The conversation lasted for another ten minutes (at least, she thought it did; she lost track of time soon after) before one-by-one, each of her friends said their respective goodbyes with a click signaling their departure, leaving only her and Twilight remaining. Taciturn had already dozed off on the bed, his completed hummingbird painting standing on the easel and facing the warm sun outside.
"Gotta go shopping for dresses soon," the cyan mare said.
"So um... Twilight! Do you, you know... find something about that key I gave you?"

"W-well, it certainly was... crude, and I don't mean your drawing skills."
Both mares chuckled quietly, before the unicorn continued:
"Judging from the dimensions, it's designed to unlock some sort of gate with a spring-bolt mechanism or something. Those kind of locks are slightly old, and you won't find them around here these days. Plus, the er... design, gives me a feeling that it should belong in someplace creepy, like a cemetery or graveyard. Slightly strange, if you think about it. Got any leads?"

"I have a hunch..." Rainbow said, grinning at her friend's answer.
"Thanks, Twi. That helped me quite a bunch, to be honest!"

"No problem! Tell me if you need anymore help!"
With a click sounding off the scholarly mare's exit, Rainbow glanced at the key in her hoof, her smile widening at the thought. Now there's a perfect place to try her key, though she had to do it sometime later, when there would be nopony around. Pushing those thoughts aside, she turned to the matter of importance at hoof.
Taciturn was still sleeping, cuddling tightly on one of the red, plushy pillows. He wore a small, peaceful smile, which stirred once Rainbow shook his body lightly, muttering:

"Hey, buddy. Time to wake up!'

In a minute, the colt sat up on the bed, rubbing his eyes groggily as he stared back the pony that woke him from his slumber, whimpering softly. Despite only being a short nap, his mane was standing all over the place, with a few strands drooping to the front of his forehead, the sight making Rainbow chuckle.
"Gotta get yourself ready, Tassee," she said happily, her smile widening.

"We gotta do some Hearts and Hooves shopping!"








"That'll be seventy bits, please."

Rainbow Dash crinkled her snout at the cashier's words, her gaze glued at the tuxedo laid out on top of the counter in front of her. Reaching behind, she let out an inaudible mutter, sliding the said amount onto the desk. Taciturn just blankly stared at the biased exchange taking place, his hoof wiggling impatiently.
Seventy bits, the price echoed in her head yet again. Now where had she heard that before...?

"Thank you for coming."

"No problem at all," she replied nonchalantly, directing her sights to the door.
The couple stepped out as soon as she got the suit, accompanied by the ring of the shop's golden bell. Stretching her hooves, Rainbow glanced about the pavements, trying to find for what would be the perfect shop to get a dress.
It seems everypony picked this day as 'Pick-Your-Attire-For-The-Ball' day, seeing how dozens of them were swarming through the avenue. Through every flapping door, there would ponies heading in, and the ones exiting wore the happiest of grins on their faces, their shopping bags clattering among each other as they swung it about flamboyantly. The cyan mare herself couldn't help but chuckle; it was like Hearth's Warming all over again.

"Now, to get my dress..."

Taciturn was anticipating this moment, as if to see her wearing a dress would be the spectacle of the year. Of course, she found it a little strange to wear the dress herself, but she wouldn't mind if it was as cool as the one she wore to the Grand Galloping Gala. Then again, not anypony possessed Rarity's flair.
She had glanced around the shops before when she was buying dinner, and she wasn't entirely sure of the designs displayed at the shopfront's windows. They all looked like they were born from the same roll of fabric, yet no doubt these ponies would be 'swindled' by all these staggering prices.

"Dashie," Taciturn called her suddenly, tugging at her hoof. Rainbow wheeled her attention back, settling their sights onto the shop in front of them.
Unlike many of the other boutiques (which were built into the apartments), this one was standing in the middle of the town like some lost island, what with its curvy roofs and round windows. To be honest, it looked like some sort of pagoda or pavilion instead of the boutique, and she would think of it as such if not for the large, shirt-shaped sign welcoming them in, the squiggly words saying:


Dove's Delightful Designs


Dove......
The word was familiar; a bell tolling in the distance. Reluctantly, Rainbow stepped past its flapping doors, stopping when she saw the space around her. The walls and ceiling were contorted like some jester's playground, with parts of it bulging out and others squirming in, forming some sort of unsteady, contorted wave.
There were suits and dresses everywhere, all worn by mannequins standing patiently in whatever fashionable poses that Rarity could pull off. Unlike most shops in the avenue, they were all different and, much to her amazement, original, as if she was in some branch of Carousel Boutique itself!

"Hello, miss," came a scrawny voice, both of them turning towards the counter.
Leaning against a cupboard, with a measuring tape hanging sultrily from her waist, was a pale yellow unicorn, her mane a golden orange. She was wearing red work glasses (similar to Rarity) and visibly chewing gum (which Rarity would never do) as she eyed the two customers from where she stood, her hooves crossed in a skimpy, crass fashion. Despite her behavior, her lips curled up into one of the most welcoming smiles she had ever seen in Fillydelphia, her hospitality made evident by her declaration:
"You need anything, miss? Any costumes or dresses, search the racks! Can't find what you need, then order it! Guaranteed completion in one day, and that's a be-darned promise!"

The short introduction just left Rainbow completely baffled, the cyan pegasus beginning to stutter:
"Um... hey, uh..."

"Seems you both are new here!" the unicorn exclaimed.
"Name's Willow Wisp! Welcome to the mighty fine city of FIllydelphia, home of the Equestrian Liberty Bell! You both a couple?"

"Uh, yeah! Yeah, like pfftt, of course we are!"
Rainbow let out a small sheepish chuckle, which faltered into an awkward silence at the mare's baffled expression. Does she think I'm crazy, her thoughts raced through. Oh, please don't make this her first impression of me! You're Rainbow Dash, elite flyer, not Rainbow Dash, elite psychopath!
"Well... Willow, is it? I'm here to check out a dress, like you said! It seems like a great shop you have here!"

"Not bad, ain't it," Willow replied with a chuckle.
"Came from the original owner of this place. Handed the keys to me when she was gone. You might have seen her name outside, didn'tcha? Dove? As in Dove Featherheart?"

That's when it clicked. The pieces placed itself together, completing the cipher of gears in her head.
Dove Featherheart. The seamstress in the newspaper clipping! The one that (brutally) murdered three stallions in one night! She was the one that the doctors said was unstable, and the same mare that Valente Bleach and the commissioner back then had a small negotiation about!
"Heard about her," Rainbow said, trying to hide her excitement.
"It's quite sad, knowing what happened to her."

"Well, you can't really blame her for that," the other mare answered.
"Dove was a mighty nice pony, even by Fillydelphian standards! Some call her the kindest mare of the eastern coast, and some even said she would never hurt a fly. My mother was a filly back then: became her personal assistant and always happily helping her out in her orders and such. She told me Dove was just the sweetest angel... still can't believe about that incident all those years ago..."

"Not a lot of ponies talked about it," Rainbow said, trying to drag the conversation along.
"Was it really that horrible?"

"As well as unexpected, yes! She was the last pony that my mother swore would never hurt a fly! Never was clear on what happened that night, with the fire and all, but she changed, and boy did she change a lot."
Willow stretched her hooves a little, before continuing:
"Had to call that fellow living up the hill to settle her. Became the old mare she was once the coot was done with him. Judge sentenced her to three years of prison, was released, and been working here ever since until she got into that accident, to which she gave the reins to my mother, then her to me."

"Accident?" the cyan mare asked.
"What kind of accident?"

"Not sure, really! Was something about her son pushing out the window. Landed fair and square with a sharp pole through her chest."
Willow stopped briefly once she saw Rainbow's eyes widened in shock and disgust, chuckling coldly in response.
"Could never understand it myself. Just plain bizarre, if you ask me. We Fillydelphians ain't keen on talking about it, especially when it involves blood and such. Anyways, you are here for...?"

"Oh, right!"
With a cough, Rainbow handed her the pamphlet for tomorrow's ball, to which the yellow mare blinked in surprise at it.
"You know what this is, right? I just need something... cool yet ball-ish... something perfect for the occasion. I know it sounds a little late, but can you help me make one? The other shops don't really... well..."

"I understand! You need something cool! I always liked the idea of mixing elegance and coolness together!" Willow exclaimed, her eyes glinting with ambition.
"Come back tomorrow and pick it up! I'll have it done by then!"

"Thanks!" Rainbow replied cheerfully, for the dress and for the new information on this Dove pony. She whistled at Taciturn, snapping his attention from him blankly observing the suits on display, before the two pegasi left through the flapping doors and back into the street.
Now there's something more to work on. Dove Featherheart was placed in jail for three years, and got out back again with surprisingly enough money to rebuilt her boutique and resume her business. Along the way, she got married to somepony and - she shuddered - was killed by her son at some point of her life. Cruel life.

However, her thoughts soon turned back to the problem with the key. Twilight had just gave her the best bet, and she couldn't help but wonder at whatever secrets of Valente Bleach she might find next.
"You're next," she whispered, with Taciturn turning in slight curiosity at her words, baffled at her coy grin. He soon brushed it off, however, not knowing of the plan brewing in her head.

"Tonight."








"Must be somewhere here..."

Rainbow Dash wouldn't be surprised if she woke up late tomorrow. She take that back, she wouldn't be surprised if she didn't wake up at all! Her yearn for sleep was only outmatched by her excitement for the answer, which grew larger and larger as she stepped deeper through the grass in the dense mist.
She was in the graveyard, with only the light of her lamp and Luna's moon to guide her through the obscurity of moisture and humidity. Silhouettes of tombstones filled every acre of the valley in the black night, though she was only interested in the shadow of one.

And there it was right now.

In the distance, emerging from the mist, was the crypt, standing large and tall among its lesser stone companions around it. Its entrance was like a gaping mouth, protected only by the grated rails shooting up to the surface, preventing any unwanted intruder out. Rainbow, however, had made a few observations when they were inside, and there was one mistake that the builders of the crypt had forgotten to take into account.
With a flap of her wings, her heart thumping a beat and her teeth biting onto the lamp, she hovered into the air, perching on the roof of the crypt where she started to smile. Cut into its stone roof to let light in, be it from sun or moon, was an oculus; a circular opening leading into its dark confines, unaware of the intruder that soon swooped inside without care.

Her hooves softly touching the ground, Rainbow glanced around, the dim light of the moon shining into its claustrophobic interior. Holding her breath, she raised the lamp, the fire within flickering lightly in the dark as she took her first step down the mossy, stone stairs.
It wasn't that long before she reached the opening; the same one that she had visited two or, considering how late it was, three days before. She stopped to glance around the eerie rotunda of iron gates, the plaques gleaming dimly. Slipping out her key, the mare stepped forward into the center, clenching her hooves with determination and letting out a giggle; Fidus is so going to have her head for this!

"Now which one of you had lost its creepy partner?"

No sooner than that did Rainbow stepped forward to the first gate before her, sticking the key into its lock and trying her best to give it a turn. The key merely jiggled and rattled, the tumblers within refusing to accept its morbid design, leaving only one frustrated pegasus.
"Try, try again," she muttered. Some motivational speech that was, she scowled at herself.

Without hesitation, she tried it on the second gate, to no avail. She tried it on the third gate, but the key was too stubborn to fit in. The fourth gate proved the same result: the lock didn't even gave it a chance to turn!
One by one, Rainbow used it without success on all the gates of the first level, her expression turning more frazzled with each try. There was one gate where she nearly snapped the key off into its lock, and another where she rattled the gates with a howl, as if wanting to break the gates part.

"This... better... be it!" she panted.
Holding her breath, Rainbow slotted the key into the lock, her satisfaction guaranteed when it ran all the way in. Slowly but surely, she gave it a small turn, drops of sweat crawling down her face as she did so, before there came a triumphant, relieving click.
"Yes!" she cheered, nearly wanting to hop on the spot as the gate swung open with a screech from its rusted spine. Without hesitation, the mare stepped into the room, raising the lantern to see what fully awaits her.

Like all the other rooms (she assumed), there was a granite coffin next to the wall, similar to where prison beds would be bolted in jail cells. Rainbow gulped nervously at the sight, hoping she wouldn't offend the probably-vengeful spirit of the pony that laid in there.
Her sight soon turned to a small, antique box standing on top of it. It was draped under a blanket of lace, hiding its flowery lid and golden latch that was revealed only when the cyan pegasus brushed the blanket aside. Her hoof carefully slipped the latch to the side, resulting in a small click as the lid was set free, bending backwards like a clam to reveal, much to her amazement, the treasure that it was hiding.

It was a medallion, made from the finest, shiniest crystal that glittered even in the dimness of her lamp. Its shape was molded perfectly into the form of a monarch butterfly, its wings gleaming a bright amber with its black outlines dotted with priceless diamonds, spreading out from the amethyst of its body in divine brilliance.
Rainbow's jaw dropped, her eyes glittering at the sight much like how Daring Do would to the treasures she find. Was the key hidden there for somepony like her to find this? This marvelously fine piece of a creation worth more than the gemstones in the world? More importantly, who did this belong to? The pony who was buried here?

Curiosity struck her like a hammer, the cyan pegasus flapping her wings as she raced towards the iron door built to protect the grave. She remembered each gate bore a stone plaque that consists of the pony's name, and she couldn't help but let her giddy eagerness run to her head as she raised the lamp towards the gate.
Her excitement grew into that of disbelief once she saw the name carved delicately into the stone, so much that she nearly dropped the medallion she was holding in her hoof. All the words in the world were dragged out of her mouth, leaving her alone to stammer:

"It... it c-couldn't be...!"
> Hearts & Hooves Ball: Let History Repeat Itself
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Dashie...?"

"J-just a minute..." Rainbow Dash muttered, turning to the side as she snuggled deeper into her blanket, wandering back to her more cordial dreams. She was soaring through the skies, bursting through the clouds without care for the world or its problems below. She... she felt freer... happier... safer from the nightmares of last night.
A small tug hauled her unwillingly back into the confines of reality, her eyes peeking out to see Taciturn curiously staring down at her. With a sigh, she rose up from her bed, rubbing her tired eyes while letting out a yawn.
"You really take things literally, Tassee..." she mumbled, glancing at the clock.
"I don't really mean one minute, y'know. Two or three would be better..."

Taciturn just nudged his snout at her hoof, the mare forcing out a smile at that.
"Why don't you go on first?" she said, reluctantly giving him a hug.
"I asked Fidus to prepare your pancakes. They're your favorite food for breakfast, right?"

With a meek nod, the colt soon stepped off the bed, ruffling and shaking his wings a little before heading out the door, stopping only to flash a small smile back at the mare, to which she returned happily. Rainbow sighed once he was out of sight, shedding her wings to take a peek at the glittering ornament she had obtained last night.
The jeweled butterfly shimmered back at her, yet it only left her clinging on the edge of uncertainty. To her, despite its beauty and grace, it looked more morbid than the key she used to obtain it, for she knew who was its previous owner:

None other than Dove Featherheart herself.

That's right, a part of her screamed yesterday night back in the crypt. The Dove Featherheart that killed three stallions in her very own boutique, the one that Taciturn's father had treated due to her sudden mental affliction, and the one that was killed by the hooves of her very own son! A twisted case of inherited insanity, perhaps?
But what was she doing in Taciturn's family crypt? Was she taken in by Valente after the incident for a recovery? Did Tassee's father performed some sort of horrible experiment on her and framed her resulting death on some nonexistent pony that she might've called her son? Would Valente frame Taciturn, his own son? For the murder?

"There must be something more than this..." she surmised her thoughts aloud. Rainbow knew she was close; her hoof was tingling with anticipation at the answer, despite being hesitant about it.
Why would Valente have her buried in the crypt? Why not just dump it into the fireplace instead of risking it being found? What more, does Fidus and Doctor Martingale know about this? Is that why the doctor resigned in the first place?

With a sigh, she slipped the medallion underneath the feathers of her wings, making sure none of the gems would peek out from beneath its folds. Rainbow soon headed out of the door, focusing on the one thing she really needed right now: breakfast.
Opening the double doors, she smiled as she saw the only pony in the room: Taciturn, gobbling up the last of his pancakes, wearing a food-filled grin when he perked his head up at the sound of her entry, squealing her name cheerfully with crumbs flying out of his mouth almost immediately.
"Dashie!"

"You sure are a hungry little colt, huh?" she teased, ruffling his mane. No sooner than she settled down that one of the servants scurried to her side, his head frozen in a bow as he awaited her choice.
"Potato salad and a cup of water, please."

With a bow, the servant soon departed into the kitchen, leaving both stallion and mare alone. Rainbow let out a quiet sigh, watching as Taciturn wiped the remainder of crumbs and stains of maple syrup around his lips, savoring every last bit of his breakfast; one which his marefriend giggled at the sight.
"You tried your new tux already?" she asked the colt, having seen it lying on one of the chairs in the room. Taciturn gave a small, proud nod, though that only earned a small humph of mock displeasure from Rainbow.
"You never let me check if it looked good on you! It's seventy bits, y'know!"

Taciturn just pouted, rolling his eyes as she started to giggle. Their small conversation, however, was soon interrupted with the abrupt return of the servant, gently placing on the table Rainbow's breakfast; a cluster of potatoes covered in cold mayonnaise and garnished with herbs and finely diced spring onions, served within a platter of lettuce.
The cyan mare licked her lips, already piercing her fork into the first chunk temptingly resting on top. Taciturn watched as she let out a rare yet cute squeal, no doubt from her breakfast seemingly melting inside her mouth.

"Rainbow! Rainbow Dash!"
The muffled sound caught her attention immediately. At first, she glanced towards Taciturn, though he raised his hooves up, rapidly and nervously shaking them with his head following along. Gazing around the room, Rainbow started to ignore it, though her eyes soon caught a figure waving frantically towards her in the brambles outside the window.

"C-Chase?'

Hurrying to the door, Rainbow turned the knob, still wearing her surprised expression when she saw Cloudchaser standing at the doorstep. A cluster of bags hung like leaves from a branch from her hooves, which were holding a small package which, much to the other mare's surprise, had a sticker with Rainbow's name written in red ink.
"Pretty surprised, eh?" the spiky-maned pegasus snickered.
"Bought a dress at Dove's as well. Willow mentioned you visited yesterday when I told her I was from Ponyville and suddenly, poof! I'm delivering this to you, knowing that one of Equestria's prominent athletes is going to wear a dress!"

"Snap it, Chase," the cyan pegasus rasped, not amused.
"Plus, she promised she would make it cool as well as formal, so don't get your hopes up on seeing me in some girly dress that you or Flitter would dance about in. Maybe Thunderlane would even want one as well!"

"Whatever that makes you happy, missy. What you need is this dress, however."
Cloudchaser handed the package with a wry smirk, giving a meek wave at Taciturn standing behind, his head rested on his marefriend's shoulder. The colt returned it with a smile, though it faded once he saw Rainbow's frustrated expression.
"So, see you tonight, perhaps?" she asked.
"Probably dancing around or stuff? Tango with Tassee?"

"Something like that."
With a goodbye, Rainbow soon shut the door, letting out a relieved sigh as she eyed the package in her hooves. No doubt, it was the dress, signed, sealed and delivered by a slightly-overexcited friend from none other than Dove's Delightful Designs. Taciturn just stared at the package, before looking up at its owner's magenta eyes.
"Have to try this out," she said once he saw his questioning expression.
"Who knows, Tassee? It might match your suit very well!"

The bleached colt just wrinkled his snout, once again making her chuckle. He wasn't a keen pony on formal attire, it seems; another trait he had inherited from his oh-so loyal guardian of his.
"Just you wait, Tassee," she said despite him biting his lips nervously, probably from the number of ponies that were about to attend. Ruffling his mane, Rainbow just laughed quietly, scratching his chin with the tip of her hoof, to which he happily responded by swishing his tail.

"It might be the best night we would ever share."








"Wow..."

Wow indeed, the more inquisitive side of her head said, having unwrapped the package and digging out through the mothballs and newspaper wrappings for her necessary content.
Rainbow's eyes sparkled at the dress before her. Like her gown for the opening of Taciturn's Gallery, it was white, though it was fashioned with a small split at the side. Sequins lined every cotton-fluffed edge of the fabric, with the skirt painted in streaks matching her mane, the hemline separating its chromatic bottom and white top glittering brightly in gold with a matching laurel crown right beside it.

Despite not being a fashionista, the pegasus squealed happily at the sight; a creation and feat marvelously pulled of by Willow Wisp! She really deserves that shop! Maybe she and Rarity could work together to make something so revolutionary, it would make all the magazines of Canterlot tremble! She sure as heck wouldn't mind getting an order from both of them!
Happily bouncing about, Rainbow placed the dress in the cupboard, before quickly heading out of the room. Taciturn had (silently) promised to give her a minute of privacy for her to change, despite them being normal not to wear any clothes at all. She intended for it to be a big surprise: wait till he hears about how wonderful her dress is!
"Tassee, you've got to-"

Rainbow stopped short, her happiness changed into confusion when the seat that her beloved coltfriend was sitting on was empty. Has he run off, she asked herself. Did he somehow inherit her impatience as well? Oh, for Celestia's sake...
"Tassee?" she called, glancing at both sides of the hallway. He wasn't the type to simply wander around, especially when it was somewhere strange such as the mansion itself. Sure, he had been here as a child, and the house was practically his right now, and then there's his outstanding memory, but Tassee wouldn't simply walk off without telling her, at least, seeing how he didn't want her to worry all the time.

"Tassee~? Hello~?" the mare tried again, trotting down the hallway. Place yourself in his hooves, Rainbow, she told herself. If you were Taciturn Bleach, where would you be right now? The nursery- impossible, seeing how those crude paintings were there. The dining room is out of the question, since they just ate, and there would be no way he was in the graveyard.
"Come on, come on..." she chanted like a mantra, getting more frustrated as time passes.

"And when would that be?"

Rainbow's ears stopped at the voice. Doctor Martingale?
Her quick strides turned into tiptoes as she neared the source of the voice, gasping at the sight of light from an open door of, much to her disbelief, the library. Did the doctor unlocked it? What were they doing in there?
"In a day or two," came another voice, the mare recognizing it to be Fidus's.
"Perhaps before their departure. Right after the reading of the will, I suppose?"

"Probably."
The sound of another unlocking door soon beckoned Rainbow in, the mare silently hovering inside in time to spot both doctor and butler heading into another room, no doubt the gallery, which she knew from the map was connected to the library. Quietly and carefully, she darted behind the table, making sure to avoid the furniture and bookshelves around as the conversation continued:
"I fear that it might be too late, however. Both of us don't know if she knew about it yet."

She... do they mean her, Rainbow wanted to ask. Know about what? What was it that they were afraid she would know? They stopped her from entering even a mere nursery, and all she got from there was some frighteningly gruesome pictures drawn by Tassee, an equally-disturbing key and the rotten note, the latter two only revealing...
Realization struck her immediately, the mare suppressing a loud gasp underneath her throat. There was no doubt about what they were talking about, with all the clues pointing to that one mare:

Dove Featherheart.

It must be about her! There was no doubt about it: everything was pointing to her! The key was used to specifically unlock her tomb in the family crypt, and the note pinpointed about her murder of three stallions after her boutique burned down! Yet, why hide it from her? How is she and Tassee related other than knowing Valente himself?
"However, it's best for when the time is right," Fidus's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"She would understand why we were doing this. Hopefully."

A small grunt broke through the air suddenly, though it didn't came from butler nor doctor. It took one small peek from behind the table to figure out who the third pony with them was. And, much to her horror and dread, her face paling to the point of rivaling the pony she was eyeing, there was never a clearer answer to who it was.
"T-T... Tassee...?"

"What of Taciturn?" Fidus asked.

"Hopefully he'll be ready," Doctor Martingale replied, patting the colt's shoulder. Taciturn turned to him, smiling happily, to which the doctor gave one in return.
"Come on, Taciturn," he continued, his morose tone turning cheerful suddenly.
"Gotta have a nice treat, then you can find Rainbow Dash! I'm sure she's slightly worried about you just disappearing now, eh?"

Rainbow held her breath at the sound of hoofsteps, the door to the gallery being locked by the butler as the other two ponies stepped outside. It wasn't long before Fidus joined them as well, shutting her exit to the corridor and locking it tight, leaving her in the room.
"Why...?" she muttered once she was convinced they were gone. She felt betrayed, back-stabbed even! She treated Taciturn like every mare would, and he was in league with them the whole time? What were they preparing him for even? What kind of sick, twisted plot are they hatching the whole time she wasn't there?

Three stallions murdered... could it be?
No way. It couldn't be that coincidental, is it? Would the three be Doctor Martingale, Fidus Shadowtear and Valente Bleach; all three ponies that have some sort of bond, be it mutual or not, with each other? So when Valente passed away, they needed his son to take over as well...
But that doesn't explain why Dove Featherheart was buried here. Something was amiss; the three stallions were murdered, as in stone-cold dead! Surely the police would have enough brains to tell if somepony is living or dead, wouldn't they?

Rainbow rose from her hiding place, glancing at the dusty study table before her. This was obviously Valente's study room, where he would make notes and such about his research and, hopefully, his plans as well. There must be some sort of notebook here that says something!
"You must have some diary here somewhere...!" she grumbled, searching through the cupboards and the table. Most, if not all, of the books were particularly about science, and she would've read up on the ones talking about aerodynamics and wing mechanics if she weren't busy digging through all these ancient tomes.

"Aha!" she cried suddenly, her eyes sparkling at the book titled 'Property of Valente Bleach' on the cover.
"Found it!"

Without hesitation, she quickly flipped through the pages, skipping past his childhood and teenage life. There's no time to scroll through his wonderful early days or something; Doctor Martingale and Fidus were preparing something, and the longer she spends, the more they progress!
Sweat dripped onto the yellowed pages, with Rainbow wiping some of them off as her eyes scanned through the words. She stopped with relief when she found out she was wrong the whole time! Valente wasn't involved in some crazy experiment! Neither of them are! Yet, the pieces of dark puzzle still pieced together, leaving the mare to drop the book in shock at the previous mention of Dove's name.
Taciturn wasn't involved in some crazed pony's plot. No.

It was much worse.








"Everypony get your partners up! It's time for the ballroom... waltz!"

Johann Strauss's 'Blue Danube Waltz' started to play in the background as ponies all gathered into the center of the ballroom's wide, marble floors, with a glittering crown of a chandelier shining brightly overhead. The ceiling was decorated with paintings and the walls were draped with tapestries, both made by the finest and most delicate of hooves when the room itself was incarcerated. Age does not seem to affect them, as they looked as if they were just made yesterday. At one end is the stage, where the band was playing in full swing, entertaining two separate group of ponies: those dancing and those appreciating the beauty of the music serenading through the rainy Fllydelphian night.
Tables and chairs filled the platform, which was merely three small steps higher, divided from the dance floor by a granite fence. At the side was a wide buffet table, filled with assortments of treats, salads and cakes. A large bowl of berry punch stands in the center, its container a fantastic crystalline sculpture by itself, depicting two snakes entwining the sides of the bowl as their tongues greedily reach for the juice it holds within.

Rainbow Dash settled down on one of the chairs, having just finished picking for herself a salad. It was a calm, serene atmosphere, flourishing in luxury and royalty, with all the ponies dancing around in their respective gowns and suits. She herself was wearing her dress and she had to admit, after a few twirls around a mirror, she could say it looked awesome!
"Well, lookey here!" a voice called out suddenly, the mare turning with a smile to see Cloudchaser trotting up to her. She was wearing a yellow gown, which was glittering like Princess Celestia's mane with a few golden bangles on her hoof. Beside her, wearing a fine suit, was none other than her coltfriend, Thunderlane, who wore a meek smile once she spotted the cyan pegasus.

"Fancy meeting you here, Rainbow!"

"Same to you!" she replied cheerfully.
"Where's Flitter? Wasn't she suppose to be with you guys or something?"

"She and Sunburst are dancing," Cloudchaser answered, pointing at the couple in the crowd.
There she was, her little sister dancing with Sunburst, an orange pegasus sporting a combed, maroon mane. They were laughing as if they were having the time of their lives, and that, by itself, was heartwarming.
"Maybe he's not such a klutz after all," the lilac mare continued, breaking into the fine moment.
"I mean, he did pull off a few good moves. Who knows, he might be even better than you, Thunder!"

"We'll see who has the last laugh then, my little minx~!"

With that, the couple headed towards the dance floor and joining the herd of ponies swaying to the symphony of violins in the background, leaving Rainbow to smile at the sight. Her thoughts, however, trailed back to what she had read in the afternoon, her uncertainty starting to creep up to her head.
Rainbow guzzled a cup of punch, unsure of what to do. She really wanted to say something about it to a certain somepony. Anypony! Yet, fear pulled those words down into her throat like a weight, and it was for a very good reason.

"D-Dashie?"

"T-Tassee!" she exclaimed, slightly surprised. "I was wondering where you've bee-"
Her voice dropped immediately once she saw her coltfriend standing before her. He was dressed in the fine, black tuxedo she had bought for him yesterday, and looked perfect in it! His waxen and combed mane, his beaming face and his cheerful yet dainty smile... everything seemed to fit with his outfit, as if he was destined to wear it!
"Wow, Tassee..." Rainbow muttered, speechless at the sight.
"You look so...... so... smart..."

No sooner than she said that did Taciturn's cheeks turn a slight pink, making her chuckle softly.
"Wanna sit down for a minute?" Rainbow offered, to which he eagerly accepted, settling down onto the chair. Her heart started to drop at that, the mare swallowing a lump of hesitance as she glanced at the ever-inquisitive colt.
Should she ask him about it? About the events of the afternoon? She didn't want to believe those words; he was too gentle of a colt to do that! But all the evidence is there, and there was no doubt about it. Despite that, fear's grip was tight as a vise, and is starting to suffocate her if she leaves it in her head like this. It's now or never.
"Tassee?" she called, earning his attention.
"Can... c-can we talk?"

Taciturn nodded happily, shifting his seat forward as she began to speak:
"There's a lot of things that have been through my mind these couple of days. I'm not sure if you noticed, but I was preoccupied with stuff besides the funeral and the ball. I was a little curious, not to mention nervous, about what was I trying to do, and when I finished what I had started... I just can't believe it."

"Dashie?" he asked, slightly baffled.
Rainbow sighed, cursing herself for making it so hard for both of them to understand. He's your coltfriend, RD, her inner voice said. He said he trusts you in the beginning, and you promised you would trust him back!

"What I'm trying to say is, I was interested... about you."
Taciturn's eyes just widened, though the mare laughed sheepishly suddenly.
"Not that kind of interest!" she reaffirmed, which made the colt sigh with relief.
"I'll make it simple, alright? When your father passed away, I was confused a little. Why would your father leave you behind and stuff like that. So I thought I would do a little research. Snooping around, searching through the mansion and such. Then there was somepony that came. Dove Featherheart?"

Rainbow swore she saw Taciturn flinch at the mare's name, though she brushed it off, instead continuing:
"I found out that your father helped her to recover from her slight bit of insanity. I think you know of what she had done to those stallions as well. But what I found out this afternoon nearly frightened me and... I trust you a lot, that I just want to be proven wrong."
With a long, languid sigh, she asked in a stammer:

"I-is... is Dove Featherheart your mother?"

A moment of brief silence filled the air, the waltz in the background starting to drone out as Rainbow focused on the colt before her. He was glancing down, his head hanging low, though the mare could see that his face was starting to darken, turning grimmer than the tense atmosphere between them. Slowly, he gave a nod, to which she bit her lip, pushing herself to continue:
"A-and... something happened, right? S-something happened between you and her, didn't it. It was so bad that your dad sent you away, didn't he?"

"No."

The deadpanned, straightforward answer startled her, Rainbow stopping short when the colt turned away, wrinkling his snout. His tone was cold, brazen with morbidity and hatred stirring in his throat. She stepped back a little once she saw his hooves clench tighter, the veins bulging at its skin.
"T-Tassee, you have to be truthful with me on this one," she continued.
"You were there, Tassee. She did something to you, and you... you paid it back. You were young then, too young to remember maybe, but you were there!"

Taciturn turned away, though Rainbow could hear his breathing escalating rapidly as she prompted:
"Your father married Dove all those decades ago, and she gave birth to you. She was your mother, Tassee! Your mother! Heck, your father wrote in his notebook that she made this medallion just for you!"

Rainbow slammed the butterfly medallion onto the table, to which Taciturn's eyes were affixed to it immediately. Her determination started to wear away, however, when she saw his eyes widening, his pupils reduced to the size of pinpricks with his whole body starting to convulse. Sweat dripped from each side of his head, already starting to dampen his suit as he started panting and growling.
"T-Tassee...?" she called to him reluctantly, realizing what she had done.
"Are... are you okay...? I-I'm...sorry if... I..."

Taciturn suddenly let out a loud howl, pouncing on the table and kicking the medallion away. The music dropped into silence suddenly, with everypony whirling around in surprise to see the colt glaring down at his marefriend, who was frozen in her seat with fear.
His black pupils swirled endlessly, tossing her back into an abyss. Unlike last time, however, she was pinned down; subdued with no effort to struggle. Her head started to burn underneath his powerful stare, though all she could do was cringe into her seat, her heartbeat rapid and loud.
"T-Tassee...?" she whimpered, clutching tighter onto her seat.
"Can you please get down? You're sc-scaring me...!"

"Rainbow!"
The hiss made the cyan mare turn, watching as Doctor Martingale frantically squeezed through the crowd, wearing a horrified expression when he glanced both at her and at Taciturn. He reached out his hoof to her, beckoning her to grab for it.. "Quickly, Miss Dash!" he rasped again. "Reach for my hoof!"
Before she could do so, however, Taciturn suddenly let out a loud howl, pouncing onto her and pinning her down, her wings fluttering in protest as she fell to the floor. She gasped at the colt standing above her, trying her best to push herself away as he started to growl.

"Taciturn! Don't do it!"

Rainbow was suddenly freed when Fidus suddenly pulled him back, the bleached colt snarling and howling like a ravenous wolf in search of meat, his hooves flailing wildly. She hastily stepped back towards the walls as he started to struggle, her desire to move demolished when she looked into his black pupils once again.
There was rage. Pure, destructive rage. It flared powerfully, ravaging through the abyss she was swirling into as it clutched her into the oblivion. The shocked gasps and voices, as well as her vision, started to blur out in her head, though everything stormed back to her suddenly when Cloudchaser shrieked:

"RAINBOW, LOOK OUT!!!"

Everything happened in a flash; a sudden burst through time.
With a loud cry, Rainbow felt herself falling backward, slamming and smashing through the windows as her eyes were glued to Taciturn, his wings bursting open with his teeth grinding forcefully against each other and his eyes filling with tears. Rain pelted her as shattered glass whizzed past her, the mare finally letting out a gasp as gravity did its job.
She wanted to break free, but he had him pinned, her back facing the ground and her wings flapping about aimlessly. And so, she fell, plunging three floors down in the pattering rain, her eyes frozen wide at the pony before her; the one she called his coltfriend.

Pain slammed her back just as lightning seared through the sky like a trident, the sound of breaking stone a mere whisper when Rainbow let out an ear-piercing, hellish scream, her voice shooting up into the dark skies above. Her hooves went numb, her body crumpling as she slumped into the mud, with the sounds of heavy breathing over her.
Rainbow weakly turned her head, her neck stinging agonizingly as she faced the once-innocent colt before her, twisted by wrath and hatred. She bit her lip, feeling the first drops of blood leaking from underneath her wings as Taciturn held up a large rock, found from the shattered fragments of the tombstone she slammed into as his frown grew more deranged, similar to a crazed demon's. She gasped in realization as he raised the rock into the air, the lightning flashing above as she whimpered his name:

"T-Tassee......?"

*BRLKK*

One brutal smash to her head made it spin, her vision slightly blurry as she let out a cough. Rainbow wanted to raise her hooves in defense, but her body felt... broken... fractured. The first trickles of blood, as well as droplets of rain, fell from her face as she tried to call his name, though she couldn't do it when Taciturn gave her the second blow, the rock slamming across her cheek.

*BSHLCKK*

"S-sto... stop...!" she croaked weakly, hearing the sounds of her skull crunching and flesh tearing at the second attempt, her head ringing. Coughing out a few droplets of blood, she tugged at his hoof, though the bleached colt's crazed expression was unchanging, the mare scratching at the dirt as she clenched her eyes shut once he raised the rock again, writhing in agony under his dementia.
"T-Tas..." Rainbow squeaked, tears dripping along with the rain, before came the third blow on the forehead; the one that left her unconscious.

*BFFLCK*

	
> Three Days Past: Reconciliations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	She could hear them.

"Though sometimes, there are some things that are best left hidden behind these brick walls..."

Voices. Lost echoes in the darkness, whispering... warning... breaking through from the shards of silence.
The soundless respite; a road spiraling down into an abyss, was wide as it was gloomy. Light was its rarest resource, as well as color, for there was only one present in the void, questioning all those unlucky to wander in here of their ability of sight, and it was the calamity of black, growing like pests in the field of vision.

"Bringing back the past might not be the smartest thing that anypony can do, and for the sake of Taciturn, I hope you take these words to heart..."

Rainbow Dash was there, sitting on the black floor and blindly gazing around the illumination of darkness. Solitary, ravaged and broken, with hope soaring out her reach, the mare just stared into the ebony sun shining out rays of jet-black light. She couldn't see it, but she could feel the heat radiating strongly, yet all of it died around her once it flowed to the ground, enveloping the world in a qualm of cold.
Naught met her like a friend, yet strangled her like an enemy; to be torn between the clutches in the sensation of the nihilistic world, where only she exists, and she alone.

"I hope you concur that there are some rooms in this house prohibited to strangers, and for a very good reason..."

Alone.
Solitary, with only the bruises and wounds to entertain her. She wanted to believe last night was a dream; that she and him danced around the ballroom, ending it with a small kiss. Yet, the ball brought only sorrow, fear and, from what she believed she was looking around her, death.

"If you fear for Taciturn's and your safety, I recommend that you'll halt whatever your curiosity has gotten yourself into, understood...?"

Warnings became rhapsodies, swirling in grains of the past as her hooves tingled and ached, prompting her to, for some reason, walk. She couldn't understand where she was going, nor she bothered to; it gave her a fickle of direction in a obscure domain, and that enough was convincing.
Forward she went, and she believed it like she believed in her love of her life. Her urge to fly was somewhat insensate, as was her emotions and heart, submerged into a pool of calmness.

"I heard he was married at that time, to a nicest, sweetest mare, those ponies say. It really was a shame back then, with his wife's passing and all. All he could turn to was his son..."

A small sound shattered the firm wall of silence, the mare realizing it to be the drip of water... no, a tear. Rainbow could feel it slithering down her cheek, leaving a wet trail behind. There wasn't sadness nor confusion; there was only emptiness, and the more she stepped forward, the more prominent it became.
Her hooves stopped suddenly, and she didn't understand why. All she knew was that she had to be here, as if fate had dragged her in a languid march across the black plains with a leash around her neck.

"Was something about her son pushing out the window. Landed fair and square with a sharp pole through her chest. Could never understand it myself. Just plain bizarre, if you ask me..."

She waited like a colt heading to the next town at the train station. She waited like a mare on her dinner date with the stallion that invited her. She waited patiently, even though she knew nothing would ever arrive in this desolate place to rescue her nor take her.
The last words ringing in her head were like words of mockery; one last warning that she chose to ignore, and paid the ultimate prices; the love of her life, and her life by itself.

"She would understand why we were doing this. Hopefully."

"But I never bothered," she finally answered, the voices receding immediately once she did so. The tears in her eyes started to drip rapidly, the sound echoing as if she was in some sort of cave. With a hiccup, she gritted her teeth, burying her face in her hooves.
"It's all my fault this happened! I was responsible for this! Tassee wouldn't be like that if it weren't for me! He would never hurt me, and I MADE HIM DO IT!!"
All her shouting was soon reduced to broken sobs, her pride and dignity washed away. There was nothing for her to look forward to anymore. She deserved nothing, and she was given a whole word of it; even generosity can be cruel.

"Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow perked her head up immediately at the familiar voice, gasping in surprise when the darkness around her fractured suddenly. Bright rays seared through the widening cracks, forcing her to shield her eyes as she was dragged deeper and deeper into the furor of light.
Her breath was left hanging, as was her mouth when she saw a figure stepping out from the glaring white. The figure's mane sparkled heavenly in a quartet of colors, her visage recognizable and respected with her wings unfurled, the feathers bursting out in its utmost glory. She wore a soft smile; one that soothed the raging whirlpool of fear and depression dragging her heart down into its darkest depths.

"Pr-Princess Celestia...!"

"No need for a bow, my little pony," she said, stopping the cyan mare midway.
"Do you know where we are?"

Rainbow shook her head no, to which she answered:
"We are in a realm where life nor death does not exist. Where everything you see, hear, smell, taste nor touch, would crinkle into fading memories. This is a land where dreams and realities collide and shatter, and where dimensions twist itself to infinity. Many ponies sought to discover it, many more sought to understand it, but only a mere few had stepped into the land themselves, for it does not exist. Now..."
The alicorn let out sigh, before asking her again:
"Do you know why you're here?"

"Is... is it because of Tassee...?"

"Not quite."
Princess Celestia's horn glowed suddenly, conjuring stills of memories depicting her and Taciturn together! From the first visit to their kiss on Hearts and Hooves day, everything they did was there! Rainbow could only cover her open mouth, her heart wrenching with a mix of glee and sadness at the gallery. There was her and Tassee cutting the ribbon, and there was them walking around the orchard when she was still confined to a wheelchair! Heck, there was even them making funny faces in Sugarcube Corner! The greatest memories, all compiled into one... she could feel tears of joy dripping down her cheeks!
"Your love for Taciturn Bleach, as shown by your time together, was strong. Powerful, even." the alicorn said.
"In such a short span of two months, your love for him rose to such a multitude that even the most powerful of magics can't bring it down. You aren't aware of it, but your subconscious was. Therefore, when the events of last night folded, his hatred and rage was so sudden that when the two opposite forces of love and hate clashed, they propelled your spirit off into another world beyond existence; the one which we are standing in right now."

"So, I'm not..." Rainbow began reluctantly with a gulp, "dead?"

"You're resting in a hospital bed as we speak."
The alicorn suddenly placed a hoof on her shoulder, her lips edging up a smile as she asked:
"You're here because fate has given you a chance: to stay here for eternity in peace and calming, or to return to the world you know, and be reunited with the one you truly love."

"But... does he still love me?"
Rainbow glanced away with uncertainty. She would never forgive herself for doing what she had done, but what about Tassee? Would he have the heart to forgive, of would he share the same thoughts as her. The cyan mare just bit her lip, though not before came Princess Celestia's answer:

"Even if he fell into the darkest depths of himself; even if his mind was twisted by hatred and rage, Taciturn Bleach will always love you for who you are deep down inside: the mare that guided him up to his hooves, the mare that supported him when he was in doubt, and the mare who never left his side in even the most dire of circumstances. Like how he was supposed to be your future, you were supposed to be his as well."

Rainbow started to smile at the alicorn's words, giving a bow.
"Thank you, your Highness. For the advice and all."

"The pleasure is mine, Rainbow Dash."

The alicorn soon trotted forward, leaving the cyan mare to gaze at her departure, watching as she disappeared into the foggy horizon. Rainbow settled herself down, patiently pondering over the alicorn's words while she felt herself fading too into the light. They were true, no doubt; both she and Taciturn loved each other very much. Maybe...

Maybe... there's still a chance.

"Please let me go back," she prayed silently, feeling herself being swallowed in the burning white.
"Please let me go back to him..."

"To Tassee..."








"Shhh......!"

"She's waking up...!"

"H-huh," Rainbow mumbled softly at the whispering chatters around her, steadily opening her eyes. She started to rise from her bed, her two hooves rubbing both eyes as she tried to make sense of the many blur of colors around her.
Her surprise was met when she saw the overjoyed expressions of not only Cloudchaser, Flitter and their respective partners, but of the five of her friends as well! They were all here: Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, and she could only widen her eyes in disbelief when they started laughing, all rushing to hug her and smiling with relief.
"W-When did you guys...?"

"Yesterday, of course!" Pinkie squealed happily.
"There's no way we're going to just sit around and wait!"

The remaining four of her friends nodded vigilantly, before Rarity spoke:
"Cloudchaser notified us of your condition two days ago. None of us could believe what happened to you! Why, it's barely a month since you recovered from your last injury, Rainbow Dash!"

"Well, I guess I-- wait. Two days?"

"No doubt about it, sugarcube," Applejack replied.
"Stuck in a coma for the past two days now. Ya hurt real bad, the doctor said, skull fractured and some fancy stuff like that. Heck, it's even rougher than whatcha did last time."

Rainbow just glanced down at her blanket, unsure of what to say. She knew there was only one pony who could've did that to her, her heart stinging with guilt and despair as her hoof reached up to touch her bandaged forehead and wings. She strained to sit herself up, though her back ached painfully in response, leaving her to drop back into the bed with a yelp of pain.
The rest of them just watched, biting their lips as if they were suffering through the same, hellish ordeal themselves. Her struggles, however, were halted when Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder, the pegasus glancing up at her friend's despondent expression in surprise.
"We heard..." she muttered softly.
"About what Tassee did to you..."

"You can't blame him," the cyan mare replied gloomily, turning away and clenching the bedsheets tighter.
"It was my fault. I was the one who made him snap in the first place. You guys would know by now the reason why, right? Especially you, Twilight."

The scholarly unicorn just nodded somberly, leaving Rainbow to just stare down grudgingly at the sheets, with fresh tears already forming around the brim of her eyes. The room soon dropped into pure silence, with only a few sniffles silently filling the atmosphere.
"I'm sorry about Tassee," Cloudchaser began, trying to find the right words.
"It's just... I..."

"It's okay," Rainbow said suddenly, though still sulking underneath her sheets.
"I just... I need s-some time alone..."

"Well, you guys heard her."
Twilight's voice was enough to coax them all to move, with the remaining ponies slowly but surely huddling out of the room. Some of them, like Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Applejack, glanced back out of concern, though there was nothing they could think of to cheer their broken friend up.
"You're sure you'll be okay?" the violet mare asked, clutching on the doorknob. Rainbow just mustered up a weak smile, waving her hoof dismissively as she gave her short response:

"Y-Yeah..."

With that, Twilight closed the door, leaving Rainbow to embrace her solemnity. As much as it was disquieting, she knew there was never a bigger lie she had ever told, especially when it involves the colt she loved. It was all making sense now: why Taciturn was sent away when he was a kid by his father, and why he was isolated. Nopony wants to nurture a killer, especially when he had his first kill when he was at a mere five years old.
Taciturn wouldn't hurt a fly, however; she knew his special condition made him the reclusive and introverted yet compassionate and gentle pony that she came to know and love! Nopony would've suspected him to fly into a rage! His mother killed three in her lifetime despite that; what's the chance that he inherited that spark of insanity from Dove herself?

"It's over..." she muttered softly, feeling her gut churn with despair.
"And it's all my fault..."

A brief knock sounded on the door, leaving Rainbow giving whichever pony the permission to enter, albeit hesitantly. Her heart stopped once she saw Doctor Martingale stepping inside, his straight lips and furrowed brows striking like an arrow into her chest.
"So it seems you have awakened," he said, letting out a gruff cough.
"Most of us thought you would never make it after such a horrible ordeal."

Rainbow just glanced away, pushing to the back of her head the many questions she have for him. With that, the doctor trotted to her side, the mare cringing a little as he unwrapped the bandage around her head, revealing a few large gashes streaking across her forehead, dried a dark red. She felt it sting a little once the severed skin was revealed into the air, which worsened when Doctor Martingale dabbed a cotton pad dripped in antiseptic upon it, making her hiss in pain.
"You're lucky you didn't suffer any infections," he said, wrinkling his snout at the strong smell of the liquid.
"Not everypony would get their head smacked by some mossy, broken, century-old tombstone."

"I-Is... is Tassee alright?"

"Physically, yes. I hope I could say the same for his mental state, however."
With a sigh, the aged stallion settled himself on a chair, his frown growing as he explained:
"We managed to restrain Taciturn last night. He was unlike himself, what with all the howling and growling he was doing, and let's not forget the violence. Strapped him against a chair until we try to find a way to snap him out of it, to which you might have to come in."

Rainbow nodded hesitantly, before popping another question, despite being reluctant to do so:
"Why did Tassee became so... aggressive suddenly? Was it because of... m-me?"

"Well, simply put it, he became violent as a means of protection."
Doctor Martingale sighed once he saw the mare's eyes bulge in disbelief, chuckling coldly at the cruel irony of it.
"It was a trait that, as you know, was inherited from his mother, Dove, though it's so much more than just a common murder. When Dove made her confession to Valente, she said that she was doing it only to protect herself. That was proven true when it was discovered that these three stallions belong to a notorious gang, and were planning to... how should I put this.... violate, her in her own shop, and then burn it, along with her, down to destroy all evidence. In other words, she killed them because she was forced to."

"Celestia..." Rainbow gasped quietly, to which the other pony nodded.
"But something must've made her snap, right?"

"Exactly. The fact that Dove lived with her abusive father for more than eight years, added with her being bullied in school, was enough to create an entirely different personality inside her. Valente soon found out that those three stallions were violent with her, and the trigger that made her snap was that one of those stallions slammed a chair on her head when she tried her best to fight back. Thus, the different entity that was born to protect her struck back, and the same personality lasted until after she and Valente had their small talk, to which they both fell in love soon after. That second identity soon disappeared when her mind was convinced that Valente was the one pony could protect her."

"So, Tassee did the same thing when his mother...?"

"It was an accident."
The answer left Rainbow completely baffled, once again prompting Doctor Martingale to explain:
"Dove was cleaning the windows of the ballroom, all the while watching Taciturn playing with his first crayons. Started out like any other day, with mother and her special son spending some quality time together in the best way that she could think of, then it happened."

"The bucket she used for cleaning fell towards Taciturn, barely hitting him on the head. Dove was about to take the bucket and mop the mess up, though that's when Taciturn pushed her out of the window. Being an Earth pony, she didn't have wings or magic to save her, and she was impaled on... you know..."

Rainbow gave a small nod. It was finally clear to her now, why Taciturn did what he did.
"So he... did all of that last night... because he thought I was... going to hurt him?"

"Exactly," the doctor replied.
"Taciturn thought that when you questioned him about what he did, he misunderstood it just like he misunderstood his mother. You've seen it before this: when you were hit by the press and he swooped in to defend you from those interviews back then, remember?"

Her cheek tingled at the mention of that. Rainbow just gave a hefty sigh, ducking back into her blanket.
"But it wasn't my fault back then," she muttered.
"Tassee was protecting me. He did it to save me. He did it because he loved me, but now... I don't even know if he loves me anymore. I broke his trust and... I'm not sure if we can ever be together again. He might be sent to some hospital to treat for his personality, and I'll just be sent home to Ponyville. Just like that and it's... over..."

The mare just cuddled up in her blanket, choking out another sob as she clenched her eyes shut tightly. Regret strangled her, its grip relentless like a vise as she cried softly underneath her blanket, crippled from guilt and disgust. All Doctor Martingale could do was stare down at her, unsure of how to help.
""There is, however," he spoke suddenly.
"A way to get Taciturn back to his former state."

"W-what?"
Rainbow Dash immediately rose from her bed, her ears perking up at those words. Another way to get Tassee back to her? No, that couldn't be possible!
"H-how...?" she protested. "He's so violent and so... so dangerous..... E-even if I go back to face him, he wouldn't believe everything I say! He doesn't believe in me anymore!"

"Which is why you need him to believe in you once again."

Doctor Martingale's words practically took her by surprise. To believe in her? Again?
"To be precise, you need to do what Valente did to Dove, and that is to comfort him, soothe his anger and calm his tempest spirit. Guide him back from the trenches of anger he was submerged in, and free him of his insecurity. He needs not the treatment of a doctor, but the solace of a friend."

Rainbow just glanced away, her doubts clear from her pouting face. It wasn't long before the doctor placed his hoof on her shoulder, mustering up the best smile he could.
"I understand what Taciturn did made you insecure about this," he replied.
"But you must remember who you were to him. Besides being his marefriend, do you remember what you first became to Taciturn after your first encounter together on Hearth's Warming?"

"I... I was his... g-guardian..."

"Correct. And what does a guardian do?"

The mare stopped in her actions, the question echoing again and again in her head, as if striving to force out an answer. Her face lit up suddenly when she stumbled upon the answer, voicing it aloud:
"A guardian protects and consoles, as well as entertain and understands. A guardian remains loyal and true to the pony they are assigned to, and sworn to keep them safe from harm, even if harm would come to them first."

That was it, a part of her mind told her. That was what she needed!
She agreed to take care of Taciturn ever since the day they met, and had been doing so not only as his guardian, but his marefriend for the last two months. He was happy being with her, and she with him. After all, they shared so many wondrous memories in such a short time; she was sure his wicked memory would've remembered whatever triumphs or tribulations they had been through!
"When can I see him?" Rainbow asked with new-found determination.

"Later, perhaps," Doctor Martingale said with a small grin.
"However, I cannot guarantee he might come back to you, nor that you'll be safe. Are you certain of your choice?"

Rainbow gave a firm nod. She was here to get Taciturn back, and even if he didn't love her anymore, she still must comfort him. It was the role of a guardian and, admittedly, might be one of the hardest to fulfill in her entire lifetime. Yet, she doesn't care.
What matters most is that Tassee returns to normal. That's all she wanted to see.

"I'm ready."








"You're completely sure about that?"

"You've been asking that the fourth time already, Twilight," Rainbow replied.
"And my answer would still be the same. Yes, I'm sure of it. Probably."

Her friends would've chuckled if they weren't disclosed on what she was about to do. She didn't want them to be involved, just like how she didn't want Tassee to be involved when she was snooping around, but Fidus had told her she might need some backup, just in case everything turns out horribly wrong.
They were trotting down a corridor which, although pure white, was drenched in fear and trepidation. Flickering lights were aligned in a small row down the hallway, and it would be a beautiful spectacle if it weren't for the spiderwebs dangling on its sides and trapped bugs flying helplessly or lying still in its interior. Around them were metallic doors bolted shut, with two panels that are designed to slide open: the top one for viewing, and the bottom one for delivering.

Their sights, however, were set to the door at the end of the hallway. Unlike the rest, it was open, awaiting for their arrival. Standing there was Fidus and Doctor Martingale, the two aged stallions quietly discussing before spotting their approach.
"You're sure she's fit to go?" Rainbow managed to pick up the lines of the butler, no doubt having seen her bandaged wings and forehead, as well as the few bruises on her face, body and hooves. Her friends would've asked the same question if it wouldn't challenge her perseverance; she assumed that with every passing day, Taciturn might descend further into the dark, downward spiral of madness, and the last thing she wanted was for him to completely lose touch of reality.

"We can't delay it," the doctor replied. Apparently, he came to the same conclusion as she did.
Both stallions soon ushered her into the room, which was plunged in darkness with the only source of light shining from a window. On the other side of it was another room, glaring a bright white, with only a small chair in the center of the room. Rainbow held her breath once she saw the figure sitting on it, with one of his hooves cuffed to the furniture's legs.
There was Taciturn Bleach, gazing coldly down at the marble floor, his mane frazzled with a few bruises slapped on the side of his face, no doubt from some violent struggle after she was knocked out. His eyes were still filled with the insane rage that he had wore on that night, though it seemed more... vulnerable, as if on the verge of escalating only when the time is right. Rainbow could've sworn she saw him gnawing at his single bind, struggling dementedly as he tried to free the single hoof from the shackles.

"Whenever you're ready," Fidus said, prompting her to give a nod.
Rainbow turned to her friends, the latter all trying to wear their most supportive smiles, even though she noticed them cracking with doubt. She gave one in return, before limping towards another door, slowly marching down a narrow hallway. Her eyes were glued to Taciturn sitting solemnly on the chair, her breath stilled when she reached another door, no doubt leading to the chamber that the colt was in.
This was it, she told herself, her hoof clenching on the door knob. This was the moment she was waiting for. Without another second thought, she turned the knob and gave it a push, letting confidence take over her strides.

The door creaked open, revealing Taciturn's back facing towards her as she stepped inside. Rainbow heard him growl suddenly, as if he had detected her presence, though she still remained her determination, her head held high as she stepped into his view.
The colt's black pupils flared once he spotted her, and would've pounced onto her if not for his shackled hoof. The cyan pegasus just held her breath, watching his wings unfurl in an intimidating manner, its size only adding to the sheer display. Cautiously, she crept closer, stopping only when he grunted suddenly, gritting his teeth.

"T-Tassee...?"

Taciturn just snarled in response, though that only enticed her to go closer.
"I-It's me..." she stammered softly.
"It's D-Dashie...! Remember?"

Still, the colt retained his deadpanned stare. Rainbow could feel the tension starting to rise already, reminding her quietly of the little time she has left before he erupts into a fury. The fact that he was already starting to climb to the edge of his chair only served as a greater reminder, yet she only crept closer towards him.
"I...... I just wanted to say... a few things... about what happened, alright? I understand if you don't trust me or... l-lo...l-l-love me anymore... but if you can just hear me out..."

No response, which prompted her to continue:
"I know that what you did to your mother all those years ago," she paused briefly, going one step closer to him, "was an accident. I know you didn't mean to... to push her out of the window, and I.. I d-didn't realize it. To be honest, I w-was afraid of you."

That stopped Taciturn's erratic panting, though Rainbow could still see the hatred brimming in his pupils, threatening to crack at any minute.
"I was unsure," she continued, gazing to the side, "of what happened and... I couldn't understand why you did that. If... if I knew it was an accident, th-then I'll just forget about it. Hear that, Tassee? T-Tassee?"

The colt was staring blankly at the floor, a turmoil of emotions running across his face. Rainbow's breath halted, her worries growing at his internal feud. She could see the real him; the one that she fell in love with the first place, trying its best to break through his current, deranged state.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is..." she began.
"I'm sor-"

Pain seared through her cheek, cutting her sentence off as Taciturn suddenly swung his hoof against her face, the mare falling against a wall with a small cry. She could hear muffed gasps from the other room, no doubt from her friends, all shocked by his actions.
Her eyes widened, she glanced up in horror at the colt advancing towards her, literally dragging the chair with his shackled hoof. Rainbow started to crawl to the side, gritting her teeth once she felt her injured back started to spasm, leaving her vulnerable to what came next.

Taciturn suddenly gripped her wings, making her yelp in pain as he yanked her closer to him. Rainbow just glanced fearfully through the window and, despite seeing only her and Tassee's reflection, she could imagine the horrified expressions of each of her friends behind it.
"Tassee, please," she pleaded, turning around to meet his snarl.
"If you could just let me finish..."

She was suddenly thrown towards the door, screaming in agony when her battered body struck its bolted, metal surface. Her hooves were writhing, almost on the verge of giving away as she lifted herself up, finding support from the door knob.
The sound of hoofsteps hurrying towards the door whirled her back from her daze, the mare frantically reaching for the knob, though for an entirely different purpose. The moment she stepped back from the door to face the fury of the colt, the knob had started to rattle, her actions evident to everypony else when she heard Fidus's indistinct shout:

"She locked the blasted door!"

"WHAT?!" came her friends' voices in unison, the sound of it making Rainbow chuckle coldly with a smile. This would be the stupidest thing you had ever done, she told herself, even if it's necessary. She knew they could stop Tassee from breaking every rib in her body, yet he would never recover if she let it happen.
No, this was her fight, and she intends to fight it alone.

"I'm s-sorry, okay Tassee? That's all I wanted to say," she croaked, stumbling towards him.
"But... i-if... if you could just remember something... for me..."

Rainbow nearly tripped, and would've fallen onto the floor if her hooves hadn't caught Taciturn's shoulder in time. She tried to muster a weak smile as she craned her neck towards the colt's growling face, his hoof ready to slam into her body any second.
"Remember h-how we first met...?" she muttered, a small tear forming around her eyes.
"I... I gave you a paintbrush and... and watched you paint and paint... and p-paint-"

She suddenly felt a blow into her stomach, the staggering force making her retch, her pupils narrowed into the size of pinpricks, yet her grip on Taciturn's shoulders remained firm. I deserve it, she told herself despite how painful it sounded. I deserve all of it.
"Th-then..." she managed to gasp.
"R-remember I became y-your.... g-guardian, Tassee? R-remember that?"

Her heart start to cringe with guilt, thumping frantically in her chest from the intense pain. The first of many tears fell onto his shoulder once he gave the next blow, her mouth wide open in a silent scream at that, before she felt herself crumble, falling towards him.
"R-remember the hat I bought for you...?" she continued despite her pain.
"Or t-the gallery... where we had our... our f-first..."

Another blow stopped her, its immense power making her arch her back, yet her grip remained taut as she finished her sentence, not wanting to lose the chance:
"K-Kiss......?"

Taciturn just growled, as if asking her if it really mattered now. Rainbow just clenched her eyes shut, gritting her teeth forcefully from both the pain and despair ravaging through her head. She wanted him back, just like how he wanted her since the day they met. All the punches he could give would never compare to that!
"R-remember how you saved me? H-how I fell into th-the..."

Almost following her words, Rainbow collapsed, her wriggling hooves losing their struggle against the overwhelming pain wracking from her chest. She just watched, with tear-filled eyes, at Taciturn Bleach; her former lover and friend, staring down coldly at her, remorseless and heartless still.
"Why...?" she asked, tugging pleadingly at his hoof, her tears forming a small puddle.
"W-why can't you remember? Why won't you remember...?!"

All the sounds she could register; the frantic banging of Fidus slamming the door with a fire extinguisher, the hefty panting of the colt standing over her, and the rapid thumping of her heartbeat, started to warp, fading into a screeching silence. She was losing, and she couldn't do anything about it.
To leave the world so soon... a cruel price to pay for her curiosity. She cried loudly, grieving for the loss of her friend, her companion and her one true love, cringing tighter on the floor as the room started to spin like a kaleidoscope; a dream left in pieces.

"T-Tasse-" she let out a cough, "T-T-Tassee..."
Rainbow rose on her four hooves once again, giddily stepping up to the colt. Before he could lash out another blow, she gripped his hooves, leaving him to struggle against her firm grip as she leaned closer towards him, slowly pushing him back down into the chair he was chained to.
There were many things she would miss: her experiences with her friends, her time with Taciturn, in particular. But of all the sensations running through her head that she promised to herself she wanted to relive, there was only a single, viable one right now, and she wouldn't ask for anything better, even if it means doing it in the last minutes of her life.

Without hesitation, Rainbow planted her lips on his, catching him by surprise as she did so. Her chest blossomed with warmth that reddened her cheeks as mind, body and soul flourished in the harem of their kiss, her hoof reaching up to sensually caress his face.
In that short moment, she felt no pain nor pleasure; to be accurate, she was completely numb. Taciturn's panting slowed to a halt once she plunged her lips deeper, gripping on his hooves tighter. She felt herself drifting, almost as if she was flying again in the freedom of the world. Funny, she thought to herself, how one kiss can contain so many different sensations of life.

The tormenting injuries were the only leash pulling her back from the kiss, breaking off immediately as Rainbow stared into the black, endless oblivion of his pupils, smiling sadly while she brushed his mane to the side.
"I love you..." she whispered weakly, hugging him tightly once she felt herself floating away.
"Tassee..."

She couldn't remember what happened next. All that she could see was white, as if she was going back to the realm betwixt of dimensions once again: the empty field of naught. This was it, she heard a voice say. This is where your journey ends.
The threads of her life starting to weaken and rot away, the solace of whatever that comes next embracing her. However, just when she was clinging on the last line, a small, echoing voice whirred her back to life.

"Dashie...?"

"W-wha..."
Rainbow weakly opened her eyes, nearly gasping when she saw the visage of none other than Taciturn Bleach, pale as a ghost and speeding through stars... the night sky? Tears fell from his eyes, flying in the wind, with her only response being a small, quiet gasp once she heard his loud sniffles and whimpers.
Could it be, she asked herself. Is it really true...? Is he... is he...
"Ta-Tassee...?" she muttered, her ears perking up slightly after hearing a small, quiet whisper from him.

"D-Dashie," was what he managed to stammer, the translation she could render from his determined yet shivering voice quietly echoing in her head, making her smile with satisfaction before she slipped into the black of unconsciousness.

"He's going to save me...... again..."




> The Day They Went Home: The Secret Of Two Lovers, And Of One From Another
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"H-how is she, doctor?"

"Her condition is stable, to say the least," came Doctor Martingale's response, which was met with relieved sighs from the many ponies in front of him: Twlight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Cloudchaser, Flitter, Thunderlane and Sunburst, who had been waiting anxiously ever since the night before, and for a very good reason.
"The doctors and nurses tending her last night told me she just needed a few weeks rest," he continued, "but for her back, wings and ribs, she might need at least five months to recover completely."

"Five months," Applejack grumbled, crossing her hooves with her voice lowering into a mutter.
"Can't imagine what Ah miss in five months..."

Twilight nodded, unable to perceive it herself. Still, it was better than what she assumed her injuries to be when they first saw her through the window.
Rainbow Dash was tucked in the bed, with a tangled, colored mess of wires hanging from nearly every part of her body and an oxygen mask on her snout. Her forehead was completely bandaged, along with her chest and waist, covering the many bruises around her body, with her neck and hooves connected to an IV drip, where every droplet falling down was almost timed with the beeping monitor beside her.

"She might experience difficulty in flying, seeing how a few of the bones are dislocated."
Doctor Martingale let out a hefty sigh, placing the clipboard on the waiting chair.
"She's lucky she wasn't paralyzed. Any more twisted joints and broken tendons, it would be the end of flying for her."

"But she'll be fine by walking, right?" Rarity asked, albeit hesitantly.
"Or would she require physical therapy like her previous... accident?"

"Luckily, no. She might feel a slight sting at first in her hooves, but she'll be fine. However, I do suggest she does a little exercise every now and then. Would help with her recovery."

"And..." Fluttershy piped in, asking the question lingering in all of their heads.
"What about... Tassee...?"

All eyes turned towards the said colt sitting inside the room with their injured friend, looking down despondently at the floor. He was cringing in his seat, his head buried in the sheets of the bed with an endless waterfall of tears already staining it in a darker shade. There were a few times he gritted his teeth, scolding himself harshly yet quietly, as if bringing himself the same torment that he had put Rainbow through.
His grip on the mare's hoof was tight, and there were a few times he would glance up in bloodshot eyes, staring down at her face with only grief and remorse. His wings were as frazzled as his mane, with loose feathers sticking all over the place; the result of the colt pulling them out with his teeth out of hatred at himself, and one that the doctor had recently stopped.

"He did this..." Twilight muttered softly, devoid of emotion.
"But... does he deserve it...?"

The rest of them just stared at the colt, ravaged between the state of the mare before him and the cause of her affliction: none other than he himself. They wanted to believe he was to blame for this, yet somehow it doesn't seem right. After all, it was his double personality that caused it, and he was the one who brought her to the hospital in time.
"Tormented by his past, this young colt," Doctor Martingale said suddenly.
"He carried the weight of guilt of his mother's death for so long, and to bring it back up was what agitated him. You can't blame Rainbow for starting it, nor you could blame Taciturn for ending it."

"But... I don't understand..."
Twilight stared back at the couple, shattered by the events of last night. There's so much of love she doesn't understand; she knew it was exaggerated in all those romance novels, and even Cadance and Shining they have problems with each other sometimes, but this?
"One of them has to be at fault, right?" she asked.
"How could this happen if none of them started it?"

"The answer is, per say, out of ordinary," the doctor began.
"In the case of Miss Dash, she wanted to figure out about what happened to Taciturn in his early days and understand why his father abandoned him. She wanted to know why for the sake of the colt she came to love, and that alone, in the end, freed him from the weight he was carrying all this time."

"Taciturn might seem at fault, but apart from his second personality, he was still in love with Rainbow Dash, even if he started losing trust in her. Of course, when he lost control that night, being the sensitive colt he was, he lost sight of what was important to him in the present, and he realized it at the last moment, which spurred him to rescue her before it's too late. Like her, he blamed himself for what happened, even though they both never realized it would never happen without the other."

"So you're saying... they're both at fault?"

"Perhaps," came the doctor's response, much to the disbelief of everypony else.
"Or perhaps, you could say it was a challenge. To pit two lovers against each other and test their relationship. How their affection remained strong after such a disastrous event was still a mystery to me. You could say Rainbow would wake up hating Taciturn forever, or that Taciturn would be to afraid to love her again after what he had done, but in your heart, you know that's plain false."

"M-Maybe..." Pinkie Pie finally spoke, breaking out of her dismal reverie.
"They still love each other very much, and they just need each other to be happy again?"

The answer, despite being blatantly obvious, was that one small flicker that lit up in their heads. And, as some (maybe none) ponies would say, one minuscule flicker could light up into a flame, be it docile in the hearth of a fireplace, or berserk for the path of destruction. To them, however, it seemed like the former, and it granted them faith.
"Maybe we should organize some sort of party for them?" Twilight suggested.
"A Get-Well party, or some sort of reunion maybe? Something that could bring them back together?"

"I don't wanna burst your bubble, Twilight, but I don't think this needs a party," the pink mare replied and, being the aficionado of parties, surprised everypony else. 
"I think all they need is just some alone, lovey-dovey time together! That would make me happy if I have a super special somepony! We don't need parties to be happy all the time now, do we?"

Almost as if in time with her words, a loud gasp suddenly erupted from the room, whirling their attention back to the window. Their jaws dropped once they saw Taciturn bouncing from his seat, hugging tightly a now chuckling Rainbow Dash. Tears fell rapidly from both of their eyes, the colt stuttering out the thousand of apologies to 'Dashie' that he had been storing throughout the night, paving way for the mare's turn once he was done.
"Young love..." Doctor Martingale muttered, sighing dreamily once they hugged again, their affection palpable to all those watching. Soon after, Rainbow sat up from her bed, leaning her head against Taciturn's own as they nuzzled their snouts together, much to everypony's delight.

There was an urge to speak among each of them, though all thoughts of it were stilled at the heartwarming display of tender affection being played before them like a romance movie. It was as silent as it was glorious, much like the sun shining outside, giving warmth to the flower of their hearts and blossoming at the sight of the couple.
"They passed the test," Twilight mumbled.
"Now... we'll just have to see what they'll do next..."

And all of them knew, as did the couple they were fawning over, that they were very excited to see them grow.








"Got your paintbrushes?"

One nod.

"Got your paint and palette?"

Two quick nods in succession, followed by a puff-cheeked grin.
Rainbow Dash chuckled, letting the tendency of ruffling his mane get over her. With a soft sigh, she folded the dress she ordered from Willow Wisp; the same one she wore for the ball, now tarnished and stained with mud. Despite how mangled it was, Rarity had promised she would fix it. Some way or another.
Latching her suitcase shut, she grinned when Taciturn slid it up his back, uniting her luggage with his. He strained out a small smile at the extra weight, albeit a necessary one: the doctors advised Rainbow not to put a lot of pressure on her back, especially when it involves luggage.

With a sigh, Rainbow watched as he slowly carried himself down the stairs, his hoof wobbling slightly. There were a few instances she thought (much to her disappointment at herself) that he would trip over and fall flat on his face. It would be unfortunate as much as it was comedic, and she was relieved she was wrong when he made it safely to the bottom.
"I should be the one to carry it," the mare quietly muttered, limping towards the front door as she held his hoof. Turning to the blanched colt, she let out a small sigh, catching his attention.
"I'm the one who started this, remember?"

Taciturn just shook his head, his smile just growing wider with one hoof on her shoulder. It was his fault too, his expression said, and he wanted to make it up to her. Rainbow chuckled warmly at that, feeling a little lucky to have him as a coltfriend again.
"But you don't have to carry all my stuff every single time, okay?" she added jokingly.
"It really... makes me feel like.. like I need help all the time. You know my style, don'tcha Tassee?"

The colt just rolled his eyes, prompting her to snort with laughter, though it dropped into silence once another pony stepped into their presence. His orderly suit covering his lanky figure was enough of a telltale that it was none other than Fidus Shadowtear, the distinguished butler of the household.
"So it seems you two are ready to go," he said, glancing at the suitcases.
"Have you called for the carriage yet?"

"Just this morning, yeah."
Rainbow wasn't keen on talking to him; she felt a twinge of guilt ever since that night, even more than meeting with Doctor Martingale. Perhaps it was because she knew the doctor more than him, or perhaps he sounded more threatening when he gave his warning. Then again, it could be worse.
"You're gonna be fine here all alone?" she asked out of curiosity.
"Take care of the old place for the rest of your life or something?"

"Taciturn's assigned to you, so you could assume I might be here for quite a while, yes," he said with a halfhearted chuckle.
"Though, I have to admit, it would become of a bore to waste time taking care of the estate. Perhaps I might auction it off or something, but that would seem unruly to the deceased lord's wishes. Master Valente did say I inherited the entirety of his mansion in his will, after all."

Of course, Rainbow smiled to herself. It was yesterday, three days after being discharged from the hospital, that the will was announced. There a few gifts here and there, which were admittedly a little strange: one pony got a small set of ornate tuning forks, and another had half a pair of scissors and a rusted screw. The worst was the pony who got a research book titled Fimo Equino, which she found out that, much to her crude amusement, it was Latin for 'horse dung'. She tried not to guffaw at every heirloom being sent out; it must be really disappointing for those ponies who came all the way here for a bunch of trash.
However, there were some white sheeps among the black herd. Instead of Fidus owning the mansion, there was Willow Wisp, who had the portfolio of Dove's designs. There was that librarian who got the complete book collection, and there was Doctor Martingale as well, who got, much to his delight, a notebook filled with intricate drawings of pony anatomy. She still didn't understand why the excitement over it, however; whether it was some morbid fascination, or just some scientific breakthrough for the doctor, Rainbow knew she would never have the heart to read something concerning body parts.

Then there was Taciturn's gift.
To her, besides a small collection of message in bottles to some unlucky pony, it was the most mystifying, not to mention the most intriguing. Along with his mother's butterfly medallion, Tassee had a letter from his father, to which he had read it in private in the bedroom with her waiting outside. When he finished, he stepped out of the door looking never more merrier, which only heightened her curiosity.
But of course, she knew better than to ask him. Curiosity was the one that gave her these scars, after all.

"What about you, Miss Dash? What of your future endeavors?"

"Well, instead of not being able to fly from one end of Fillydelphia to another in ten seconds flat for the next five months," she began, both her and Fidus chuckling slightly.
"I'll think I'll spend some time with my buddy here," she patted Taciturn's head, "and maybe have a little therapy and such. Do some exercises that don't really matter and all, but for now, Tassee's my main focus. Ain't that right, bud?"

Taciturn nodded eagerly, to which the butler widened his smile.
"Well, it seems I've done my end of the duty here," Fidus began, placing some of their bags on his back and heading towards the door. The trio stepped out into the afternoon, their necks tingling from the winds of spring as they led themselves down the gravel path, slowly approaching the rusted iron gates in the distance.
"It'll not be long before I see you both again, I presume?"

"Maybe..." she replied hesitantly.
"And... about what you were trying to tell me before. You know, about Tassee..."

"No need for an apology, Miss Dash. Such is the past, and I prefer it very much to remain it that way."
Fidus finished with a modest nod; one that tamed the guilt that had been growing like a weed in her heart ever since. Rainbow finally let out a genuine smile, relieved that he wasn't holding any grudges against her, and she to him.
"Taciturn places his utmost trust in you in the present," he continued.
"I suppose it's fair that I shall do the same."

The mare just beamed at that. Taciturn seemed to share her exuberance, as he suddenly let out a squeal, though the other two ponies realized what he actually meant when they heard the familiar crumble of rocks and pebbles being crushed by wood, the silhouette of a whistling pony pulling a carriage behind reminiscent of those in the old Western films and heading up to them.
"Well, that's our ride alright, buddy," Rainbow said, holding the bleached colt's hoof before turning to Fidus.
"Thanks for letting us stay here, Fidus. We really appreciate it!"

"Anytime," came the welcoming reply, just as the carriage stopped to a halt right in front of them.
Rainbow stepped in first, watching with quiet dissatisfaction at herself as the two colts moved the luggage into the back of the carriage. Her desire to help was whisked back into hiding when Taciturn shifted next to her, the mare giving him a weak smile, to which he gave a more cheerful one in return.
"Farewell, Miss Dash! Farewell, Taciturn!" Fidus exclaimed, giving them a wave once the carriage started moving, signaling the start of their return to Ponyville. Taciturn gave a gleeful wave back, looking almost as if he was jumping out the carriage, the sight of which made Rainbow giggle.

"Tassee, you silly little colt..."

Rainbow's thoughts soon wandered, eventually settling down on the events of the past few days when she was still in the hospital. Despite a few dozen lengthy protests, she managed to convince her friends, including Cloudchaser, to go back to Ponyville before her dismissal from the hospital. Doctor Martingale also left for Canterlot the day before, though not before he bid them farewell and good luck, of course.
Sighing as she glanced out of the carriage, her eyes soon caught sight of two ponies in the meadow, just a few feet away from the mansion. They were... dancing? A waltz in the middle of the sun? Nevertheless, despite their strange, ethereal forms in their arabesques, she could make out a mare, with mane striped red and pink and coat as white as her partner, who glanced down at her with dreamy eyes. His mustached visage, however, left her speechless once he turned to give her a smile, the rainbow-maned pegasus recognizing him immediately.

"V-Valente Bleach...?"

Soon, the mare beside him caught sight of their single audience as well, before both husband and wife (she guessed) gave a simultaneous nod, mouthing out two words:

Thank you

"T-Tassee! Did you see--!"
The sight of Taciturn already asleep, head leaning against her shoulder with lips curled into a smile, stopped her in her sentence. The urge to wake him up was replaced with a sense of serenity, before she glanced back at the now empty meadow, sighing as she too leaned her head on the colt's own.
"They're watching over you, buddy," she could only whisper in his ear.
"Watching over... us..."

"Dashie," he muttered in his sleep as if it was a fully-conscious response.
Rainbow just giggled, holding his hoof as she closed her eyes, leaving behind a painful ordeal. Sure, it was her curiosity that beckoned her into this, but as much as it was tragic, it felt fulfilling, knowing how she could help him even more than before.
Hugging him like her favorite Wonderbolt plush toy, she soon fell into a deep sleep, letting fatigue take over. To know they have two guardian angels watching over them soon made her smile. It somehow felt fitting, that their son had equally seraphic wings that saved her, which reminded her she forgot to congratulate him on conquering his fear of flying for the first time.

Despite her friends seeing him fly that night, neither knew of his hesitance to soar through the skies, much less the mere five feet descent from their home. Nevertheless, the mare wanted it no other way; it doesn't seem fun once everypony knows about it.
"It'll be our little secret," Rainbow once promised, and she'll keep it, even when he had already defied it.

"Between you and me, buddy."








"Finally!"

With a loud, delighted cry, Rainbow Dash dived into the confines of her cloud sofa despite the aching of her back, her wings buzzing weakly. She gave her hooves a long-needed stretching after that seventy-bit carriage ride, flicking her mane to the side as she watched Taciturn stepping in with a gingerly beat of his colossal wings.
One last step, and the colt's hooves finally gave away, sending him tumbling down with every suitcase bouncing off his back, his pupils spinning like pinwheels. The flimsy sight only made his marefriend laugh quietly, before she stepped forward, lifting his dazed self up from the floor.

"Kinda heavy, isn't it?" she said teasingly, wiping away a few beads of sweat from his head.
Taciturn soon emerged triumphant, however, when it was time to feed her. It was one of his duties as her guardian (again), seeing how she has a slight complication from the many lacerations and abrasions around, all bandaged up from view. Of course, being Rainbow Dash, he knew she wasn't a keen mare on being baby-fed by somepony else.
"Hooves off the spoon," came her growl once he strutted back in, holding in his hooves a hot bowl of congee, mixed with diced apples, cinnamon, almonds and raisins (which were Tank's favorite and reminded her of obtaining the tortoise back from Fluttershy's care). Despite her warning, both knew he wasn't going to let this chance slip away.

With a demurring sigh, Rainbow hesitantly opened her mouth, rolling her eyes again once the Porridge Express playfully snaked around its train tracks, before softly landing onto her tongue. Despite it's mischievous entrance, the food was undeniably delicious, yet her pouting face hid any trace of it.
"Y-You don't have to do that every time, you know," she quipped with a slight blush, to which Taciturn just retained his coy grin. She sighed in defeat, scrunching up her face when every spoonful of congee fills her mouth, entertaining the colt and, much to her embarrassment, herself.
Once she was done with dinner - she gulped - it was onwards to her wound cleansing.

She wasn't sure if Taciturn was able to do it, almost as much as she could bear through it either. The turmoil of that night was still freshly carved in their heads, and the thought of reigniting a spark from that fateful day only threw her in a pit of uncertainty.
Slowly, she trotted into the bedroom and settled herself down onto the wide expanse of her bed, with the pale colt following closely behind. She started to removed her bandages, with each wrapping steadily landing onto the sheets, forming a strewn coil and revealing the jarring scars on the side of her head. Her teeth soon sank in her lips once she saw Taciturn recoil from the sight, which only made her glance away.
"I-It's okay, T-Tassee..." she stammered after a moment of silence.
"I don't blame you for what you did."

Taciturn crawled closer at that, though his gaze still remained averted from the deep wounds. Holding her breath, Rainbow felt his breath tickling the sides of his neck, trying not to whimper at the sight of him dipping a cotton pad into a bowl of antiseptic, before watching its gradual approach to her open wounds.
She let out a loud hiss, clamping her mouth shut to suppress a yell at the last minute once the fiery pain stung from her forehead. Her hooves clenched tighter onto the bedsheets, beginning to tremble after a few more dabs. Taciturn's free hoof soon found hers, and he gripped it tighter when a few tears fell from her eyes, staining the sheets below her.

The next few dabs on her severed skin became more pervading, her attempts of calming down with lengthy breaths within every interval to no avail. Ravaged by pain and guilt, Rainbow gasped out a sob, feeling her heart clenching up simultaneously with Taciturn's sniffles as well. She could hear them, those sounds deprived of happiness, with only one last dainty step to silence; an effort to wear a mask of bravery, albeit not a fitting one.
With one last sting that parted her like dandelions from a stalk, the mare tenderly shifted towards him, quietly lying down on his chest; in return, Taciturn spread out his wings, embracing her figure with utmost sincerity, his snout buried the chromatic ocean of her mane, halting her sniffles immediately.

"Tassee?"

A small purr.

"Would... w-would you still... hate me?"

His response was hasty as it was relieving; a nimble shake of his head.
Rainbow's hoof reached around his neck, pulling his head closer to his. She stared into his black pupils, the whirlpool of onyx shimmering with a single tear, luring her towards him before she drew her eyes shut.
"C'me here..."

Without hesitation, both lips met despite the abnormality of their position, flickering their hearts with fondness of one another. Fresh tears leaked out from both their eyes as their hearts unite as one, combining both tragedies and comedies that they had faced in the Fillydelphian premises.
They could remember it all: rain, stone, blood and tears, all strung by a streak of untamed rage. The sensuality grew, fueled from the ravaging despair of that night as their tongues soon came into the scene, swirling in the cauldrons of each other's mouths. Sweat dripped from both of their bodies, before both collapsed backward, breaking the French ardor enveloping their affection and leaving with them only breathless, light pants.

Silent as the colt beside her, Rainbow curled up into his embrace, to which he replied promptly by fanning out his wings. She didn't bother to bandage her forehead back, for she felt safe and secure already in the solace of Taciturn Bleach; the innocent reason of her injury. He was already quietly sleeping beside her, which prompted her to reach for the table at the side, fumbling through the near-empty drawers as she searched for the one last secret she will keep from him, and will forever do so until the time is right.
A small smile crept up to her face once she held, in her hooves, a small black box. Flipping it open with a click, her smile grew wider at the sight of the hoop nestled in its red, cushioned interior. It was golden, adorned with a patterned row of rubies and sapphires and a large diamond embedded in the center. She bought it from a shop in Fillydelphia on Hearts and Hooves Day unbeknownst to the colt beside her and, despite how pricey it was, she felt it was worth it.

Now, when would she pull it off? In the middle of some elegant dinner, or when he was adding another painting to his gallery? And how? Would it be just some simple kneel-down, open-box traditional whatnot, or some crazy procession that Twilight might organize like some ponies these days?
Rainbow bit her lip: usually it was the colts who do this. She only ever read about stallions proposing to mares, not the other way around, but if it was somepony as reticent as Taciturn, she doubt he would ever wanted to give it a go. Then again - her hoof reached up to her scarred forehead - there were some things she might have to consider.
With a smile, she brushed the sleeping colt's mane aside absentmindedly, sliding the box back into the drawer. There's still a lot more she might need to know about him and, no doubt, he from her as well. Maybe then, she told herself, there would be a perfect time.
"Maybe next time, Rainbow..." she said to herself with utmost determination, breaking out a yawn.

"Maybe next time..."