The Tale of RariDash - Series 1

Luna took her time to debate the plan; she had no idea if Chrysalis had feasted upon Twilight yet and if there were any changelings protecting her. Twilight may have been a simple, book smart pony, but she was also a source of great magical power. Every moment taken to hesitate and plan out would bring the inevitable closer. With Twilight and Rarity gone, nothing would be able to stop the Queen and her changeling army, the elements of harmony needing all six members to work.

The other problem was that Dash was still disorientated, barely able to open her eyes after the assault she had endured. Luna worried for her safety, trotting closer to the sitting pony who held her aching head in her hooves.

"Rainbow Dash, you have my promise. I will do everything in my power to save Rarity," assured Luna, placing a hoof on her chest as a sign of respect.

"No...I need to help!" argued Dash stubbornly, pulling herself to her hooves with a bit of a wobble.

Spitfire was pacing at the boutique's door, staring out towards the far off tree line of the Everfree Forest.

"Princess Luna, we must act now!" called Spitfire, urging the royal alicorn to take action.

There was no more time to spare, nothing to plan. Chrysalis may have been on the run, but she had the element of surprise, of uncertainty. Luna didn't know what brought her back, what gave her such energy to even return. She didn't know if only a few changeling guards awaited them, or an entire army. But Spitfire was right, they could wait no longer. Luna and Spitfire met with the other Wonderbolts outside with Dash carefully following. Each hoof fall was an effort, her head still pounding mercilessly from her confrontation with the changeling Queen. But nothing was going to stop her. She had to save Rarity.

The group took off; one royal Princess, the six Wonderbolts and a rainbow maned filly. The cool night air was what greeted them, a chilly fear filling each of them as they began to close in on the dark forest. The glade was shown clearly, the sickly blaze of dark green magic shining through the thick thistles of the canopy.

Dash was beginning to recover her bearings, the flight allowed her head to recover with help from the fresh night breeze. Her eyes were able to turn to the courageous ponies around her. The best of the best, the top flyers from all over Equestria, each one fearless and determined. At the front, the Captain Spitfire soared effortlessly through the sparse cloud, carefully pulling up close to Rainbow Dash.

"You're a lot better than you were the other night! Then again, not even I'd be able to pull off those moves in drag!" called the cheeky Spitfire over the winds whipping around the pair.

"Hold on - you knew that was me?" replied Dash in a shocked little squeal.

"Dash, you were wearing a dinner jacket not a full body suit! Plus, Luna told me about the situation."

What Rarity had said the other day, about not telling others about their secret, had left Dash feeling very vulnerable. Even more so after the dream she had, being called a 'freak'.

"Look, about that. I'm sorry. You guys must hate me..." whimpered Rainbow, expecting to be shouted at or spat on.

"Come again?"

"Guess I'll never get a place in the Wonderbolts..."

Spitfire seemed completely confused, staring beside her to the soaring mare, "For being a lesbian?"

That was a word Rainbow hadn't heard before, "A les-what now?"

A warm smile slipped across Spitfire's face, "A lesbian! A mare that likes another mare! You know, 'like-likes'! That Rarity is your special somepony, right?"

Dash would slowly nod, a little surprised at the openness of the situation, "Don't they imprison you for that?"

Spitfire would give a hearty chuckle, "Well if they do, they must have missed me!"

So many questions filled Rainbow's head, the revelation of the term and its acceptance gave a little relief to what had become a very dire situation. What almost made her fall out of the sky was the careful kiss Spitfire planted on her cheek!

"You're cute! Can't believe you don't know all this, Dash. Or, what was it, 'Jet'?"

The little tease got the pair laughing, Dash feeling a lot better for having talked with her idol. The idol she was flying with to boot! If ponies’ lives weren't hanging in the balance, this would definitely be the best day ever!

Suddenly, to their side, one of the stallions on the right wing was struck by a bolt of green. A changeling had dive bombed the pegasus from above, slamming the poor pony to the ground.

All eyes would turn upwards to the twisted beasts slipping from the cover of the clouds. Wings like insects, sharp fangs to rip at flesh and dark, empty eyes. A crescendo of snarling and hissing as the vile creatures before their ambush, bursts into pillars of green swirling flame as they swung to action.

"Changelings!" cried out Spitfire as a few began diving at the intrepid group. Beneath them lay the edge to the forest where groups of changelings began to dart out, eager to protect their Queen. The Wonderbolts began to break up, taking on a few each to drive them away from the Princess. A flurry of midair dog fights began, punches and kicks being swung as the evil creatures began to drop from the sky. Luna and Dash broke off from the pack to the forest entrance, where a wall of changelings stood guard and deny them entrance.

With a growl in her voice, Luna rushed the group, a blast of her dark magic sending the bunch flying about in all directions.

"Rainbow Dash, into the forest! Find the Queen, make sure she does not take Twilight's magic!" ordered the Princess, bucking a pair away as they came in from behind.

Rainbow took the chance to dash in, dodging a few claws and bites that were aimed at her before getting only a glance at Luna as the entrance would close. Thorny vines began to come to life, prehensile fibres of razor sharp spikes would whip across the entrance, cutting it off and leaving Dash stranded. In front of her was nothing but darkness, only relying on fragile, blind hope.

One hoof step forward took Dash on her way, her face staying determined. Rarity was counting on her. Who knew what lurked in this forest? She could hear the rustling of bushes around her, the hisses and calls of the untamed wildlife that thrived in the wood. Eyes could barely make out the path.

"Dash."

Where was she? The whispering voice sat on the chilling inner winds, like the cries of a long gone ghost. It didn't bare thinking about. The darkness was so thick, unforgiving. Trees upon trees grown atop each other, fighting for space and for survival, bark as hard and as pliant as concrete. Moving through it was almost agonising, as if each step tore at her flesh, clawing at everything she had. Stray thorns and hanging vines would catch her at a step, baring no pattern or warning. The jungle would take a swing and she would take it, a cut here and a slice there would draw blood. But not one hoof moved back. A hiss of pain, a gasp from some unseen foe wearing at her spirit.

"Dash."

An echo now, nothing more than a forgotten whimper. As if the world had lost her lips and all that was left was that on word, that one vocal epitaph. Where was she? Where could she be? Every shadow took her shape, every tree twisted to a face of Rarity's anguish. She must have been close by now. It felt like she had been walking for hours, every step bringing the same torturous black that tested her very nerve. But the path had disappeared, lost from sight. Swallowed up by the greedy bogs around her. The growling marsh baying for its next meal, spurting the heavy smog onto the dirt path. One hoof out of place and Dash would sink, her body swallowed up by the marsh.

There may have been silence, and she may have been alone, but it was Dash's hope that kept her going. Her loyalty was to her friends and she would not let them down. Not a chance. A sickly green glow began to shine through the tree line. The chanting of words, of softly spoken incantations. The growing fear of what lay beyond. The darkness of the forest almost seemed inviting compared to facing the hellish nightmare Queen once more. But soon that thistle archway was found and Dash emerged into the clearing. She was bloody, cut and weak, but she had made it.

There stood the two green cells, one holding Rarity and the other Twilight and Spike, floating in the strange gunk that kept them unconscious. In front of the left one stood Chrysalis, horn ablaze as tendrils of dark energy drew from the green capsule holding Twilight and into her form.

"Rainbow Dash. Such persistence! I'd find it almost admirable of I didn't want you dead," cooed the nasty figure, not turning from that capsule.

Dash didn't have the time or the effort to play games, breaking into a gallop before diving towards the dark Queen, "You get away from her!"

A sudden burst of green flame and the monster had moved, sending Dash slamming head first into the rubbery holding cell.

A few steps behind her, the dark figure evaporated once again, eyes glowing that sinister green, like the foggy shimmer of a muddy emerald.

"You believe you can take me on? Please!" called the Queen in mocking of the young filly's attempt.

Dash growled at her, moving to take up her defensive position of head down, wings shot up in the air. This time she was ready for the bursts of dark energy, dashing left and ready to escape them. Throughout it all, Chrysalis was still to fiendishly cackling as her head leant into each powerful shot.

But Dash wasn't to be outdone. The missed shots kicked up enough dirt and dust that slowly began to veil the rainbow mare, leaving the nightmare Queen shooting into the dark.

"Trying to hide from me, Rainbow Dash?" teased the changeling, her body quickly morphing into that of Rarity, adopting her tone to mock her, "Why would you hide from me?"

The powerful pegasus silently dipped down behind the powerful doppelgänger, letting her hind legs deliver a powerful kick to the back.

What she kicked was thin air, the Rarity clone slowly melting into the haze of the forest. When Dash's head looked forward once more, the evil Queen was waiting, giving a snarl that sent the shocked filly head over hooves. A follow up blast of dark magic sent her careening across the menacing glade as she slammed back into the block that held Twilight.

Dash was left in a heap once again, the sinister figure gawking pitifully at her from across the clearing.

"You truly are pathetic, you know that? But at least now you get to die beside your precious little girlfriend. That's if she isn't dead already."

Pulling herself to her hind legs, back pressed against the green slime, Rainbow would take the time to look over at her girlfriend floating in the ooze. Her body was listless, devoid of twitch or motion or stir. Maybe it was already too late. Maybe the fight had been lost. Tears began to well in her eyes, teeth biting firmly into her lip as of fighting for composure.

But the break was not to last, Chrysalis lining that menacing horn up to spear the unlucky pegasus. Dark eyes focused on their target. The charge began, quick paces sending the tip of that sharp horn closer and closer to the bare belly of the pony. Head hit its mark, Dash curled in from the impact. It was all over.

"Oooo...so close," murmured Dash, a smirk on her face.

Those eyes would turn down. Dash had shifted out the way and that splinter horn was jammed into that gooey cell. Blue hooves grasped her head, giving it a firm tear up and down before shunting her away. A surprised Chrysalis could only look on as Dash used her paws to tear away at the thick gelled wall!

"Nooo! Stop!"

But it was too late, the warm much of the gel spilling out from the burst prison and poured out onto the ground. It was as if the floodgates let loose, Twilight and Spike sliding out, unconscious but alive.

The Queen began to writhe on the floor, dark jets of magic spilling from her body. Releasing Twilight had caused a release of the magic she stole, the energy flowing back into Twilight's horn.

Dash could only watch on in horror, the weakened changeling pulling herself to her hooves even after the firm blow she was dealt, "You insolent little worm!"

The freeing of Twilight from that biological gunk may have weakened the Queen, but it didn't deter her. Sharp fangs gleamed in unhealthy glow under the sickening moonlight, horn beginning to flare in rage. Rainbow Dash had nothing; that charging trick probably wouldn't work again and running would accomplish nothing. Once again, her body was enveloped in that searing dark energy, hooves leaving the ground as she once again came under the mercy of the evil Queen.

The dark energy would tighten around the pegasus' throat, air barely able to slip through before it was cut off completely. And with no daring rescue in sight, things seemed at their darkest for Rainbow Dash.

"Love is true. Hearts entwined. Something lost that you must find."

Although her mind began to haze and her vision began to darken, those words would ring out above all else. They were the words of the Princess, of Luna. The words that were spoken in her dream.

Dim eyes would turn to the cell behind her, to Rarity. She had given it her all, against an infinitely more powerful opponent. And it had not been enough. All the things she didn't get to do with Rarity, the opportunities she would never experience. Her mind turned to Scootaloo, whom she would never see grow up. Or to her friends who she would never speak to again. To the Wonderbolts and their final flight she had partaken in. But mostly, to Rarity. She had let her down, she hadn't been there to protect her. Through all the lies and deceit, the ups and downs, through the greatest of humiliations, one thing was constant. She loved that mare. She loved...

"Rarity--" whispered the dying mare with the last her lungs would give her.

That magic began to weaken, the aura began to fade. The dark Queen who gorged herself on false love, on misleading those who held each other so dearly, was starting to pay the price. She was not loved, she was not wanted. Without her disguise, her true self had been revealed. And all that power, all that love was returning to its true receiver. Rarity.

A love once lost had now been found.

The fight was over, the magic fleeing from Dash’s form once again as she landed belly down in the dirt. All connections that the changeling ruler had to her sources of power had been severed. Powerful surges of magic burst from her form, violently breaking free of her. The writhing Queen cried out, her powerful essence leaving her, dissipating into the night air.

A deep groan from behind Dash, her head turning to see the goo-built feel rupture, the nasty fluid spilling out and Rarity sliding with it. The white mare looked weak, lifeless. She looked dead. With the last of her strength, Dash crawled over to her, dragging her weak body through the dirt and the mud. Those blue forelegs slipped beneath the unicorn's body, pulling her up into Dash's grip.

This was too painful for the pegasus; tears began to build in her eyes, soon streaming down her face. There was no pulse, no breath. All the warmth had drained from Rarity's body. Thanks to the gunk she was suspended in, not even that welcoming scent was there. The changeling had taken everything.

"Rise and shine, Rari'," sniffled the crumpling pegasus, a hoof moving to softly scoop her luscious mane from her face, "You're safe now. We won, babe!"

Rainbow pulled that stone cold mare into her shoulder, Dash pressing her muzzle into that sweet neck.

"Please Rarity. Say something."

A deep breath wasn't enough to hold that fragile composure, the pegasus sobbing deeply into her dead mate, "Please! Don't leave me, Rarity."

By this time, the evil forest was free from the dark influence of Chrysalis, the sharp vines and tendrils giving way clear through to the grove. Luna and Spitfire were there in an instant, ready for a fight. What they found was the broken Dash and the crippled shapeshifting Queen.

While Luna stood guard over the changeling, Spitfire trotted across to Dash, a hoof on her shoulder. A light tug, as if to pull away.

Those forelegs dug tightly into Rarity's form, snarling at the attempts to pull her away. She cried out, thrashing the Wonderbolt off her, intent of ignoring the truth. Rarity was gone.

"Dash...I-I'm sorry..."

All she could do was weep into Rarity's shoulder, desperately trying to will the dead pony back to life. She wasn't coming back, and when Dash realised that, her head turned to the defeated Chrysalis. Carefully she laid her Rarity down, before a rage-fuelled glare would take hold. She charged at the weak Queen, Spitfire having to restrain her from getting any closer.

"You did this! This is your fault! She didn't deserve this!"

It was taking all the strength the Wonderbolt Captain had to keep Dash contained. Chrysalis seemed fearful more than anything else, Luna having to step in the way to create a barrier. All that hate, all that rage. And Dash had no outlet.

"Is this who you are, Rainbow Dash?" stated the Princess coldly, "A creature of hate and destruction? What makes you and Chrysalis any different?"

Rage gripped the furious mare, hooves almost quivering, eager to get to work on the hateful enemy that sought to destroy all she held dear. Eyes would move to the unconscious Twilight and Spike, both clinging to the edge of life as Wonderbolts began to resuscitate them. She couldn't even look back to Rarity; the pain was too fresh, the wound was too great. For all the suffering that nightmare child had caused, she couldn't be given such an easy way out. Pride and loyalty dictated that the mare act. But no matter how angry the pegasus was, Luna had a point. It was hate that had caused the chilling winds to befall her pony ancestors. Anger and the will for retribution had sent Luna herself into depravity and madness. And no matter how much beating the crud out of that twisted Queen would satisfy Dash, it would not bring Rarity back. Slowly, Rainbow began to give in to Spitfire's grip, allowing herself to be held.

"Tell me about her. About Rarity."

The Princess' request was simple, and subject Dash had eagerly wanted to share.

"She is...was my girlfriend. She was the very best of me. Beautiful, smart, funny... Her smell was just...awesome. Her beautiful hair you could just stroke all day. Coat white as the highest cloud, eyes bright as the deep blue sky."

A smile slowly grew on her face. All that hatred began to melt away, the weight of the pain began to disappear.

"I want to hold her in my arms. To spend long mornings in bed with her. I want to call her mine. Hell, I'd fly about, calling her name to every pony in Ponyville. I'd fly around Equestria for her and second time if it'd make her smile. I love her."

"That's so mushy..."

That voice. That beautiful voice. It couldn't be. Dash would spin in place, eager to dispel that she must have been hearing things. But she wasn't. Stood there, still glistening wet for her imprisonment, a beaming smile plastered on her face.

"A wonderful thing, love," stated Luna, taking Chrysalis from the scene and back down the pathway.

Dash couldn't really move, the reality of the moment keeping her from stirring. Moments ago, her life with her girlfriend was over. Her heart had been torn from her chest, suffering a pain so great that she couldn't even bare to think. Then she was talking of her love, of the times they shared. And in that choking darkness of grief, there was a glimmer of hope. A glimmer than was now standing in front of her.

Spitfire gave a soft titter, a cheeky smile on her face as she butted Dash out of her trance, "Will you just go over there and kiss her already!?"

The pegasus didn't need to be told twice. Those hooves carried her like lightning to her revived lover, enveloping her in a tight hug and pressing a passionate kiss to her lips.

********************

It had been a few days since the confrontation with the demented Chrysalis, now contained in the castle dungeon. Rarity and Dash had come out to their friends, despite the lies of the vicious changeling Queen, used to keep Dash dependant on the Rarity disguise. The news were taken with little complaint, except for a heart-broken dragon. Friendship had blossomed into something more deep, more meaningful. Without all the worry and doubt, Rarity and Dash had noticed the affections of gay and lesbian couples. In fact, the iconic fillies had become a symbol of acceptance, love and openness. Their courage had inspired so many in such a short time.

Back at the boutique, Rarity was pulling down all the blinds, bursts of magic covering the windows and closing the front door. Rarity had her measuring tape resting around her neck, cute work glasses balancing on the end of her muzzle.

"Would you stop being so fussy? No one is going to see you! Now, get out here!" demanded the white mare, turning her attention to the curtain drawn display booth where Dash was hiding.

"I ain't coming out. I'm putting my hoof down!" squealed a hidden Rainbow, obviously upset at her treatment.

"Of course you are," reaffirmed Rarity with a roll of her eyes, her horn blazing as that curtain slid open.

The poor pegasus desperately tried to cover herself. There stood Dash, each hoof and leg covered in a sock. Each sock had rainbow stripes vertically down their length, the top frilly white like a cloud.

"Rarity! This is...is...so un-rainbow!" grumbled the blushing pegasus, stomping her hooves in anger.

Rarity trotted closer, moving in to examine her work, "Oh shush, they are plenty rainbow!"

This was completely humiliating, Dash being used as a model for the new fashion craze Rarity hoped to inspire.

"Okay, I just need to check the stitching on the seams. Then again, you have very muscular legs. So if they fit you, I assume the same could be said for other mares...even stallions! I wonder if you can fly with them. Rainbow Dash, would you--"

Rarity was caught short by her own little vocal note taking by a kiss from Dash, pressing those warm, blue lips to her lover's. Even with her priority to fashion, Rarity was stopped dead, eyes softly closing as the warmth of that embrace swept over her.

Once that sweet kiss broke, Rarity stood there in suspense, eyes closed, engrossed in the moment. Dash however, was beaming a cheeky smile, as if her ego was proud of how good of a kisser she was!

Those blue powered eyes slowly opened, turning her way to the staircase as Rarity began trotting off, "Upstairs. Now."

"Yes!" cried Dash in victory, giving herself a hoof pump as she began to tug at her stockings.

"And leave the socks on!" called the glamorous mare from up that stairs causing Dash to frown, flapping her wings as she floated up the stairs, head hanging low.

"Darn it..."