The Break

Rainbow Dash sputtered and coughed as Jesus lifted her out of the cool water. She re-gained her hoofing on the smooth water of the lake, still struggling to gain her balance. Jesus was still chuckling a little bit as he gave her some space to shake off, “You know, my friend Peter once had a similar experience.”

She looked up and stared him down through her soaking wet bangs and retorted, “Oh yeah? Well, give him my regards,” as she spat the last of the water out of her mouth.

Jesus just shook his head and exhaled, taking in the scenery. Equestria was such a beautiful universe to visit, and he really did love these ponies. Sure they had their own sets of problems like every other living being created, but hey - that’s just how it goes. He had been in this part of the universe for only a short while so far, but was amazed at what went on in this little world since he last visited. He saw the clouds, and how the pegasi ponies did such a fine job managing the weather. He saw the flowers and other vegetation being well-maintained by the earth ponies, and how the unicorns used their magic to heal those who needed it and aid in technological advancements. While in his own world of thinking, he suddenly felt a hoof nudge at his leg, and looked down. Rainbow was shivering from falling in the lake, and had possessed one of the most pitiful looks he had ever seen. He glanced briefly at his surroundings and saw a nice bank off to the east a little bit, and felt that that would be a good place to go warm up and talk for a while longer. “Rainbow, how would you like to go and sit with me for a while? It’ll give you a chance to dry off, and we can chat some more for a while in peace."

She just stood there with utter confusion written on her face; she really did not know what to make of him. First he interrupts my nap, takes me for a trippy walk on water only to end in me getting soaked and now he wants to sit down and talk? What is up with this dude?! Ugh!

She wrestled with her thoughts, but for some reason curiosity was the part of her getting the hardest training session of all. She did talk and open up to him earlier, and that hadn’t been so bad. “Well, he’s a good listener, I’ll give him that.” That, and she also took notice to the concerned tone in his voice, and figured she’d been this far- might as well go a little further. “Sure, that sounds fine. Only, do we have to walk? I mean, not that that wasn’t cool and all, I just really prefer to fl-hey!” She then gasped out of surprise as Jesus picked her up in his arms, as he figured she had more than her fair share of walking on water for the day. She was taken aback at first, but then found comfort in the hands that carried her. She felt a tinge strange that the man who was also God would take the time and effort to carry a pony like her to safety. He walked slowly and cautiously as to make sure that the stroll to the bank was without incident, and pleasant for the both of them. Well, strange as I feel, this does feel a LITTLE relaxing. Just a little, though.

Once their small trek along the lake’s surface came to an end, he gently laid her down in the soft green grass next to the bank and sat down next to her, fiddling with some rocks he found on the ground. He found a stick to make a fishing rod out of, and went back to his rocks. She studied him for a little bit, noticing the serious expression on his face as he studied each rock; as if he were looking for one in particular. She decided to speak up as the sun’s rays basked against her brilliant rainbow mane and cyan coat, slowly drying it up and spreading warmth to her form.

“So, why exactly are you here? I mean, I know that you said you come here to check on things, but…why here? Why did you run into me, of all ponies? What are you here to check on? You could have been miles away, but you just so happened to be walking under the very cloud I was planning to nap on. So…what gives?” She noticed how many questions she asked at once, but stood her ground like the proud pegasus she was.

He looked up at her, and back down at the rock in his hands, serious expression still upon his face as he ran his pointer finger over the smooth surface. “I’ve heard you, Rainbow. I’ve heard your thoughts, and the desires of your heart. I know how lonely you’ve become. And I have been waiting for the perfect time to come and speak with you face to face. I didn’t come here just to check up on things – I came to check up on you.”

"What do you mean, 'check up on me?' I'm perfectly fine on my own. I have great friends, and an awesome job. I don't need anyone's 'help'." She felt her voice betray her though, as it cracked slightly at the last word.

He looked up at her once more, eyes full of compassion, "Is that the case? Is that really how you truly, honestly feel? It can be hard sometimes to admit when you need someone, especially if it's something as seemingly simple as a shoulder to cry on. Pride can do that - it can fog up the eyes of the soul, blinding it to what it truly needs. Tell me, Rainbow: when you say that you don't need anyone, is that you speaking? Or, is it your pride? Is it your heart's desire to fix things on your own, or is it simply a facade you use to show others that you're strong?"

Rainbow felt…odd. For the first time in a long time, she felt a sense of genuine humility strike her even if it was completely off-guard. She always thought that she had it all together, that she was always the tough one in charge of her own life. She felt that no one but her friends would ever truly be there for her, and that she had to be the one to hold herself together when they weren’t there. However, finding out that there was someone out there so much bigger than her, and finding out that they would take the time out of their life to check up on…her? No, this had to be a joke. This had to be one of Twilight’s experiments gone wrong or something.

Although…the tone in his voice showed that he meant what he said, and that he was genuinely concerned. She felt her heart melt a little more as she looked at him in his eyes. He had a look of innocence that she had never seen before in anyone; and when he looked at her, it was as if he looked directly at her soul. He saw right past the wall she had taken so long to construct. She couldn’t help but feel a small lump in her throat as she gazed into God’s eyes, and felt her pride that she was so adamant about slowly begin to drift from her grasp as she chose to test the waters even further. “So…how come if you knew about me feeling these things and struggling for a while, that you waited to talk to me? I mean, I could have appreciated someone coming along sooner than this, ya know!” She didn’t mean to be so loud at the last part, but she really couldn’t help herself at this point.

His expression softened a bit at hearing this, knowing full well how waiting for an answer to a prayer can go. He then decided to try to speak to her in a way that was not only familiar to him, but might help her too. “Rainbow, I want you to look at the berries in this bush.” He pointed at a blueberry bush just above them on the bank. She looked, and glanced back at him waiting for a response. “Now, when do you suppose the best time to pick them is?”

She scoffed and responded, “Well duh, whenever they’re ripe. You can’t pick them too early, because then they’ll be bitter and gross. But you can’t wait too long to pick them, because then they get mushy and not be the same as when they’re ripe. Anyone knows that you have to wait until they are just right before you…” she trailed off and her eyes opened wider with realization as the meaning of the example he used hit her like a ton of bricks. He wasn’t stringing her along for a ride. He was just waiting until she was ready.

He was waiting until her heart was ripe.

She looked up, the beginnings of tears formed in her eyes, “You…you knew exactly when I’d need this, didn’t you? You knew all along how much I just wanted someone to listen. But…but how?” She didn’t feel freaked out anymore; her defenses were now lower than they had been all day. She felt her emotions starting to stir inside of her. A single tear rolled down her cheek in betrayal. She looked away, trying to hide her emotions and somehow maintain whatever dignity she felt she was losing. However, he laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and guided her face upwards to look him in the eyes as he spoke once again:

“I know how it feels to feel like you’re all alone. I know how it feels to feel betrayed by those you love. However, know this and take comfort from it: I’ve known you your whole life, Rainbow Dash. I've known you before you were born. I was there when you were birthed, and I knew the plans I had for you. I saw you grow and mature into the wonderful mare you are now. I know all your heart's desires, and every good and bad thing you've ever done. I know all the mistakes you've made, and all the mistakes you will make. But know this; I love you. I love you with an everlasting love that nobody - nopony else could ever measure up to. I will never leave you, nor forsake you. I will be there whenever your world seems like it's falling apart. I will pick you up when you fall down. And whenever you need someone, you can always, always call on me. No matter what has happened or will happen in life; you always have had, and always will have a friend in me.”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The man whom she met little over two hours ago had suddenly come to mean so much. He seemed so serene when he talked, so…pure. He had not one bad fiber in his being, no ulterior motives; just someone who sincerely loved. She looked up at him, her eyes so blurred from tears that she wasn’t able to see. She blinked, the lump in her throat getting harder to ignore. Her nose started to sting, and a sob escaped her.

A tearful Rainbow Dash fell into Jesus’ embrace, finally letting go of what held her down.

Meanwhile, on a path by a certain lake bank, young Scootaloo was buzzing away on her scooter, taking in the day and thankful to finally catch a break from Diamond Tiara and her nonsense bullying. She was just enjoying the day, onward to another crusaders meeting when she thought she heard crying somewhere. She slowed down to focus on the noise, and heard what she thought was Rainbow Dash’s voice. She stopped and got off her scooter gingerly as to not immediately alert Rainbow to her presence. When she followed the sound of Rainbow’s voice to the bank, she froze upon seeing a strange looking creature hugging her and did what any filly her age would have done.

She screamed.

Author's Note

Hey guys, sorry about the long wait! College was crazy, but I’m done for the summer :D Aside from my part time job I’ll hopefully be getting, I’ll be trying to work more on this story, and maybe do some other projects as well! As always, feel free to drop a comment and/or P.M. me with stuff about this, and God bless!