Author's Note
This is a companion piece to Jetfire2012's “Besides the Will of Evil,” and I suggest you read that story first if you haven't already, since my vignette contains spoilers.
Finding Closure
The six Element Bearers, together with Spike, sat in the Golden Oak Library, working hard on their account of the Great War with Reiziger and his servants.
“Rarity, do you want to write down everything you Saw?” Twilight looked expectantly at her unicorn friend, her quill hovering in her telekinetic grip.
Rarity's regal blue eyes were full of stars – a recent development as her connection to the Element of Generosity had strengthened. The stars flashed. “If I wrote everything I Saw, it would take a book by itself. But I shall write some of it. I Saw Reiziger winning, consuming the whole world, unless you and Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Applejack were tested and pushed to your limits.”
Rainbow Dash winced and stared at the floor.
“I knew our victory would come at a cost,” Rarity continued. “I knew that there would be some casualties even in the best case scenario.”
“Six hundred thirty-six,” muttered Rainbow.
The other six friends looked at her in surprise.
“Beg pardon?” asked Applejack.
“Six hundred thirty-six ponies and deer and pronghorns stayed dead. And- and griffons, and...” Dash stood, rising to her impressive height, as tall as Cadance. “I need some air.” Her wings flared, and she flew to the door, escaping outside to the bright sunshine.
Pinkie shrugged. “Well, duh! Everypony needs air.”
“I don't think that's what she meant, Pinkie,” said Spike.
“Oh, dear.” Fluttershy stood and spread her wings, which had become as graceful and tapered as a dove's.
“Wait a moment, darling.” Rarity got to her hooves before Fluttershy could go after Dash. “I need to go and talk to her myself, first.”
Fluttershy gazed at her for a second before folding her wings and nodding.
Trotting out the door, Rarity her Sight guide her to the only cloud in the sky. “Dash!” she called, craning her neck and projecting her voice. “Rainbow Dash! I know you don't want to talk right now, but I feel that I owe you an explanation.”
Above, Rainbow poked her head over the edge of the cloud. “Well...” She launched herself off the cloud and flew down low. “Okay. But can we go someplace where there's no audience?”
She jerked her head toward the townsponies standing around, which included Lyra, Bon Bon, the Doctor, and Golden Harvest. They had the grace to pretend not to notice the two heroes-turned-traitors, but neither Dash nor Rarity were buying their act.
“Would you like me to teleport us to the field where we usually have our picnics?” Rarity's horn lit up with her pale blue aura.
“Sure,” agreed Rainbow.
In a twinkling, Rarity transported herself and Rainbow to the field. The pegasus dropped to her feet among the purple and yellow flowers. The field was alive with butterflies and other insects, robins hunting for worms, and even moles digging just under the grass.
“You're getting good at this.”
“Thank you, Dash,” said Rarity with a gentle smile.
“Do you feel...” Rainbow paused, frowning. “Well, it's not exactly a feeling, more like a...”
“Knowing? The moles and worms tunneling, the roots soaking up water and minerals?”
Dash nodded, smiling a bit.
“At first I thought it was my Gift, but since you have it too, I suppose it must be the earth pony 'special connection to the earth' that I've heard so much about.”
“Almost makes me want to spend more time on the ground.” Dash looked down and sighed, her smile fading.
“Dash, I'm truly sorry for what happened to you.” Rarity stepped closer to her. “I hope you know that it wasn't your fault.”
“But it was my hooves and lightening that killed them.” Rainbow's scratchy voice wavered. “Every time I close my eyes, I see them looking up at me with fear. And the last thing they see is my twisted body.” She held up her trembling cyan hoof and gazed toward it with glazed eyes. “And maybe the last thing they thought was that – was that I betrayed them. I was supposed to protect them, and I failed them.”
Rarity put a comforting hoof on Dash's shoulder. “Oh Dash, you mustn't think like that. You didn't betray them, and you can't worry about whether or not they thought you did. And you didn't fail them either. You helped us restore everything – or nearly – and the ones who are gone chose not to come back. They're at peace, now.”
Tears filled Rainbow's eyes. “I just wish I'd never gone to Reiziger and let myself get captured.”
“I know.” Rarity rubbed her friend's shoulder. “And I wish that my Sight had started working properly even a few hours earlier. Then I could have spared you of this. It should have been my burden alone.” The tears in her eyes made the stars swim. “But it wasn't. You had to share that burden. But it could have been so much worse. I tried to save as many lives as I could without Reiziger noticing.”
Dash looked away. “I know you're trying to make me feel better, but it's not really helping.”
“Then, try thinking of it this way.” Rarity put both hooves on Rainbow's shoulders and gave her a solemn look. “Our friends relied on you too much, instead of on their own strength. They would never have exercised their Gifts enough to defeat Reiziger unless you were taken from them.”
Dash furrowed her brow and ran her foreleg across her eyes. “So, you're saying I'm so awesome that I held everypony else back?”
“Exactly!”
Rainbow sniffed. “Nice try, Rare, but I still feel terrible about the way it happened.”
“Then what would make you feel better, dear?”
Dash's mouth formed a serious line. “Well, I don't know how much this would help. It won't undo the hurt I've done to so many ponies, but...” Her mouth twitched. “I'd like to build a memorial for the fallen. Like, maybe a statue or a giant plaque with all the names on it, you know? And we should build it with our hooves instead of using our Element magic.”
“That's a lovely idea! I never knew you could be so sensitive and considerate.”
“Heh. Don't make a big deal out of it. I have a reputation to keep.” Her ears drooped. “Well, had a reputation. On second thought, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if ponies thought I was sensitive.” She rubbed her foreleg.
“The book will help with that too, darling. Someday the ponies will know the truth about everything that happened, and they'll realize there was nothing to forgive. At least, not for you.”
Rainbow gave her a shaky smile. “I hope you're right.”
“Hope.” Rarity returned the smile. “Hope leads to faith. And faith is rewarded. You'll see.”
THE END
