It only takes one choice to change everything. For Rainbow Dash, it isn’t even a choice she gets to make. Somepony decides his choices matter more than hers.

Big Mac attacks Rainbow Dash. It’s a brutal, violent rape- plain and….awful. Maybe that isn’t even the worst part. Maybe the worst part is that Rarity saves Rainbow by stopping the assault in progress. Now, Rainbow has to live with what happened, and Rarity is the only pony she knows how to let help her.

But neither Rarity nor Rainbow gets to focus on healing, as even their best friends question Rainbow’s coping mechanisms and her new trauma-forged bond with Rarity. Meanwhile, social, political, and legal forces combine against Rarity to try and make her pay a price for more than just her heroism.

Nothing will ever be the same. How can anything feel awesome or even just normal ever again?

Trigger warnings:
This is story contains sexual assault and violence, strong language, adult themes, etc. Reader discretion is advised.

Acknowledgements
Editing: Dusk Raven, Typoglyphic, and mikemeiers
Cover Artist: The incredibly talented viwrastupr

Author’s Note
I strongly encourage reading the introductory blog for this story. The blog explains where the idea for this story came from and the journey it’s been to get it ready to publish. I’ve also included a link to my research list for those that are interested in that kind of thing. There is also a brief explanation of how this story fits into the broader MLP timeline. Note: No events that take place after Season Five have been taken into account for this story.

I greatly appreciate comments and constructive criticism.

Thank you for reading.