Chapters "And whistled for a baboon," Rainbow Dash concluded, landing back on her hooves.
As expected, Pinkie Pie cringed with laughter, though she somehow still managed to keep going without missing a single step. Perhaps they were making a bit too much noise for this time of the night, but neither of them could really care about that, not when they were still technically in their evening together. Perhaps their current intoxication levels also tipped the odds a bit. "Oh Dashie, your stories are just wonderrific! Wished I'd gotten around as much as you," she piped once she'd calmed down a little. "I'm so glad to have you." Despite how tired they both were, she was positively bouncing with excitement, as usual. Somehow, her hooves' impact on the gravel road didn't make the slightest sound, as usual.
"Yeah, this all is just too awesome. Don't know what I'd do without ya, Pinks." As Sugarcube Corner came into sight, Dash released a brief yawn and said, "Guess I'd better get going. This pony really needs some sleep if I don't wanna build strati in the morning again." Upon seeing Pinkie's curious, but obviously puzzled, expression, she added, "Running gag among weather ponies. You really don't want that to happen."
"Okey! See you soon!" Pinkie cheered while her love was stretching her wings to take flight once again.
"Bye!" Rainbow called. After that, she vanished into the star-filled sky, leaving behind only a faint multicoloured trail.
Pinkie was alone, but she could hardly be any happier. Summer laid over Ponyville, to the extent that even in this depth of the night the breeze carried only a slight coolness, too gentle to cause chills of any kind. Vegetation of every kind flourished in this weather, providing ponykind with supplies and unparalleled beauty. Rainbow Dash would outdo herself each day, allowing ponies to marvel in the beauty of Princess Luna's celestial plane. And once she was done with that, she'd come down to to the ground and spend the remains of the day with her, Pinkie Pie, each date more amazing than the former.
This certainly was a life to which she could get used. To think that it had only been going on for two months, with generous rounding, blew her mind away. She had had bliss lying before her all the time while only being too blind to reach out and take it. But she didn't need to bother with such thoughts. The day that had carried lots of red faces and awkward stuttering had long since passed, now she only had to reap the rewards. She kept on bouncing to the front door, more than ready for sleep herself, when she noticed something sticking out of the mailbox.
"Now what's this?" she asked the darkness around her as she approached. It seemed to be multiple sheets of paper, though it was too dark to see anything more specific. Most likely, it was a letter from one of her many friends. Carrying them between her teeth, she squeaked in joy while walking inside and into her room. She intended to read it right away, but once inside her personal chamber, she suddenly lost all will to stay awake. She threw herself on top of the bed and fell asleep in little more than an instant. For the night, the papers could remain on the table, dimly illuminated by the moon's rays invading through the wide windows.
A bit of time and space away, Twilight Sparkle awoke, point eight o'clock in the morning. Not once in years had she failed to follow this goal, at least if she was allowed to have a little leeway of one or two minutes or hours. Aside from not wasting any excess time, such a sleeping schedule allowed her to fully appreciate the sun's blessed warmth as it initially rose to meet Equestria another time.
There was a spectacle without likes hidden within the play of clouds and vegetation all reaching up to receive their fair share of energy. Watching it pleased her incomparably, especially when she could then close the curtains and go back to her collection, as would happen daily within minutes of waking. It certainly was a life which she could be used to.
She continued her morning rituals which eventually culminated in cooking herself a breakfast fit to provide every item on the list of nutrients a mare of her age would need for the day. Fortunately for her, said list contained only one item, caffeine, so it was never long before she could be back buried in books face first. She was just itching to get back on her research about the illusion school of magic. On this morning however, her routine was interrupted by a knock on the main door, or more accurately three followed by a brief pause and then another one. It certainly was unusual, thus it told her exactly who had come to her.
"Ah, wonderful." She magicked open the door from where she sat with her eyes still fixated on the writing before her, "Come in, Pinkie." She was always glad to help out her friends, though there may be more required than she anticipated. When she looked up to see Pinkie's face, she was somewhat shocked as it was pale, hanging, and still moist in places. Nopony should have to look like that, but on Pinkie, it downright heartbreaking. Her mane was falling down in long, straight strands, partially hiding her face. The eye which was visible seemed empty, depleted of the usual sparkling energy within. Not to mention, of course, the swollen skin that surrounded it. "Whoa. What happened between you two?"
Pinkie didn't answer at first but instead reached into her bags and pulled forth a few photographs which she laid onto the table. "Th- those," she muttered in an unsteady voice while Twilight drew them in for closer inspection. All of them showed Rainbow Dash and Applejack, always together, in a more incriminating pose each time. Worse even, none of the timestamps bore a date more than a week ago.
"Well... I'm afraid this is quite pushing evidence." Twilight silently offered the pictures back, but she refused them, weeping quietly.
"I don't get... how could she... with her... I thought we were," Pinkie sobbed, half her words drowning in the tears which flowed forth from her, slowly increasing in count.
"Apparently not." She laid a comforting hoof on Pinkie's shoulder, "You should talk to her about what happened. I know it'll hurt, but confrontation can never be avoided. Ask her why she did it. And, if necessary, I guess so be it."
Within a moment, Pinkie was up and scuffling towards the door. On the doorstep, she turned her head and said, "Thanks, Twilight. Guess I'll go and see her." Hearing her tone was disheartening from the bottom upwards, especially if it was compared to her regular attitude.
"Rainbow Dash! I know you're -" the shrill voice from below made a short pause for inexplicable reasons "- up there!"
No matter where or how, Rainbow would never fail to recognise the one and only pony that voice belonged to. She quickly glid towards the ground and set down, neutralising her velocity with a few powerful wing bursts. "Hey Pinkie," she said, only then opening her eyes. "Uh, you don't look too good."
"Is that why you did it? Not attractive enough?" Pinkie yelled right back, her eyes already welling up with tears again.
Dash took an step backwards. There were no other ponies anywhere nearby, so at least they were free to shout as much as they wanted, which left her with only the problem of figuring out why Pinkie wanted to. "Whoa, did what?"
"Rainbow, I saw it all!" Over time, her speech became increasingly incomprehensible, forcing Dash to move in closer despite being repelled by the volume. "All those things you did with Applejack... why? Why with her?"
"Because she's my friend and sports buddy?" Rainbow was confused to say the least. Her workout sessions with Applejack had been going on for years now, why was she to blame for it now? Suppressing her instincts, she went to wrap her arms around Pinkie's neck, but was instantly pushed off.
"Don't touch me!" her love shrieked. " You kissed her, I saw the pictures! Why?"
"What- I never did anything like that! I'm perfectly happy with you, why wouldn't I be?" At last she'd gotten a clear answer, too bad that it didn't make sense in the slightest.
To Pinkie, however, there was apparently all required proof readily present right before them, even if it was just her word for it. "It's bad enough that you'd betray me like that, but then you're gonna deny it? Confess to it at least!"
"I'm literally the one pony known around Equestria for her loyalty, why should I- ugh." By this point, Dash could figure what the problem was, and it was not with her. "You know what? You're crazy. Come back when you've calmed down. I'll be waiting." She took off and was out of sight within a blink.
"Yeah, get away, I don't need you to tell me what I already know!" Pinkie Pie cried after her. In a desperate whisper, she added, "Don't need you anyway..." She was a broken mare, there was no denying it. Her cheeks turned light red as her liquid flooded over them.
"And that's how I found them," Pinkie concluded, jumping back onto her hooves to continue pacing around the circular room. As tired as she already felt, she simply could not sit still, not with the storm within her head.
Rarity shook her head. "A mess, that's what this is. I take it you've already confronted her?"
"She denied everything and flew off. I don't know what to do, Rarity." She gazed out the window as if looking for a distraction which never came. "I feel like I wanna believe her, but the evidence is right there." She pointed a hoof towards the small table nearby where the photographs lay, "Can't speak against those."
Rarity bent down until her face nearly made contact with her newest project as she set a few manual stitches. While she was adept at hiding it, it was obvious that she was as uncomfortable in this situation as anypony. "No, I'm afraid you can't. If there had been magic involved, there should be traces of it left, but I can't feel anything. You showed them to Twilight, right? She of all ponies should be able to find out. So I suppose the question is less of what happened," Rarity's eyes rose away from the fabric, towards her friend, "and more of what will happen now. You must look into your heart and see if you can muster it to forgive her, or to end it. I can't tell you to do anything here. But whatever you must choose, I can promise you the pain will fade, eventually."
"How can I forgive her if she isn't even honest with me? What else is she hiding?" The door chime rang, drawing their attention. Just as quickly however, Pinkie recognised the visitor and her hope for diversion faded, replaced only by cold pain. "You. Get out unless you've got something."
Despite her rather clear orders, Rainbow remained in the doorway and even dared to take a few steps inside. She tried to maintain a controlling flair, but her ruffled mane and feathers hinted at her true feelings. She approached her love, though she kept a safety distance of farther than kicks could reach. "Pinkie, I never did stuff like that with anypony but you. You know that I couldn't."
Pinkie turned to face away in hopes of hiding the pain which was masked with anger in her voice, "Then how do you explain those pictures?"
"Pictures? I don't- how can there be pictures of something that didn't happen? Listen." She came closer until her hoof made contact with Pinkie who slightly shivered from the unexpected touch. "I swear, I can't remember any of those things, but you know what? Even if they did happen, we'll work over them, together. If you can forgive me for what I might have done, we'll solve this."
Pinkie pushed the hoof away with force, but more gently than she'd expected herself. "I'm not sure I can, Rainbow. I'm sorry."
She shied away again, eyes racing back and forth. "I... what could I get out of Applejack that you can't give me?"
"I was hoping you'd tell me."
Rainbow opened her mouth, but Rarity intersected, "I think you may want to give both of you some time to think right now."
Ordinarily, she would've fought back, but Dash simply obeyed this time and trotted towards the still open door. On the doorstep, she turned one last time and said, "You've always had my trust. All I'm asking for now is a little of yours. I'll be waiting if you come to your senses," before taking flight.
Nopony spoke or stirred for long minutes afterwards. The only movements in the boutique were the needle dancing in Rarity's magic, sometimes accompanied by a drop of liquid impacting on the otherwise immaculate floor.
"Come in, Rainbow." Twilight was always glad to help out her friends, although there may be more required than usual now. As the pegasus entered and took a seat at the round table, she shut Illusions For Realists and slid it aside to signal where her full attention lay. "I'd ask you how I can help, but I think we both know already."
"So? What do you say?"
Twilight ran a hoof across the back of her head laid back slightly in her seat. "Well, first off, I'm glad to see you consult me despite what ponies like to say about me and love..."
"Rarity was taken," Rainbow grumbled before her friend's ego could grow too big.
She did well at hiding it, but the impact of Dash's words wasn't entirely invisible. "Ah. Yes, naturally. Anyway, why have you come to me?"
"Because Pinkie won't believe me that I didn't cheat her?" Rainbow said with a hint of annoyance already present. Everypony had been speaking in riddles to her recently, she didn't need to have another do the same. "Good question, actually. How much experience could you have just from reading a library's worth of clop?"
Twilight's face seemed to catch fire, in colour and heat equally. "It's romances, Rainbow. But to the point, I don't think that's what we have to figure out right now. I can't help you with that. You need to ask the right question."
"Alright, I guess it's about how I can convince Pinkie I'm not lying." Dash didn't expect this conversation to bring them anywhere, but she certainly couldn't just fly off, as much as she'd want to. She looked around for distractions, but the library was just as ordered and tidy as ever. Nothing moved or changed in between visits, seemingly even outside the windows.
"Is it that?" Her disappointed groans only further fueled Twilight's interrogative curiosity. "I can't help you with that. You need to ask the right question."
"Sure it is, I -" Realisation hit her with the weightlessness of a speeding freight train. "- I don't know what to do... if I can trust myself to not hurt her again, if it's not time to move on and let time heal the wounds."
"That," Twilight said as she rose to accompany her to the exit, "is the right question. Find the answer to it. Take care."
Thus, mere minutes after entering the library tree, Rainbow was airborne again. She wasn't sure if her problems had improved with this brief meeting, but at least she now knew what they were. She had to think about them, alone, over time. She barely registered when she set hoof in her cloud home, too distracted with the one question that tore her up from within.
Minutes whizzed by, as did hours. Eventually, the moon stood high over Ponyville while Rainbow's pacing hadn't come to a stop yet. She hadn't eaten or drunk since arriving, but completed at least one hundred laps around her own house. Yet all throughout, the answers eluded her. She strode onto the balcony, into the moonlight that was the only source of light around her. The sky was clear without her effort to it, and the stars shone brightly. It might have been just twenty-four hours since she and Pinkie had last parted in love. She didn't feel tired in the slightest.
She sighed and began round number one hundred and one. There had to be some way she could prove her innocence, she thought. Or perhaps there simply wasn't meant to be one. At long last, her stomach reported its desires and she took a detour into the kitchen to satisfy it. Through a solitary window, the light fell in, illuminating a single utensil in the otherwise gloomy room. It reflected the light onwards, momentarily blinding her as she approached. However, while her vision was hindered, her mind was suddenly clearer than ever.
Dash knew exactly what she had to do, to what end. She took it into her mouth, inspecting it with the innocent curiosity of a small foal. It wouldn't hurt much, not compared to what she was already going through. The insanity of her own ways came to her, but so did its necessity. She was a broken mare, there was no denying it. She took a deep breath and went to work, her thoughts never leaving Pinkie Pie until her consciousness eventually faded. It felt as easy as going to sleep. The clouds turned light red as her liquid flooded over them.
"Twilight! Come along, quick!"
If there was one thing she hated, it would be ponies destroying the immaculacy of her books. But if there could be another most hated thing, it'd be said ponies bursting in while she was busy on a project, especially if said project involved naptime. Nevertheless, she jumped to her hooves and set to follow Applejack who had already taken a headstart out of the library. "What's going on?" she asked after catching up.
"It's Rainbow Dash," Applejack answered between panted breaths. "They said she's at the clinic, really urgent."
"What? No, this shouldn't have happened... it can't have." As no reply came, Twilight decided it was best to save her breath for running.
Ponyville wasn't a city by any means, but its size was still apparent when running from one end to another. But she couldn't give in now. Her mind went nearly blank as they ran past one pony after the other, burning only with the thought that forced her to push on. It only recuperated once they were right outside the clinic and she was allowed a second's break. In that exact moment when her mind returned, it brought along the idea of using a teleportation spell which would've saved both of them a lot of time and effort, but it didn't matter anymore. Applejack led her through the corridors and announced them, "There. Brought her as fast I could," as she passed through the door.
From the outside, it looked like just yet another hospital room. Next to the bed, a card stood on the bedside table. The lamps on the tiled ceiling illuminated a lone picture hanging on the white walls right where the patient's viewpoint would be. Four ponies sat in various locations around the bed. Most notably of all was Pinkie Pie, leaning on the edge and constantly murmuring. On the inside however, it gave a feeling of lifelessness, as everything was in perfect order like the cleaner staff would leave it. It filled Twilight with a murky feeling, as if she'd been in this exact room before. The only indicators that there was somepony using the room were found in and around the bed, in the form of a mare surrounded by gadgets with varying shapes and functions.
Once the information passed through her brain, she rushed to see Rainbow for herself. Centered against the wall, the pegasus lay covered under white sheets, deathly pale but, according to a rhythmic beeping, still alive. Her forelegs were speckled with bandages. A blood transfusion led under one of them. "What in the heavens happened to you?" Twilight breathed, straining to keep her composure.
"Cloud Chaser caught her falling from her house, bleeding and unconscious. They say the worst is over but also that we can only know for sure when she comes back," Rarity said from behind. She didn't seem to up for much conversation though, as she then returned to lightly stroking the crying Fluttershy's mane and cooing into her ears.
Thus, Twilight was left alone with her own thoughts. She trotted over to the window looking for distractions, but the usual caught up to her nonetheless, and she had to question if it wasn't all her own fault. Of course it wasn't. She could just barely refrain from slapping herself for being so cliché. Perhaps she should do it as the self-accusations refused to leave her brain. She sighed and started pacing around the room.
Minutes whizzed by, as did hours. Eventually, the sun stood high over Ponyville while Twilight's pacing hadn't come to a stop yet. Some time ago, Applejack had excused herself to tend to farm and family, and Twilight knew that, if she ever stopped, she'd be forced to confront her rampaging memories. Other than that however, nopony had moved an inch since she'd arrived.
She had taken to watching the clock above the door whenever it was in sight, even though she grew to hate it more with each passing. Something about the object made her despise it, the rule with which its hands steadily moved in synchronicity with Dash's vital signs. Although, on her hundred and first pass, it suddenly lost the tact it'd been following so neatly. In fact, as she stood and glared at it for its inaccuracy, it missed more and more beats. Only when a collective gasp ran through the room was she torn from her haze and whirled around.
At long last, Rainbow's eyes slowly fluttered open. "Wha... wher... oh," she managed to mumble before Pinkie buried her beneath herself, quickly joined by Fluttershy in that effort. "Woo, ca- careful. Ugh, my head." She carefully shook her mind free of idle thoughts, as if other parts like her stomach were still as unstable as Twilight expected them to be.
"You stupid, idiotic, brainrotten pony," Pinkie cried, still clinging onto her love. Her face was overflowing with tears, but they seemed to contain at least a tiny core of happiness within them. "Why in Equestria would you do such a thing?"
Rainbow beckoned for her to come closer, yet unable to move much on her own. Once there, she gave her a gentle kiss which served to cease the flow somewhat. "I'm sorry," she said in a whisper that could hardly differ more from her usual strong ways. "It was the only way to make you see the truth."
"You dumbhead! You moron! You..." While Pinkie was bringing forth her vocabulary, Twilight was torn away from her through a sharp poke in the side.
"She talked it out with Applejack. I hope you've learned something," Rarity said with an unmarked envelope floating between them. Her face was emotionless, making Twilight fear for what she may be hiding behind her limitless self-control. She didn't speak another word, but the situation could hardly give a message less clear.
Twilight took a deep breath and went to work, her thoughts never leaving Pinkie Pie until her best fire spell was fully evocated. She was a broken, but endlessly glad, mare, there was no denying it. The paper turned light red as her magic flooded over it.
