It was late at night at the Carousel Boutique. Inside, the two criss-crossed mares Rarity and Rainbow Dash were sitting down, having a serious talk about the next step in their relationship.

Exactly how Rarity came to be in a relationship with Rainbow was unclear; Rarity was a mare, and was not interested in other, fellow mares, and they were so diametrically opposed that a relationship between them as friends alone was strained at the best of times.

Yet, they persevered. Presumably because of Rainbow's unwavering loyalty. Or perhaps because Rarity could always use -not to put too fine a point on it- a work mule.

They were sitting opposite each at a round dinning table. A lavender glass of...something was sat on the table in betwixt them, and they were each staring at with different emotions; Rarity's being resignation and Rainbow's being hesitance.

"If you like me, you'll kiss me." Rarity said, about to go off on a tangent Rainbow knew there was no point in trying to stop.

"If you're my friend...my dearest, sweet loyal friend, Rainbow Dash...you'll drink it."

Rainbow gulped and pulled at her sweater's collar.

"If you love me..." Rarity got up off the table and turned away. "You'll drink it."

Rainbow nodded.

"And if you truly love me...if you're ready to commit yourself in entirely to me in mind and...eheheh." Rarity chuckled lecherously. "Body...then you will drink all of it. Do not even think of stopping before every last drop is gone."

Rarity suddenly turned around and slammed her fists on the table, making the strange liquid in the cup ripple.

"You. Will. Not. Stop. Until it is gone. Understood?"

Rainbow gulped. "Understood!"

"Good. Then make your choice." Rarity hissed.

Rainbow looked nervously between the cup and Rarity's face. She knew the cup had come from one of her dearest friends, but...it didn't feel right somehow.

Shakily and hesitantly, Rainbow reached her hand out to the cup. Barring one last moment of hesitation, she picked the cup up and brought it to her mouth. She tipped to her mouth and began to drink until its contents were gone.

"Well..." Rainbow said, putting the cup back down. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Rarity smiled in a way that made Rainbow feel nervous.

"That was just the beginning. Come here, darling."

Rainbow nervously got up and approached her girlfriend.

"Lean in..." Rarity instructed. Rainbow followed.

Rarity started to fiddle with the open cut in the back of her dress.

"And get ready for the 'drink' of your life."

Rainbow gulped, nervous and hesitant, yet at the same time, there being nothing she could do to stop herself. To stop herself from giving in. To keep herself from submitting.

Nothing she could do...to resist Rarity, and those damnable, cold blue eyes, calling out to Rainbow to take hold and do...horribly inappropriate things to Rarity until one or the other of them dropped dead of exhaustion.

She shouldn't have been here. She shouldn't have like this. Putty for Rarity to mold. A tool for Rarity to guide. She wasn't weak. She wasn't fragile.

Fluttershy was fragile. Fluttershy should been here, on her knees, unable to do anything but obey. Deep down, she felt guilty for wishing such a cruel fate on her friend, but she was just spitting out ideas here. Just venting out her frustrations in whatever way she could.

She didn't want to touch Rarity like this. Whether she was a lesbian or wasn't, she held no attraction to Rarity.

Yet, she had to. She had to touch Rarity like this.

Because those were Rarity's instructions.

What was that made Rainbow so weak like this? So broken, so unable to think, that all she could do was obey? Was it the challenge, as Rarity would keep her facade going and never let out a moan, never letting Rainbow know how much Rarity was really enjoying it. Was she just keeping her enjoyment hidden, and really couldn't live without Rainbow doing this? Or was Rainbow just a tool?

Well, there was no question she was Rarity's tool at this point. But how far did that being a tool go?

Was it the tone? The way Rarity would never speak more than five words at a time when they started this...this private tango of theirs. Never more than five, never less than three for a whole sentence.

"I sense you're hesitating." Rarity whispered. Four words. Unless contractions counted at two even when contracted. Which they didn't. Even if they did, it'd still only be five words. "Don't resist it, my darling." Five words.

"Just give in." Three words.

"And give yourself to me."

Five words.

Five words that she had to obey. Five words that she, by all logic and reason, she should've easily been able to push away and ignore and salvage what remained of her dignity and walk away...

Yet instead, she gave in, pleasing Rarity- pleasing her controller, her manipulator – being important than keeping any 'dignity' she may have once had.

The next morning, Rainbow felt the same way as she always did after a night with Rarity like that. Satisfaction and shame, simultaneously coming at in waves that shook her.

Getting up from her bed- or was she in Rarity's bed? Or worse, what if she was in Rarity's guest bed? That would be horrible. That would mean that she wasn't as special to Rarity as Rarity had been leading her to believe.

Getting up and throwing her feet over the side of the bed, Rainbow rubbed her temples, trying to think through the haze of drugs that Rarity had put her through.

Yet, Rarity had never made her take anything. She had been drugged -there was no question of that- but it wasn't in the cup Rarity made Rainbow drink- in the cup Rainbow had chosen to drink.

Rainbow looked around and saw she was in Rarity's bed, as Rarity was there, sleeping soundly.

Never again. Rainbow to herself in her head. I will never do this again. Quickly adding the addendum And I mean it this time!

Yet, she had promised herself that several times already.

She would do it again, every time. Because Rarity would instruct her to. And that was okay, because she loved Rarity. Well, no, she didn't really, and that somewhat was the root of their problems.

It wasn't love. It was more like a poison. A poison most intimate.

Rainbow attempted to get off the bed, but she suddenly felt a strong grip on her arm that sapped her of her will to resist. She turned around to see that Rarity had grabbed without even turning to face her.

"Dang it, Rarity." Rainbow complained, so desperately wanting to remove the hand off her- to pry Rarity's grip off and tell Rarity that she wasn't her tool.

But that would be a lie.

Rainbow sighed, and relaxed herself back under the covers, and only when the blanket was covering her chest and touching her neck did Rarity's grip relax.

"Good girl..." Rarity muttered.

Rainbow rolled her eyes and sighed. Getting called 'good girl' like she was a...was a dog.

"I know why you're being so grumpy." Rarity told her gently.

"Sure you do." Rainbow was skeptical, given how little she or Rarity had contributed to their relationship emotionally.

"No, I do." Rarity firmly insisted.

Rarity rolled over, finally daring to look her slave in the face. Rarity brushed Rainbow's cheek with her hand, locking their eyes together...

Putting Rainbow under the same spell she was last night. Making Rainbow look at the same, icy cold eyes that made her body go limp, and her mind become mush.

"I know it doesn't seem like I appreciate you, and that I never show it." Rarity admitted, which took Rainbow completely by surprise. "But I do. I do appreciate how willing you to give up and give in, even though..." Rarity looked away and closed her eyes. "Never mind. What's important is, I understand why you do what you do."

"Do you?" Rainbow questioned, expecting Rarity to answer some nonsense about love and honesty and trust. "Do you think it's because I trust you? Because I love you? No! It's because when you start looking at me with those eyes...those freaking...those blue..." Rainbow's voice began to lose both strength and conviction, demonstrating her point perfectly. "So cold...icy, blue... shallow...cold, cold, so cold..."

Rainbow reached out to touch Rarity's cheek, still muttering about cold the whole time, that ice in Rarity's eyes consuming Rainbow's every thought.

"And your tone..." Rainbow added, caressing Rarity's cheek. "It's... I, it...I can't stop myself when you start looking at and talking to me like that. It makes it so I can't think, so I have to act. So since I can't think, I can't figure out to act, and then you tell me how..."

Rarity gasped, those cold eyes shimmering with the briefest glint of emotion. "Oh, Rainbow, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize-"

"Stop. Stop." Rainbow insisted. "I don't want to hear it. Don't try to make it up to me. It's too late."

Rainbow tried to get up, but Rarity grabbed her again.

"Don't leave me..." Rarity pleaded, the second time she had used any emotion in their conversation.

Rainbow glared.

Rarity realized what she was doing, and just let go.

Rainbow, finally, finally, after so long being Rarity's tool, after being Rarity's slave, she was free! She was FREE!

Instantly, Rainbow dash towards the door and gripped the doorknob tightly with both her hands. She kissed the knob, so delighted to be free she just kissed it for being part of the door that was on her way out.

However, after kissing the doorknob, she ran towards the window and put her hands on the sill, looking at the sky with an affection she had reserved for the sky only. She'd finally be able to spread her wings again. Not that Rarity prevented her from doing that anyway, but...

She lifted the window up, took in a breath of the fresh air. The fresh, crisp air.

And then she turned around and dived straight back onto the bed, pinning Rarity with her hands and engaging in a passionate, longing kiss like it had been years since the last time their lips met.

For a moment, they stopped and opened their eyes. Rarity staring at Rainbow, Rainbow staring back at Rarity. Rarity's eyes started to water slightly, not sure what to think, but knowing Rainbow wasn't going to leave her.

Rainbow pulled away and put her hands over her face, realizing something she already knew, but always denied.

She was addicted.

She was addicted, and there was no way she could fight it. She had to have Rarity, regardless of how much Rarity needed her. Although, from her tears, it would seem to be more than she let on.

"How long before you have to go work on the weather?" Rarity questioned.

"Long enough." Rainbow answered, knowing Rarity's intent already. She started pulling at Rarity's clothes, eager to get them away and have Rarity command her yet again.

Rarity closed her eyes and moaned when Rainbow started kissing her again, but she stopped and pushed Rainbow off with a finger.

"How about...this time," Four words. "You give me the orders, instead?" Six words.

Six!?

Rainbow's eye twitched, jaw dropped in confusion, not entirely sure what was happening. What was going on!?

"Come on, then, Rainbow, darling. Command me." Rarity put her hand on Rainbow's shoulder and trailed along it with her usual seductive motion. "Tell me how I can give myself to you, the way you give yourself to me..."

How many words was that? Too many, at Rainbow's count. Too many words. Rarity wasn't supposed to talk like this. Rarity was supposed to talk in three to five words sentences while Rainbow remained silent and obeyed.

"I don't...what do I do?" She was lost without Rarity's guidance.

Rarity spread her arms out wide and relaxed. "Just...tell me what you want, darling." Rarity pressed her hand on her chest, making it bulge tantalizing out of her nightgown, giving Rainbow a private view reserved for her eyes only. "Allow me...no, no. Allow yourself to poison me the way I have poisoned you."

Rainbow licked her lips in anticipation, even though she still didn't know what to do. "Oh, Rarity!"

"Yes?" Rarity answered, eye raised, lips a-smirk, wanting to repay Rainbow for all the use Rarity had gotten out of her without letting Rainbow get any use of her own in return.

"I...kiss me!"

"Oh...is that all?" Rarity cooed, a bit disappointed in Rainbow's lack of creativity.

"For now. Gimme a break, will ya? I'm still getting used to this."

Rarity pulled her arms around Rainbow and began to kiss her, each mare moaning passionately, stroking each others' mane as they went along.

Rainbow pulled her lips away. "Lower, lower... Kiss me lower."

Rarity complied, gently pecking at Rainbow's neck.

"Lower than that..." Rainbow began to fiddled with her clothing articles, with the blasted entrapment that was the only thing keeping Rarity from where Rainbow wanted her to be.

"Yes, that's good, right there...ooh! That was...a dirty move..." Rainbow complimented, eyes squinted shut as she relaxed and just let Rarity have her way...again. Even technically she was supposed to be in charge this time.

It was okay, though. Rarity did better without Rainbow's (lack of) experience in being the boss guiding her.

"Oh, Rarity...you...you are my poison. And I will keep drinking you until it kills me. Maybe even then, if I can figure out how."

Rarity stopped to grin and chuckle.

"The same to you, darling." Rarity gripped her Rainbow's shoulder and squeezed with a gentle, precise application of pressure to Rainbow's joints that made Rainbow's eyes roll stiltedly around like the wound-up, stuffy predetermined hands on a clock's face.

Rainbow moaned. "Keep-keep kissing. There's where you always have me kiss you. It's only fair..."

At this particular inversion, this one flipping of tables, Rarity hesitated, even though she had been so sure and so giving before. "Do-do you want me to drink, too?"

"No, no...I don't need it...unlike you."

Rarity chuckled. "Too true, darling, too true." Rarity stuck her tongue, ready to resume and break Rainbow down all over again, to make Rainbow so excited, so exhausted, that she would need hours of therapy before she could say anything more complex than "Guuuhh..."

"Guuuhh..."

Two winged humans -one male, dark-hair, other the well-known Ditzy Doo- were sitting on soft chairs sculpted out of spare clouds, suitcases rested by their sides. They were watching the clock, with its very quiet tick, almost like it was afraid of offending them if it ticked too loudly.

"She's going to be late." The male said.

"No, she won't." Ditzy disagreed, one eye on him, the other eye on the clock. "She's never late. Sometimes she cuts it close, but she's never late."

"She's a slacker and a freeloader." The male argued, which Ditzy knew was true; Rainbow wasn't much for work, preferring to play or race. However, she was one for loyalty, and commitment, and work was a much of commitment as could be done.

The universe displayed its favor towards Ditzy and proved her co-worker wrong in the most humilating way possible; with two minutes left to go before declaring her late, a bolt of rainbow color suddenly threw the doors open, swerved to the punch card area, and punched her card in.

"Am I late? Did I make it?" Rainbow Dash questioned, noticing the two of them staring with awe-struck gazes. Ditzy's turned from awe to joy at being right and Dash's arrival, while the other could barely process what just happened.

"You're on time...barely. As usual." Ditzy sharply informed her, raising an eyebrow. "What's been going with you, Dash?"

"G-going on?" Dash stuttered, not comfortable with Ditzy being suspicious of her. "N-nothing! Why?"

"You've been coming in later than usual, and there's always some sort of...forgive me if this is too literal," Ditzy gestured to the cloud floor of the weather facility around them. "There's always some sort of cloud over your head. Sometimes it's happy, sometimes it's glum. But it's there. It's always there."

"N-no idea what you're talking about." Dash denied, though her body was shivering and shaking. Something was going on, and Dash just didn't have the skill she needed to hide it very well...or at all.

Ditzy's narrowed her contrasting eyeballs, intending to intimidate Rainbow Dash into talking. Rainbow Dash, however, was not so easily cowed. She didn't break so easily.

At least, not to ponies who weren't Rarity with those cold, frozen eyes that spread that very frost over herself and her heart.

"There is nothing going on, and if you ask again, I'll see to it your work hour schedule somehow gets...misplaced." Dash snarled.

At threatening to mess with her work hours- and by extension, her work, her paycheck, and ability to support herself and her family- Ditzy backed off. She kept glaring, though, even as the three of them stood up, pulled themselves and pulled in for work.

Sweetie Belle came tiredly wandering down the stairs. She had been sleeping so soundly, too. But then the sounds of a Rarity at work, -at very hard, tiring work that Sweetie Belle had come to equate with there being something just...just wrong in life at the moment in time Rarity engaged in the work.

"Rarity?" Sweetie Belle muttered, rubbing her elbow across her eyes to remove sleep traces. "Where are you?"

Sweetie Belle turned around, and saw Rarity at her work table, sewing away at whatever patch of cloth just so happened to be lucky (or unlucky, in Sweetie Belle's opinion) to be on the table at the time.

Sweetie Belle was most confused by Rarity's choice in dress. She was still in her nightgown. It was a nice gown, sure, with its white and pink patterns...but it wasn't like Rarity to willingly engage in any fashion that was unfashionable. And Sweetie Belle, despite her limited knowledge of the subject, was fairly sure that nightgowns in the day were a no.

"What are you doing in your nightgown?"

Rarity suddenly stopped and dropped everything she was doing at the sound of her sister's voice. The needle in her hand fell down to the floor, where it rolled under the desk. The sewing machine let out a clank as it was unduly struck from vibrations.

"Sweetie Belle! You're up early." Rarity noted as she got off her chair and crouched down, to fish the needle out from under the desk.

"No I'm not." Sweetie Belle objected. "Why are you still in your nightgown?"

Rarity pulled up, successful at her mission of retrieval for the needle. She put a finger to her chin, putting the needle wrapped in her palm dangerously close to her face. "I'm not sure. I guess I was just so excited to get to work today that I forgot to change!"

Rarity politely put the needle down, then dashed off incredibly quickly towards one of her many closets. She pulled the door shut behind her, then came out wearing a sundress...

A sundress that, with its white color and pink trim, only looked just barely different enough from her nightgown to let know it wasn't the same dress.

"Are you feeling all right?" Sweetie Belle questioned, concerned for her sister showing.

"Of course I'm all right! Never better. Why do you ask?" Rarity dismissed her sister's qualms, returning to her sewing happily.

"You're not using your magic, or your sewing machine. You keep dressing in -more-or-less- the same thing." Sweetie Belle explained, listing off why she had an entirely legitimate cause for concern.

"Rarity, what's going on?"

Rarity came to a complete halt, knowing she had to tell her sister something without telling her the whole truth. Yet at the same time, not leaving out too many details which would Sweetie to supesct she was hiding something.

"Your big sister has an...ailment."

"Ailment?"

"I'm sick." Rarity explained, using simpler terms for the sake of her younger sister's ability to understand.

Sweetie gasped. "Do you want something to drink?"

Rarity's eyes shrunk in horror, and Sweetie got the feeling she just said something she shouldn't.

"No!" Rarity shouted out, standing up suddenly and placing her fist on the desk. She cleared her throat and calmed herself down. "No, I...I do not want anything. Thank you, Sweetie Belle."

"Okay..." Sweetie drawled, unsatisfied that she could no nothing for her sister. "Anything I can do?"

"No." Rarity answered starkly. "It's...a very specific type of sickness, and I need a very specific treatment for it. Treatment that is not in your discretion to allow."

Sweetie Belle stared, not understanding "Discretion" but she shrugged and ran back up her room. Meaning to get dressed- unlike Rarity did- before going out and starting her day.

As she watched her younger kin merrily skip out the door, Rarity sighed. If Sweetie Belle noticed something wrong, it wasn't going to take long before some of her friends, and than more of friends, followed by all of her friends, to notice the same.

And their curiosity would be much harder to satisfy than her sister's.

In the afternoon, after her work for the day had been fulfilled, Rainbow left the factory, meaning to drift towards the spot in town where she knew all her friends would be at one point in the day or another. Hopefully, they wouldn't miss each other.

On the other side of town, Rainbow's controller made a similar observation with her work, and left the safety of her boutique to go out and try to get there before everypony else stopped by and left.

They got there, together, awkwardly, at the same time. A painted pink wood table out in the middle of Ponyville's many friendly restaurants.

Scratching the back of their heads at how they got there, not only ahead of their friends, but in sync with each other, they nervously pulled up and took their seats. A waiter strolling by stopped and asked for their orders, but they told him they waiting on somepony. Four someponies, in matter of fact.

In short order, those four someponies came along. Their dear friends Applejack, followed by Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, and last but not least (or perhaps least indeed, depending on who was asked) Fluttershy. They all sat down, and Twilight signaled for the waiter to come by and take their orders.

As the waiter began to dispense menus amongst to them to browse, Rarity's eye twitched. Rainbow, with her keen eye, practiced like that of the eagles she frequently raced, noticed instantly.

Rainbow asks Applejack to trade places. Applejack didn't know why, but she wasn't a curmudgeon, so she didn't refuse...so they traded seats, allowing Rainbow to sit right next to Rarity.

Maneuvering her hand subtly, Rainbow gripped Rarity's hand to show her support.

"I caught that twitch." Rainbow whispered quietly into Rarity's ear, enough so that their friends couldn't hear. "And I can see you're starting to break into a sweat."

Rarity was dismayed to find out, she was beginning to sweat, slowly. From anxiety, thinking her secret was about to be revealed to all her friends before she was ready to share. Not that she would ever be.

"I'm fine." Rarity hissed back, in a hole of denial that continued to dig itself deeper with every passing second.

"No, you're not." Rainbow put her hand on Rarity's back, subtly enough nopony noticed anything off about it. Like that it wasn't the touch of a friend, but that of a lover. "I know what's going on. I was there. Let me help you, like I have been the last three weeks..." There was a snarl in her voice, as she was in not in any way happy about Rarity's denial.

"Rarity?" Applejack questioned, snapping the two of them to attention. The waiter was staring at them, trying to pretend he was just interested in their order. But he was quite clearly started to get concerned for the suffering mare at his table. "You gonna order sumthun?"

"I..." There was a sudden gurgle of unknown origin. It was deep and ominous, like a hungry predator's stomach.

"Ah think y'all might, after that!" Applejack joked. Everypony, including the waiter, chuckled lightly.

Rarity wrapped her arms around herself and hunched over in pain. "Wrong...kind of gurgle." Rarity got up, still hugging herself, wobbling slightly in her every step.

"Are you okay, lady?" The waiter asked politely.

"No."

Before anypony could ask about what Rarity meant, or if there was anything they could do, Rarity ran off, her face constantly adjusting and skewering as pain spiked through her body for reasons known only to herself...and Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash got up off the table, scooting her chair back under. "I'll go help her. I know what's going on."

"Then you can y'all tell us?"

Rainbow just gave the same answer as Rarity did a mere moment ago. "No."

Flexing her wings, Rainbow took to the air and flew over the crowds of the outside pavilion. Some of them cursed at her, not all familiar with the presence of pegasi people in their daily commute. Rainbow kept flying, dashing (pun not intended) through the air with the greatest of ease, trying to reach Rarity before she completely gone.

"There you are!" Rainbow shouted when she finally spotted her slave-master. She dove down, wings and arms spread out, and picked Rarity up under her shoulders and began to fly towards another portion of town.

"Where are we going?" Rarity shouted as the wind tore at her face.

"Someplace private!" Rainbow shouted back.

"Not an alleyway..."

"Hopefully not!"

Rainbow turned around and began flying in the other direction. Eventually, they found themselves in the Everfree Forest.

"The Everfree Forest!? Rainbow, do you realize-"

"How dangerous it is." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I know. But can you imagine doing this at your place in the middle of the day?"

"Fair point..."

Rainbow stopped, wings flared out, then slowly let gravity do its work. She occasionally flapped her wings to control her descent more. They landed in the clearing without any incident, thankfully.

After ensuring Rarity was standing up-right, and had no chance of falling on a tree trunk or stumbling against a branch, Rainbow snapped her fingers, getting straight to business.

"Let me see how bad it is."

"No." Rarity said weakly, crossing her arms and turning away.

Rainbow scoffed. "Rarity, come on. You didn't complain the last seven times we did this. Why are you so against it now?"

"Because..." Rarity stammered. "Because...because I've realized I've only been using you!" Rarity burst into tears, the weight of her guilt finally catching up to her. Normally, she can keep up the charade. Normally, she never let Rainbow see her cry (not about this, at least.) But things weren't normal any more.

In fact, they hadn't been for three weeks.

"Rarity...I was there." Rainbow reminded her. "I know what happened. I saw what happened. It happened to me, too! It just..." Rainbow looked down. "It took a bigger hit on you than me."

"Yes..." Rarity admitted, blinking her tears, seeing the truth of Rainbow's words. "Yes, that's true."

"This is medical, Rarity." Rainbow added, resting her palm against a tree. "I'm not going to take it lightly, and you shouldn't either."

"Right again..." Rarity murmured. Really, now, darling. It was unseemly of Rainbow to be so right about this. Rarity had a razor-sharp tongue, and a wit to match. She should've had something to counter Rainbow as long this conversation had been going...but no, she had nothing for it.

Rainbow approached, and put her hands on Rarity's shoulders. "Let me help. I'm not gonna ask again; how bad is it?"

Rarity sighed, defeated, finally admitting there was no point in denying any more. The longer they were absent, the more time their friend had to get worried, to get suspicious, to start wondering what was taking them so long.

"Not as bad as before..." Rarity said, turning around to face Rainbow and proudly presenting her attractive body. "But not good, either."

"This is never good." Rainbow growled, hands on Rarity's hips, slowly pulling the latter's sundress down. "But I can't just stand by and let you suffer for this any more than you have to."

"Thank you, Rainbow Dash..." Rarity whispered, letting her muscles relax, and her dress straps trail down her shoulders. "Have I ever told you're an amazing girlfriend?"

"No."

"Well, I should do that, I think. Starting right now; you are an amazing girlfriend."

"Yeah..." Rainbow Dash muttered, speaking her thoughts of dissension and disrespect quietly to herself as she pulled further down on Rarity's dress. "That's what I am... a girlfriend."

Instead of a tool. Or maybe a medical assistant for the disabled. Either one was applicable, in this case.

Swooping over rooftops and peasants, Rainbow flew back to the table with Rarity in her arms. Rather tightly, too. As if to convey the idea Rainbow was protecting the precious, fragile cargo wrapped in her arms.

They landed at their table, where their friends had already started eating, each of them having made it halfway through their food of choice.

"Hello, girls." Twilight greeted them somberly. "It didn't seem like you were coming back, so we went ahead and started to eat without you. I hope you're not too angry."

"Ah! I couldn't be." Rarity assured, holding her hand to stop Twilight's apologizing. "I would, in all likeliness, have done the same if the circumstances were reversed."

"Wut kept ya?"

"Something...medical." Rarity told them, picking up the menu the waiter had been so kind as to leave behind in the event of her return. "Rainbow's taken care of it."

Rainbow looked away with a blush on her face.

"What is it? Are you okay? Well, obviously you're not okay okay, but I- arrg!" Fluttershy, in a rarity, proceeded to get frustrated with her tongue tying in on itself. "What I mean is, what can we do to help?"

"Nothing." Rarity told them. "There is nothing that can be done for me that Rainbow Dash cannot do by herself."

"What is it, though?" Fluttershy asked, setting Angel down on the ground, to the bunny's consternation. "Maybe I know a natural remedy, or..."

Rarity held her hand out to cut her off. "No. I will not tell you what it is. The only reason I even let Rainbow Dash help is because she found out herself with my being unable to stop her from learning. Now, I would appreciate if you would cut this chatter so Rainbow and I can order our very belated lunch!"

All the other girls exchanged glances with each other. "Okay..." Twilight said, and the four of them got up to leave Rarity alone in her crabbiness.

"Ah'm not shore wut's goin' on, but they're hiding something from us." Applejack whispered into Twilight's ear.

"You are absolutely right." Twilight agreed.

"Um...I think, I..." Fluttershy mumbled.

"What? What is it, Fluttershy? Can you speak up?" Twilight pleaded, a loaded question, given the shy mare she was talking to. "Do you know something that could help?"

"I do." Fluttershy said breathlessly. "I think- I'm pretty sure I've seen this before."

"What do we have to do?" Twilight asked, getting straight to the point.

"Well..." Fluttershy closed her eyes and gulped hard, uncertainty and anxiety over what she was about to tell Twilight. "It's not going to be easy, but we have to..."

Meanwhile, Rarity and Rainbow were browsing through their menus. Rainbow with the carefree abandon she was so well-known for, and Rarity for the same of her lady-like grace, perfect (or near-perfect) posture. Rarity was rather intent on the menu, eyes furrowed deep into it like it was a highly complicated novel that sucked her into its fantasy world. Which was the image she wanted to project, of course...to dissuade any attempt at conversation.

Rainbow sighed and closed her menu, knowing what she wanted, but not really caring. She threw it down against the table, where the cardboard-y material let out a thwack of air that caught Rarity's attention, but only for a moment.

"You know," Rainbow said before Rarity could raise the menu back in front of her face. "If it makes you feel better..."

Rarity slammed her menu shut hard, and slammed it against the table. She stood up suddenly, looking as intimidating as she could to tell Rainbow to be quiet. Her efforts were marred, tarnished, ruined, one might say, by the fact the way she was standing up, and the bend of her spine where it was, gave Rainbow a perfect view straight down her sundress that made Rainbow blush.

"What?" Rarity snapped, calling Rainbow's attention back to her face.

"It was nice." Rainbow admitted. "I...enjoyed it. I had fun helping you. I mean, yeah, it's kinda horrible this happened, and to you of all ponies, but...I had fun." Rainbow shyly turned away, not sure if what she had to say was going to have the desired effect or not.

"...Why." Rarity muttered, slowly easing herself back down into her chair, stunned by Rainbow's confession. "Rainbow Dash, I...I'm touched." A small tear glistened briefly in her eye.

Rainbow chuckled, with an oblivious grin. "What I'd say? And more importantly, can I hold it against you in the bedroom?"

Rarity laughed. Quietly and briefly, but it was still a laugh. "Cute." She picked up her menu and held in front of her face.

Rainbow just kinda sat there and whistled innocently, waiting for whatever was about to happen next.

"Rainbow Dash?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Rainbow's eyes went dull with shock, unable to express any emotion. Except maybe paralysis. But that wasn't really an emotion. "I, Rarity...I..."

Rainbow gulped. She knew she was going to regret whatever she was about to say, no matter how she tried to phrase it. Rarity would always hold against her, whether she went one or another. So, she said what Rarity wanted to hear- and upon hearing it come out of her mouth, Rainbow realized she wanted to hear it too.

"Love you, too."

Rarity lowered her menu and smiled. The first smile of hers that wasn't a seductive, lecherous grin meant to literally drive her crazy Rainbow had seen in weeks.

They turned and noticed the waiter approaching them cautiously, afraid the same thing might happen and they might run off again on him on the turn of a dime.

"Let's eat, shall we, darling?"

The door to the Carousel Boutique swung open forcefully and suddenly, Rarity too happy, too excited, laughing way too much to care about being easy on her door. It was just a piece of furniture, after all, and furniture, unlike Rainbow Dash, could be replaced.

Rarity, now wearing her fashionable red sunglasses and a sunhat to go with her dress, along with Rainbow, now wearing a bowler hat, stumbled into the building, still laughing happily and giddily over something Rainbow did right before they entered. They had been having a good time for most of the day, consider what happened at lunch.

Still laughing, Rainbow and Rarity tossed the bags they had been carrying onto the nearest flat surface- a window sill and an unused ironing board that was still deployed.

Their joyous laughter came to a dark and screeching halt when they saw all their other friends -Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie- sitting at the table with some very concerned looks on their faces.

"Girls?" Rarity questioned, taking off her fashionable red sunglasses and folding them. "What's going on?"

Applejack and Twilight looked to Fluttershy, as if asking for permission.

Applejack made an open-handed gesture towards the table and patted the back of a chair. "Have a seat, R.D...this is gonna be hard on both y'all."

Rainbow and Rarity exchanged worried glances, but Rarity waved her hand for Rainbow to comply. Reluctantly, and with an entirely justified level of hesitation, Rainbow took the seat offered to her. Rarity tried to take one as well, but Twilight held her hand out.

"Not you, Rarity."

Rarity made an exclamation of her brain shutting down. "I beg your pardon? This is my house! Do you realize how rude it is to dictate where I can sit in my own house?"

"Well, yes." Applejack answered, resting a hand on Rainbow's shoulder. "But this'll hurt Rainbow more than it'll hurt you."

"What will?" Rarity snarled, not liking these riddles. The fact that all four of them -even Applejack- were hiding something from her. "What's going on!?"

There was a click outside the door, like a wooden wheel had stopped. Rarity heard metal clanging follow the sound, which was in itself followed by a knock on the door.

The knock repeated, demanding to be let in without speaking a word. Rarity turned to her friends, and, at their gaze, walked towards the door and opened it.

Standing on the other side was Twilight's brother, Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor.

"Hello, Captain." Rarity greeted, her eyes traveling up and down his form. Which was entirely clad in the golden armor of the Royal Guard.

That worried her, honestly.

"To what do I owe this fine visit?"

"Well..." Shining started to answered, but then he hesitated. Twilight nodded for him to continue. "Can you turn around for me?"

"What for?" Rarity growled, her familiarity with Shining Armor as a person overriding the fact she had just growled in a Royal Guard's face.

"I, uh, want to see your back..." Shining mumbled as his response. Though Rarity wasn't entirely trusting, she was confident she hadn't done anything to warrant an arrest, so she turned around.

Her confidence shattered when she heard light metal clicking, and a sudden feeling of cold metal around her wrists.

"Shining Armor, really! What are you doing!?" Rarity exclaimed, struggling and flailing her arms to get away. Shining Armor grabbed her arms and held her back.

"Rarity...you are under arrest for abuse."

"Abuse!?" Rarity screamed, shocked and blindsided. Abuse? What had she done to qualify for abuse? And abuse of what, or whom?

"You can't do that!" Rainbow protested, immediately getting up to stand by her lady's side, but Applejack, Pinkie and Twilight all grabbed her and held her back. "Hey! What are you doing? Let me go! Let me go!"

Shining sighed, his voice heavy and full of mourning, no doubt over past cases he had worked that were similar to this one. "Denial is common amongst abuse victims."

"Abuse...victims?" Dash questioned, she and Rarity finally piecing together just what in blazes was going on. "No! No!" Dash struggled and flailed to get out of her friends' grasp, but between the three of them, there was enough strength to hold her there and make sure she didn't go anywhere...for a while, at least. "It's not like that!"

"This is for your own good, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight yelled.

"I've seen abuse in ponies before...I know what it does..." Fluttershy mumbled, Angel still in her hands.

"Well, you saw wrong!" Dash growled, baring her teeth at Fluttershy like a raging bear poised to strike. Fluttershy raised her arms to shield herself and whimpered, shivering.

"You can't take me away from her!" Rarity objected as Shining dragged her through the door. The door to her own house.

"Can. Will. Am." Shining retorted, meaning to sound detached and unemotionally concerned, but instead coming across as condescending and arrogant to Rarity's ears.

"You don't understand!" Rainbow protested, arms still shaking about. "She's my poison! I have to keep drinking her!"

Shining stared, confused. "If she's your poison, wouldn't you want to stop drinking her?"

"You'd think that, but..." Rainbow answered, Rarity and her both starting to cry. "It's not that simple." Her voice began to break like glass in the process of being shattered.

Rainbow managed to get one arm free, and reached forward, constantly grabbing at the air as though that would somehow magically pull Rarity away from Shining and towards her. The sight of Rainbow reached to try and rescue her broke Rarity's heart so badly, it was... there was just too much pain in both head and heart right now. "Rarity! Rarity! You can't leave! I...I need you! I need your cold..."

Rainbow Dash wasn't sure what to expect as a response to that. Her friends telling her more lies, probably. Rarity saying Rainbow was only ever a tool along, whether because it was true, or because Rarity was trying to put her into a state where she could go on without her.

But instead, something that not even Fluttershy or Shining, in all their alleged experience, expected.

"I need you too!" Rarity shouted, easily dripping ounces of tears every second. "And not just for the medicine! You are my poison, as much as I am yours! And I don't how I'll live without drinking you..."

"You'll manage." Shining said coldly as he finally brought Rarity outside. He reached and closed the door behind him. Rainbow and the others could still hear as Rarity's speech became nothing but crying, unintelligible sobs of misery and woe. Rainbow even thought she might have heard her name through the heavily distressed whining. At least before she heard the wagon door shut, and Shining bark orders to begin movement.

As the wagon's wheel faded away against the soft whistle of wind blowing grass, Rainbow Dash's friends finally let go of her. Her arms fell to her sides.

"Ah know this may seem hard to swallow, R.D. But this is for the best."

"The best?" Rainbow questioned, bringing her head back up. "The best?" She turned around to face Applejack, and her rage took hold of her. Without thinking about it, or hesitating in the slightest, she slugged Applejack across the face and sent her to the floor.

"I thought you were my friends." Rainbow whispered. "Friends don't stab each other in the back."

"We are your friends." Fluttershy tried to remind her. "That's-that's why we did this."

Rainbow was infuriated, outraged, and out for blood. Beyond reasoning, at this point, as demonstrated when she ran over and slugged Fluttershy just as hard- if not harder than she punched Applejack.

"You don't understand anything!" Rainbow snapped. "I'm not joking or exaggerating when I say she needs me! I'm her medicine! She can't...cope with her, what did she call it? Oh yeah, ailment without me!"

Pinkie was about to drop-kick Rainbow Dash into the ground for laying her hands on Fluttershy like that, and Twilight was going to ask what they could do about Rarity's ailment, but Rainbow ran to the window, lifted it up, spread her wings, and flew out the door. Off into the outside world, to figure out what she should do or could do for Rarity.

"I'll find, Rarity. I'll find you. No pony will keep you from me." Rainbow promised to herself, shaking a fist and leaving her traitorous, backstabbing, misguided friends behind. "I know you need me, or you will need me soon, and I'll be there."

"I... will... be there."

Author's Notes:

Due to the obvious presence of sex in this story, I was hesitant to submit it.

I've since decided to bite the bullet and see what happens.