Checking her cell phone once more, Applejack noticed the time was late. Rainbow Dash had asked her to meet her that evening, though she had not specified the reason. It had seemed urgent, and she could tell something was really bothering the younger girl. The red-lit scattered drops across her wind shield shone green as the stop light changed colour, and Applejack shifted some weight onto the gas pedal.

The bottle shifted in the paper bag as her truck sped up, and Applejack's eyes drifted to it. She had brought it special for the girl in question, as she thought it might cheer her up if something was indeed wrong. Reaching out and shifting it on her passenger's seat, she made certain it would not fall off or break. It was still cold, though not as cold as it was outside.

A brief change of weather had brought freezing rain, and Applejack was careful not to let her wheels slip on any black ice. The rain poured hard, creating countless craters in the banks of snow and running down her windows like she was driving under some waterfall. It was loud, the hissing and stamping of drops on her truck, but it beat the growling of her broken radio, spitting static about.

Pulling up to the old familiar street corner, Applejack doused the spark of the ignition, feeling the truck's breathing cease and the rumble of the engine sleep. For a moment longer, she sat in her truck, glancing up at the tall building where Rainbow Dash lived. The great concrete and steel structure seemed a stark contrast to the comforting wood that lined her farm house, and it looked so very cold standing up in that storm.

Rainbow Dash buzzed her in that time, and they hardly exchanged a word over the intercom as she did. Squeezing the neck of the bottle in her hand, Applejack patiently waited as the elevator took her up to the girl's floor. From inside the windowless hall, Applejack could not really be certain there was rain or darkness outside at all, as it always looked the same inside. She came up to Rainbow's door, and after a brief hesitation, reached out and knocked.

The door opened almost immediately, and Applejack flinched at the sheer speed at which it was yanked out of her way. In it's wake, a very distraught and sleepless Rainbow Dash stood. Her bloodshot, dark circled eyes stared both pleadingly and accusingly at Applejack, who innocently blinked at the greeting.

“Uh... y'al'right there, Rainbow?” Applejack asked concernedly, tilting her head to the side.

“You knew all along, didn't you?” she growled, and Applejack's eyes shifted from side to side trying to think of what she meant. “And you didn't tell me!”

“What?” The barmaid scrunched up her face in wonder.

“She's her best friend, why would you hide that from me?” Rainbow asked in a snap, grabbing Applejack by the collar and staring into her eyes dangerously.

“Ah really don't know what you're talkin' about,” Applejack explained, shaking her head and letting Rainbow touch her roughly. “Honey, slow down an' tell me what's wrong.”

“Scootaloo!” Rainbow barked her name, and it registered with Applejack immediately.

“Wait... my little sister's friend? How d'you know the girl?” the blonde asked with a confused expression, scratching her head and trying to fit the pieces together.

“She's my sister,” Rainbow revealed, and Applejack's eyes widened as she thought about it. Having met the girl a couple of times, she certainly saw something of a resemblance: their similarly trim bodies, short scruffy hair, even their voices may have sounded alike. Yet she had never considered it before then. “You must have met her father before, how did you not recognize him when he walked in on us?! Why didn't you tell me about her?!”

“Ah-Ah never met her dad before, honest,” Applejack denied adamantly. “Big Mac might've, but Ah ain't seen much o' my sister for a few years, Ah've only met 'er friends a handful of times, rarely their parents.”

“You lying to me?” Rainbow narrowed her eyes suspiciously, leaning in close as if to intimidate her.

“No, Ah wouldn't do that.” Applejack took Rainbow's hand in her own, stepping into her apartment and gently speaking to her, “Ah didn't know, Rainbow. Ah would o' told ya if Ah did.”

“I... guess you're right,” her voice fell into a murmur, and she released the barmaid, shyly looking down at their feet.

“Honey, look at me,” she nearly whispered, placing a finger under Rainbow's chin and raising it up until their eyes met again. “You okay?”

“Not really,” she grumbled with a deep frown, though her eyes stared lustfully at Applejack's lips. “I've just had a rough couple of days, a lot on my mind, is all.”

“C'mon, Ah got you somethin', might make you feel better,” Applejack kicked the door closed behind her and took Rainbow by the hand, leading her to the kitchen pleasantly.

“A present?” Rainbow perked up at the prospect, following the barmaid obediently.

“Yea', all th' rain comin' down t'day gave me an idea for a drink Ah wanted t' make you,” Applejack told her as she got into the kitchen and set the brown bag on the counter. Rainbow went to take a gander, but Applejack expected as much and slapped the girl's hand as she absently grabbed a tall glass out of the cupboard. “No peekin'.”

“Fine,” she mumbled through pouted lips, turning instead to face the windows.

As Applejack absently gathered some other ingredients from around Rainbow's kitchen, the younger girl stood in front of her tall windows as if she was trying to count the raindrops. The barmaid could hear her patron sigh distantly, and glanced back to capture the sight of her back. She was standing there with her arms crossed, silhouetted by the dark window. With a small, charming smile, Applejack set to fixing the girl her drink.

Removing the bottle from the bag, she turned it over in her hand once or twice before opening it, smelling the sweet, ginger scent. Home-made ginger beer was not usually her speciality, but this particular concoction was thick and pale, a perfect brew. Pouring it into the glass, she watched the cloudy mixture settle before slowly dropping some ice cubes on top. In a second glass, she mixed a shot of dark rum with a bit more of her home brew. She gently slid the dark mixture into the glass, so slowly that the two colours remained separated. Finally, she poured one more shot of pure dark rum on top, which stayed mingling with the ice cubes rather than sinking into the rest of the drink. Garnished with a wedge of lime, Applejack ran her thumb along the glass where the separated contents met, before calling to the girl she had mixed it for.

“Dash,” Applejack spoke her name, and the girl in question turned her attention back around. Noticing the glass on the counter, she hurried over and looked at it in wonder. “What d'you think?”

“What is it?” Rainbow turned the glass, watching it so gingerly sway around.

“Here's th' Dark,” Applejack pointed to the dark rum on the top of the mixture, and her finger trailed down to the pale ginger beer, narrating, “An' here's the Stormy.”

“Awesome,” Rainbow praised, but as she went to try it, Applejack plucked the pierced garnish off the top, sliding it into the glass and stirring the mixture together. Rainbow was somewhat disappointed as the aesthetics were altered, but as she tasted it, found the mixing necessary. Humming in delight, she went on to speak, “Mmm, speaking of Dark 'N' Stormy... would you like to accompany me outside?”

“Outside?” Applejack repeated with a sceptical expression, wondering what she meant by that.

“What, haven't I shown you my balcony yet?” Rainbow asked, a smirk gracing her features as she took Applejack by the arm and led her down the hall.

“Y'have a balcony?” Applejack asked in surprise, never having noticed before. That was probably because the balcony was not visible from the living room, and led around the far corner of the apartment past Rainbow's bedroom.

“I do,” Rainbow repeated in a somewhat stoic voice, a tone that Applejack wasn't sure how to take.

Leading her barmaid out the balcony door, Rainbow stood under the slight overhang, staring at the growling raindrops. With a content sigh, she adorned the brisk air as it filled her lungs and chilled what skin was left bare. Applejack closed the door behind them and bundled herself under her scarf, lovingly yet worriedly watching Rainbow Dash relax.

“Why're we out here, ain't you cold?” Applejack asked slowly, but Rainbow did not address the question directly.

“I love the rain, Applejack.” Rainbow spoke quietly, barely audible over the rain. Applejack found it rather odd the way she didn't use the usual nickname, and she knew something was up. “The smell, the feeling, the nostalgia; all of it. That doesn't sound too depressing, does it?”

“No,” she simply replied, waiting for more.

Breathing in another heavy, adoring breath, Rainbow went and took a sip of her drink before speaking up again. “But, you know what? I love you, Applejack. More than anything. And you may think that you've got a lot more trouble going on with you, a lot more baggage, than I do. But you'd be wrong to think that.”

“Okay, enough beatin' around th' bush, spill it. What's goin' on with you, any who?” Applejack found herself asking, finding some tense nervousness swelling up inside of her to see the calm and open way in which Rainbow spoke. “What's got y'so wound up?”

Rainbow was about to reply, when her pocket vibrated. Picking up her phone and looking at it, she found a text she wished she had not received. She swallowed as she read it over, and read between the words and lines; read what it really meant.

'He's drunk.' was Scootaloo's text, the first one she had received from her half sister. It infuriated her to see it, and she swallowed to keep her heart out of her throat.

“Seeing her the other day, I guess it just reminded me how real it all is.” Rainbow told the blonde, and her voice was shallow and cold. “I should have told someone, I should have told you.” A pause rendered between them, before, “Listen... I have secrets too, Applejack.”

“We all do, sugar,” Applejack tried for consoling, but Rainbow didn't bite. Instead, she reached out and let her hand touch the wall of falling rain, getting wet and cool as the water rolled over her already frigid fingers.

“My dad, he,” Rainbow started, but it was hard for her to say. She rarely had trouble saying what was on her mind, but this was painful. “He always... he always married really young women. Most people must have thought he was some playboy, some wealthy bastard looking for a hot young gold digger or something.”

“Where're you goin' with this?” the barmaid wondered, tilting her head questioningly.

“Sorry, I should start at the beginning,” she amended with a chuckle, shaking her head. “He was never a very happy man, from what I could see. He married my mother when she was still just a kid, which is maybe why she resented him, never getting to accomplish what she wanted to do with her life, and instead, being forced into parenthood when she was only eighteen.”

“She was that young?” Applejack inquired.

“Yeah, dumb kid... Anyway, she had me real young, right? But things with my dad don't get any better after I was born, and they fought a hell of a lot. I don't really know what about, I was too young to understand anyway.” Rainbow waved her hand and took another sip, licking her lips. “Fifteen years ago, when I was only about seven, she up and left us. My dad never told me why, but... I think I have that part figured out, now. I haven't heard from the woman since, but whatever.”

“Do y'miss her?” she asked carefully.

“I might, if I wasn't so damn mad at her for leaving me alone with that man.” Rainbow's eyes narrowed again and a scowl crossed her face. “She must have known who he was and what he was capable of, but she left her child in his care. Shows how much of a damn she gave.”

“He's got a temper, don't he?” Applejack tried, and Rainbow nodded easily as the truth was heard.

“Yep, but that's probably the least of it. I can handle his anger,” she went on, fidgeting a bit as she thought on. “He's never been the kind of man who could handle his alcohol, and when he gets drunk, he gets... unpredictable.”

“Unpredictable?” Applejack wasn't quite sure what Rainbow was trying to say.

“I must have been eleven or so when it started, I can't really put it chronologically; I spent so long just trying to pretend it wasn't real, you know?” Her sad eyes met Applejack's, and she could see all the pain she held inside. “He was always threatening, always abusive and aggressive, but... there's more.”

“... More?” she repeated in an anxious tone.

“I still remember it; it's blurry, and hurts to think about, but I remember it,” she began, nodding as she recalled. “He was out almost all night, drinking with some clients I think, and I was asleep until he got home. I heard the front door open, because he nearly fell into the house, so drunk and all.”

Rainbow swallowed shakily, and Applejack knew it was flashing before her eyes. She was afraid to know what it was: if there was some scar, some awful mark or trauma he had left her with. Having seen the girl's naked body before, she assumed not. But something had Rainbow Dash bothered, terrified to speak.

“He came up the stairs, stubbing his damn toes loudly on each other step. He was muttering profanities all the way up—I can still hear his voice, raspy, slurring—he was so angry. So damn angry...” She shook her head and fought off some sobbing frown. “He came into my room, and I was curled up under the covers; I knew to be quiet when he was mad. But instead of yelling at me, instead of complaining or ranting about this and that, instead of hitting me...”

“What?” She needed to know.

“He... crawled into bed with me.” Rainbow whispered, and she could not stop the tears from breaching her eyes. To hide it, she slipped under the falling rain, placing her drink on the balcony railing and clasping the edge tightly with her hands. Staring at the familiarity of her own fingers—the way they resembled his—she squeezed as hard as she could. “His hands w-were so big, a-and so rough. I-I was crying—crying underneath him, a-as he c-covered my mouth...” A sob, and she let it slip, “... As he fucked me.”

Rainbow covered her own mouth then, as she snivelled and balled some terrible cries. Her hair began to stick to her cheeks and forehead, and she had never felt so pathetic as then. Applejack was completely still, mortified to hear such a thing, and shook not because of the cold, but because of how upset she had become. She knew that man was horrible, she could tell that from their first meeting, but hearing this destroyed any perceived respect she might have had for him.

“I-I can still feel him, touching me, looking down at me... all of it,” her voice shook with distress, and her body was no different. “It hurt so badly, every time.”

“...Every... time?” Applejack wondered about the phrasing, and Rainbow slowly nodded.

“It wasn't often, it was scarce enough for me to wonder if it was happening at all, or if I was just crazy. And every morning, nothing was different. He'd make me breakfast, he'd drive me to school, he'd tell me about work,” she ranted a bit. “I acted out a lot: destroyed things, closed in on myself, skipped school. By then, he was gone a lot for business trips, which was really a neat way to hide the fact he was coming here to the city to spend time with his other family. He sent me off to boarding school eventually, but every time I would come home: for spring break, summer vacation... Hearth's Warming... it was the same.”

“D-Does he... still...?” the blonde tried to ask, but she hardly needed to finish the thought.

“He stopped touching me when I was about seventeen... Trouble is, I think I know why.” Rainbow Dash explained, and she bit her lip as she stared at the Dark 'N' Stormy between her arms.“My sister would have been about ten or so by then.”

Applejack knew what that meant, and her eyes widened as she whispered, “Oh, Heavens...”

“That's why I needed to meet her, to find out for sure, to protect her from that pedophile... but, I can't.” A sigh breached her throat, and she looked out at the view, before gesturing to the building, the balcony. “I guess... this apartment? The money? It's making up for more than just childhood neglect; the opposite, I suppose. It's a deal, an unspoken agreement. He's buying my silence.”

“But... he's doin' it to your sister, ain't he? Y'can't let him do that.” Applejack pleaded, stepping close to Rainbow and letting the rain tangle into her golden hair.

“I don't know that for sure. She wouldn't tell me,” she murmured with a frown. “She has my number, in case she wants to... I just don't think she trusts me. She probably doesn't trust anyone, if she's anything like me.”

“That's just awful,” the barmaid almost whimpered, her heart swelling to imagine her own sister in the same situation. It killed her to even imagine. “You have to tell someone, Dash.”

“I know, I wanted to for so long... I guess I just sort of accepted it as normal, I knew no better way to deal with it.” She admitted ruefully. “After so long, I'd need some kind of proof to make it all stick. He's a well respected man after all, and he's all I know. It's a hard situation, and hard to explain or understand. That's why I went to Scootaloo, to see if it was the same for her, to see if we could do anything. But she has to tell me first.”

“That's so messed up,” Applejack let slip, hearing how bad that must have sounded. Rainbow merely huffed a laugh about it though, a solemn expression on her visage.

“After everything that happened, I never let anyone else close to me again. I mean, I made jokes and stuff, but it was all a defence mechanism. He kind of ruined me for intimacy, you could say.” A small smile struck her features, despite the tears that still speckled her cheeks. Her eyes raise towards Applejack, though, and her expression softened. “That is, until you.”

“Me...?” Applejack repeated in bewilderment.

“I told you I understood how you felt, about Miss Jubilee. I can relate, really I can.” Rainbow shrugged, taking another large sip of her drink before placing it back, noticing the taste had changed as rain water had gotten in.

“That's why y'were s' nervous when we—?” Applejack couldn't finish the sentence, recalling the night when she had dragged Rainbow into the storage room and forced herself upon her. Her heart stopped, and her expression became horrified to imagine how hard it had been for the girl to let her touch her like that. She hated herself at that moment, realizing how selfish she had been. “Ah... Ah'm so sorry, Rainbow.”

“No reason to be sorry, Dolly,” Rainbow tried to calm the air, playing with a familiar nickname. “It was different with you. I wanted it... I loved it.”

Sliding her wet hand into the silky runs of blonde hair at the base of Applejack's neck, Rainbow Dash fondly leaned nearer. Their lips met, and the rain parted around their exchange, running down their meeting mouths and dripping from their chins. Applejack could taste the salts of sorrow on her lover's lips, but devoutly held her and kissed her in spite of them. As they parted, a white puff of breath swirled between them, heated by the expelled emotions they shared.

“This is a lot t' take in, Rainbow,” Applejack admitted, her expression falling solemn.

“Trust me, I understand,” she compassionately purred, loving the way Applejack's hands encircled her waist. “That's why I was so upset when you told me about Miss Jubilee, it reminded me of my own burdens. It killed me, imagining you feeling the way I did when he forced himself on me.”

“Why're things all so complicated?” she grumbled, drumming her fingers on her back and rubbing it tenderly.

“Everything will work out, Dolly,” Rainbow huskily promised, her pink eyes gleaming a mere few inches from Applejack's. “I know it.”

“How're you sure o' that, honey?” the barmaid nearly whispered, her chest tight and pained.

“All you have to do to make it right,” a sweet song played off Rainbow's lips, and in its tune, she lovingly stroked Applejack's cold cheek, smiling as she told her, “Is just touch your woman.”

Author's Notes:

Wow, glad to have finally revealed that. I've left breadcrumbs through the whole story about it, so you may or may not have guessed it already. If not, read back through the old chapters, there are several hints.
Well... what do you think about poor Rainbow's situation?