We walk out through the kitchen door and I’m instantly so overwhelmed that I almost bolt. The world outside feels too big. There’s too much space. There are too many places Mac could be hiding if he got away from the guards that arrested him earlier. I know Twilight said he didn’t put up a fight, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t start fighting back later when she couldn’t see him.

I know it doesn’t make sense. I know that Mac is probably locked up somewhere miles away, but my racing heart and twitching wings won’t believe my brain. My instincts can’t decide if I want to dive back into The Boutique or take off into the woods at a run. The Boutique seems safer, but running could mean putting some distance between me and any threats. My eyes dart around searching for possible escape routes.

When she’s done locking the door, I press myself against Rarity so hard she has to take a step to the side so we don’t fall over. It feels a little better to have the physical reminder that she’s here with me, but it doesn’t feel like enough. Sure, she made Mac go away but what if it’s somepony else this time? What if they know that I’m hurt and decide I’m an easy target?

Even if Twilight is bugging the crap out of me, I wish she and the others were here. Twilight’s always good in a fight, and having more of my friends around to help keep me and Rarity safe actually feels like a really good idea right now.

There’s a sound of hooves coming around the corner and I flinch behind Rarity.
“That will be the others,” she says soothingly. “I saw Pinkie Pie while I was upstairs fetching your jacket. She came through the window again to check on you and I mentioned that we would be setting off momentarily.”

“And I thought you might not want to walk around alone,” Pinkie says coming around the corner with Spike, Twilight, and Fluttershy trailing behind her. Pinkie sounds like she isn’t so sure about inviting herself and the others anymore though. She’s giving me a worried look and her eyes keep darting to Twilight and Fluttershy, who are both looking anxiously at the ground like they’re afraid to look me in the eye. They're probably worried I'm going to tell them to go away again. “But if you don’t want-”

“It’s cool, Pinks,” I cut her off because I’m actually glad they’re here. Pinkie gives me a questioning little look to make sure I mean it and I nod at her. Then she posts up on my other side being careful not to touch me.

There’s a bunch of little pops. Now all of my friends are wearing jackets. Spike’s heavy and dark green. It hangs squarely on his shoulders so he looks even broader than normal. Pinkie has a pink and white biker jacket like the one Rare made for Scootaloo a few Hearth’s Warmings back. Twilight’s looks like a cross between her lab coat and the trench coat I’m wearing. Flutters has a green flowy shawl kind of thing. And, Rarity has a neat, blue number that reminds me of the suit jackets business ponies wear.

“Thanks, Rare,” I say leaning into her a little more, as the others ‘ooo’ and ‘ahh’ over there new clothes. Part of me wonders if she has a closet somewhere full of clothes she’s made for each of us, just in case we need them.

“Oh, it’s no trouble, darling. Just a few odds and ends I had lying around.”

“Thanks for coming everypony,” I mumble.

“Hey Rainbow,” Spike’s voice is concerned but bright. He gets that this totally isn’t the time to try and talk about anything serious.

“Hey Spike.”

He takes a position in front of me. He isn’t the same little dragon anymore, but he isn’t huge either. When he stands on his back legs I only come up to his shoulder, but when he’s on all fours he’s only a little bit bigger than the average pony. “Where we headed?” he asks.

“Guard Station,” I answer.

“Right-o.”

Going through the market would be faster, but we take a back path around to a side street so I don’t even have to see where it happened. It’s a long walk, which sucks because walking hurts. My hooves ache and I’m not sure why. My entire back half pretty much screams at me to go lie down with every single step. Still, taking the long way is totally worth it, because it keeps us out of most of the traffic. Every time I glance toward Main Street, it seems like everypony in Ponyville is outside enjoying the day. Everything is too loud. The glare of the sun is too bright as it arches down toward the west. The voices of all the ponies are too close and too friendly.

“Hey Dashie,” Pinkie says trying to keep her tone light.

“Hey Pinks,” I answer. “How are the Cakes?”

“Warm and waiting for frosting.” That makes me laugh a little, but the conversation dies there.

Eventually, we just have to cross Main Street, because we don’t have an hour to walk all the way around the outside edge of Ponyville instead. My friends take care of saying hi to every pony we pass. We probably look like we’re on our way to a party or something.

The walk feels like it’s taking forever. Thank Celestia, Rarity never lets up on the pressure between us, so I always have her presence to try and focus on. I duck behind her and try to pay attention to her breathing and the jaunty clip-clop of her hooves as she waves and greets every pony she sees.

Only a few ponies give me suspicious looks, like they might already know what happened, but it feels like everypony knows. Like everypony knows that beneath this coat is a pony that got mounted against her will. It feels like they can see through the fabric to the bruises. It feels like they all know what happened and they all think I deserved it. That’s why I cringe every time somepony tries to catch my eye and when they smile and say, “Hi, Dash!”

When we finally get outside the station, everypony except for Rare and Spike asks for a hug. I know they just want to help, but letting them hug and nuzzle me is for them- not me. They’re quick about it though, which I totally appreciate. Rare opens the door for me. Our eyes meet and we take a deep breath together before we all walk in.

As soon as we’re through the door, there’s a flurry of action. Celestia or Twilight gave them a heads up, so the guards knew we were coming, but they aren’t ready. One of the officers almost falls over himself bowing to Twilight, even though he’s probably seen her in the market a hundred times without making himself look like an idiot. The receptionist looking mare behind the desk gives my jacket a serious look before she asks us to take a seat.

We step away from the desk and Rare catches my eye then glances down at the chairs. I shake my head. Sitting down is going to hurt. “I’ll stand,” I mumble. She stands because I’m standing, so I lean against her and tune out the conversation she’s having with Spike and Pinkie Pie.

Finally, a guard calls my name. His low voice saying my name makes me flinch. Rarity practically has to drag me over to the doorway where the guard is waiting to lead me back. It’s obvious that he’s being very careful not to stare at me. Instead, he gives Rare a weird look like he isn’t going to let her come with me, but she does that Rarity thing and convinces him to let her have her way. Then he leads us past the desk and down a long hallway.

He’s the first stallion I’ve been around since it happened and he freaks me out. He isn’t anywhere near as big as Mac, but that doesn’t matter. He seems huge. I hold my breath and shy away from him. Rares puffs herself up a little and takes a deliberate step forward so she’s between me and the guard. Hiding behind her doesn’t make the panicked feeling go away. She gives me just enough of a buffer to keep walking, even though all I want to do is turn around and run as fast as I can the other way.

He brings us to an empty office and stands out of the way so we can go in. Rare waits and lets me go in first. The office isn’t anything fancy, just a big desk, some filing cabinets, and a few chairs. It has a couple big windows letting in the light of the setting sun. I walk over and look out at the oranges of the evening sky. It’s so weird to think that at this time yesterday, me and the rest of the weather team were just knocking off work. It was a totally normal ending to a totally normal day.

The guard says something but I don’t understand him, because I’m intentionally trying to ignore him. Rarity can deal with him for now.

“Coffee?” Rarity asks me. I barely manage a nod and the guard leaves. I catch the apologetic look on his face right before he closes the door.

“How are you doing?” Rare asks.

I shrug. There’s no point in saying I don’t want to be here.

Rares doesn’t stop looking at me. She crosses the room to stand next to me, and I close the little gap between us. She leans her head toward me and I rest my forehead against hers with a sigh. The spot where we touch feels better. I focus on that spot. I can’t do a damn thing about the fact that I’m shaking, or that my breaths are ragged, but I can focus on the one place on my body that doesn’t feel like it’s being stretched so far and so thin that it’s about to explode.

We just stand and breathe. She runs her hoof through my mane again. “Everything will be alright, Rainbow,” she whispers.

There’s a knock. A different guard opens the door, a pegasus mare this time. She has a nice face. Not nice to look at- maybe it is, but I don’t notice that- she just looks like a nice pony. The smile she gives me is serious, but not uncomfortable. She has a tray with coffee and stuff on her back, which she sets down on the desk.

“The captain will be just a few more minutes,” she says and moves back toward the door.

“Excuse me,” Rarity says politely. “Officer….”

“Justice, ma’am. Officer Swift Justice,” she shrugs with a little laugh. “I’m in the family business.”

Rares smiles but doesn’t laugh. “Yes. Officer Justice, is the captain a mare or a stallion?”

“Cap’s a stallion, ma’am. It’s standard procedure to have a female officer in the room though.”

“Can it be you?” I ask. It’s only been a few seconds, but there’s something about this mare that makes me think we could be friends if we met in a different situation.

She nods. “Shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Thank you, dear,” Rarity says.

Justice turns to leave then turns back. “Just a heads up, you can’t be together while you give your statements. Do either of you have an attorney?”

“Do we need one?” Rarity asks.

“It’s not a bad idea, but no. You don’t need one.”

There’s a whole new kind of anxiety happening now. I can’t afford a lawyer and I don’t understand why Rarity would need one at all. I just realized that getting drilled with questions by Twilight might seem like a walk in the park compared to what’s about to happen. Especially because I’m not going to have Rarity with me this time. I’m going to be all alone with ponies that don’t know me and have no reason to believe me.

Mac is Ponyville’s golden boy. His family founded this friggin’ town. Plus, he’s Mac. He’s one of the nicest, most hardworking, quietest stallions anypony’s ever met. How the hay am I supposed to convince these ponies that he attacked me? What if I screw up and make it sound like he had some reason to think I wanted him?

I can’t do this. I want to get out of here. I want to go home.

“There’s a young purple dragon outside. If I gave you a note, would you please deliver it to him?” Rarity asks. Her voice is perfectly smooth and controlled, which helps me calm down a little bit. She’s still got me. She has a plan. I’m not the only one that saw what happened. Rare will tell them. She’ll make it work out. That’s what she does.

“Sure,” Justice answers.

Rares gets a piece of paper off the desk. When she moves I move without even thinking about it. I don’t know how I’m going to deal with having her leave when they talk to me. She finishes the note quickly and gives it to Justice, who nods and leaves.

The second the door closes, I let myself collapse a little on top of Rarity with my neck crossing over her back so my head is on one side and my body is on the other. Even though Justice seems cool, having her standing there watching me was exhausting.

Rare barely reacts to my weight. She’s fiddling with the coffee. “Cream? Sugar?” she asks.

“Whatever.”

“Let’s sit down.”

“K.” I move to collapse into the closest chair but remember just in time how much that would hurt. So, I carefully set myself down in the chair instead. A coffee cup wrapped in sparkly blue floats toward me and I take it in my hooves. The coffee is surprisingly good. Rare made it just the way I like it: no cream, two sugars. It’s kind of awesome how something as simple as coffee helps me calm down. It’s a reminder that life wasn’t always so messed up. “How did you know how I like my coffee?”

She’s settled into the chair next to me. Now I wish I wasn’t wearing this jacket, so I could reach out with a wing and touch her or something. I lean toward her so our shoulders touch instead.

“We’ve had breakfast together quite a few times, Rainbow. I pay attention to little things like this.”

“So, you know how everypony takes their coffee?”

“In our little group, my knowledge is passable.”

“Applejack?”

“Black. Although she prefers hot cider to coffee.”

“Fluttershy?”

“Prefers tea, but drinks coffee on occasion. Cream with a hint of sugar.”

“Pinkie? Half coffee, a dollop of cream, the rest sugar.”

“Twilight?’

“Triple Espresso.”

“Spike?”

“Light and sweet, with ground sapphires if they’re available.”

“Impressive, Marshmallow.” I tip my mug at her. She smiles and rolls her eyes at me. I think she likes her nickname. The whole conversation almost makes me smile just a little because for just a few seconds I feel normal like I’m just sitting with a friend talking about nothing and it doesn’t matter.

“Sometimes there’s nothing one can do for a friend but make them a cup of something. It’s nice to know what everypony likes.” Rare’s answer sounds heavy. Her eyes have that dark, clouded look again. I wonder what other times she’s remembering where the only thing she could do was make coffee and hope it helped.

We’re quiet for a long while after that. It’s weird that Rarity is here. It’s also kind of weird that she’s the only pony I can imagine going to for something like this. Even if things had gone down differently, if somepony else had found me, or if guards had taken me to the hospital, I think Rare still would have been the pony I would have asked for help for this part. I keep waiting for her to freak out, but she never does. She doesn’t even seem close. There’s just something about her, that ability to turn on the drama when she needs to and turn it off when it’s time to get real, that makes her the perfect wingmare for this.

When our coffee is gone, she puts the cups back on the desk. We lean our heads together. The silence and the tension are getting to me. I reach for her hoof. I need to fidget, so I trace little flight patterns into her foreleg.

She takes a pencil and paper off the desk in her magic and starts sketching. I’m surprised when I look over and the drawing isn’t a dress. It’s the room we’re in. The perspective is a little off, but the details are all there.

“That’s awesome, Rare. I didn’t know you could draw.”

“Hmm? Oh. I took a class a while back,” she shrugs absentmindedly, “I thought it would help with designing.”

“Did it?”

“A bit.” She squints at some mistake, erases it, then starts drawing again. “It helps when inspiration is low. There’s something grounding about drawing from life rather than inspiration.”

“You got this good from one class?”

“Unfortunately, no.” She sounds a little disappointed or frustrated with herself. The whispering scratch of the pencil moving across the paper is kind of soothing. I like watching the pencil move and create new little details that I have to look for around the room for just to make sure she didn’t invent them to embellish reality. “I take at least one class or do one workshop every year. It’s one of the ways I reward myself.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I always sign up for something the day after a new line premieres. It’s a palate cleanser of sorts.”

“Cool.” I’ve never thought about what Rarity does when she isn’t making dresses. Even after all our adventures, I never thought Rarity would want to do anything that wasn’t making dresses or going to the spa. But now that I think about it, I know that isn’t true. She does karate or something. She’s done that since she was a kid. I remember her saying something about it ‘helping with the balance one needs to walk in heels, darling.’ I know she reads sometimes. Usually, trashy romance novels that Twilight can’t stand if I remember right.

After a few more minutes, she sets the sketch aside and leans into me a little more.

“Rare?”

“Yes?”

“What was in your note to Spike?”

“I asked him to get a message to a couple friends of mine. One is the attorney I use for my business. The other is a friend in Canterlot. We met at a fundraiser some time ago. She’s dating a mare that is very active as an advocate for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. I’m hoping she can recommend somepony to represent you. I hope you don’t mind that I took the liberty.”

“It’s cool, I guess.” I trace another flight pattern onto her leg. It’s a big complex monster that took the team a whole week to learn last year and another two weeks to get down well enough that nopony crashed into anypony else. “I don’t want a lawyer or anything, but I don’t want any of this and that doesn’t matter either. So, thanks for dealing with it.”

“It’s really nothing to thank me for, Rainbow.” There’s another minute of silence before she talks again. “I believe I owe you an apology,” she says.

“For what?’

“I told you that I’d be damned before another choice was taken from you. I shouldn’t have said that when there are so many aspects of this that neither of us can control.”

I look up into her big, serious eyes. She’s still totally in control but I can see the weight of everything setting inside her like hardening concrete. I nuzzle her real quick because it’s the only thing I can think to do. “It’s cool, Rares. I know you can’t make this stop. Let’s just get through it as quick as we can, ok?”

“Agreed,” she says in a much lighter, but still severe, voice.

“Why do you have a lawyer for The Boutique?”

“Oh,” she waves the hoof I’m not holding like she’s batting at an annoying fly. “I’ve been sued more than once by ponies that weren’t pleased with how some design or other turned out. There have also been a few that simply refused to pay their bills and needed to be dealt with.”

“Really?’

“Of course,” she says. Then she leans over like she’s telling me a secret. “There’s just no pleasing some ponies.”

“Sorry, Rares. That sucks.”

She shrugs. “It’s a cost of doing business.”

“I don’t get why you need a lawyer for this though.”

“If I’m not mistaken,” she says casually, “there’s a chance that I will be charged with assault.” She says it like she just told me there’s a chance of rain in the afternoon.

“What the fuck?!” I try to stand up, but my aching hips aren’t having it. Instead, I just kind of rock forward in my chair, then wince and rock back with a sharp breath that makes my ribs scream in so much pain that I can hardly breathe at all.

Rarity’s hooves flutter around me again, until she decides she doesn’t know what to do with them and nuzzles my neck gently instead. It doesn’t calm me down, but it does remind me to force myself to take some slow, shallow breaths.

When I’m finally able to talk again, I pull away from her a little so I can get a good look at her face and ask, “Are you serious?”

“It’s alright, Dashie. I knew what I was doing,” she says simply, “if I am charged, I’m confident in my defense. And quite frankly, I won’t feel badly if I am convicted. My only regret is that I didn’t do more to punish him when I had the chance.”

“I’m glad you didn’t.” The thought of Rarity going to prison for helping me makes me so mad I could punch something.

“I know,” she says with a little smile as she tucks a little lock of my mane back behind my ear.

“Is your lawyer good?” I ask settling back into my seat.

“For The Boutique he’s perfect. Discreet, capable.” She pauses and chews her lip for a second. “This is a very different arena, of course. He may send one of his associates if he feels they are a better fit. The firm is on retainer, not the pony, and they will send their best. They’re all lovely. I give them discounts on their work attire, so I’ve met all the partners. I’m confident that I’m in good hooves.”

“That’s good.” I fold my forelegs and pout for a minute. “That’s shitty that you could end up in court for helping me.”

“You’re not wrong.” she shrugs. “But that’s the way of things I’m afraid.”

There’s a quiet knock at the door. Rares gives me a look. I sigh and nod. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Come in,” she says in her bright, ringing bell of a voice.

Justice opens the door. There’s a blue earth pony mare with a dark burgundy mane standing behind her. The earth pony is tall, almost as tall as Applejack, but she’s built more like Twilight before she got her wings. I’m no fashionista, but I’d bet every bit I have that Rarity made the really nice suit she’s wearing.

The mare steps into the room, then politely says to the officer: “Thank you very much. How much longer until the captain is ready?”

“Not sure, ma’am. He said he’d be ready half an hour ago.” Justice turns to me and Rare. ”Sorry for the wait by the way.”

“It’s no trouble, darling.”

“I’ll go put a bug in his ear and try to get you ladies out of here.” Justice turns to leave, but the earth pony speaks up.

“Perhaps we could use this time for the medical exam? I saw a doctor in the waiting area.” I wince at the suggestion and instantly decide that I don’t like this mare. She doesn’t even know me. What the hay is she trying to do by starting to make moves for me when she doesn’t even know my damn name?

“He’s here for something else,” Justice says awkwardly. Obviously, the lawpony is asking for something she shouldn’t have, so it irritates me even more. “But I can see if he has some time,” she finishes the sentence making the offer to me.

“No,” I say firmly.

“Excuse me?” The earth pony I don’t know asks me like I just cut her off in traffic or something.

I clench my teeth to stop myself from firing back her, but only because I know Rarity would think it’s rude and this pony is supposed to be here to help Rarity. So, even though I want to buck her in the face, I just sit and shake with anger for a second until Rarity stands up effectively blocking my view.

“Thank you for trying to make things efficient, but I believe Rainbow would prefer a female doctor,” Rare’s tone is polite, but clipped. “We are planning on going to the hospital when things are finished up here. This portion of the business is overwhelming enough without muddying the waters, don’t you agree?”

“Doing the exam at the hospital is the standard procedure, ma’am,” Justice chimes in. I’m liking that mare more and more all the time.

The earth pony lets out an irritated sigh and nods in resignation. Justice gives me one more look to make sure I’m ok, then closes the door.

“Sorry, Rarity. I don’t like how they’re handling this. Something’s fishy and I just want to get you guys out of here.” The lawpony’s tone and the way she just said Rarity’s name bug me for some reason. It’s way too familiar. It's like she thinks she’s Rarity’s friend, but she really isn’t.

“It’s quite alright, Contra. I appreciate you coming,” Rare says formally, then turns to me. “Rainbow this is Contra Forma, one of the attorneys from the firm I was telling you about.” Then back to the lawpony. “I’m sure you’ve already pieced together the obvious.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Rainbow Dash. I apologize for overstepping. It won’t happen again.”

“Hey,” is all I say. I really don’t want to talk to this chick. I don’t know why but I don’t like having her here. There’s something off about her. I can feel it in my gut, but she’s here to help Rares. So, I’ll deal with it for now.

Rarity sits down again and I grab her hoof. It’s a possessive gesture and I know it. It’s totally not something I ever would have done before, but I feel like I need to make sure the lawpony knows that Rare and I are a packaged deal right now.

Rares just leans into me gently, then turns back to the lawpony. “Can you tell me what’s going on? Twilight said they knew we were coming but we’ve been waiting for nearly an hour. Something feels amiss.”

Contra’s eyes bounce around for a minute taking in the dynamic between me and Rarity. Then she takes a deep breath and says seriously, “That’s because it is. I don’t know what exactly, but something is definitely off. Making a victim wait around like this is totally unprofessional. Plus, I get the sense that they’re worried the two of you have rehearsed your stories but they haven’t separated you.”

Rarity nods for a few seconds and starts stroking my foreleg with her hoof. She probably felt me get even more tense while Contra was talking. Rare was supposed to be my backup, but if the guards think we made everything up or that she’ll just say whatever I ask her to because she’s my friend, then what?

“The officer mentioned a victim’s advocate for Dash?” Rare says after another few seconds.

“I don’t know anything about that,” Contra shakes her head. “If I had to guess, then I’d say that they’re having a hard time finding one. I don’t think there’s a certified advocate in Ponyville. Even if there is, it’d be hard to imagine they don’t have ties to the Apple family.”

“How do you even know what’s going on?” I ask without trying to hide the fact that I’m irritated she knows the story of the worst thing that ever happened to me without me telling her.

“Per Rarity’s note, I’ve spoken with Princess Twilight and the rest of the Friendship Council,” she answers simply. Now I’m even more annoyed with this new pony and with Twilight. “It was a good idea, Rarity,” she goes on. “I don’t know why the guards are stonewalling, but it was good to walk in with some idea of what’s happening.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mention it, Rainbow. I just-” Rare turns frantic, apologetic eyes on me.

“It’s cool, Rares,” I cut her off, “Just tell me all of what’s in the notes from now on.” I’m bugged that didn’t tell me and that she gave Twilight permission to talk to somepony about what happened, but it’s Rarity so I really shouldn’t have expected any different. Maybe that isn’t fair to everypony else, but that’s how I feel. Plus, I know Rare won’t make the same mistake twice.

“Fair enough,” she says with her ears still folded back. Then to the other mare, she says, “I’ve reached out to a friend in Canterlot about an advocate. I expect I’ll hear something back in the morning.”

“That’s not ideal but it’s the best we can do,” Contra shrugs. Then she taps her chin with a forehoof and says, “Unless we can get Celestia or Luna to appoint a special advocate tonight.”

“Could they appoint Twilight?” I ask. Twi’s attitude earlier pissed me off, but I’d rather have a friend than some random pony. Plus, if she didn’t know all the legal stuff she might need for this whole mess before, she probably does now. Knowing Twilight, she’s been studying this stuff all day.

“Yes, they could,” Contra answers. “Would you like for me to see what I can do about making that happen?”

“If Twilight will do it, then yeah.”

“Alright, I’ll go talk to her.”

“Thanks.”

“Of course,” she tries to smile at me, but it’s a weird smile. It’s the kind of smile I’d give somepony I just saw begging in the street when I didn’t have anything to give to help them. Then she looks at Rare. “Rarity, don’t answer any questions without me.”

“Of course not.” Rarity nods and Contra leaves.

I stand up slowly and start pacing. My brain says that I should feel relieved now that I don’t have to pretend to be nice to Rarity’s lawyer, but instead, I feel panicked. The room suddenly feels too small. I need to see the sky. I need a breeze. I need to not be here anymore. I don’t want to talk to anypony. I don’t want to answer their stupid questions. I suck at talking. I’m not going explain stuff right and they won’t believe me. Then Mac is going to get out and come looking for me.

I can’t control my breathing. My shallow breaths are coming too fast. My wings are twitching painfully again. There’s an itch in my hooves to make a break for it. I don’t have to report this. I don’t have to put myself or Rarity through it.

My mind races with a thousand different options. I can just run and never tell anypony. In a few months, I’ll look totally normal. I might even be able to fly again. Then, I can just set up shop in Cloudsdale, where Mac can never reach me. Or, I can just go be by myself. That way I won’t have worry about some other stallion realizing that I’m an easy target and starting this whole mess all over again.

Rarity stands up. The windows all open with a touch of her magic. She doesn’t crowd me, but she leans her head toward me again. I step forward and touch our foreheads. There's wind in the room somehow. She must have learned a lot about the weather that day she had my cutie mark.

“Just breathe, Dash,” she whispers. “Just breathe with me.”

She counts. We breathe in for four. We hold for four. We breathe out for four. We hold for four. I can’t breathe as deeply as she does, so I have to hold my breaths a little longer. Slowly, I start to feel in control again. My mind goes quiet as I put all of my focus into breathing and feeling that place where our heads touch.

“I hate this,” I say. “I want to go home.” There’s a twinge in the back of my brain about the fact that I just called Rarity’s house home.

She doesn’t call me out on it though. She just says, “I know, darling. We’ll go as soon as we can.”

There’s another soft knock and the wind stops. Fluttershy steps in. “They wouldn’t let Twilight be your advocate. There’s some problem with jurisdiction and conflicting authority. I’ve done the community advocate and support training they offered here. So, if it’s alright with you, Dashie, I’ll fill in until Rarity’s friend gets here from Canterlot.”

I look at Rarity for her opinion.

“It’s up to you, Rainbow,” she answers.

Shy doesn’t know jack about legal stuff, but she won’t let anypony mess with me. Plus, if I can’t have Rarity with me, then Shy would be my next pick anyway. So, I’m good with having her here. So, I say, “Yeah. That sounds good, Shy. Thanks.”

Shy takes a few steps and leans forward. I meet her for a nuzzle. Then Flutters gives Rarity a quick squeeze with her wing.

The door opens again. It’s Justice. “Miss Belle?”

“Please, call me Rarity.”

“Deal. Miss Rarity, if you’ll follow me. We’ve got your attorney set up in another room. We’re going to do the interviews at the same time, so hopefully, nopony has to wait around too long.”

Rares leans into Flutters again. “Take good care of her,” she says quietly.

“I will. I promise.” Shy tries to sound strong and certain but it’s so quiet that she still sounds nervous.

When Rare’s blue eyes meet mine, the world stops. She’s going to leave. I’m going to be all alone, without my unicorn for the first time since the whole world got turned upside down. Rarity is the only reason I’ve made it this far. She’s been standing up for me, and keeping me safe, and keeping all the memories at bay. Now, I’m going to have to dive into them brain first and she isn’t going to be here to help me.

“This sucks,” I whisper.

“It’s nothing compared to what you’ve been through, Rainbow,” she says gently.

“It’s still fucked up.”

“Agreed. May I?”

I nod and we hug. She’s being so careful with me, but it’s still a good hug. I don’t want to let her go. I don’t want to face this alone. She’s the only one that knows everything. She’s the only one that knows how broken I am. She’s the only one that will listen to me. She’s the only one that doesn’t make me feel bad or guilty about what happened.

“I don’t think I can do this,” I admit and my voice breaks, but I refuse to cry.

“Be brave, darling. It will be over soon.”

I let myself give her one more long squeeze, I take a deep breath. She smells like her conditioner, and her bed, and The Boutique. I take one more deep breath to steel my nerves, then let her go.

The second the door closes behind her, I feel like I’m in a dangerous freefall with the ground racing up to kill me any second. Rarity has been the thermal keeping me in the air. Everything feels colder and harsher with her gone. It’s like Rare was literally some kind of a drug that was keeping the actual, physical pain away. Now she’s gone and I have to deal with all of it, it’s an overwhelming almost bone-crushing weight.

Every bruise and cut seems to hurt all of the sudden. I have to look at my foreleg to make sure that blood isn’t really trickling down from one of the many deep cuts because that’s what it feels like right now. I try to sit down and realize how sore my tail-end is, so I stay standing and start pacing instead. It’s not much better because every time one of my hooves hits the ground I feel the force of it all the way through my body. If I step with a forehoof, I feel it resonate all the way through one of my cracked ribs. I’ve crashed and broken enough ribs to recognize the feeling. If I step with one of my back hooves, I feel pain and pressure in through my entire back half that reminds of that second in the street when Rare asked if I could walk, but I knew I couldn’t because it felt like I’d been ripped in half along my spine.

“Dashie?” Shy asks quietly. She finally decided to sit down in one of the chairs after standing around watching me for awhile. Her eyebrows are knit together with worry.

It’s irritating. I’m not some wounded animal for her to fret over, but I take as deep a breath as I can manage and swallow my frustration. So, my voice is mostly even and pretty calm when I say, “What’s up, Shy?”

There’s a mask I wear for Fluttershy. It started the day we met. It didn’t matter that I was being bullied too because I was small and had way more attitude than anypony thought I could back up. I just put on my tough face and made myself be strong enough to stand up for that shy pony. Then I showed everypony that I really was awesome and things got a lot easier for both of us.

Keeping up the brave face for her isn’t always easy, especially when she’s bugging me. I’ve screwed up a lot of times over the years and been way harder on her than she ever deserved, but most of the time I really try to keep my cool around her. She’s a lot stronger than she seems, but she also worries even more than she lets on.

“I- I don’t know. I just wanted to make sure you’re ok.”

“Thanks. I’m fine.” I lie. “I just want to get this over with.”

She takes a deep breath like she always does when she’s about to say something she knows somepony doesn’t want to hear. “It’s going to be awful, Dashie. You need to describe everything in as much detail as you can. Then they are going to ask you questions about everything.”

“So basically, they’re going to do the same thing Twilight already did to me?”

She winces at my retort, but nods. “Yes, I suppose so.” She pauses and fidgets for a minute bracing herself to say one more thing. “You need to let yourself take breaks. Trying to rush or get this all done at once isn’t a good idea.”

“Ok,” I agree even though I don’t mean it. I want this to be over as soon as possible. There’s no getting out of it, but I’m not going to let it drag on forever either.

I keep pacing. She keeps watching. I force myself to focus. I’m not going to be able to do this if I’m all caught up in feeling like I just want to go back to Rarity’s and hide from everything. I make myself go through the same mental warm-up drills I do before a Wonderbolts show. It’s actually pretty helpful. I don’t feel calm, but I do feel in control except that I want to scream for them to get their plots in here already.

Why the hell do I feel like I’m the one that’s been arrested? I want to flip out and leave, but then I’ll just have to come back. I know that.

Finally, the door opens and Justice and an older stallion come in.

“Sorry for the wait Ms. Dash,” the broad gray stallion says coldly and the feeling that’s been building, the one that I’m the one that did something wrong, gets even worse. “I’m Captain Bronze Shield.” He walks behind the desk and sits down. He sees Rarity’s sketch of the room and throws it into the trash can on the floor. “Please sit down.”

I sit in the chair next to Fluttershy. There’s a tension in the room that wasn’t here before. I know she feels it too by the way her eyes keep bouncing back and forth from me to the stallion. She offers a hoof. I don’t take it. I’ve gone to full defense mode. I’m not going to let this jerk see how much I’m freaking out right now I’m not going to let it show that my heart started trying to beat outside my chest the second he came through the door when that same prickling feeling went down my spine. I flinched when he threw Rare’s drawing away and that isn’t going to happen again either.

Shy lets her hoof drop and gives me a worried look that I feel more than I see because I’m glaring at the stallion behind the desk. “Ok, boss,” I say coolly. “Let’s do this.”

That sucked. It felt like getting raped all over again, over and over. I told my story, then he asked about it. He asked about every little detail. Then he asked more questions.

Have I ever flirted with Mac?

Did I really say no?

Did I say no, and really mean yes?

Did I orgasm?

Did he orgasm?

Am I sure he didn’t orgasm?

Am I sure I didn’t orgasm?

Have I ever had acted out a rape fantasy with a pony I was dating?

Did I fight back?

Did I say no?

Did I put any extra effort into styling my mane before going to bar?

Was I in heat?

When was the last time I was in heat?

Am I sure I really said no?

Am I sure I didn’t flirt with him at all that night?

Why didn’t I go to the doctor or the cops when it happened?

Which market stall did he have me pressed up against?

Am I sure it was that stall?

Why did I walk toward the market? Was I trying to find a place Mac and I could be alone?

Did he know I was gay before?

Am I sure I'm gay?

When did I decide I was a fillyfooler?

How long did it go on before Rarity showed up?

Did I have anything to drink at the bar?

Would Mac have any reason at all to think that I wanted to have sex with him?

Was Mac drunk?

Why do I think Mac raped me?

What do I mean I have no idea?

Have I ever had sex with a stallion before?

Is Rarity my marefriend?

Is there any reason Rarity might have a grudge against Mac?

How long did Rarity watch before she did anything?

Do I think Rarity got jealous of Mac and that’s why she used her magic on him?

Have I ever dated Rarity?

How long have I known Mac?

Do I have any reason to hold a grudge against the Apple family?

Where was Twilight Sparkle when the ‘alleged’ rape took place?

Do I have a problem with all stallions or just with Mac?

When Mac kissed me, did I kiss back?

Why did I bite him? Was it a teasing bite? Was I trying to be playful?

What other things did I do to try and let him know that I wasn’t interested?

Did I really say no?

Did I say yes and then say no?

The questions about Rarity pissed me off the most. The questions about what happened made me cry and shake and get angry, but the way that idiot talked about Rarity made me what to fly across the room and gouge out his eyes.

Questions like: “Miss Dash, have you ever seen Rarity be violent?”

It was so tempting to say, “Well, we did fight changelings side by side during the invasion, but no. I wouldn’t say that I’ve ever seen her commit random acts of violence.” But I didn’t.

“Miss Dash, was there any reason that Miss Rarity and yourself might conspire against Big Mac?”

What exactly was that idiot thinking? Me and Rares wouldn’t conspire to do anything. The biggest plan I think we’ve ever worked on together was the Winter Wrap Up that one year before Twilight moved to Ponyville. What the hell kind of idiots would we have to be to be stupid enough to use me as bait for rape?

“Miss Dash, to your knowledge does Miss Rarity have any sort of grudge against the Apple family?”

It went on like that forever and then it all started again. Shy tried to get me to take breaks. I finally agreed to take a break and eat something around the time we went over the same bullshit about Rarity for the third time. I yelled a few times, and almost flew out of my chair once, but overall I stayed pretty cool.

They didn’t let me see Rares while I was staring at the food they brought me. Bastards.

Fluttershy was awesome. She kept reminding the captain that I was a victim and that he might want to treat me with a little more tact. He kept giving her skeptical glances or rolls of his eyes, but she never backed down until he’d eased up on me just a little bit. She also kept trying to tell me to calm down and to stop swearing, even when the questions were just plain rude.

I was sure Rarity would be sitting in the waiting room when I was done, but she wasn’t. Everypony else was though. So, now I’m in this stupid waiting room sitting next to Pinkie because Fluttershy is bugging the crap out of me. Maybe it’s just carry over from being so annoyed with the guard, but I can’t stand to be close to her right now.

Pinks is holding almost perfectly still. That’s the level of shit we’re in. Pinkie Pie is holding still.

I’m sore from sitting in hard chairs for so long and from the walk over here. I need another shower. I’m tired from trying to fight back the memories and the anger. Keeping myself mostly in control for hours was exhausting. I just want to sleep, but I still have to go to the stupid hospital before I can go home. I just want to get Rarity and leave. I want to find my way to her bed so I can just relax and cry myself to sleep again.

Shy is sitting and whispering with Twilight. I wonder if that’s finally going to happen. They’ve been making googly eyes at each other forever. Maybe they’d be good together. They could sit and worry until they both turned gray. How the hell would I know? I’ve never had a relationship that lasted more than a couple weeks, and nopony is going to want me now.

That’s a brutal fact that I haven’t really thought about before.

It’s not like I was the kind of mare anypony would want to settle down with before all this happened. Wonderbolt life is awesome, but it doesn’t exactly make dating easy. Yeah, every mare wants to be the one to tame wild one, right? But that’s not wanting somepony. That’s wanting to change somepony. I always wanted somepony to stick with me, because of me. Not because I stopped being me to make them happy. Not that I could do that anyway. I mean, I’d try, but let’s be real. It wouldn’t work out.

Doesn’t matter now anyway.

None of it matters.

I’m going to be alone forever because Mac ruined me. Nopony is going to want somepony that couldn’t protect herself. Nopony is going to want somepony that has to hide behind her friends everytime a stallion walks by. Plus, what are the chances that I’m ever going to want to be touched again? Right now, even trying to think about somepony coming on to me makes me want to throw up.

Maybe I should have let him kill me. Maybe I should have flapped as hard as I could and let him break every bone in my wings. Dying would have happened fast. I would have tried to scream one last time then bled out. Then it would’ve all been over for me. Mac would have finished, thinking I’d given in, only to find that he was mounted and hilted in a dead body.

Maybe Rarity would have heard the scream. She probably would have tried to save me. When she realized that I was already gone, she would have beat him bloody. It’s so easy to imagine her going full kung fu on him. Maybe she probably would have killed him and had to spend the rest of her life trying to make a prison uniform look good.

I don’t know how long I’ve been crying, but it’s been a while. Pinkie has her foreleg around me, which is fine. It doesn’t help, but it doesn’t hurt. She isn’t squeezing me or anything, so I don’t feel like I can’t get away. She’s just letting me know that she’s here with me. Trying to do what Rarity’s been doing as best she can.

I miss AJ. She’d crack some joke about me being a weakling, and I’d find some way to be snarky. For half a second I’d get to feel like Rainbow Dash instead of sitting here wishing I was dead.

“Hey, Pinks?” I scratch out.

“Yeah, Dashie?”

“Will you go tell AJ I want to see her, but I can’t yet. I’m not mad at her or anything. I just can’t and I’m sorry.”

“Sure, Dashie.” She gets up and starts to walk away.

“Pinkie?” She stops to look at me. “Give her a hug for me. The biggest, tightest hug you can.”

“You got it Dashie,” she nods with a little smile, then she’s gone.

Spike walks in with coffee for Twilight and tea for Fluttershy. I think he asked me if I wanted something, but I can’t remember.

“Can I sit here?” He asks pointing to Pinkie’s chair.

“Sure.” I shrug. He’s almost too big to sit in any of these chairs. Another year or two and he’s going to be stuck on the floor or in whatever custom throne Rarity orders for him from Quills and Sofas.

“What’s taking them so long?” He asks between gritted teeth.

“They’re trying to charge her with assault,” I answer in the same tone.

“Really?” He looks at Twilight. “How can that be true?”

Twilight doesn’t even wait a second to start explaining, “A unicorn using their magic aggressively toward another pony is a serious thing Spike, and Rarity did a number on Mac.”

“Of course she did!” There’s a little roar in his voice. He gestures at me with a claw. “He was-”

“And making him stop was well within appropriate bounds.” Twilight cuts him off in her perfectly, coldly logical way. “But that wasn’t all she did.”

“Oh.” Spike deflates a little. “What else did she do?”

“From the bruises he had, it looks like she put Mac in a magical vice. Applejack said that she thought he had some broken ribs. We know from the impact patterns that she threw him more than 50 yards.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like he didn’t deserve it!” Spike is so adamant. He isn’t about to let Rarity’s good name be questioned.

“What he deserved wasn’t for Rarity to decide.” Twilight is still using her ‘I’m a princess, so I have to look at this from both sides’ voice.

“Shut the fuck up, Twilight,” I snap.

She’s just being an egghead. She’s just explaining the legal part of all of this. I know there will come a time in this whole mess when I’ll be grateful that Twilight Sparkle knows everything and can be so coldly logical in times of crisis, but right now it just feels like a betrayal. It feels like she’s defending Mac, and if she’s defending Mac then that means she’s on his team, and if she’s on Mac’s team then she thinks I deserve what happened to me and Rarity deserves to go jail for helping me. Rarity saved me and it’s going to ruin her life, and Twilight sounds like she thinks that’s exactly what should happen.

Still, it surprises me that Spike and Fluttershy don’t speak up for Twilight and I instantly feel bad for losing my temper. “Sorry, Twi. I just can’t hear it anymore, ok?”

She just nods with her ears flat against her head.

We’re silent again. Thank, Celestia.

Finally, a door opens and I can hear Rarity’s brightly pleasant voice in the hallway. “It’s quite alright, officer. I understand that you were just doing your job. Attention to detail isn’t lost on a lady.”

“Holy Fuck.” I think to myself the second I hear her voice. No wonder it took so long. They tried to break her. “Idiots.”

Instantly, I know what to do. Shifting into Wonderbolt/show pony mode is easier than breathing right now. Carefully, I stand up and move to where I can hear her trotting jauntily down the hallway. She comes around the corner and my heart sinks.

On the surface, she’s Rarity- smiling, lilting, simpering, tittering Rarity. But it’s all fake. The smile is fake. The polite greetings are fake. The little spring in her step is fake. All of us notice it. We’ve been through enough, there’s no way any of us could miss it. Rare is always a good show pony, but she isn’t usually fake. She’s just barely holding it together. She’s exhausted. She’s probably not far from being a sobbing heap, but nopony gets to see that. Nopony. She’d turn her hair green and move in with Applejack’s pigs before she’d let anypony here see her mask crack like that.

I flash her my best Wonderbolts smile, trying to stop any of the stress from showing on my face. If she can keep performing, then so can I. It’s even easier to smile when I see the little flash of understanding cross her face.

“You ready to go?” I ask like we’re leaving for a picnic or something. It’s not my best performance, I sound just a little irritated, but it’s pretty damn good considering everything that’s going on.

“Yes.” she nuzzles me and the feeling of knowing I’ve got my unicorn bodyguard back helps release tension all over my body. “Let’s get the rest of this dreadful day over with, shall we?” Her performance is flawless as always.

“Hey Justice!” I call out too loud. It makes everypony except for me and Rarity flinch. “You’re coming to take the pictures, right?”

We’re drawing attention to ourselves on purpose now. We aren’t letting them see how beat up we are. We’re walking out of this place like we’re just too good to be here. We’re walking out of here like we didn’t just get treated like criminals. We’re acting like we didn’t do a damn thing wrong, and it’s an easy show to put on because we didn’t do a damn thing wrong.

Justice nods and grabs a camera. “Let’s do it,” she says. She makes it sound like we’re going to a buckball game or something. I knew I liked that pony.

We head toward the door. Rares stops to hug Spike and thank him for his help. Then she hugs Fluttershy and Twilight quickly before we head out the door. Twi and Shy look so confused I almost laugh. There’s one more reason Rarity is the pony I trust in all of this. Even when she’s tired, even when she just wants to quit and go home, even when she has every right to just go but on her bathrobe and wallow in whatever it is ponies are supposed to wallow in, Rare can shove all of that into a box deep inside her and put on a show if she thinks it will help somepony.