Rainbow After The Storm: Chapter 3

Rainbow After The Storm
by milesprower06

Chapter 3
Concessions and Consequences

PONYVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY
THE NEXT MORNING

Spike was far from pleased when he woke up to the prods of Twilight, urging him to get a move on. Glancing at the clock, he plopped his face back down into his bed.

"For the love of Equestria, Twilight, it's 5 AM." he complained, voice muffled through the padding.

"Yep, and that's never too early to start preparing for the Princess Celestia's visit today. Now come on, let's go!"

With a few more pokes, Spike got up and went downstairs, grumbling the whole way, as Twilight prepared her usually long checklist scroll.

Today had to be perfect.

SWEET APPLE ACRES FARMHOUSE

Rainbow slowly came to the waking world, and found herself in the guest room, in the sleeping embrace of Applejack. Her body gently shifted as she stretched, and this roused AJ, her eyes fluttering open, and meeting Rainbow's gaze.

"Morning, Applejack." Rainbow said softly, giving her a quick kiss. The farm pony smiled, snuggling into her lover, as the smell of eggs and toast wafted into the room.

"Breakfast sure smells good this mornin'." AJ said. Rainbow nodded in agreement, and planted another quick peck on her cheek.

"Thanks for last night, AJ. That was...just, amazing." she said.

"Same to you, Sugarcube." AJ replied.

"Do...do you think we can actually make this work? Us, I mean?" Rainbow asked, removing the sheets from the two of them.

"Well, Ah'd say there's only one way to find out. Just go with it." Applejack replied. Together, they got out of bed. Rainbow got her hair brushed while AJ went to her room to get herself ready. Afterward, they met out at the kitchen table, where Big Mac was setting the table with breakfast. Granny slowly came out of her room and took her place at the table as well.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Rainbow asked, anxious to continue the farm chores she began yesterday.

"Not to worry, Rainbow. It's not gonna be as hard as yesterday. Part of the apples we bucked yesterday have to go out to customers now. Sweet Apple Acres supplies a fair amount of grocery stores here in Ponyville. First order is two whole carts, goes to the Feed 'n' Seed. Proprietor is Marty. He's been one of the Acres' best customers for several years now." Applejack said.

"I could help you take it into town." Rainbow immediately offered.

"That's the plan. First cart is large enough where two ponies have to pull it. After that, I can do the second cart myself."

By this time, Applebloom had come and joined the table, having been the last one to get up.

"Hey, did anypony else hear those noises last night? Sounded like they were coming from Rainbow's room." Applebloom asked.

Rainbow nearly choked on her mouthful of eggs, and Applejack nearly spit out her orange juice, but they both managed to remain composed. Swallowing their drink and food, they exchanged glances.

"Why, no. Ah didn't hear anythin', Applebloom. What about you, Rainbow?" Applejack asked, nearly sweatdropping.

"Uh, nope. Slept right through the night. You must be hearing things, Applebloom." Rainbow seconded. Aplebloom shrugged.

"Now hurry on up and go get ready for school" Granny Smith told the filly. She did as she was told, and took her last bites and went to go get cleaned up. Rainbow and AJ wanted to breathe sighs of relief, but they quickly noted that Granny Smith and Mac probably weren't gonna be that naive and gullible.

"Now don't you worry about Applebloom, you two. She doesn't comprehend these things just yet. Besides, you weren't that loud." Granny Smith told them. If it was meant to calm their nerves, it did just the opposite.

"You heard it too...?" Applejack asked, and then gave out a groan.

"Now darlin' it ain't nothin' t'be ashamed of. If you two love each other, and you make each other happy, ain't nothin' more to it than that."

Both Applejack and Rainbow were caught off guard by how casually the Apple family elder addressed the fulfillment of their love for each other last night. AJ turned to her older brother.

"You okay with this too, Big Mac?" she asked nervously. Big Macintosh gave a small smile.

"It don't bother me none. You two kinda add up, to be honest. Ya go well together."

Now the two of them were relieved. Last night kinda let the secret out, but the family was okay with it. Now they just had to watch themselves around Applebloom. Their breakfast finished, Rainbow and AJ took their dishes to the sink, taking a few minutes to wash them, and then went out to the apple cellar and loaded up the larger cart with part of the order going to Ponyville today. Rainbow had the tougher job pulling the full wagon out of the cellar, due to her Pegasus heritage. AJ had no problem helping her along.

With the cart, it was a ten minute walk into Ponyville. The Feed N' Seed grocery store was among the shops on the south side of town, so there wasn't a need to maneuver the cart through the streets and ponies on their morning errands. Rainbow was surprised at the store's small size.

"Geez, he needs this many apples for a store this size?" Rainbow asked.

"They go quicker than ya think. The Apple Family Apples are among his best selling products" Applejack told her, as they maneuvered the cart to the back of the store, where several empty wooden fruit baskets were waiting to be filled. Marty came out with a checklist to make sure everything was in order, and then headed back inside as Applejack and Rainbow began to empty the cart's apples into the baskets.

"So, Rainbow. Have you thought about how we want to tell our friends? About us?" Applejack asked. She was hoping now that they had slept on it, Rainbow would be a little more susceptible to this discussion.

"Applejack, I know I must sound like a broken record, but I'm...I'm just really afraid of what their reactions will be." Rainbow replied, emptying another bundle of apples into the basket.

"Well, 'ah said it last night, and I'll say it again; they're our friends, Rainbow. Do you really think they're going to scorn us and cast us out because we're now...closer? I'd think our friendships amount to much, much more than that. I mean, fine, I'll humor ya. Who among our friends would have a problem with us being together?" Applejack asked, determined to convince Rainbow that telling their friends was the best course of action.

"Rarity." Rainbow said, with almost no hesitation.

"Rarity?" Applejack repeated, wondering why Rainbow had so quickly given the fashionista as an example. "Why her? I mean, sure, she's a  bit more contemporary, and she's been out with a few colts. But I've never heard her make any comments about the, well, 'fillyfoolers' around town, like Lyra and Bonbon."

"But you've never heard her compliment them, either. Fluttershy says 'Aw, they're so cute together,' and Twilight says love has many forms, and probably has a quote from a  book  somewhere to back that up."

"Exactly. I'd bet most of our friends have no problem with fillyfoolers, especially if it's us. So let's swallow our fears and just tell them."

By this time, the cart had been emptied, so they hooked back into the harnesses, and went back towards the farm. Marty would take the full baskets into the store for selling over the next few days.

Hauling the cart back to Sweet Apple Acres was a much simpler affair now that it wasn't full of fruit. While they had gone into town, Big Mac had loaded up the smaller cart with what was left, and Applejack hooked into that one alone.

"I'll be back in time for lunch." she told them, and headed back into town with the last part of Marty's order. By this time, the shop was nearly ready for opening, and Marty was standing at the back door waiting for her.

"Got the last part of yer order right here, Marty." she said, pulling up to the rear of the store.

"I'm sorry, Applejack, I can't accept these. Not anymore."

Applejack was taken aback, and wasn't sure if the proprietor was joking.

"Why, what're you talkin' about, Marty? You've never had trouble selling your entire order before."

"It's simple. I will not be seen doing business with a fillyfooler. Especially on the day when Princess Celestia is coming to visit."

This sent AJ into a stunned silence for several moments.

"Wh-what are you-"

"Don't bother denying it either. I overheard you and Rainbow Dash unloading the apples. I can't believe  a hard working farmpony would participate in such disgusting behavior. I think it's now in our best interests to save face, so I'll take the portion of the order you gave me and you'll get payment for that. But beyond that, my business is done with you."

"B-but-" Applejack stammered. Even if she didn't get cut off, she was unable to find the words to defend herself. This was entire unexpected.

"Now I have a store to run. Good day, Applejack."

Applejack stood there in a stunned disbelief for several moments before managing to get her hooves moving, and pulled the full applecart back to the farm in silence. When the family and Rainbow saw Applejack return with a full cart, they immediately knew something was wrong.

"What happened? Is Marty okay?" Big Mac asked, after Applejack had returned the card to the apple cellar. AJ, tearing up and on the verge of full-on crying, explained what had happened.

Rainbow was beyond words.

In her emotionally distraught state, the family decided that she was in no condition to run the apple stand in the marketplace. Big Mac volunteered to run it for today, and went to go get yesterday's fresh apples ready.

In the commotion, no one noticed Rainbow leave.

PONYVILLE

Twilight hurriedly walked all around Ponyville, making sure everything was in tiptop shape, and that the decorations were holding up. Celestia had arrived just a half-hour earlier, and was enjoying lunch and tea at Sugarcube Corner.

Spike sat on her back, now fully awake, and alert with the checklist and scroll in claw. Twilight had made special notes of the last preparation's disasters, and paid special attention to them. In the days before, she reminded that the welcome banner had to include the Princess' full name, and not 'Welcome Princess Celest.'

"Flowerbeds, check. Streamers, check. Banner, with full name, check. Whew. It seems everything's coming together flawlessly this year." Twilight happily commented.

"Shouldn't you be with the Princess at Sugarcube Corner? I mean, you are her protege after all" Spike said. Twilight saw right through Spike's ploy to get some food, but then her stomach began rumbling. It had been an awfully busy morning. She hadn't even had time to say hi to Applejack and Rainbow Dash as they carted in some apples.

"I guess it is time for some lunch. Alright, you win, Spike."

CENTRAL PONYVILLE
LATE AFTERNOON

Rainbow sat at one of the many cabana tables set out in front of Ponyville's eateries. She didn't really know how long she had been sitting here, but she noticed the sun begin it's final descent to the west horizon. So she simply stayed here, sitting sipping some apple juice and hay fries, trying to eat and drink away this burning ember of anger inside her as she stared at the Memorial Fountain in the center of the small courtyard.

Her magenta eyes gazed at the stones, the names of Pinkamena's victims flawlessly chizzled into the outer sides. The dazzling liquid rainbow water fed through the internal piping and showered back down to the bottom tier in a beautiful spectrum.

She never liked thinking about her past; what her life had been like before she came to Ponyville. It had been a part of her she had buried and kept hidden away for most of her life here. But this morning's events were like a shovel in her heart, digging up what she never wanted to dwell on again.

Rainbow slowly closed her eyes, as tears began to stream down her cheeks. Instead of dousing the anger inside, her tears acted as the fuel to the fire, and she got up from the table, and walked towards the south end of town.

SOUTH PONYVILLE
15 MINUTES LATER

Twilight accompanied Princess Celestia as they concluded their run through the "Taste of Ponyville" that most of the town's food stands had participated in. As late afternoon began giving way to evening, the activity in town showed no signs of slowing. Lines still formed at every stand.

"I must say, this has been quite the visit, Twilight. I may have to walk back to Canterlot, or those Super Duper Chocolate Pastries may go right to my flanks." Celestia joked.

"I'm just glad nothing went wrong this time. No Parasprite outbreaks, no pet kidnappings. Finally, things have gone off without a hitch!"

As if on cue, the Princess and her student heard a slowly increasing commotion. This increasing murmur was suddenly overtaken by the sound of shattering glass not too far away. Celestia heard one of her guards announce "There, it's her!" to those under his command. The commotion again increased in volume as the guards dealt with whoever was the source of the window shattering.

"Me and my big mouth..." Twilight said, as she and the Princess quickly trotted to investigate. To say the least, Twilight was surprised at what she saw.

The storefront window of the Feed N' Seed grocery store had been shattered. The proprietor, furious, was out front inspecting the damage, while a pair of Royal Canterlot Guards were subduing the apparent vandal.

Rainbow Dash.

Who was apparently shouting up a storm as the guards restrained her, as she obviously tried to flee the scene after she did her deed, screaming infuriated insults at the shopkeeper.

"What is going on here?" Princess Celestia's authoritative voice brought a halt to the commotion in front of the store.

"This pony just threw a rock through my window" the proprietor, Marty, reported to the Princess.

"Because you're nothing but a bucking bigot!" Rainbow screamed, still trying to pry herself loose from the guards.

"Rainbow, please, I have to ask you to calm down." Celestia told the frustrated and furious Pegasus, tears still pricking her eyelids. "Now, why did you do this?"

"He refused the last part of Applejack's order because he overheard me and Applejack talking about...about..." Rainbow paused, half due to her flustered frustration, and due to her hesitation to reveal in front of all these bystanders what she had wanted her and Applejack to keep a secret.

"That they were sleeping together." Marty finished, earning another infuriated glare from Rainbow. "And this is my business, and I can refuse business, or service, to anypony, regardless of whether they think such immoral behavior is okay."

This response caused another struggle from Rainbow, who remained firmly restrained by Celestia's well-trained guards.

"Sir, that is hardly appropriate for public discussion." Celestia sternly told him. Marty however, was unphased.

"And yet they openly talked about it while they unloaded apples."
"It was a personal conversation at the back of your store and you know it!" Rainbow screamed.

"Rainbow, please." Celestia again tried to get the ex-Pegasus to calm down.

"Your highness, she has purposefully damaged my property. Thus, I charge her with vandalism, and I formally request she be placed under arrest."

This finally brought pause to Rainbow's furious tirade.

"You unbelievable hate monger" she said, fresh tears falling from her eyes.

Celestia took a moment to compose herself, and make sure her student wouldn't now burst out in defense of her friend.

"Rainbow, with all these eye witnesses, I'm afraid I have no choice. I urge you to leave peacefully with me, and I'll have the guards unhoof you."

Rainbow said nothing, but Celestia and her guards saw her visibly relax.

"Everypony, please return to your homes. I'm sorry my visit had to end like this. We'll deal with this tomorrow." Celestia announced, and the crowd immediately began to disperse. "Guards, please escort Rainbow out of town with me."

With that, the guards released Rainbow, but remained on both sides, as she followed Princess Celestia out of town, leaving a confused and concerned Twilight to walk back to the library alone.

SWEET APPLE ACRES
FIVE MINUTES LATER

Applejack sat in front of a large apple tree planted in the back yard of the farmhouse. As the sun began it's slow descent below the horizon, one could make out the rough stone grave marker in front of the tree, where Applejack now sat mere feet from, staring sorrowfully at the tombstone. It read:

SWEET APPLE

AJ was still growing up when her mother had died from complications during Applebloom's birth. This caused her father such grief that his health quickly deteriorated, and he was unable to continue on without his wife. But his will stated he wanted to be buried back with his family in the outskirts of Manehatten. It was a heavy blow to the Apple family, and the farm, but they endured. Granny Smith was still able-bodied enough where she and Big Mac, who was just learning the ropes, were able to handle the various responsibilities of the farm until Applejack got old enough, at which point she was able to take over.

"What do 'ah do, mama?" Applejack asked, her voice hoarse from the crying she had done on and off all day today. "Ah can't pretend t'know if you'd approve of it. But I can't help it. Not no more. I love Rainbow with all mah' heart. But if it hurts the farm, what do 'ah do? It doesn't feel right to hide it away from everypony. It's love. It should be celebrated. Embraced. Ah'....ah' just don't know what to do, mama. 'Ah feel so...so helpless."

Applejack sat at her mother's grave as if she was waiting for  a reply from the world beyond.

But if she was expecting one, it would never come.

PONYVILLE OUTSKIRTS
SOUTHERN FARM ROAD

Rainbow walked several paces behind Princess Celestia, her guards right at her sides at all times. Several minutes after getting out of town, Celestia turned her head to look at Ponyville, and then motioned to her guards.

"Thank you, gentlecolts. Please leave us." she simply told them.

If they thought the order to be unusual, they didn't show it. Both Pegasi, they nodded, and flew off back in the opposite direction towards Canterlot. Celestia slowed her pace so Rainbow came up to her right side, as they continued to walk south.

"I don't take you for the kind of pony that would be susceptible to outbursts of violence like that." Celestia told her, her tone gentle and non-accusing. Rainbow said nothing, her gaze fixated on the ground in front of her.

"I'd just like to know what's going on here. I want to help you in any way I can." Celestia said, trying to get anything out of Rainbow.

"You wouldn't understand" Rainbow said sullenly.

"Try me" the Royal Sister replied.

After several more moments of silence, Rainbow took a deep breath.

"You don't know what it was like growing up. All the bullies...how cruel they were. They didn't care how much their words and actions hurt me, they just wanted a laugh. The teasing, the ganging up on me, the kissing sounds, the pictures they drew and put up around the school. Back then, all it took was the color of my hair for them to call me a fillyfooler. I even considered dyeing it so they'd stop, but my mom wouldn't let me. She said my hair was what made me unique, and that I shouldn't change it based on anypony else's opinion, and that I shouldn't let teasing bother me if it wasn't true."

"Your mother's right" Celestia reassured. Rainbow sniffled, tears pricking her eyes again.

"So I tried ignoring it. When I did that, they got in my face, made sure I saw them. When I couldn't ignore them anymore, I tried going to my teachers. But they were always too busy, and the bullies always waited until they were out of sight to harass me. So when the teachers wouldn't stop it, I started fighting back. That got me expelled. My dad told me to apologize to the school, and to the ponies I gave some bloody noses to."

"So what happened?"

"I refused. My dad was essentially telling me I couldn't stand up for myself when nopony else would help me. The bullies didn't care, the  teachers didn't notice, and my parents wouldn't listen. So I ran away. That's...that's how I ended up here in Ponyville."

Rainbow let tears stream down her cheeks again, and trying to compose herself, continued.

"I don't like thinking about my childhood. And I certainly don't want Applejack to experience anything similar to what I went through. She was the first one to give me shelter when I ran away, and after all this, she saved my life, she gave me a place to live, and last night when we finally let our feelings out in the open, she loved me," Rainbow again paused, not easily revealing all this to the Princess. "And that bigot back there wanted to hurt her farm and business for something that doesn't even affect him! It's just one more bigot getting away with bullying!" she defended.

They approached the gates of Sweet Apple Acres, where they stood as Celestia used her magic to set the sun below the horizon to give way to Luna's moon and stars. Afterward, she continued the discussion.

"Rainbow Dash, I'm afraid that Marty is perfectly within his right to refuse to do business with anypony he wants, as he is in pressing charges against you for breaking his window. And you can't let anypony else's opinion change any aspects of your life. Their opinions are nothing more than opinions, and it ultimately doesn't matter what they think of you. You have to follow your own heart."

After a moment's silence, Rainbow again spoke up.

"Then what do you think?" Rainbow asked.

"What?" Celestia returned, honestly surprised at the question.

"What do you think about me and Applejack, two of the Elements of Harmony, being together?"
"Rainbow, I'm one of Equestria's rulers. Giving my opinion wouldn't be appropriate."

Celestia quickly judged that Rainbow was not going to be satisfied by that answer.

"But I would say that in over a thousand years of rule, I haven't found anything more beautiful than two ponies finding love, whether they be stallions or mares. Love has many forms."

Rainbow gave a small smile.

"So, what are we doing here? I thought I was being arrested." Rainbow asked, curious as to why they were back at the farm.

"I deem house arrest to be acceptable for tonight."

"House arrest?" Applejack said, and it was then the two noticed Applejack approaching the gates. "I don't like the sound of that. What's happened?" she asked, concerned.

"I, uh...went for a walk after you came back today, and I guess I lost it." Rainbow explained.

"Lost it how?" AJ pressed, afraid of what she was going to hear.

"I broke Marty's window." she said, still defending her actions.

Applejack's mouth was agape.

"Princess, can you excuse us?" Applejack asked. Celestia nodded.

"Please don't get yourselves all worked up. I'll be back in the morning to deal with this. Hopefully I can talk him down and calm this whole situation."

With that, Celestia ascended into the night sky towards the mountain on which Canterlot sat.

"Why would you do such a thing? Why?" Applejack asked, aghast at Rainbow's actions.

"I was angry. And it was a personal conversation that he overheard."

Applejack was so flustered, that she wasn't sure how to react to all this.

"I don't know how to deal with all of this right now. I've been so overwhelmed today by what's happened. I can't think about this right now. I think we both need to relax." Applejack asked.

"Alright, alright. Actually, a swim sounds good right now."

Applejack walked back inside with a silent nod, while Rainbow briefly went inside to get Gummy, and then she went to the lake for a night swim. With Gummy content wading in the shallows on the shore, Rainbow simply did laps up and down the pond, and it truly seemed to help. When she was here, her problems just seemed to ebb and flow around her, not getting in the way. She lost track of time, because she wasn't sure how long she had been here when she heard a familiar voice from above.

"It's been quite awhile since my sister has had any excitement like that."

Rainbow opened her eyes to see Luna come down to the shore next to Gummy.

"Hi Princess. What can I do forrrrrrwhhhhhat happened to your hair?" Rainbow asked, switching the question mid-sentence when she saw Luna's hair was now flowing, and sparkling as bright as the night sky.

"Oh, yeah. I accidentally used my sister's hair conditioner. It's gonna be like this for awhile." Luna explained. "I just wanted to come and see if you're alright. Celestia told me what happened."

"Then you'll hopefully understand when I say no, I'm not alright. Half of me is ashamed I resorted to vandalism, and the other half is wishing I'd aimed for him instead of the window."

"That probably wouldn't have gone over any better," the night princess commented.

"And on top of all that, I'm still thinking about what to do with that journal. Come to think of it, why did you withhold that from the evidence from the investigation?" Rainbow inquired.

"Because at first I thought it was a ruse; her trump card in case she got caught. It would have made it much easier to plead insanity."
"So what made you change your mind?"
"My own experiences. That millennium ago when my jealousy took control, and I became Nightmare Moon. At that point of realization, I began to reconsider what Pinkie went through. That's when I brought it to you. I thought it was important that you know what Applejack did; all the lives she saved that night."

"I still think Pinkie deserves to be proven innocent," Rainbow said, getting out of the water and sitting next to Gummy on the shore.

"I understand your position, in wanting to restore the public opinion of your friend, but you must be careful with this decision, Rainbow Dash. If you go public with the journal, you will doom Sugarcube Corner, as well as the two ponies who truly had nothing to do with it. You and I both know that Cup Cake and Carrot Cake would never recover if it was revealed what Pinkie did to the confectioneries they sold."

Rainbow shook herself dry, putting Gummy on her head, letting him latch on to her rear locks of hair.

"Well, don't worry. I'm not making a decision on it tonight. There's too much going on right now as it is." she told Luna.

"I highly advise you to try your best to relax. Getting yourself worked up over this won't do you any good. I'm sure Celestia will be able to help tomorrow."
"I sure hope so."

"Have a good night, Rainbow." Luna said, and departed into the night.

"Well, lets go get some sleep, Gummy" Rainbow said to her adopted pet, and trotted back to the farmhouse, both situations still clashing in her mind. She walked through the front door, and saw Applejack resting on the couch in the living room. A question came to her mind, and Rainbow felt as if she had to ask it here and now.

"Do you think we would've ever shown our feelings for each other if it was anypony else? If you had invited one of our other friends over for pie, or rescued anypony else from the basement? What if I hadn't kissed you out on the dock last night?"

Applejack opened her eyes, clearly tired, but still took the questions seriously. After several moments of mulling it over, she looked Rainbow in the eyes and answered.

"Ah honestly don't know, Rainbow. I can't answer that. I invited you over because I enjoy your company, and I want to spend as much time with you as possible. Only last night out on the lake did I see how deep those feelings went."

Rainbow tried to decide if she was satisfied with that answer. Applejack got up and walked toward her.

"Rainbow, sweetheart please, don't think about this too hard right now. We're both confused and hurting. I really think we just need to try to sleep on this. Alright, sugar?" she asked. Rainbow nodded, and Applejack walked down the hall to her room. Rainbow went to the guest room, and was about to climb into bed, when she got another idea.

AJ was about to fall asleep when she heard rummaging down the hall, and pretty soon, here came Rainbow into her room with her saddlebag of items and possessions.

"What are ya doin', Rainbow?" Applejack asked.

Rainbow set the saddlebag gently on the floor next to the nightstand, and climbed into bed with AJ.

"That's the guestroom, and I highly doubt I'm considered a guest in this house anymore. You know, I've never forgotten the first time I was in there, when I first came to Ponyville. I trespassed on your farm, and you gave me a room for the night in return. Thanks to my recklessness today, half of Ponyville knows about us now, and I suppose it doesn't matter anymore which one of us wants to hide it or express it anymore. So I'd say the best way to prepare for showing everypony we're together is right here, at home, in your room. Our room."

As badly as Applejack wanted to smile, the hurt and sadness of today's events was still too much. Rainbow slipped under the covers with her, and embraced her, as they both began to softly cry.

"Oh Rainbow..." AJ sobbed, and they held each other in bed, and slowly cried themselves to sleep.

PONYVILLE

Lyra was pulled from sleep by a musical noise somewhere downstairs. Annoyed, she put her slippers on and made her way downstairs to investigate, the rich notes becoming clearer.

When she got to the living room, she was shocked at what she saw.

Her lyre sat on the coffee table in front of the couch, it's strings vibrating by the plucks of what seemed to be air in the darkness.

It was playing itself. And the notes were all too familiar to her. It was Bon Bon's favorite song. She moved closer to investigate whatever invisible force was playing her instrument, and as she leaned in for a closer look, she realized just a moment too late, one of the strings being pulled violently out in her direction. There was a sharp snapping sound, and Lyra was unable to react in time.

Her scream pierced the silence of Ponyville's night.