[RDxAnon] The Letter [Candles]


                                            >You opened your front door, yawning and scratching the back of your head.

                                            >You were tired, frustrated, and sick of your job. Seriously you thought work in Equestria would be fun… and yet this job sucked.

                                            >Your superior, a pony named Derpy was a huge clutz and the blame always somehow ended up on you.

                                            >But it was always nice to come home to see the pegasus waiting for you. Rainbow Dash.

                                            >The two of you had been together for a month or two now, you having fallen for her after she used you as a landing pad when one of her tricks went awry.

                                            >After that the two of you just sort of… ended up together.

                                            >Now she spent most of her free time at your place, sleeping, cuddling with you, or showing off whatever new stunt she had been practicing.

                                            >The two of you couldn't be happier together.

                                            >Which is why you were excited to come home and see her, have her clamber up into your arms. She would be warm and soft while she told you about her day.

                                            >When she was done you would tell her about your, then you would enjoy dinner together, maybe watch a movie, and fall asleep.

                                            >But this time it was different as you opened your front door. There was no happy pegasus waiting for you.

                                            >This had happened a few other times but it was usually because she had fallen asleep on the couch. However when that happened she would still wake up and happily trot over to you.

                                            >She hadn’t trotted over yet.

                                            >Something was wrong.

                                            >You cautiously closed the door, kicking off your boots and hanging your coat, looking into the living room to see if she was there.

                                            >She wasn’t.

                                            >Something was definitely wrong.

                                            “Dash? I’m home!”

                                            >There was no response so you headed upstairs, fear beginning to grow in back of your mind.

                                            >Maybe she was hurt?

                                            >Maybe one of her tricks went wrong?

                                            >Oh god..

                                            >You bolted upstairs throwing open your bedroom door with a slam!

                                            >There was a pony in your room who jumped!

                                            >It was Dash. She turned around, huddled on the floor, her eyes streaked with tears. She was holding something.

                                            “Oh thank god you- Hey are you ok?”

                                            >She blinked, nodding and wiping her eyes, “Uh yeah I’m fine.” She sniffed, hiding something behind her back.

                                            >You kneeled down in front of her, putting your hand on her shoulder.

                                            “Hey come on, what’s the matter.”

                                            >She let out a sniffle, clambering over beside you and resting her head on your shoulder. “I uh… Got a letter today.”

                                            “And?”

                                            >She took a deep breath, her hooves shaking as she hung her head. You took them into your hands.

                                            “Dash… It’s ok.”

                                            >She nodded, taking another deep breath. “D-did I ever tell you about my parents?”

                                            >You shook your head.

                                            “No… is this about them?”

                                            >”O-oh… Well I uh lost my mom about 5 years ago. We were at a cottage and we had lit the fireplace to keep it warm. But then I woke up and the whole cottage wa- was…” She began to stammer. You put your arm around her for comfort. “The cottage was burning. One of the windows was left open and some ember blew out or something.”

                                            >She took another deep breath, her eyes beginning to well up. “Only my dad and I got out. I could hear… her sc-screaming…” She trailed off, her whole body shaking.

                                            >”My dad and I had to sell the house and moved into a small apartment. He was different after the cottage. Quiet and angry. At the funeral he said nothing, just stared. After that he would leave in the middle of the night and come back early in the morning only to pass out on the couch.”

                                            >”One day I asked him where he kept going and he told me to shut up. It got worse from there.” She bit on her lip to stop from crying. “Yelling turned into swearing, then insults, then… One night he came into my room.”

                                            >”He had been drinking… and h-he…” She burst out crying, sobbing against you her hoof almost pawing at your chest as she tried to catch her balance. You caught her, gently brushing the spot between her wings as she rubbed her nose.

                                            >“He sat on top of me, he kissed me. Th-then he said it was my fault. That I left the window open and that she burned because of me. He then… Hit me and left and I didn’t see him for a day or two.” She was holding her tail. Something that she would do when there was a storm and she got scared.

                                            >”This continued for a few months until I dropped out of Flight School.” She was stammering again. You weren’t entirely sure as to how to comfort her anymore so you kept your arm around her. “I… came home early but he was there and had already heard. I’ve never seen him so angry.”

                                            >She shuddered and reached behind herself. “He hit me, trapped me to the ground and kept punching me. He said I was a stupid filly who was gonna die in the streets as a whore.” Her eyes continued to stream. “I ran away… and came here.”

                                            “Oh my god Dash I had no ide-”

                                            >She cut you off, holding out a letter and envelope “I got this today. It-it’s from him. He said he wanted to meet me… to talk.”

                                            “Oh jeez…”

                                            >She nodded, crying. “A-and I don’t know what to do! I’m scared Anon! I’m worried he’s gonna be like he was before! A-and if he isn’t c-can I really go back to him?!”

                                            >You pulled her into a tight hug, feeling her shake in your arms as your shirt got damp from her tears.

                                            >There was no way you could help her with this one. Her fear of storms was one thing, but parental abuse? This was way too personal for you to get involved in.

                                            “Dash… I ca-”

                                            >”I know… This is for me to do. But, if I say yes, I want you to be there. W-will you be there?” She looked up at you, her eyes wide and shimmering, full of a mixture of sadness, fear, and hope.

                                            “I promise I’ll be there with you Dash.”

                                            >She gave a choked smiled, her cheeks, and chest streaked with tears. “I’m such a wreck…” She sniffed, wiping her eyes.

                                            >You kissed her nose, still holding her in your arms.

                                            “Dash… I don’t know what to say. After everything you’ve revealed today…”

                                            >She nodded, crestfallen. “I know… I’m a broken freak.”

                                            “N-no it’s not that!”

                                            >She rested her head on your chest and gave a bitter chuckle. “One thing Anon… Mind uh not telling anypony else about this?”

                                            “Wait have you not told Twilight or anyone?”

                                            >She shook her head. “No… And I don’t want to…”

                                            “Oh.”

                                            >”Yep…” She readjusted herself, getting more comfortable against you. “Any chance we can just skip dinner and go to sleep? I don’t want to spend any more time experiencing… well today.”

                                            “Y-yeah sure. I think I’ve lost my appetite as well.”

                                            >You followed her somberly to the bedroom where she lay down on the mattress, still sullen. “My eyes hurt now…”

                                            “Here close them.”

                                            >You clambered onto the bed and gave each of her closed eyes a soft kiss, causing her to giggle and lie down, snuggling herself into your arms. “H-hey Anon?”

                                            “Yeah?”

                                            >You voice was muffled against the back of her head. She brushed your hand. “Mind if I roll over?”

                                            “Uh yeah sure… Why?”

                                            >”I-I want to face you.” She was blushing a tiny bit, her eyes still moist. She was on the verge of crying again. “I don’t want you to disappear on me.”

                                            >You nodded and held her while she repositioned herself, you hand resting on the back of her head while your other arm was wrapped around her middle. She curled her one hoof against her ribs and the other was stretched under your neck.

                                            >She exhaled onto your chest and closed her eyes. “I… I’m sorry…”

                                            “For what?”

                                            >”F-for bringing you into this… I wasn’t originally gonna tell you. I didn’t want you to get involved and hurt us.” She was crying softly against you.

                                            “Dash… It’s fine. Trust me I don’t mind and this isn’t going to affect anything between us.”

                                            >”Really?”

                                            >You nodded, kissing the top of her head and pulling the blanket tighter around the two of you.

                                            “You’re still Rainbow Dash and I love you for who you are.”

                                            >You could feel her smile against your chest. “I l-love you too Anon.”

                                            >BOOOM!

                                            >You both jumped from the thunder and she let out a groan. “Oh come on! Could this day get worse!?”

                                            >You comforted her as she shivered softly. “Hey… we’re still together.”

                                            >”That’s true… Thanks Anon.” She snuggled herself a bit more against you. “Don’t go anywhere ok?”

                                            “You got it Dash.”

                                            >And with that you held her, until you both fell asleep happily together with peaceful dreams.


                                            THE END

                                            -Candles