Life Is Not Fair

by Slate Sadpony

Rating: everyone
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Sad, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie
Length: 5265

While hospitalized, Rainbow Dash finds herself sharing a room with a sick colt named Ivy Cluster. The time they spend together teaches Rainbow an important - but tragic - life lesson.

Rainbow Dash finds herself hospitalized with injuries after a crash. While there, she finds herself rooming with Ivy Cluster, a young colt suffering from leukemia. Rainbow forms a bond with the colt over Daring Do, cake and the Wonderbolts, but she needs to be strong for her frightened and depressed friend. When Ivy fails to recover, Rainbow must confront the loss and the fundamental fact that life is not fair.

Published 2013-09-04 20:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-09-04 20:10:02 UTC

Life Is Not Fair

Life Is Not Fair
By Slate Sadpony

Rainbow Dash groaned, rubbing her forehead with her hoof. “What happened?” She blinked a bit, Twilight's face slowly coming into focus in front of her. She was still dazed, the bright lights making her head hurt. There was a persistent, numb pain in her left wing and leg.

“You've had a nasty crash,” said Twilight. “Don't you remember? We were at the park. One moment you were showing off, and the next you were splashing into a lake!"

“You should be glad of that,” said the doctor. Rainbow Dash could feel the sticky fabric of a gown and the familiar hardness of a hospital bed pressing against her. She must be in extended care again. “If you’d crashed into a mountain or field we’d be in the mortuary right now. As it is, you’re down a leg and a wing from when you first started skipping on the water. But once the bones knit, you’ll be fine.” Rainbow Dash grumbled but said nothing. Broken bones were part of the job for anypony who wanted to be an ace flyer – the inevitable result of failing to execute a trick properly.

“Fluttershy and I fished you out of the water and took you to the emergency room,” said Twilight. “But the doctor said you’ll be back in the air in a month or two.”

“You won’t even have to spend all of that time in the hospital,” said the doctor. “Once everything’s properly set, we can discharge you to recuperate at home. There doesn’t appear to be any serious trauma outside the broken bones, and while we were worried you were unconscious due to a concussion, it appears to have just been the result of nausea and shock. So there’s no brain damage to look out for.”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “That’s ... good?” Although she’d been in and out of hospitals for crash-related injuries many times, most of what the doctor had to say went over her head. Clearly, pony medicine was something best left to the eggheads.

“Well, it’s not bad,” said Twilight. “Besides, I brought the latest Daring Do book for you to read – Daring Do and the Crystal Chalice. I was going to save it and give it to you as a gift for your birthday, but seeing as you’re going to be here for a few weeks, I figure I should give it to you now.” Rainbow Dash beamed, reaching forward to grab the book out of Twilight’s magical levitation. She instantly regretted it; lances of pain shot through her leg. She had to clench her teeth to keep from screaming.

“Careful now, take it easy.” The doctor gently pushed her back down into the bed. “You did some serious damage to your femur."

“I’ll try to keep that in mind.” Rainbow Dash grumbled leaned back, holding the book over her head with her hooves. “Well, this kind of works.”

“I’ll make sure the nurse gives you a reading stand,” said Twilight. “I’ll be back tomorrow with a few more books in the series. I know how quickly you can go through one of those things.”

Rainbow Dash clutched the book to her chest. “Sounds great! Can you bring the one where she recovers the Amulet of Yendor from the dungeon? I love that one!”

Twilight smiled. “I’ll make sure it’s in my saddlebag tomorrow. Now just try to relax, and get better soon. You wanna get better in time to see the Wonderbolts perform over Canterlot, don’t you?”

Rainbow Dash nodded, shifting her focus to the book. “As Daring Do entered the pyramid of Djoser, she carefully watched the floor with each step of her hoof, knowing that she had more to fear than just ancient traps in her quest to find the Crystal Chalice of Unas.” Rainbow Dash squealed, already loving the book. Each one of these was better than the last. Who knew what sort of exciting danger Daring Do was going to get up to in this, her latest adventure? It was almost worth breaking a leg and a wing to find out.

Almost.

***

“Suddenly, the floor began to shake!” Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but read aloud when she was excited. Eggheads like Twilight might be able to keep the words to themselves, but not Rainbow Dash. “Daring Do realized that this was no trap – the walls themselves were collapsing! Five thousand years, and they picked now to come tumbling down on her head!”

“Could you repeat that?” came a weak, male voice from the other side of the curtain. Rainbow Dash blinked, forgetting the book momentarily. She was a little embarrassed to be caught reading aloud. Sure, there was no rule against it, but it clashed with her tough-mare image. Nopony ever caught Spitfire reading aloud. And why had he not interrupted her earlier? Maybe he was napping? But then why would he ask her to repeat what she just said?

“I said ‘Daring Do realized that this was no trap – the walls themselves were collapsing! Five thousand years, and they picked now to come tumbling down on her head!’” Rainbow Dash heard her roommate shuffle down into his sheets and sigh.

“Daring Do is so awesome,” said the voice.

Rainbow Dash grinned. “Yeah, she totally is. But not as awesome as me! I’m the one and only Rainbow Dash!”

“My name is Ivy Cluster,” said the pony on the other side. “And I don’t wanna say you’re lying, but no pony is as awesome as Daring Do.”

Rainbow Dash huffed. “And why would that be?”

“Because in Daring Do and the Coconut of Quendor, she defeated the Ur-Grue just using her wits!”

“That’s only because she knew that nopony could defeat the Ur-Grue using force.”

“That’s my point, she’s not just really strong and really cool – she’s really smart too.”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying I’m not smart?” She wasn’t quite ready to be insulted yet. After all, if there was any pony that was cooler than Rainbow Dash, it was Daring Do.

“Oh, no,” said Ivy. “I don’t mean ... I mean ... Daring Do is just so cool, you know?”

“Yeah, she is!” Rainbow Dash agreed, happy to find another Daring Do fan. “Now how about I pull this curtain aside so I can–” As she saw Ivy, her words caught in her throat.

She had expected to see some happy young colt with a broken leg or bandaged head, stuck in the hospital for a few days due to some playground mishap. Instead, she found herself face to face with an emaciated, almost corpse-like creature that barely even looked like a colt. Most of his mane and fur had fallen out, revealing a bleached and sickly skin underneath. He was hooked up to numerous machines, the purpose of which were beyond Dash’s understanding. With the curtain swept aside, she could hear them hum and beep ominously. There was no doubting that Ivy was exceptionally – even frighteningly – sick.

She saw by the look in Ivy’s eyes that she had let her revulsion show in her face. She tried to mollify it with a smile, but the damage was done. He looked like he was going to cry. “Awwh, Ivy, don’t ... Don’t cry,” she said. “I was just a bit startled, you know?”

“It’s not my fault,” said Ivy. “I’ve got leukemia.”

Rainbow Dash racked her brain. Was “leukemia” contagious? It couldn’t be – they wouldn’t put her in the same room as a pony with some horrible contagious disease, would they? She felt a cold sweat forming on her brow. A pony as awesome and strong as Rainbow Dash couldn't get sick like that – it just wasn't possible. Still, each glance at him sent a cold shiver up her spine.

Rainbow Dash leaned back in her bed and stared at the ceiling. It was easier to be brave when she didn't have to look at him. “I’m sure it’s fine. I mean, you should have seen me after that time I flew into Twilight’s house. I’d had a bit too much to drink, and boy-howdy! I looked like a mummy after they wheeled me in from the ER. But I got better in like, two months.”

“I’ve been here for six months.” Ivy's voice quivered as he spoke. He turned his face away, but Rainbow Dash could still see the tears in his eyes. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get better.”

Rainbow Dash rubbed her hoof across the cover of her book. “How ... How about I read you a bit more of the story?”

“I’d like that,” said Ivy. He smiled a little and pulled his sheets up over his muzzle. He seemed cold, despite the fact that he had more blankets than Rainbow Dash. Rainbow turned back to her book, glad for an excuse to turn away from the colt.

“Using her wings to propel her forward, she flew towards the exit as fast as she could, the ancient stones crumbling to dust behind her!”

***

“I know your birthday isn’t until next month,” said Pinkie. “But when I heard you were stuck in the hospital again, I was like ‘I should totally make her a cake’! And so I went ahead and made you a birthday cake, even though it’s not your birthday!”

“How ... Pinkie of you,” said Rainbow Dash, smiling as Pinkie Pie set the cake down on a tray. Pinkie was a total spaz, but good for cheering a pony up. The cake read “HAPPY NON-BIRTHDAY RAINBOW DASH” in colors that matched her mane, with blue cake frosting on top. Rainbow Dash eagerly dug in to a piece, ignoring the crumbs and frosting that got all over her face. They’d be by to change her sheets in an hour or so anyway, so who cared if she got a few crumbs in there?

Pinkie Pie bounced up and down at the end of the bed. “How is it?” As if she couldn’t tell!

“Totally awesome!” Rainbow Dash picked up another slice and was about to jam it into her face when she remembered Ivy. If anyone needed cake, it was him. His parents had been by to visit him earlier. As soon as they left, he had started crying. It was not the sort of whiny, noisy sobbing typical of disappointed young colts throwing a tantrum. It was a quiet but horrible sound, filled with sorrow and horrifying to the ear. The only thing Rainbow had ever heard that came close was the deep sobbing Fluttershy was prone to when one of her pets died. “Hey, can you give this to my roommate Ivy over there?”

“Okie-dokie-lokie!” Pinkie Pie grabbed a slice of cake before bouncing over to the other side of the curtain. “Hello new fr–” She stopped suddenly, her eyes wide and her mouth open.

Rainbow winced, clenching her teeth. Maybe she should have warned Pinkie about Ivy.

There was a long, awkward silence while Pinkie tried to regain her composure. She was still visibly shaken, but determined to put on a good face.

“Is ... Is that cake for me?” said Ivy. “I love cake! Is it chocolate?”

Rainbow pulled aside the curtain to see what was going on. The look in Ivy's eyes and the smile on Pinkie's face let her know that everything would be fine. She unclenched her teeth.

“It’s not just chocolate!” Pinkie pulled out a paper plate and gently set the cake down on it. “It’s chocolate marbled! That means it’s chocolate cake and yellow cake all in one! And it’s coated in my super-special, super-tasty frosting!”

Ivy smiled lightly, leaning forward a bit and sniffing it. “Can you help me eat it?”

“Well, I would, but I kinda made this cake for Dashie,” said Pinkie. “Besides, I had, like, two whole crumb cakes for lunch today! Cuz they were left over from the catering for Button Mash’s birthday party and they were just gonna go bad. So I don’t know if I have room!”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “He means help him with the fork. He has trouble holding it sometimes.” She’d seen Ivy try to eat unassisted, and it was a pitiful affair. He’d pick it up and drop the fork time and time again, spilling food on himself until he gave up. It was enough to where, this morning at breakfast, Rainbow Dash had made it halfway over to his bed – busted leg and all – to try and help. Fortunately all the noise had summoned the nurse, who helped Ivy to eat in addition to forcing Rainbow back into her bed.

“Oh, I get it!” Pinkie hefted a bite-sized piece of the cake with a plastic fork. “Here comes the cake-train! Now, where is that tunnel?”

“Pinkie, he’s not a baby,” said Rainbow Dash. Ivy just laughed and opened his mouth. Pinkie slipped the fork in his mouth and pulled it back slowly, giving Ivy time to chew before she went for another.

Ivy smiled broadly. “It’s really good! It tastes like the cake Ponyacci gave my for my birthday.”

Pinkie bounced up and down beside the bed. “You’ve met Ponyacci? Isn’t he like, the totalest greatest most bestest clown ever? He’s like, my inspiration!”

“He said he came out of retirement just to meet me and the other fillies and colts in the hospital,” said Ivy. “And he gave me the best present ever – a talking Ponyacci doll! Wanna see?”

Rainbow Dash pointed her hoof at the floor. “It’s under the bed. You’ll need to help him get it.” Deep down, she’d grown to hate that thing. It could only say five different jokes, and they got repetitive very quickly. But she wasn’t about to tell Ivy not to play with his doll – not when he clearly loved it so. She just put her hooves over her ears and hummed the Wonderbolts theme song whenever he pulled it out.

Pinkie examined the doll, tossing it back and forth in her hooves. “Oh wow, it looks just like mine! Except he signed yours! ‘Keep Smiling, signed Ponyacci‘ Wow, I didn’t think he signed anything! He said he wants his stuff to be played with, not flogged at an auction to a collector!” Pinkie tossed the doll to Ivy.

Ivy caught the doll and held it up. “He said he wanted me to keep smiling, so he wrote that on its butt.”

Pinkie giggled. “You said ‘butt’!”

Ivy yanked the string on the doll.

“How do you make a tissue dance?” said Ponyacci. The voice was tinny but enthusiastic. “You put a little boogie in it!”

Pinkie and Ivy began laughing, and while Rainbow was thoroughly sick of the joke, she did have to admit it that their laughter was contagious. She chuckled in spite of herself, then leaned back on her pillow. She’d need to invite Pinkie over more often. Her own efforts to make Ivy smile had been half successful at best. The whole experience made her feel helpless. She could handle itchy casts, sore limbs and disgusting food, but Ivy's sadness was unbearable. If she had to put up with Pinkie's silly puns and hyperactive attitude, so be it. Anything to help Ivy.

***

Rainbow Dash leaned into her crutch, wincing. “Hey kid, how ya doin’?” The wheeled device on her rear left leg was uncomfortable, not to mention itchy. She was eager to have the casts off, especially the one on her wing. She hadn’t been flying in almost two months now. She desperately missed it.

Ivy smiled. “I’m doing fine.” It was a lie, but Rainbow didn't care. Unable to fly or report for work, Rainbow found herself visiting Ivy regularly. Once a week at first, and then almost daily. Indeed, it seemed the only ponies who spent more time with him were the doctors and his parents. “Did you bring Daring Do and the Scrolls of Timbuktu? I really wanna find out what happens!”

“Of course I did, squirt!” said Rainbow. It was hard to look at him sometimes. He was clearly trying to be cheerful for Rainbow, trying hide his pain during her visit, but there were limits to even the bravest of efforts. “We were just at the point where she started flying over the Deadly Desert, right?”

“Yeah, where she had to dip low to dodge those angry gryphons!” Ivy waved his hooves a bit like a pegasus in flight. “I wonder why they don’t want her to get the scroll?”

“I dunno, kid. Let’s find out!” Rainbow did in fact know – they were sworn to protect the scrolls from those who were not “pure of heart,” and that they’d later turn around and help Daring fight off a giant sand wyrm – but there was no reason to spoil the story for Ivy. She sat down and began to read, focusing her eyes on the page. The story was exciting and engaging, like all the other Daring Do books, but when she read next to Ivy, it was hard to focus on the story rather than the little colt in the room with her. Somehow, it always seemed like he was getting worse. Twice her visits had been interrupted by emergencies and the summoning of medical personnel, and the threat of a medical alarm kept Rainbow Dash on edge the entire time. Still, she wasn’t the sort to let anypony know she was frightened. Besides, Ivy needed this.

“Rainbow, I’m scared,” said Ivy.

Rainbow Dash half-closed the book. “Should I stop?” Things certainly were getting hairy for Daring Do, and Ivy had a rather vivid imagination. It wasn’t unusual for Rainbow to stop and let him calm down a bit, especially when Daring Do was in danger of being stabbed. Ivy seemed particularly afraid of stabbing and cutting.

“I’m not afraid of the story,” said Ivy. “I mean, no more than usual. It’s kinda scary, but I know Daring Do will be okay. She always pulls through.”

Rainbow Dash bit her lip and looked at the floor. “Then what’s got you scared?”

“I don’t want to die,” said Ivy.

Rainbow tapped her hoof on the floor. “Neither do I.” She wasn’t sure what to say, but she knew that Ivy was looking for confidence. And who better to be confident than Rainbow Dash? “And I know you can kick this Lou Kemy thing. I mean, I used to be scared of a lot of stuff when I was your age. Then when I grew up, I realized that most of those things, they weren’t as scary as I thought they were. And even then, I could probably kick their flank if I needed to!” Rainbow smiled, puffing out her chest as best she could. It seemed to work.

“You really think I can beat this? It’s been almost nine months now…”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “You can beat anything, Ivy! Tell you what – you said your birthday is next month, right? Well you focus on getting better, and I’ll totally do a Sonic Rainboom at your party!” She knew this would be a bit of a stretch – getting back on her wings in a month would be a challenge in and of itself, and performing a Sonic Rainboom might be impossible. But Ivy needed confidence, and anyway, she could deal with that problem later.

“Can Pinkie Pie come too?”

Rainbow Dash tossed her mane. “Pinkie will be THROWING the party! I mean who else would be better?”

“I really like her cupcakes,” said Ivy.

Rainbow Dash rubbed Ivy’s head with her hoof. “I’ll make sure she makes a baker’s dozen just for you.”

“Can you finish the story now? I wanna find out how Daring Do gets past the Sphinx Guard.”

Rainbow Dash sat back down. “Maybe if you’ve been paying attention, you can even solve the sphinx's riddle! I didn’t get it the first time, but then I was like ‘whaaat? It’s sooo obvious’.”

“The answer is ‘an egg’,” said Ivy. “I… I’ve read that book before.” He blushed and looked down at the sheets, like he’d gotten caught with his hoof in the cookie jar.

“Why didn’t you tell me you’d read Scrolls of Timbuktu before?” Rainbow Dash was a bit disappointed. She was halfway through the book. She must have been boring him for two or three visits now, repeating a story he already knew.

“I ... I’ve read all of them, actually. Well, sometimes my Mom or Dad reads them to me. But ... I’ve read all the Daring Do books.”

Rainbow blinked, rubbing her hoof against her forehead. “Then why do you keep having me come back here to read them to you?”

“Because you’re just so cool. I mean, I’ve had a lot of visitors. Clowns and athletes and politicians and stuff. But they aren't my friends. You come to see me just because you can. You’re like, my best friend now. My best cool friend.”

“Thanks.” Rainbow Dash had to force herself to look down. She was tearing up, and she knew the last thing Ivy needed was to see yet another pony crying on his behalf. Besides, she was Rainbow Dash. She wasn’t supposed to cry. She was supposed to be the tough, cool pony that everypony looked up to. “So uh, do you want me to continue?”

“Please! And then afterwards, can you tell me about the Wonderbolts Air Show?”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “Of course.”

***

“You’re gonna love Ivy,” said Rainbow Dash, helping Twilight through the door. They both struggled to carry a number of books, cupcakes, and Rainbow Dash’s collection of Wonderbolts trading cards. “He’s like, a total egghead, just like you! I mean all he does all day is read. So you two will have a LOT in common.”

Twilight grabbed the spilling tray of cupcakes with her magic. “I’ll take that as a compliment. And Celestia told me that, as the local princess, I should make more of a habit of visiting the sick. It’s not just good publicity. It keeps one humble.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you’re very humble.” She went up to the nurse at the front desk, smiling. “Two ponies to see Ivy Cluster, please?”

“Oh, Rainbow, I don't know how to tell you this.” She paused a moment, biting her lip before speaking. “Last night, Ivy took a turn for the worst. We rushed in everypony we could, but there was nothing we could do." She sighed, looking down at her clipboard. “I ... I can escort you to the mortuary, if you want to say your goodbyes. I know his parents would appreciate having you there.” She put a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder, as if to console her.

Rainbow Dash shoved the hoof aside. “You ... You’re joking!” She felt her words catching in her throat, sticking like wet cotton. “That’s not true! Ivy is fine!” She slammed her hooves on the desk. “Quit lying to me and take me to his room! Now!”

“Rainbow, I understand you’re upset,” said the nurse. “We all are. But that’s no reason to yell!”

Rainbow Dash stomped on the floor. “Buck you!” This wasn’t supposed to happen! “You bucking idiots! You don’t know what the hay you’re doing! I bet you just let him die because you were sick of taking care of him!”

Twilight put her hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. “Rainbow, please! That's not true! I know you're in a lot of pain, but please, you've got to calm down!”

Rainbow Dash moved to kick at the desk, but Twilight’s magic stopped her. “I will not calm down!” Frustrated, she kicked and flapped her wings wildly, fighting hard against Twilight’s magical restraints. “He was going to turn ten next week, and I was going to do a Sonic Rainboom at his birthday party, and we’d have cakes and games and I had Soarin sign a super-special foil-edition Wonderbolts trading card just for him!”

“Rainbow, I'm so sorry," said Twilight. She could hold Rainbow Dash still with her magic, but she could do nothing for the pegasus's anger.

Rainbow Dash kicked as hard as she could. “It's not fair!” As Twilight began to falter, one hoof broke free, missing the nurse's snout by inches. "It's not!"

Twilight collapsed to the floor, panting. "Please, Rainbow," she begged. "Your anger isn't helping anypony!"

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Like you would know, Princess!” She pointed a hoof at Twilight. “And about that – why the buck didn’t you do anything about this? Or Celestia? Do you not give a hay about some sick little pony stuck in a bed when you can swap mane-tailoring tips?”

“Rainbow, you know that’s not true.” Twilight frowned at Rainbow’s outstretched hoof. “If Celestia or I could have made Ivy Cluster better, we would have!”

“Well, you should have done something!” Rainbow Dash rubbed her hoof over her eyes. She couldn’t cry in front of Twilight. She’d never hear the end of it. “And you didn't! You just sat on your fat haunches and let him die!”

Blinded by anger and tears, Rainbow hobbled towards the exit. She flailed her crutches wildly as she tried to run with her splint. She shoved ponies aside as she advanced, throwing herself out the door and onto the road. However, with only two crutches and one good leg, it was all Rainbow could do to drag herself under a nearby tree. She collapsed, burying her face in her hooves. She could hear the sound of frantic galloping behind her, no doubt Twilight in hot pursuit.

“Please, I want to help you!” said Twilight.

“Tell it to Ivy.” mumbled Dash, her voice muffled by her hooves. “Oh wait, you can’t. He’s dead!”

Gently, Twilight put a hoof around her friend. “I’m sorry things ended up this way. But you did everything you could. And you were Ivy’s best friend, right up until the end. You gave him the one thing he needed most – you were there for him.”

Rainbow Dash buried her face in her wing, trying to hide the sobs. “But ... I didn’t make him better.”

Twilight nuzzled Rainbow Dash gently. “You did the right thing, Dashie. And in life, that’s all you can do.” Twilight slowly began to let go.

“I miss him.” Rainbow Dash pulled Twilight back to her, clutching her tight.

“I know. But you’re going to pull through this.”

“That’s what I told him.” Rainbow Dash looked into Twilight's eyes. “And it wasn’t true.”

“You didn't lie to him, Dash. You gave him hope. You made sure he knew that you cared about him, and wanted him to get better. You've told me so many times about how excited he was to see you, and how he hung on every word you said. You couldn't cure his illness, but you made his life better. There's no greater gift you could give to any pony, Rainbow." Twilight rubbed her hoof up and down Rainbow’s back.

"What do I do now?" Rainbow Dash buried her face in Twilight's wing.

"I don't know." Twilight held her friend tightly. "But I do know that's the right attitude to have."

***

Rainbow Dash swooped down, gently alighting in front of a small tombstone. She winced as she read the name “Ivy Cluster” on it. Even though the funeral had been two weeks ago, she was still not used to the fact that Ivy had passed.

“So uh, how you doing?” Rainbow Dash pawed at the ground with her hoof. Even though there was nopony around to see her, she felt uncomfortable at Ivy’s grave. He was “there,” in the sense he’d been buried there, but the things that made him the colt she’d befriended – his smile, his voice, his love of adventure stories, the way he lit up whenever she came to see him – all of these things existed only in her memory.

“I uhh, I brought you a cupcake.” She set it down on the grave. “And Twilight gave me this flower.” Somehow, the act of setting these things down made it a little less awkward. Most of the other graves had flowers or other trinkets on them. It made it seem like she had a reason to be there.

“So um ... Do you mind if I sit here and read a bit?” She sat down, smiling at the stone. “I brought the new Daring Do book with me. It just came out – this one is about her quest to find the Heart of the Elephant, a jewel that’s supposed to be like, filled with magical powers and stuff.” She opened the book, propping it against the tombstone.

“Daring Do found herself face to face with the greatest fortress she’d ever seen,” read Rainbow. “She recognized it as the Tower of the Elephant, a huge ivory edifice carved by unknown hooves many thousands of years ago, and the stronghold within which was kept the Heart of the Elephant, the greatest and most powerful of all the magical jewels in Equestria…”

Something was missing. She closed the book and sighed. It just wasn't the same without Ivy being there in body as well as spirit. It felt hollow. Turning around, she rubbed her hoof against the tombstone and set the book down beside it.

"It's not the same, is it? And ... I don't think you want me to do this again, do you?"

There was no response, but heart told her that she was right. There had to be a better way to honor Ivy's memory than sitting next to his tombstone and reading to nopony. She picked up the book and gave the tombstone a slight pat with her hoof, rubbing the top just as she'd rubbed Ivy's head to make him smile.

"I bet there's some young foals back at the hospital who'd love to hear this story." Rainbow Dash spread her wings, flapping them gently. "It's not fair that you won't get to hear it. But it would be even less fair if all those other fillies and colts didn't get to hear it either." She smiled and gave the tombstone a hug. It was a little uncomfortable, but it felt right. "Thanks, Ivy. You've taught me things I didn't even know I didn't know."

With that, Rainbow Dash took to the air, holding the book tight to her chest as she flew. Life wasn't fair. It was never fair. But she was going to make it as close to fair as she could. And as she was the one and only Rainbow Dash, that was going to be pretty darn close.

Author's Note

Wrote this for NaPoWriMo, after seeing several other stories that were similar in trope - i.e. Rainbow Dash making friends with a sick kid.

Considering who I am and what I write, this could not end well. But I think I captured Rainbow very well as a character, and that was the fundamental goal of this.

That and to see if I could make anyone cry. At which I appear to have succeeded.

10/12/13 - One-Struck by EQD

10/16/13 - Extensive editing and re-writing to bring up to EQD standards.

10/28/13 - Yet more editing to improve the tone and pacing of the story for EQD.

11/4/13 - Still more editing.

11/16/13 - Two-strikes

11/16/13 - Additional edits to resolve issues presented in the second strike