“Rainbow Dash…”
The cyan-blue pegasus is unresponsive. She stares at the tip of her wing, not moving, refusing to meet a former friend’s eyes.
“Rainbow, please…”
She stares at the tip of her one remaining wing.
“Rainbow… when they told me you were alive…”
Twilight Sparkle leans forward, as close to Rainbow Dash as she dares, and still the pegasus will not respond.
“Rainbow―”
Rainbow Dash’s single wing twitches.
No. Not that.
“Rainbow, I’m sorry―it was my fault, that was my fault, I don’t care what anyone else said―”
“No.” For the first time Rainbow Dash speaks, and her voice is heavy with bitterness. “You’re right. It was your fault. All of it.”
***
And Twilight will never forgive herself.
She runs, not feeling the heavy saddlebag bouncing against her side. She runs, until her legs burn and her chest aches. Still she runs. She will never escape. Not while they hunt her.
In her hate and guilt, she finds the old alley and turns into it. She runs, and runs, until she reaches the dead end. And there she stops.
Damn Fluttershy for finding her. Damn her, damn them all for even coming after her after what she caused.
Rainbow Dash hates her. If only the others would as well.
And then she is screaming, pounding it against the wall the way she would her skull if she had the courage. It is not a book; no, those are too precious, and Sombre Light will be angry with her if she damages one. No, it is her hoof, and when she finally draws it away from the wall it is bruised and bleeding.
Bleeding like Rainbow Dash’s back after the axe.
Bleeding like Pinkie Pie’s face after the manticore.
Bleeding like her own face as she slams it into the unforgiving wall.
Unforgiving. Just like Rainbow Dash.
She falls to the ground and wonders if Rainbow Dash will still hate her after she hears.
Will she hear?
Will she know?
Will she even care?
Twilight does not want to know the answer.
/ / /
Oh no. Oh no. Oh please, no―
She winces, flinches, closes her eyes, does everything she can to shut out the images. But in the end Pinkie Pie must be tended to.
She finishes with the bandage and rests her hooves as Rarity and Applejack try to decide what to do. Rainbow Dash is gone, maybe dead. They don’t know. Twilight ran before the timber wolves attacked. Nopony knows where she is, and nopony is any shape to go after her.
Applejack does not even want to.
And Fluttershy has no idea what to think anymore.
***
Now she is desperate, desperate to get Twilight to the healers before it’s too late. The unicorn is bleeding badly, and for an instant Fluttershy is reminded of Pinkie’s face after the manticore attacked them.
No. Must not think of that now.
She hurries. The healers’ house is just ahead. If she can make it there―
And then she is at the threshold, running, collapsing, and being lifted up by a healer as she struggles and insists―feebly, but she is trying―that she does not need to rest.
They say she is exhausted. They must be wrong.
Did they blow out the lamp? It’s so dark now…
/ / /
Pinkie Pie gobbles down the grassmeal Applejack has cooked for them this evening. It’s awful―so bland, so tasteless, so boring―but if she pretends it is ice cream she can keep it down well enough.
Ice cream. It’s been so long since she’s had that.
She wiggles her hoof, the injured one, and wonders at what happened to it. It still feels so weird―like her hoof really is gone. It’s not. Fluttershy is just joking when she says it is. Anypony could see that.
Rarity sighs. She seems so tired nowadays―ever since Dashie and Twilight left. Pinkie still doesn’t know what happened to them. She really should ask about it sometime.
Sometime. But not now. Now she’s tired. With a belly full of ice cream she drifts off to sleep.
***
She trots through the hall of the healers’ house and into Dashie’s room. Ever since she lost her wing, Dashie hasn’t spoken to anyone but her. It makes Pinkie feel special, but it makes her sad too, because once upon a time they were all friends. What happened?
She stops in the doorway. Dashie is curled up on her side, her good wing covering the rest of her body. But she isn’t asleep.
“Dashie?”
Dashie glances at her, then sits up slowly.
“Hi, Pinkie.” She smiles, but Pinkie wishes she hadn’t. It’s the kind of smile that makes you even sadder for a pony. If they were still in Ponyville she would throw Dashie a party to cheer her up. But she can’t. Not right now. And she isn’t even sure if Dashie would like it.
“Do you want to walk with me?” she asks. Dashie shrugs and gets up, flexing her wing.
Her wing.
It really should be wings.
With Dashie by her side, Pinkie trots out of the room and down the hall.
Dashie stays with her as she goes. She obviously doesn’t know where they’re going. If she did she would be leaving. Refusing. Not going.
What happened? They were all friends before.
Then they reach the open door. Dashie sees through it and turns, frowning.
“Pinkie, you know I don’t want to see her.”
Pinkie puts on her most adorable puppy face. “Please, Dashie? I mean, they look so-o-o cute together, and you need a nap. It’s really hard to sleep in an empty room all alone like that.” She stretches her eyes until they feel like they’re going to snap.
And finally, Dashie agrees.
Pinkie’s friend―not her only friend, no, they’re all her friends―trots through the doorway and settles down next to Fluttershy and Twilight.
And waits.
And waits.
Her eyes are open, she’s still awake, and maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
“Dashie, we can go back if you want…”
“No, Pinkie.”
Dashie smiles again, and this time it’s a real smile. A happy smile. She actually looks… peaceful. “I think I’ll stay here… just for now.” She lays her head down and closes her eyes.
And for the first time since the burning of Ponyville, Pinkie Pie feels hopeful.
