True Beauty

by bahatumay

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Interlude: A Dragon in Celestia's Court
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Epilogue

Chapter 1

Rainbow Dash came to slowly, hearing only snatches of the conversation going on around her.

“...can't believe she did that...”

“...saved me...”

“...took it right in the face...”

“...dragon just...”

“...better run…”

“...look there…”

“...wings...”

She forced her eyes open and immediately regretted it. Everything was a blur, a bright sea of white with stabs of color. There might have been some purple, maybe some pink, and that was definitely yellow. It was painful, and her eyes shut again. Come to think of it, everything was painful. The world grew dark, and she opened one eye. Applejack's face swam into focus.

“Rainbow, stay down. We'll get you back, Ah promise.”

And then there was darkness.

* * *

Rainbow let out a pained whimper and opened one eye. Her world had been reduced to the smell of antiseptic and scorched fur, the beeping of some machine, and an awful soreness throughout her whole body; kindof like she’d just had a tough workout to exhaustion, but with every single muscle she had, even ones she didn't even know she had. She’d woken up to these sounds enough in her past to know she was in a hospital, but could think of nopony who had gotten hurt recently that would need visiting.

...why was she here, anyway?

She heard a loud gasp. “She’s awake!”

There was a loud thump, as if a pony had fallen out of a chair, and then Applejack sprang up from the floor. Her eyes looked tired, as if she hadn’t gotten much sleep all week. Which, to be truthful, she hadn’t.

“She’s awake!”

Rainbow winced as Pinkie Pie’s shrill voice cut through the air. She cracked one eye open and saw Pinkie’s wide smile, which was quickly removed by an orange hoof and replaced with Applejack. Hesitantly, she rested a hoof on Rainbow’s right foreleg. The pressure made Rainbow wince briefly.

“Hey, sugarcube,” she whispered. “How are you doing?”

“Ok, I think… am I in the hospital?” It was painful to speak at first, as if she hadn’t had a drink of water in ages.

Applejack nodded. “Yeah. And it’s good to see you awake again.”

Rainbow nodded. Her mind was fuzzy, unable to remember anything that had happened to put her here. Whatever had happened to her, it had apparently been drastic. Still, first things first. If she was hurt, the others (being somewhat lower on the awesomeness scale than she) must have been injured as well. “Where’s everypony else?” she managed to say.

“We’re all fine. We’ve been watching you in shifts,” Twilight explained hesitantly. “You’ve been here for two weeks, Rainbow.”

“Two weeks?” Rainbow sputtered, trying to sit up… and collapsing in pain, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. Apparently, not moving for two weeks had left her body somewhat weak and atrophied. Applejack rested a hoof gently on top of the bedcovers, wordlessly asking her to stay still. Questions burned in Rainbow’s mind. “What happened, anyway?”

Applejack cocked her head. “You don’t remember?”

Twilight and Rainbow shook their heads. Rainbow winced, touching a hoof to her neck. That pain definitely wasn’t normal…

Twilight explained. “Most ponies who are in comas tend to be confused and disoriented when they come out, so that’s to be expected.”

“A coma?” Rainbow looked around at her friends, ignoring the twinge of pain from her neck as she did. “What did I do?” She racked her brain quickly, but again came up blank as to the cause. Had she been trying a new trick? Breaking another speed record?

Twilight answered this one as well. “You took on three dragons, Rainbow. Those three dragons from Spike’s personal 'find himself' quest thing?”

Rainbow nodded. She remembered them.

“They were here, and they were bigger and angrier than last time. They were giving Spike an awful beating, and, well, you didn’t like that; so you swooped in and pulled him to safety. The dragons didn’t like that, so they… well…” Her voice trailed off as she looked for the right words.

“Tried to make a Rainbow Dash flambee,” Pinkie supplied the answer, earning herself glares from both other ponies in the room.

Ah. She’d been burned. That explained a bit. Not everything, of course. “So Spike’s ok?” Rainbow looked around as best she could. “Where is he, anyway?”

“He’s fine. Minor injuries, really, thanks to you. He’s grabbing lunch for all of us,” Twilight answered. “He’ll be really happy you’re awake; he was worried sick.” She paused. “He really feels it’s his fault you got hurt.”

Rainbow shrugged, ignoring the shot of pain that flew up her right shoulder. “Eh, I would have done it anyway for anypony. Those guys were real jerks.” She paused, realizing something that she should have thought of earlier. “What happened to them, anyway?”

Twilight coughed nervously. “Uh… Well, two of them were last seen running deeper into the Everfree Forest, and their scales may or may not have been given a healthy dose of hydrochloric acid. Their leader, however--remember that red guy?--has the ubiquitous honor of being the first ever dragon to descend beneath the water table of Ponyville.”

Rainbow cocked her head.

“Twilight grabbed him, folded him in half like a pancake, then teleported him a hundred feet below ground,” Applejack whispered in translation. “She was mad.”

Twilight gave a little embarrassed chuckle. “Oh, stop. He’ll survive.” She paused. “Probably,” she amended.

“Well, I survived, so I guess it’s all good,” Rainbow said. “I’ve been here two weeks, you said?”

Pinkie nodded brightly. “Yep! And look! I even made a photo album of your recovery!” And sure enough, she produced a photo album, completely decorated with cutout cutie marks made of construction paper, and hoof-drawn pictures of both Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash on the cover, drawn in crayon, both smiling broadly.

Rainbow looked up at Applejack, asking silently for clarification.

“She got bored while waiting,” Applejack explained.

Rainbow nodded. That would be something Pinkie would do.

But what was really strange to her was the prank Pinkie was trying to pull. Sure, there was Pinkie smiling broadly (she was quite skilled in taking pictures of herself, apparently), but next to her on a hospital bed was a pony covered in bandages, and from what she could see from what was uncovered, he didn’t look familiar at all. Rainbow was most disturbed by the contrast of Pinkie’s smiling face while this other pony lay unconscious. Then again, judging by how bad this pony’s injuries were, maybe unconscious was the best state for him.

“Who's that?” she asked.

“It's you!” Pinkie proclaimed brightly before Twilight could stop her.

“That's not me. Is it?” She froze. A horrifying thought occurred to her, and memories of visiting a foalhood friend struck by lightning flashed unbidden through her mind. “Get me a mirror,” she demanded.

“Rainbow…” Twilight started softly.

“I need a mirror!” Rainbow quickly sat up to get out of the bed.

“Wait!” Twilight called.

But she was too late. Rainbow’s weakened body couldn’t support her shifting weight, and she slid out and landed hard on the ground, face first, before Twilight could even light her horn.

“Applejack!”

The cry was instinctive, her automatic first response to being in danger or pain. Applejack knelt and helped her up, letting Rainbow rest her weight on her body. Rainbow forced her head up—was the world always this swirly?—and looked over at Twilight.

“Get me a mirror,” she repeated.

“I don’t know if that’s the best id-”

“Mirror!”

Twilight wilted, knowing Rainbow wouldn’t stop until she got what she wanted. “Are you sure? I don’t know if you want to see your face just yet.”

“What’s wrong with my face?”

Twilight looked away, a pained look on her face. Hesitantly, she opened the bathroom door, and gestured inside at the mirror hanging on the wall. Leaning heavily on Applejack, Rainbow Dash limped her way over and looked in the mirror.

What Rainbow Dash saw made her jaw drop, and the only thing that let her know that what she saw in the mirror was actually her was its jaw dropping as well. The left side of her face was relatively normal, aside from her coat looking a little thin and burned in some places. Most of her mane was intact, aside from the burned tips. A thick scar traced across her cheek and another smaller flowed over her eye, giving her a rugged look.

Now, her right side… The right side of her face didn’t even look equine. Everything from her coat to her eyelashes was gone; leaving behind a blackened mess of burnt muscle, pinkish somewhat-healed skin, little pockets of pus, and scattered scraps of blue fur, all on top of a spiderweb of white scar tissue.

“What happened…?” she whispered, bringing up a hoof to touch the mirror as if hoping her face would somehow revert to normal. “And why do I look like this?”

Twilight stepped up beside her, pity in her eyes. “Deep, prolonged burns produced by magical fire. Th- there’s only so much that healing magic can do, Rainbow. If you use too much, it can cause… issues.”

“What kind of issues?”

“We used most of our quota to get the skin grafts to hold. Too much more, and your body would have overloaded and rejected everything we did, including most most of the muscle knitting.”

“Skin grafts?” She knew that term. Rainbow looked down at her body and sure enough, she could see where patches of skin had been placed along her body, especially along her barrel and upper right foreleg. She looked around under her body towards her hindquarters, letting out a painful grunt as her body protested the movement. It turned into a pained whine when she saw the scarring along her inner thighs; evidence of her skin taken from places that would normally remain hidden from view. She looked up again. “And what’s that about knitting?”

“Rainbow… you suffered third degree burns on most of your right side. You had damage to your subcutaneous fat layer.”

“It’s all muscle,” Rainbow instinctively protested, straightening up… and quickly bending back over, gritting her teeth and hissing in pain. Applejack reached underneath her for support.

Twilight didn’t crack a smile. “That got burned, too. You had some bad nerve damage as well, and we had to try and fix those before reattaching and reknitting your muscle.”

Rainbow flexed a hoof and winced at how numb and dead it felt, almost as if she had fallen asleep on it for a few hours. “How long until I’m back to normal?” she asked.

The room fell silent. Not even Pinkie Pie moved. Rainbow Dash looked around, but no one would meet her eyes.

Twilight finally spoke. She licked her lips nervously. “Rainbow… this might be your new normal. Nerves can heal, but they take a long time to do so; and we’re not sure if the scars will heal.”

“Spike’s scars did,” Pinkie pointed out.

Twilight quickly responded. “Right, but Spike’s dragon magic is expressed a little differently than Rainbow’s pegasi magic. Spike’s damage was physical, and he was cleared to go home after a day. Rainbow, well…” Her voice trailed off.

Applejack hesitantly brought up a hoof to stroke Rainbow’s left cheek.

“Yeah, it looks kindof bad, but don’t worry,” Pinkie said brightly. “I’m sure everything will be back to normal soon.”

“I doubt that,” Rainbow said.

“What do you mean?” Pinkie asked. “I mean, look! You’ve got your friends, your feathers will grow back, we can throw a party with all of Ponyville so they can see your new appearance, nothing could go wrong!”

When Pinkie Pie says that, it’s never a good sign. Rainbow, however, let herself get cheered up a bit. “You’re right. I’m sure it’ll be fine. I mean, I’m still awesome me, right?”

“Yeah!” Pinkie agreed.

“What’s on the outside doesn’t matter, I’m still Rainbow Dash!”

“You got it,” Applejack agreed.

The door to Rainbow’s room opened, and a small pile of boxes entered.

“Sorry, Twi,” Spike’s voice came, “they were out of the daisies so I got you daffodils inst- Rainbow!” The food went flying as Spike caught sight of the pegasus now standing in the middle of her room. “I… uh… I’m sorry!” he wailed. “It’s my fault you got hurt!” He looked as though he was torn between giving her a hug and groveling at her hooves.

Rainbow chuckled, though she found nothing funny. “Ah, don’t worry. I’m still me, right? Besides, I would have done it for any of my friends.”

“Yeah,” Spike said, “but I still feel guilty.”

Twilight rested a comforting hoof on his shoulder.

“I mean, it’s going to be hard to get a job now-”

“Spike…” Twilight warned.

“-and I don't know if you'll fly again-

“Spike…”

“-ponies are going to look at you funny-”

“Spike…” Twilight’s grip tightened on his shoulder.

“-it’s going to make life harder and-”

“Spike!”

Spike looked back at Twilight.

She wore that fake smile Spike had seen before. “Oh, look. You dropped our lunch. Better go get us some more.”

“But-”

“Go.”

Spike could take a hint. He turned and quickly walked out of the room, breaking into a sprint as soon as he thought he was out of visible range, letting the door slam behind him.

Silence reigned, and none of it was comfortable.

“I’m sure he didn’t mean all that,” Pinkie said, looking back at Rainbow. “Nothing will change. We’ll still love you.”

Before Rainbow could respond, there was a knock on the door, swiftly followed by a young filly scout entering, wearing her clean and starched class A uniform. She was smiling broadly and bearing a few boxes of cookies on her back.

At least, she was; until she opened her eyes and saw Rainbow Dash’s face for the first time. She dropped her cookie boxes and screamed, stumbling backwards and tripping over her own skirt as she scrabbled backwards, trying to put as much distance between the two of them as possible. She rolled over and scrambled to her hooves and sprinted out of the room, screaming the entire way, leaving behind her cookie boxes and neckerchief. Pinkie attempted to capitalize on this and reached for a box, but Twilight slapped her hoof away with a disapproving glower.

Rainbow was less concerned with the ethical ramifications of taking the cookies and instead looked over at Applejack. “Kiss me.”

“Wha-?”

“Kiss me,” Rainbow repeated.

Applejack lifted a hoof to approach but hesitated ever so slightly. It was barely noticeable if you weren’t looking for it.
But Rainbow was looking for it. “That's what I thought,” she whispered bitterly. She turned and painfully began to walk out the door.

As soon as Rainbow had left, Pinkie turned to Twilight. “Was it something I said?” she asked quietly, afraid she had hurt her friend.

Twilight shook her head. “It wasn’t you.” She paused. “Well, you didn’t help,” she corrected herself, “and it seems like everypony here needs a mouth filter, and I certainly didn't plan for that filly scout, but it wasn’t your fault. To be honest, I expected something like this, but that doesn’t make it any easier.”

Pinkie gave her a friendly bump with her head. “But it’s all gonna turn out ok, right?” she asked hopefully.

Twilight didn’t answer.

“Right?” Pinkie repeated, a bit more soberly this time.

Twilight sighed. “I don’t know, Pinkie. I really don’t know.”

Outside in the hall, Rainbow continued walking slowly down the hall as Applejack followed. They passed various patients, most of whom stared openly at Rainbow’s right side. One even gasped and swore under his breath, and one tiny foal even began to cry.

Rainbow didn’t respond. She didn’t even look back at Applejack.

They had made it to the reception area before Applejack spoke. “Are you sure you wanna leave? Don’t you have to stay here for a while longer?”

Nurse Redheart looked up from her paperwork. “Actually, she’s completed her required stay. Her body doesn’t seem to be rejecting the transplants, so now that she’s awake, we don’t need to keep her for observation anymore. I just need somepony to sign her out.”

Applejack turned and glared. “Whose side are you on, anyway?” she asked.

Redheart returned fire with a blood-chilling glare such as only teachers and nurses can perfect, and slid a clipboard over. “The side of healing, and if she doesn’t want to be here to aid her healing process, that’s perfectly acceptable and even encouraged. Sign here, please.”

Applejack shook her head, signed the release form, and then ran to catch up with Rainbow Dash. “You ok?” she asked.

“What do you think?” Rainbow asked bitterly. Exiting the hospital, she turned left and continued walking down the road.

“Where are you going?” Applejack asked.

“Home.”

Applejack pointed a hoof behind her. “The orchard is that way…” she started.

Rainbow paused and looked back at her. “No. I’m going home,” she corrected. “My home. Away from you.”

Applejack blinked, finding herself speechless. “Rainbow, why wou-”

“You don’t want to see me? Fine. I won’t put you through that.” Rainbow resolutely began walking again, wincing every few steps.

“But Rainb-”

“Save it. I saw how you looked at me. I saw how you hesitated to kiss me. I saw how you flinched when you touched me. I’d hate to leave you stuck with Ponyville’s most unawesome marefriend.”

Applejack walked alongside her, slowly, to stay with her. “How are you going to get back up there?” she asked, trying to help Rainbow see reason.

Rainbow didn’t even break her stride. “I’ll think of something. Don’t you have a tree to go kick or something?”

“Ra-”

Rainbow cut her off. “We’re done, Applejack.” Her voice grew quieter. “Just leave me alone.”

Applejack paused and bit her lower lip; feeling pained, indignant, frustrated, angry, and most of all, hurt.

But she couldn’t say if it was Rainbow or herself she was most upset with. All she could do was watch Rainbow limp painfully off into the distance.

Chapter 2

Twilight woke up to the sound of metal on metal, a scraping sound that was rhythmic enough that she knew it was not random. She slowly crept downstairs and into the kitchen, where she found Spike scrubbing an already clean pot. Her eyes scanned the kitchen, taking in the clean dishes and sparkling floor. “Spike, are you…?”

Spike jumped and turned back to Twilight. “Am I ok? Of course I’m ok! Why wouldn’t I be ok? I mean, why would you even ask that?”

Twilight gave him a flat look. “Besides the obvious?”

They had a little staring standoff, but Spike cracked first. He dropped the pot and ran to Twilight, burying his face in her chest. “I didn’t mean to! I made it awful!” he wailed. “I just couldn’t stop talking and she just looked so sad and I just didn’t know what to do…”

Twilight tried to comfort him as best she could. “I know. I didn’t even think of running through various scenarios.”

“But I want to make it better!” He popped up and brusquely wiped a claw across his face before defending himself, “I wasn’t crying, you know.”

Twilight didn’t say anything.

“Do you think we should do something for her? Give her a card or something?”

Twilight sighed. “I don’t know, Spike. I think it’s best if we stay away from her for a while. She’s hurting, and she doesn’t want anypony to know.”

“We’ll hurt her if we ignore her,” Spike argued.

Twilight nodded. “But we’ll hurt her more if we make her relive everything. She’ll probably feel like we’re rubbing her injuries in her face.”

Spike threw his pot scraper into the sink in disgust. “This stinks!” he grumbled. “Isn’t there anything we can do?”

Twilight thought. “Research? We spent so much time at the hospital, I haven’t even started looking up scar-healing magic.”

Spike nodded, a true smile spreading across his face as he took off his apron and got into study mode. “Yeah. Let’s do that.”

* * *

Macintosh watched his sister quietly. She was bucking furiously, working harder than she had in a long time.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with working hard. The problem was, something was bothering her; and that’s something that he just didn’t like. Of course, he knew about the accident. He knew how Rainbow Dash had saved Spike from getting filleted like a griffon delicacy, and had gotten a face full of magic flames for her trouble. He knew how close the two had been before, and it didn’t take a Twilight Sparkle to see what the problem was.

Of course, even Twilight Sparkle would have no idea how to even start talking to her about this.

He knew. He and Twilight Sparkle had had discussions about that very subject, and every single time their conversations turned out empty.

Sighing, he returned to work, feeling oddly helpless.

* * *

“Pinkie! That’s salt, not sugar!”

Pinkie quickly dropped the shaker and turned and smiled sheepishly at Mr. Cake. “Oh, it is, isn’t it… I’m sorry!”

“Are you alright?” Carrot asked, struggling to balance the bag of flour he was carrying as he rested a hoof comfortingly on her shoulder. “You’ve been distracted all morning.”

“Well… I’m worried about Rainbow Dash. She’s all hurt, you know; and I don’t know how to help her. I mean, I don't think a party is going to make her smile again.”

Carrot Cake nearly dropped the bag of flour. Had Pinkie Pie just said what he thought she said? “Maybe you should go take a quick break,” he said, removing his hoof and shooing her away. “I can handle it from here.”

Pinkie Pie nodded and walked back to her room.

* * *

”Spike?”

“Spike!”

“Dragons!”

“They’re killing him!”

“Not on my watch! I gotcha!”

“Rainbow!”

“You pony wh-”

fire fire fire fire fire

Rainbow woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath. She rubbed her eyes and groaned. At least her body had healed to the point that that didn't hurt anymore.

Now, getting up, on the other hoof… She’d taken to sleeping on the cloud floor, as her body protested too much at climbing up onto the bed. Of course, it didn’t really like her sleeping on the floor, either; and it took her a good four seconds to push herself to her hooves, but soon she was upright again. Instinctively, she ruffled her wings, but only one really ruffled. Her right wing was still devoid of feathers, and what few were growing in were coming in very itchy. Her whole body ached, and she couldn’t spin and preen herself.

Not like she had enough strength to flap her wings hard enough to keep herself aloft, anyway.

She plodded slowly over to the kitchen and poked her head into the cooling cloud, which was empty, just as it had been yesterday.

Groaning, she withdrew her head and sat dejectedly at the table, wincing as she sat. She couldn't just walk out in the open like this. If Applejack couldn't even look at her, nopony could. If only she had a hood or something, like maybe a mask.

Rainbow Dash brightened. That sounded like something Rarity could do.

Now she only had to figure out how to get down from here...

* * *

As she usually did in the early afternoon, Applejack stood at her stand, smiling broadly as she watched ponies go by and hopefully come to buy the apples she had just harvested this morning. She wouldn't admit she was distracted...

“No, see... This is a ten bit piece, idiot. I gave you a five, and you need to give me one in change.”

...but she was indeed distracted. Blushing, she corrected her mistake and slid over the correct change. “Thanks for your honesty,” she said.

Bon Bon rolled her eyes and trotted off with her purchase.

As soon as she was lost in the crowd, Applejack deflated. That was the third time she’d been wrong while counting. At least, it was the third time she’d been corrected; there were probably more that she had missed. Luckily, Applejack’s next customer seemed much more approachable, if also distracted.

“Hey, Pinkie Pie,” she greeted her. “How’re ya doing?”

Pinkie Pie looked up. “I’m not sure,” she said truthfully.

Applejack blinked. Was it just her imagination, or was Pinkie’s mane looking somewhat less bouncy today? She tried to continue the conversation. “You here for supplies for the Cakes?”

Pinkie shook her head. “Nah. Mr. Cake told me to take some time off.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. She’d been part of this town long enough to know that the Cakes had been barely scraping by before Pinkie Pie had arrived. As much as it defied logic, Pinkie’s baking and her numerous, free parties ended up bringing them enough business that even ponies from neighboring towns would come to buy their wares, guaranteeing them a profit. If they had asked Pinkie to take a break, that must have meant something was terribly, terribly wrong.

But, of course, she couldn’t just say that outright, and instead went with a much safer, “Is that so?”

“Yeah,” Pinkie said. “I want to cheer up Rainbow Dash, but I know she doesn’t want a party right now.”

Applejack’s jaw dropped. “Pinkie, you feeling ok?” she asked, bringing the back of her hoof up to Pinkie’s forehead to check her temperature.

“Yes. No. I don’t know.” She sighed and turned to trot away. “I’m going to go braid Gummy’s hair.”

Applejack dropped her hoof in surprise. “Pinkie, Gummy’s a reptile. They don’t have hair,” she pointed out.

“That’s never stopped me before.” And with that cryptic message, Pinkie Pie vanished into the crowd.

Applejack groaned again. She needed Rainbow back to normal, and fast; and not just for the sake of her business. And if Pinkie Pie was out of commission, there was always one pony she could count on for help with Rainbow Dash.

* * *

“So what do you think?” Applejack asked. “How can we best help Rainbow?”

Fluttershy scuffed a hoof and shrugged. “I really don’t know,” she admitted. “But I don’t think I’ll be able to help much.”

“Why not?” Applejack asked.

Fluttershy slowly spread her wings. Her beautiful, bright yellow, completely-feathered, fully-functional wings that permitted her to leave the ground behind and fly. “If I went to go see her, I’d feel like I was taunting her,” she admitted. “I haven’t gone yet because I’m afraid of what she might feel. I think right now the best thing is to let her heal without prying too much. Except, you know, you should be there, too, for the healing process.”

Applejack looked up. “What?”

“She really loves you, and I don’t think that has changed.”

“She does, does she?” Applejack murmured.

“Yes,” Fluttershy said. “You’re all she talks about sometimes. If you do it right, I’m sure with your help, she’ll heal faster than she thought possible.” She smiled. “You’d be surprised at how much love can help heal injuries.” She paused. “If you still love her, that is.”

Applejack looked around and various animals nodded their agreement. “Ah do. You know, Ah'm surprised you can talk so freely about this.”

Fluttershy shrugged. “It’s not so strange, really.”

Applejack was astonished to see that her mouth kept moving even as her mind told her to stop talking. “Ah mean, Ah thought you and Rainbow… you know… were… ‘together’ or something when you were younger.”

Fluttershy giggled behind her hoof. “Oh, no. We were never like that. Besides, I haven’t really been looking for a special somepony; but if I were, I’d be looking for somepony a little like me. A little smaller, a little quieter, but very cuddly.” A blush spread across Fluttershy’s face. “Somepony who would hide under the bed with me and share a blanket.”

Applejack chuckled good-naturedly. “Well, best of luck findin’ him. Or her. Anyway, thanks for your help. In fact, Ah’m thinkin’ Ah pay Rainbow a visit right now.”

Fluttershy flinched. “Right now?”

“Eeyup. And you’re coming with me. Ah need a ride up there somehow.”

“Oh, um… I- I guess that’s ok… but how are you going to walk on the clouds?”

Applejack slapped a hoof to her forehead. “Knew Ah was forgetting something...”

* * *

Rarity looked up at the knock on the door. “Coming~!” she sang. Setting down her needles, she trotted over to the door, paused to ensure her mane was presentable, and then opened it.

Now, she’d been there with the rest of her friends, and she’d seen Rainbow’s healing first-hoof; but that didn’t stop her eyes from widening as she took in Rainbow’s damaged appearance. It’s one thing seeing damage in a hospital; very different when it comes knocking on your door.

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed, but she chose to assume Rarity's reactions had been a trick of the light and the reflection of her glasses. “Hey, Rares. Can I come in?”

“Oh, certainly!” Rarity stepped aside. “Should I put on some tea? You look like you can barely walk.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes as she shuffled in. “Yeah, well, I’ll get better. And no.”

Rarity hid a smile. “So if you’re not here for my tea, what are you here for?”

“A favor. I need something to hide this,” she gestured at the right side of her face.

Rarity’s first thought was ‘a mask’, but then realized just how rude that would sound were she to say it out loud. Unfortunately, that was the only thing that came to mind for a few seconds, leaving a somewhat awkward silence between them. “Uh… Makeup?” she finally said.

Rainbow snorted. “Do I look like the kind of pony that would wear makeup? You remember how hard it was to get me to dress up for that wedding.”

Rarity nodded. She remembered. “And the blush looked fine on you. I still say a little eyeliner would have suited you...”

“No! Enough with the makeup! I want a mask and a hoodie or something.”

“A mask that just covers… uh… one side?” Rarity tried.

Rainbow threw a hoof up in celebration… then winced and set it back down. “Yeah. Just like that. And then the hoodie to go over it.” She sighed and looked down. “Can’t tell you how many stares I’ve gotten today…”

Rarity smiled, already feeling a burst of inspiration. “Oh, I believe that can be arranged…”

Within seconds, Rarity had sketched out a simple design and presented it to Rainbow, who nodded approvingly. “How soon can you finish this?” Rainbow asked.

“Are you kidding? Within the hour, darling! Find someplace comfortable to sit, and I’ll get started.”

Rainbow shuffled over to the couch and spread her wings to help her hop on… before hissing in pain and clenching them against her side again.

Rarity understood immediately. “Oh, Rainbow, not that couch; it’s dreadfully lumpy. Here, just use the cushions.” She lit her horn and slid the cushions onto the floor, making them much more accessible to Rainbow.

It wasn’t a very good lie, but it saved both ponies some pride so Rainbow didn’t mind; and she settled down and waited.

* * *

Across town, Fluttershy and Applejack soon arrived at the library, and Applejack knocked on the door.

Twilight's voice sounded exasperated as she answered. “For the last time! This is a public library! You can just come in!”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Ah know, but you live here, too; and Ah’d hate to walk in on somethin’ Ah’d rather not.”

Twilight huffed. “Just come in.”

Applejack opened the door; and had she not heard Twilight’s voice before, she would have thought Twilight were absent. Books littered the floor, sat on tables and shelves, and Applejack could clearly see that almost everything was out of place.

“Twilight?” she asked slowly. “What happened in here?”

Twilight raised her head from behind a small fortress of books. “We’re looking for something to help Rainbow. Anything about scars and healing, we're looking for it.”

“Any luck?” Fluttershy asked hopefully.

Twilight coughed. “Our results have been somewhat less than encouraging,” she said.

Spike popped his head out from behind his own sizable pile of books. “We've found squat,” he translated bitterly.

Applejack winced. “That's... not good.”

“Yeah, but we'll keep looking.”

Applejack looked at the few books left on the shelf and grimaced. “Before you do, could you help me out? Ah want to go see Rainbow Dash and Ah need that cloudwalking spell.”

Twilight grinned and lit her horn. “I've got something better. Check these out.” She levitated what appeared to be sandals, woven with long straps that were apparently designed to wrap around the foreleg. To be honest, they looked somewhat like ballet slippers, and Applejack couldn’t help but cringe at the thought of wearing them.

“And these are…?”

“Slippers with the cloudwalking spell woven into the fabric,” Twilight answered. “They’ll last a lot longer than just the spell. Should be perfectly safe.”

“Should be?” Applejack said, raising an eyebrow.

“I’ve done routine testing,” Twilight defended herself. “They have yet to fail.”

“Comforting…” Applejack murmured as she slipped them on. “All right. Wish us luck!”

Spike waved as the two mares left.

Ten minutes later; Spike lifted his head. “Wait a minute… how are they getting up there, anyway?”

* * *

“You ready?” Applejack asked. She bounced once, and to her surprise, the sandals held nicely.

Fluttershy attempted to catch her breath. When her adrenaline was flowing, she was fairly strong; but physically dry-lifting Applejack up here had been quite the effort. “I’m not so sure,” she panted as she followed Applejack. “I don’t know if this is such a good idea...”

“Welp, guess we're about to find out,” Applejack said as she neared the door. “Now or never.”

“Can't I take a third option?” Fluttershy whimpered.

But it was too late, for Applejack had knocked on the door.

And then she knocked again. And again. And again.

After ten minutes, Fluttershy spoke. “I don't think Rainbow is here,” she said.

“We'll leave her a note or something,” Applejack said.

“I don't have paper,” Fluttershy said.

Applejack frowned. “Neither do I. Scratch that idea.”

The two returned to ground a bit more quickly than they'd ascended, thanks to gravity; but Fluttershy managed to land both ponies safely, and Applejack walked Fluttershy back home.

“Thanks again,” Applejack said as Fluttershy unlocked her door.

“Oh, you're welcome; but I’m thinking…” Fluttershy steeled herself. “I think this is something you’re best suited for, not me. I think it’s best if you keep seeing her, alone. If you really love her, you'll find a way to help her heal much better than I can.”

Applejack nodded, looking much more confident than she felt. “Ah can do that.” I think.

* * *

That evening, Rainbow shuffled confidently down the street. Sure, she couldn’t walk very well, and she still couldn’t fly, but her outfit—also known as ‘the temporary covering apparatus to restore maximum coolness’—helped her not draw too much attention. Her first stop for her night on the town was a restaurant that was somewhat classy by day, and somewhat less so at night. She walked in and was quickly greeted by the harsh smell of greasy hay fries and alcohol.

Perfect.

She sat at the bar and ordered her favorite sandwich, complete with sides of hay fries and coleslaw. For some reason, she was the only one in her family that liked the stuff, and relished the chance to eat some unmolested.

Berry Punch brought her a glass of water to start, and Rainbow lifted the glass of water to her mouth. Sure enough, her mask remained in place as she drank, letting her have a semblance of normalcy.

Soon, her food arrived. Rainbow grinned, stuffed a corner of her napkin down her sweatshirt, licked her lips, and raised her sandwich to her mouth.

It was then that Rainbow Dash realized something somewhat important—her mask prevented her from opening her mouth very far, which meant that she couldn’t eat.

She set the sandwich back on the plate and glared angrily at it, as if it were the source of all her problems. She thought and thought, but soon realized she had no choice: her options were starve, or take the mask off.

Even through the darkness, Berry Punch could tell something was off. But when she neared, and realized exactly what she was looking at, she jumped, dropping the glass she had been cleaning.

Rainbow’s left eye twitched.

“C- cider?” Berry offered in meager apology. “First one’s on me.”

Rainbow nodded tightly. This was not going according to plan.

* * *

Applejack walked into the same restaurant around half an hour later. Having finished her chores early, she decided she’d come in and drink something she didn’t have to make herself.

As soon as she saw the extremely intoxicated pegasus at the bar, though, she instinctively hid herself behind the coat rack. In hindsight, it wasn't a very good hiding spot, as it was not yet cold enough for the ponies there to wear jackets and thus the rack was but a bare pole; but she hid there all the same. Rainbow looked really drunk, and she wasn't a very approachable drunk. Maybe she could sneak in and sit down in the back before Rainbow saw her. Or maybe…

Or maybe, the universe had other ideas. A very drunken stallion stumbled by, bumping Rainbow’s left flank.

“Hey!” she hissed, trying to spin to face him down, but instead wincing in pain.

The stallion looked over her, and his eyes widened. “Dude, what’s wrong with your face?”

“Nothing,” Rainbow snapped, speaking far too quickly. “What’s wrong with yours?”

“Seriously,” the stallion said, reaching up a hoof as if to poke her cheek. “What happened?”

Rainbow slapped it away. “Leave me alone,” she growled.

“Aww, don't be like that...”

Applejack could only stare in shock as Rainbow Dash lifted her glass and shattered it against his face, sending glass shards and cider droplets everywhere. He collapsed to the ground, but Rainbow wasn’t done yet. She got off her stool, picked it up, and smashed it over his unconscious body. Turning, she reared up, looking around wildly. Eyes blazing, she roared out her challenge.

“Anypony else wanna ask about my face? Huh? Anypony?”

A stunned silence reigned in the bar, only broken by the downed stallion's pained groans.

Rainbow Dash dropped to all four hooves and marched out of the bar, leaving behind her mask and walking out so quickly that she didn't even recognize Applejack. Berry Punch raised a hoof to inquire about her tab, but Applejack made a waving-down motion and pointed at herself, indicating that she would pick up the tab. She sank back down in her hiding spot and watched Rainbow walk away, growing smaller in the dark night before fading from view.

On second thought…

She walked up to the bar and ordered another of whatever Rainbow had been drinking, and then drank it in one shot. The painful burning in her throat was a welcome sensation, and she quickly ordered another.

* * *

Rainbow lay on the floor of her bathroom, too weak to even crawl back to her bedroom. The alcohol had dulled her pain for the moment, and allowed her to do some pretty cool things, but it was now coming back to her—with a vengeance.

Both the pain and the alcohol.

Rainbow groaned as another wave of pain and nausea racked her body. She had been a fool. She didn’t belong outside. No one like her deserved to be outside. Not with everypony unable to stop staring at her like that. Even Applejack had hid instead of talking to her, Rainbow Dash, the freak of nature.

She suddenly realized she’d left her mask at the bar, but it wasn’t like she needed it. She knew who she was now: a monster.

Chapter 3

It had nearly been a week since Applejack had seen Rainbow at the bar. Since then, she had bucked countless apple trees, mended numerous baskets, fixed Mac’s cart, and cleaned the entire barn at least twice.

Oh, yeah. She had worried, too. She’d worried a lot. She hadn’t seen Rainbow since, and it seemed like nopony else had had contact with her, either.

Well, Derpy had; but being told “go away!” wasn’t exactly ‘contact’ with Rainbow Dash.

Applejack slammed her head against the tree and sighed. She needed to do something. Moping around here working really wasn’t going to help Rainbow any. Besides, Applejack couldn’t just abandon her; after all, she still had feelings for Rainbow Dash.

Didn’t she? She’d hid from her, somehow convinced herself that it had been because Rainbow was drunk and not worth confronting… but was it?

She growled and shook her head. She was just going to go see Rainbow Dash, no matter the consequences.

* * *

As it turned out, she wasn’t the only one missing Rainbow Dash. Applejack arrived to see Scootaloo, reclining on her scooter and looking up longingly at Rainbow’s cloudhouse. Hearing Applejack’s arrival, the little pegasus looked up at the earth pony and then looked back down.

“She hasn't come out in a long time,” Scootaloo said sadly. “I don’t know how she’s doing.” She fluttered her tiny wings helplessly.

“Me neither,” Applejack admitted. She brightened as she suddenly realized that both she and Scootaloo would make a good team. As much as she would deny it, Rainbow definitely had a soft spot for the little filly; and she would make for good backup.

“Let’s find a way up and visit her, hey? What do you say?”

“Great!” Scootaloo cheered. “Let’s go right now!”

Well, Scootaloo agreed; but her stomach growled an objection.

Applejack smirked. “You've been waiting here a while, huh?”

“Maybe…?” Scootaloo said sheepishly.

“Tell you what. Let's go get you and her something to eat, and then we’ll come back.”

* * *

Scootaloo’s wings slowed slightly. “This isn't the way to Rainbow's house...” she pointed out.

“Yeah, but Ah can't get up there by myself-”

Applejack saw Scootaloo pause and glare briefly at her little wings before scurrying forward to catch up again.

“-and last time a bunch of us needed to get up there was when Twilight flew us up in her balloon for that party Pinkie threw when Rainbow got back from the academy; and, seein' as how Ah still haven't grown wings and you’re in no condition to give me a ride, Ah figured Ah'd ask t' borrow it again. 'Sides, Ah can't exactly walk on clouds without magic, so Ah'll need to see her anyhow for those fancy sandals.”

Scootaloo exhaled briefly. At least she could walk on clouds. That was something she could do.

* * *

Applejack remembered the last time she had been here, and she entered the library without knocking. “Twilight!” she called… before tripping over a pile of books and landing on her face. Scootaloo giggled briefly at her misfortune. Applejack sat up and looked around. Piles of books littered the floor, many of which had bookmarks.

Twilight stood up from behind yet another pile and stretched, popping her back with an audible crack. “Hey, Applejack. It’s good to see you.”

“Likewise,” Applejack said, pushing herself to her hooves. “Ah came to borrow the sandals and this time your balloon, if’n that’s all right.”

“Of course,” Twilight said. “I’m not using it or anything. Do you know how to fly it?” When Applejack shook her head, she smiled broadly at the prospect of teaching. “It’s pretty easy to fly, too…”

Within minutes, Applejack and Scootaloo were rising through the air. Scootaloo hung her head over the side and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of the wind blowing through her mane.

Too soon for Scootaloo and not soon enough for Applejack, they arrived at Rainbow’s doorstep. Applejack made sure to tie the balloon down securely before lifting out her picnic basket and trotting over to the door, quickly followed by Scootaloo.

Applejack knocked on the door.

No answer.

She knocked again.

No answer.

“Let me try,” Scootaloo said. “I’m a good knocker.” She happily demonstrated, knocking loudly and eagerly.

This brought results, but not welcome ones. “Go away,” Rainbow called angrily from behind the door.

“You don’t even know who it is,” Applejack pointed out.

“I do now, and my answer’s still the same. Go away.”

“We brought you somethin’,” Applejack offered.

“Great. Leave it on the porch. I’ll grab it later.”

Applejack frowned even as she set the basket down. She'd hoped to get a little more out of her. “Rainbow, we're here because we care about you.”

“I'm sure you do. Go away.”

Applejack was taken aback. She knew Rainbow was upset, but she hadn’t been expecting something that caustic.

“That’s no way to treat a marefriend,” Scootaloo whispered behind her hoof.

Apparently it had been loud enough for Rainbow to hear, though, because she slammed a hoof angrily against the closed door. “She’s not my marefriend!” Her voice grew quieter. “Not anymore.”

“Why not?” Scootaloo asked, eyes wide in surprise.

“She thinks I’m hideous and pities me. That’s not something marefriends do.”

Applejack opened her mouth to respond, but luckily, Scootaloo cut her off. “Well, I still like you,” Scootaloo said.

Rainbow opened the door ever so slightly, revealing only the left side of her face. “Yeah? Good for you.” She reached out a hoof, swiped the food inside, and then glared at Applejack. “Nice ballet slippers,” she spat before slamming the door shut.

Scootaloo sank to her haunches, shock written across her face. “Rainbow Dash…” she whispered, unable to comprehend how her adoptive sister had just brushed her off like that.

Applejack opened her mouth to say things she didn’t really know how to say. “Rainbow’s hurtin' right now, hurtin’ somethin’ awful. Ah was wrong. Maybe we’d better give her some space.”

Scootaloo looked over sadly at the door before slowly following Applejack back to Twilight’s balloon.

* * *

It’s better this way, Rainbow reflected as she chewed dolefully on another apple. She hadn’t realized just how hungry she was until she had started eating, whereupon the majority of the food had disappeared almost instantly. She’d probably regret that in a few hours, but hey.

Speaking of regrets… part of her did regret being so harsh, but only a very small part. Both Scootaloo and Applejack were good ponies. Scootaloo was young, with plenty of potential and plenty of time to find an actual hero to idolize; and Applejack was strong and fit and could choose a partner from any mare she wanted.

Their lives would be better if they both just moved on and left her behind.

* * *

“And she turned Garble small and stuck him in her purse!” the dragon wailed to his gathered companions. “Then she went back to her horrible treehouse and fried him up with oregano and ate him for din-din!”

The gathered dragons murmured angrily. That didn't seem right to them.

Not that it was impossible for a pony to do that; but that she had done that to Garble, one of their own. Ponies everywhere cheated with their magic, taking the power away from mighty dragons, and the dragons really didn't like that.

“I hate ponies,” one dragon grumbled, and others soon joined in in agreement.

“We can't let this happen. We're dragons! We take what we want and nothin' but nothin' stands in our way!” Another large dragon got up and roared his challenge to the empty sky. “Let's end this!” He turned and began marching.

“What are you doing?”

He responded with a slap upside the speaker's head. “We're going to Canterlot, moron; and we're going to make that purple pony pay.”

The dragons cheered and began marching, roaring their terrible roars and waving their terrible claws and gnashing their terrible teeth, until…

“Uh, guys?” a smaller dragon spoke up.

“What?”

“I think Canterlot is that way.”

“Oh.” A pause. “I knew that.”

Chapter 4

Nearly a week had passed since Applejack had visited Rainbow last, and though her daily life had regained a semblance of normality, that’s all it was: a semblance. No longer did she have to watch for Rainbow napping in the trees, or keep an eye out for buckets of water balanced on doors. She didn’t have to get two mugs out whenever she broke out the cider, and not a single pony had challenged her to a race in the past two weeks.

And to be honest, Applejack hated this. Life without Rainbow was… well... kindof gray.

Applejack audibly groaned at the awful play on words her brain had come up with. Had she really just thought that?

But as painful as it had been, it was true. Life without Rainbow just wasn’t right. Applejack dropped her baskets and stomped determinedly. She was going to go see Rainbow Dash again, bearing more gifts than a mailpony on Hearth’s Warming Eve. First, though, she needed some supplies.

* * *

Applejack trotted quickly over to the library. She carried saddlebags full of warm goodies, and wanted to get up to Rainbow’s house as soon as possible before they cooled. Not that there was anything wrong with cool baked goods; they were just better warm and fresh from the oven.

Remembering Twilight’s instructions last time she had visited, she reached for the handle and pushed without knocking, but to her surprise, the door didn’t move. Inertia made her continue, though, and she ran face-first into the door.

She took a step back and rubbed her muzzle. What happened?

She suddenly noticed a piece of paper pasted firmly on the door, directly in the middle and with the edges lined up with the frame. That had to be Twilight’s doing. She read it out loud.

“‘Gone to Canterlot for research, will return by balloon within the week’. Great,” she muttered. “How’m Ah supposed to get up there now?” Applejack bit her lower lip and began to pace. Twilight had let her keep the sandals, so the cloud part wasn’t a problem; but she needed to get up there and now. But how? Who did she know that could get her up there, and fast; especially on such short notice?

Only one mare came to mind.

Unfortunately.

* * *

“...and so Ah need to get up there to Rainbow’s house and Twilight’s gone. Can you do it?”

Pinkie Pie frowned. “I don’t think so…” she said, slowly shaking her head. “I don’t know if you knew this, but earth ponies aren’t exactly designed for flying.” She wiggled her hindquarters, demonstrating her lack of wings.

Applejack’s jaw opened wordlessly as she thought of the many times Pinkie had done the impossible, including flying. “Please, Pinkie! Ah don’t care how you do it and Ah won’t ask any questions, but Ah need to get up there and pronto!”

Pinkie’s grin reappeared. “Do you mean that? No asking questions?”

“Ah do!”

* * *

Applejack took stock of her situation and swallowed nervously. “Well, now Ah'm asking a question. ‘What on blue blazes was Ah thinkin’ climbin’ into this catapult?!’”

Pinkie Pie shook her head. “First of all, it’s a trebuchet,” she corrected. “Completely different method of propulsion using a counterweight instead of potential energy stored in a bent shaft. Secondly, it’s perfectly safe! Just trust your auntie Pinkie,” Pinkie finished, patting Applejack on the head before returning to the base of the trebuchet.

Applejack glared at her from her position inside the bucket. “Ya know, Ah'm pretty sure Ah'm older than you. In fact, Ah think you're the youngest out of all of us.”

“Irrelevant details!” Pinkie proclaimed. “You’ve got everything you need?”

“Yeah, Ah’ve got food, cider, no less than a dozen cupcakes—how did you fit them all in here?—and… what’s this?”

“A mirror!” Pinkie grinned.

Applejack pulled it out and examined it. Her confused face looked right back at her. “Why on earth would you give me a mirror?” she asked.

“Well, you see, if a broken mirror is seven years of bad luck, then a whole mirror has to be seven years of good luck! And Dashie needs all the good luck she can get! It’s logic!”

Applejack chuckled as she turned the mirror over. “Ah really don’t think it works that wa-”

But that's as far as she got, because Pinkie pulled the stop out, releasing the counterweight and sending Applejack flying towards Rainbow's house.

Pinkie watched her go, giggling as Applejack flew and screamed wildly the whole time. Smiling broadly, she licked a hoof and held it up in the air before pausing and frowning. “On second thought, I should probably have accounted for wind speed before I launched her,” she mused.

* * *

Apparently, luck was with Applejack that day, because she landed in front of Rainbow’s front door. Sure, she hit her head on the ground and launched the contents of her saddlebags all over the porch, but hey. that’s a small price to pay. Besides, the cloud was soft enough that nothing had broken—not even the mirror had cracked—so Applejack recovered quickly. She stood up, grateful that the sandals had stayed on, gathered the strewn items and knocked on the door.

The answer came quicker than expected. “What do you want?” Rainbow’s voice came.

“Ah hadn’t seen you in a while…”

“So?”

Applejack licked her lips. Already this wasn’t going as well as she’d hoped. “...so Ah figured Ah should come by, see how you were doin’.”

Rainbow didn’t say anything for a while, but then spoke. “You alone?”

“Yep,” Applejack answered.

“Hey, me too. And I want to stay that way, so go away.”

Applejack had expected this, and opened her saddlebag to pull out her secret weapon. “Ah’ve got cider…” she said invitingly.
Rainbow didn’t answer.

Applejack uncapped the thermos and waved it around, letting the scent of cider fill the air. All ponies, including pegasi, had a good sense of smell; and it probably wouldn’t be long before…

Rainbow opened the door, her face still set firmly in a glare. Unlike before, though, she didn’t hide her right side behind the door. She just stared at Applejack, quiet and defiant, and Applejack flinched under her angry glare. At least, that was probably it, and not because Rainbow’s face had been healing very slowly, if at all.

“That’s cheating, you know,” Rainbow Dash said quietly.

“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with bringing a friend somethin’ nice,” Applejack said disarmingly.

Applejack immediately regretted wording it that way as Rainbow Dash’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah,” she spat. “‘Friend’. I guess you’ll want to come inside?”

“If you want.”

Rainbow stepped back, wincing a bit as her right rear hoof hit the ground. “I don’t, but come in anyway.”

Applejack ignored her ex-marefriend’s angry tone and slowly stepped inside. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and then widened a bit. Rainbow’s house was a complete mess. Books lay scattered around, many of them open and face down. Half-eaten food was laying around half-completed puzzles, and everything just looked cluttered. Applejack felt a pang as she noticed that the few pictures Rainbow had of the two of them together were flipped over or laying face down. The whole place felt darker, and it wasn’t just from the lack of light in the house.

“How long have you been cooped up in here?” Applejack asked, avoiding a small pile of… something.

Rainbow shrugged, wincing again. “Doesn’t matter. Since that night at the bar.”

Applejack was somewhat taken aback. “Two weeks ago?”

“Wow, you can tell time!” Rainbow grinned widely. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’tcha?”

Applejack bit back the harsh retort that came to her mouth. Rainbow had been through a lot, and there was no need for her to fight fire with fire.

She winced internally at her mental word choice.

Rainbow gestured at the counter. “You can leave it there. Or drink it, if you want. I don’t even drink cider anymore.”

Applejack was, to put it lightly, taken aback. “Why not?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Not sure why you’d care.”

Rainbow’s attitude finally got through to Applejack, and she snapped. She took a defiant step forward. “How could you say that?” Applejack asked. “After all we’ve been through?”

“After all I’ve been through, you mean?” Rainbow hissed, jabbing a hoof towards the right side of her face. “I nearly died, I’m in constant pain, I lost my speed, I lost my wings, I lost my marefriend, I lost everything I’ve ever loved! And you, just waltzing in here, pretending nothing changed? Everything changed, Applejack! Everything!” Rainbow painfully turned and faced her bedroom. “I think you’ve been here long enough.”

Applejack swallowed nervously. “Ah… Ah see.”

“Do you?” Rainbow challenged without turning around.

“Ah’ll just… You want me to make you lunch or something?”

“I want you to go away.”

Applejack sighed, knowing that it would be futile to argue. “Can Ah get a ride down, at least?”

Rainbow’s ears fell. “That’s not going to happen.”

Applejack chuckled mirthlessly. “Well, Ah can’t exactly fly down myse-”

Applejack’s voice trailed off as Rainbow, still facing away from her, spread her wings to their full span. At least, she tried to. Her left wing appeared fairly normal, but her right appeared nearly devoid of feathers, and unable to straighten completely. Her once-proud wings had been reduced to but half their former glory. The bar was dark enough that Applejack hadn’t even noticed that two weeks ago.

A month earlier, that spreading action would have been accompanied by a sultry wink and a flick of her tail, with Rainbow running her tongue over her teeth as well. Now, though, all it showed was defeat.

“No. It’s literally not going to happen. And besides, it’s all tingly from the nerve damage or something. If we didn’t crash and die, I’d probably drop you on your head anyway.”

“How did you get up here? On second thought, how do you get up and down?”

“I have my ways,” Rainbow said, taking another step towards her bedroom.

“No, seriously. How do you-?”

Rainbow stopped and sighed dramatically. “First time? Mailmare. Last time? Called in a favor from Raindrops.”

Applejack couldn’t stop the next question. “But wouldn’t that hurt?”

“They wrapped me in a tablecloth and carried me down, like one of those stupid storks carrying a foal. Happy?”

Applejack nodded. “So who are you getting to carry you next time?”

Rainbow didn't look back as she began shuffling to her room. “I'm not so sure I’m going out anymore.”

Applejack watched her leave. Returning to the kitchen, she dumped her saddlebags out on the counter and prepared the snacks she had brought. When the cupcakes and apple fritters were presentable, she picked up the cider thermos and turned to leave, but then paused. She sincerely doubted that everything had changed, but had Applejack changed?

She pushed that thought out of her mind as she set down the cider for Rainbow to drink at her leisure.

“Goodbye, Rainbow,” she called as she walked out the door.

Rainbow didn’t answer.

Applejack sighed as she shut the door behind her. That wasn’t as smooth as she had hoped, but at least it was something. She would need to think of something else for next time. But for now, she had a much bigger problem to deal with.

“...How in the hay am Ah gettin' down from here?”

* * *

“Thanks again, Pinkie,” Applejack said shakily. “Ah… uh… owe you one, Ah guess.”

“No problemo!” Pinkie said brightly.

“Ah’m not sure where you even got this mattress…” Applejack muttered, gingerly stepping off. As she had suspected, it had been a regular mattress; and frankly, she was surprised to feel she had no injuries from falling such a great distance.

“Oh, I always keep them around,” Pinkie said brightly, picking up the mattress and putting it on like an oversized hat. “Sometimes you just want to have fun on a mattress.”

Applejack blinked. Had that really just come out of Pinkie’s mouth?

“You know, sliding down stairs, using them as jousting pads, bouncing on them? Mattresses are great fun!”

Oh. Right. That made more sense. “Ah knew that.”

“Welp, I’m gonna go home and mope some more that I don’t know how to cheer up Rainbow Dash. Bye!” And Pinkie bounced off, somehow keeping the mattress hat steady.

Applejack paused… and then realized she was likely going to go do the same thing. Except her moping usually involved bucking trees.

* * *

She wasn’t the only dejected pony in Ponyville that night. Rainbow Dash painfully dragged herself back into the kitchen; the constant smell of food having finally put a dent in her armor. She nosed at the fritters and dragged her tongue along the top of the brownies before shoving her face into the pie. Though it was now cold, the texture and flavor were familiar and instantly brought back memories.

Painful memories.

Growling, she withdrew her muzzle and tried to wipe her face off. Instinctively, she tried to use her right hoof, but hissed as pain shot through her foreleg.

Ignoring the odd sensation of food on her face for now, she continued looking at the gifts she had been left. She cracked a smile as she saw the cider, and opened it and took a drink.

To her disgust, it was warm. She groaned in protest and shoved it in the cooling cloud, hoping it would cool quickly. The only thing worse than warm cider was no cider.

She continued scanning and paused as her eyes fell on a mirror. Hesitantly, Rainbow Dash pulled it closer, and turned it over, so as to see herself again.

The silence of the night was broken by the sound of a pained roar, and then the harsh sound of glass shattering.

Chapter 5

Applejack paced. She knew she was in over her head, and needed to bring in the big guns. She needed an unflappable voice of reason, somepony who was solid and would provide exactly the words she needed to hear. Somepony who would be honest, but not judgmental.

“...and so that’s what happened,” she finished.

“Eeyup,” Mac said.

“Ah think Ah still love her. Ah mean, Ah don’t see why Ah wouldn’t.”

“Eeyup,” Mac agreed.

“They say looks aren’t everything. Ah mean, look at me.”

Mac opened his mouth to protest… and then paused. If he said ‘eeyup’, it could be construed as him thinking his sister wasn’t good looking. But if he said ‘nope’, he would be agreeing with previous statement and thus insinuating that she wasn’t good looking; or maybe it would mean he was choosing not to look at her? Mares were so complicated sometimes, and he didn’t want to alienate his sister when she had lowered her defenses and approached him for advice.

Luckily for him, Applejack had already moved on in the conversation. “Then why did Ah hesitate to touch her? It ain’t like Ah’ve never seen or dealt with nasty things before. Remember Mooriela’s calfing four seasons ago?”

Mac shuddered. He remembered.

“Worked through that without even breaking a sweat. But this? Ah don’t know.” She sighed. “Ah… Ah don’t know. What do you think?”

Mac stood and finally spoke. “Ah think you both got issues to work out. Ah think she’s hurtin’, and needs you there t’ help her heal.”

“Yeah, but-”

“The real you,” Mac emphasized. “The one that loves her unconditionally, willin’ to make sacrifices to see her happy.”

“Ah do!”

“Do you?”

Applejack paused, suddenly finding herself unable to speak.

Mac began to walk away. “Ah guess you two better fall back in love or somethin’, ‘cause right now y’all have the chance of success of an apple-pear hybrid.”

“Where are you goin’?” Applejack demanded.

Mac turned back with a goofy grin on his face. “Ah got a date,” he said proudly.

“Really? With who?” Applejack sprinted up and leaned in close, ready to tease him something awful.

Mac pushed her away gently with a huge red hoof. “Nope.”

“Mac!” Applejack protested.

Macintosh didn’t even look back as he answered. “Fix your own relationship, then come mess with mine.”

“Betcha don’t even have a date! You’re just sneaking off to take a nap!” Applejack accused teasingly.

Mac just chuckled and continued walking.

As soon as he was out of sight, Applejack threw herself down under one of the many trees and began to think.

* * *

Twilight Sparkle was no stranger to all-nighters. In fact, she had once stayed up all night just to study the effects of all-nighters on study habits. Her results had been less than promising; though she did have quite the list of symptoms demonstrated by somepony who had stayed up all night. And as she walked through the library and found Spike with his eyes closed and his head resting on a book, she didn’t need her studies to know that he had indeed stayed up all night.

Still, she asked anyway. “Spike, were you up all night?”

Spike jumped and spun around. “No!” he denied far too quickly. Under Twilight’s eyes, he wilted slightly. “Uh... maybe?”

Twilight sighed and walked over to where he sat, and wrapped a foreleg around his shoulders. She wanted to give Spike a lecture on how sleep is vitally important to both physical growth, mental health, and memory development; but somehow she knew that that's not what he needed right now.

“You're really determined to find something, aren't you?” she said instead.

“Kindof. I mean, it's not like it's entirely my fault she can barely walk, you know?”

Twilight didn't say anything.

“Well, it kindof is, though.”

Twilight didn’t say anything.

“I mean, it was me she was rescuing.”

Twilight didn’t say anything.

“And I’m here, alive and well; but Rainbow’s hurt and has nerve damage all over and can barely walk and can’t fly…”

Twilight didn’t say anything, but she did reach out and pull Spike to her chest. He didn’t fight it.

Neither needed to say anything for a long time.

Finally, Twilight broke the silence. “Let’s go get some breakfast, and then we can come back here and keep looking. After a nap, of course.”

Spike fought to suppress a yawn. “But I’m not ti-”

Twilight cut him off. “Spike, I found a sleeping spell doctors used to cast for surgeries before the discovery of anesthesia, don’t make me use it.”

“Fine…”

* * *

Applejack shivered as she stepped up to Rainbow's door. It's not that she was nervous; she just…

Ok, she was nervous. She knew Rainbow was on a hair-trigger, and she didn't want to irrevocably ruin their friendship. She did want to try and get their relationship back, after all.

Didn't she?

Her words were disrupted by the crunch of glass underhoof. Applejack paused and looked down, and saw the mirror that Pinkie had given her the last time she was here. Rainbow had apparently not cared at all for the threat of bad luck, because the glass had been broken and was in small enough pieces that it had apparently been crushed numerous times by an angry hoof, and not even the frame had been spared her wrath.

“Well, at least she’s gettin’ some exercise,” Applejack joked.

Her joke fell flat and sounded hollow, even to her own ears.

Applejack sighed and grit her teeth. It was now or never. She stepped forward and knocked on the door.

“What?” Rainbow called.

“It’s me, Applejack!”

Rainbow snorted. “Go away.”

Applejack dug her hooves in. “No.”

Eventually, the door opened. Applejack flinched as she saw Rainbow’s face in the sunlight. It certainly didn’t look much better. Especially not when it was disfigured by both the damage and the angry glare she wore. “Fine. You're back,” Rainbow observed dispassionately.

“Yeah.”

“Eh, why not? Free admission to the freak show.”

Applejack bit her lower lip again.

Rainbow looked around, and noticed she was alone. “How'd you get up here this time?”

“You'd be surprised what some ponies will do for a free apple or two.”

Finally noticing the shadow on her porch, Rainbow looked up to see a balloon tethered to her house, and Cherry Berry in the basket, happily munching on an apple. Cherry felt eyes on her and she looked down and waved… only to have her jaw drop and the half-chewed bite of apple fall out of her mouth as she took in Rainbow’s new appearance. Rainbow scowled threateningly, pinning her ears and showing her teeth, and Cherry quickly ducked out of view.

Rainbow's eye twitched before she turned back to Applejack. “I’m guessing you want to come in?”

Applejack nodded and followed Rainbow inside.

The first thing she noticed (besides the messy floor) was the empty thermos on the ground. Applejack smiled. This was her first indication that maybe the real Rainbow was still in there somewhere, and could be brought out again.

“So how long until you leave this time?”

...maybe. Somewhere. Deep down, far behind the walls she had erected for herself.

“Ooh, I know,” Rainbow continued bitterly. “Maybe you’ve got another mirror in there for me, just so I can keep seeing just how hideous I’ve become!”

Applejack knew she had to do some quick damage control. “That was Pinkie’s,” she explained. “She thought it’d be good luck, you know? Because a broken mirror is bad luck, so a whole mirror is good luck?”

Rainbow snorted. “Sounds like something she’d do.” She turned and raised her voice. “Pinkie! I don’t want a party! Go away!”

“She’s not here.”

“Well, you never know with Pinkie, do you?”

“Actually, Ah was talkin’ with her earlier. She’s pretty bummed because she knows a party won’t help and she doesn’t know what to do.”

Rainbow paused. “That’s not normal for Pinkie. Has she been to the doctor?”

Applejack cracked a smile, both at Rainbow’s reaction and that she had expressed concern for her friend, much like the old Rainbow Dash would. “She’s fine.”

And just like that, the walls returned. “Well, that makes one of us. Why are you here, anyway?”

“Ah’m here to help, that’s all.”

That was also the wrong thing to say. Rainbow turned around, a too-wide smile on her face. “Oh, right. Poor Rainbow Dash can’t do anything by herself anymore; she needs a big, strong, Applejack to come save her like the helpless little foal she is.”

Applejack held back her retort and bit her lower lip so hard she tasted blood.

If Rainbow noticed, she didn't respond. “So, you’re here to help?”

“Eeyup.”

Rainbow snorted. “Fine, then. I’m hungry. Make me a pie.”

Applejack responded without missing a beat. “If you want a fresh pie, you’re gonna have to come down to Sweet Apple Acres. Ah doubt you’ve got everything Ah need up here.”

Rainbow paused. “I wasn't serious…”

“Well, Ah am.” Applejack walked over and held out a hoof. “Come on.”

Rainbow sat. “I’m not leaving.”

“You will if’n you want your pie.”

Rainbow grumbled for a bit, but her expression softened ever so slightly when her stomach grumbled, too. She looked back. “Whipped cream?” she asked.

“As much as you can eat.” Applejack paused. “Or until we run out, whichever comes first.”

Rainbow might have cracked a smile. “Fine.”

Applejack smiled. “Lemme go tell Cherry.” She quickly turned around and trotted ahead to have a private conversation with their pilot. Upon further reflection, she hadn't told Cherry she might have another passenger upon descent, and wasn't sure how she would respond.

To be honest, it was, unfortunately, something close to what she was expecting.

“No!” Cherry hissed. “I'm not having her in my balloon!”

“Come on, Cherry!” Applejack pleaded. “It’s not like she’s changed.”

“You say that, but you don’t mean it! Look at her! She’s like some kind of monster or something!”

Applejack’s eyes narrowed, and Cherry took a subconscious step back. “Uh… I’ll do it for a bushel of apples?”

Applejack glowered. “Ah have a counteroffer. How’d you like to be thrown overboard?”

Cherry flinched but stayed strong. “Half bushel?”

Applejack snorted. “Fine…” She turned back to Rainbow. “She says it’s ok. Get in.”

Rainbow sat defiantly. “I may be grounded, but I'm still a pegasus, and there's no way I'm going to ride down to the ground in a balloon.”

Cherry tried to hide her look of relief; but Applejack was having none of that.

“Your pie is there or nowhere, so get in the balloon. Unless you want to jump down?” Applejack asked fastidiously.

“I'm considering it,” Rainbow retorted snappily.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Just get in the balloon.”

The basket was low enough that Rainbow could step down into it. She landed and hissed painfully, prompting Cherry to flinch.
Rainbow noticed and turned to Applejack with a dour expression. She was clearly having second thoughts, and only the incentive of the promised dessert was keeping her in the basket. “Let’s just get this over with,” she grumbled.

* * *

The balloon basket landed gently on the ground in the soft grass of Sweet Apple Acres. Cherry hadn’t looked at Rainbow once, but apparently was still able to pilot the balloon safely. She hopped out and stood by her basket, resolutely not looking back. Rainbow glowered at her but didn’t say anything.

Applejack hopped out of the basket as well. “Come on, Rainbow. The pie is calling your name!”

Rainbow remained in the basket.

“Rainbow?”

Rainbow mumbled something.

“What’d you say?”

Rainbow repeated herself, but only infinitesimally louder.

Applejack trotted back. “Beg your pardon?”

“I can’t get out,” Rainbow muttered. She gestured at the walls of the basket, originally designed to keep ponies in. They were doing their job a bit too well, especially for somepony who could barely lift their hooves above barrel height.

Applejack returned and attempted to help Rainbow over. “Here, come on, just…”

“Ow!”

“Maybe if…”

“Ah! Ouch! Applejack! No!”

Applejack hastily retreated. “Maybe Mac can lift you out. Ah bet he wouldn’t mind… you know… your appearance.”

Rainbow glowered. “He’s Mac. He could see a tornado coming at him and he wouldn’t even flinch!”

Applejack raised a hoof, but then dropped it. That did sound like something Mac would do; especially since he enjoyed thunderstorms. He’d probably take the tornado’s appearance as a challenge and stand out there for the sole purpose of defying it.
Luckily for everypony involved, though, Ponyville was far out of the Equestrian Tornado Belt, and such a confrontation would likely never happen.

This train of thought was brought to a wrecking halt when Rainbow spoke again. “Never mind. This was a bad idea. Applejack, take me home.”

“Are you su-”

“Home, Applejack.”

Silently, Applejack gestured at Cherry that she should get in and get them home. She frowned. “My half bushel…?”

Rainbow gave Applejack a look, but said nothing.

“When she’s home,” Applejack said firmly.

Cherry’s eye twitched, but she obediently got into the basket.

* * *

The ride back to Rainbow’s house was silent. It was silent as Cherry piloted the balloon to a perfect stop on the porch. It was silent as Applejack hopped out and onto the cloud. It was silent as she stretched out a helping hoof that was ignored by Rainbow, and it was silent as Rainbow built a tiny set of stairs out of the cloud and used them to climb out. It was silent as the two mares walked back to Rainbow’s door.

Applejack finally broke the silence. “Ah’m sorry it worked out this way. Maybe next ti-”

Rainbow spun on her and growled. “There will be no next time! You think you can help? If you think you can just waltz back into my life and magically fix everything, you’ve got another thing coming.”

Applejack narrowed her eyes and stood her ground. “You think Ah'm gonna sit here and let you mope around? You’re the one what’s got another thing comin', Rainbow.”

The two mares glared at each other.

“Ah’ve got chores to do,” Applejack finally said, “so Ah’ll be goin’ now. But this ain’t over. Not by a long shot.”

Rainbow snarled. “Do your worst, Apple Butt.”

“Featherhead,” Applejack retorted.

“Mud pony.”

“Wind for brains.”

“Ground pounder.”

“Scruffy cloudpusher.”

“Dirt mane.”

“Nomad.”

Rainbow jerked her head at Cherry. “Don’t you owe her some apples, tree-kicker?”

Applejack snorted and turned away. “Don’t get your feathers in a twist, Sparky. Ah’m leavin’.”

It was silent for the rest of the day, both on the cloud and on the farm.

Author's Note

Apparently, this story has been giving people a ride on the feels train, so I added a sad tag, and also decided that next chapter will be an interlude, funnier chapter; sortof like a feels train pit stop, if you will.
I've been told it's the best part of this story. I guess we'll see.

Interlude: A Dragon in Celestia's Court

Two guards, one a pegasus and the other a unicorn, stood guard atop one of the many walls surrounding Canterlot. As per usual, their rounds were for fifteen minutes and this usually made all the conversations bearable, as they were often cut short and the subject changed by the time their replacements arrived.

Then again, this shift had started only three minutes ago.

“I'm telling you,” the pegasus insisted. “Dragon invasion is a legitimate threat!”

The unicorn rolled his eyes. “And I'm telling you it's more likely you'll drown in the reflection pool.” He paused. “Actually, knowing your IQ, that's rather likely.”

“It could happen! Who knows when the dragons will get restless?”

“They’re always restless. That’s why they fight each other and go for each others’ treasure hordes. Ponies don't have those, so we're relatively safe.”

“Yeah, but what would you do if a dragon mob suddenly showed up?”

“Oh, I dunno. Fight them off with my spear.”

The pegasus snorted. “I’d pay to see that.” He looked out and his jaw dropped. “Dude, you’re about to get your chance…”

It was now the unicorn’s turn to snort. “I’m sure.”

“No, seriously. Look.”

The unicorn sighed, but eventually turned and looked. When he did, his jaw dropped. “Sweet Celestia, is that a dragon mob?”

“Yeah.”

“Look at that one! That red one is huge!”

“Yeah.”

A pause.

“We should probably report this, huh?”

* * *

To say it was surprising to see a horde of dragons entering the castle would be a massive understatement. Many stopped and stared at the fine decorations, wondering what exactly would possess a pony to spread their hoard out in paintings and on walls out in public where everyone could see it.

The young rookie earth pony guard who had lost the little shove of war stood as bravely as he could in front of them. “Yes?”

“We came for Celestia!” the foremost dragon roared.

The guard gulped but raised his spear. “Yo- you’ll have to face the entire guard before you do,” he warned.

“Oh yeah?” The dragon leaned back and inhaled, ready to turn this upstart guard into creme brulee, but he was stopped when a giant red claw came down and smashed his head into the marble floors.

The guard’s jaw dropped as it finally dawned on him that the huge red wall behind the dragons was not actually a wall, but another monstrously large dragon. The dragon leaned down and met the guard’s blue eyes with his own large brown ones, eyes so large they dwarfed his room, and spoke in a voice that was more like an earthquake than words. “What that idiot meant to say was, ‘We have a formal complaint that must come before Celestia’.”

The guard lowered his spear. “OK, but she’s prolly not going to be able to do too much. You’re dragons, she’s a pony, that kind of thing.”

The dragon glared, making the young guard take a flinching step back. “We’re under her sun. We must obey her; therefore, she has jurisdiction over us. She will see us; or...”

The threat was interrupted and qualified when a vase worth more than the guard's yearly salary shattered at the claws of a clumsy purple dragon. He quickly hid his claws behind his back and began whistling in the worst display of nonchalance anyone present had seen.

The guard nodded briefly. “Follow me.”

* * *

The clerk looked up and his eyes widened briefly at the petitioners he saw, but then he relaxed. “I suppose it’s better than that Prince Blueblood fellow,” he said. He lit his horn and opened the book to the current date, and lifted the quill. “Please state your name and the purpose of your visit.”

He was met with blank looks, which actually fit the dragons quite well.

“Who are you, and why are you here?” he translated.

This time he was understood. The white dragon pounded his chest. “Spar Kellsbane, and we’re here to demand the death of the purple horn pony for killing Garble by shrinking him, folding him up, and frying him up with parsley and then eating him for lunch!”

That was… oddly specific. The unicorn brought the quill to his mouth. “Let's see if I've got this straight. You're here because a single pony killed a dragon, and now your plan is to come to a place filled with magical ponies just like her, and march right up to the castle where the pony who raises and lowers the sun every single day lives, and you're going to demand the death of her student?” He smirked. “Good luck. You’re on the list, Mr. Sparkles; please enter.”

“I think I will,” Spar spat as he stomped in.

“You’ll have to wait in line, though,” the clerk cautioned.

“Waiting in line is for sissies,” a large brown dragon proclaimed. He tapped the pony in front of them on the shoulder. “Hey, we’re going ahead of you.”

The pony fearfully nodded and quickly stepped aside. Of the many ways he wished to die, getting eaten by a dragon was not one of them.

This process was continued until they were at the front of the line and standing right outside Celestia’s throne room.

* * *

Twilight groaned as she put yet another book aside. “I’m telling you, there’s nothing here I haven’t already seen!”

“And none of it’s good,” Spike grumbled, turning another page. “‘Magic burns are fatal’, ‘dragon burns never heal due to their magical nature’; I tell you what, I’m getting depressed. What I wouldn’t give for a distraction right now…”

As soon as those words had left his mouth, the door to their study room burst open. “Twilight Sparkle!” the entering guard called, looking around wildly before realizing she was sitting right in front of him.

“Yes?”

“Your presence is requested in the throne room immediately.”

Twilight turned to Spike and grinned. “Well, there’s your distraction.”

* * *

“What is this about, anyway?” Spike asked as the two hurried along. “It's definitely not lunchtime, and I thought Celestia had court right about now.”

Twilight shrugged and attempted to appear relaxed, but Spike could see her frame and tail twitching erratically as the full (imagined) impact of the request hit her. “I don’t know. Maybe I forgot an assignment or something. I don’t think it’s time for another Friendship letter… is it?” She looked over at the guard. “What day is it? What month is it?”

The guard shrugged. Luckily for him, they had arrived, so he spared himself the dressing-down that Twilight had opened her mouth to give him.

Twilight Sparkle and Spike had barely entered the throne room when suddenly they were taken aback.

Dragons. Dragons everywhere. Many were tall as Celestia, and many more were even taller. Some were on two legs, others on all fours, but all looked large and rather angry. Twilight took a hesitant step back as she recognized some of them when she had followed Spike on his personal journey. She briefly wondered if she could simply wink out before she was noticed, but the door slammed shut behind her, drawing the attention of every single dragon in the room.

Every. Single. Dragon.

Well, except for Spike; but that’s because he quickly became a target of attention as well.

“Look!” one proclaimed, pointing an accusing claw at Spike. “She keeps one of our own as a household slave!”

Spike defiantly puffed out his chest. “I am not a slave!” he corrected proudly. “I am a number one personal assistant.”

“Same thing! The purple pony must die!”

The dragons began to charge, and Twilight was certain that this was how her life would end, but then…

“Silence!”

Celestia's voice stunned everypony (and everydragon) into still silence and made the dragons as one skid to a stop. Twilight Sparkle had never heard Celestia use the Royal Canterlot Voice before. It was quite unnerving, to be honest.

Unperturbed at the shocked glances she was receiving, Celestia settled back down on her throne and then smiled. “There will be no killing in the throne room,” she continued in a perfectly cultured, quiet tone. She turned to the dragons. “As per your right, please state your grievances before the court.”

“Uh…” The brown dragon looked around, as if hoping for clarification.

“Why are you clowns here?” Spike translated in a stage whisper.

This time he understood. “Revenge!” he proclaimed, smashing a claw on his chest.

Celestia nodded. “On what grounds?”

“Cheating!” he shouted.

“Yeah!” another dragon added. “She used magic to kill Garble by shrinking him small, putting him in her saddlebags, and then taking him home and frying him up with parsley and eating him!”

Twilight raised a hoof to protest that she had done no such thing, and besides that she much preferred oregano; but Celestia moved her hoof ever so slightly, silently telling her to remain silent. Twilight frowned, but lowered her hoof obediently.

“I'm not sure I understand,” Celestia said, frowning slightly. “Under the dragon code...”

“There’s an actual dragon code?” Spike blurted, surprised.

“See?” a blue dragon spoke up, pointing indignantly at Twilight. “She keeps him in ignorance!”

“Ignorance?!” Spike protested, feeling very insulted. “I bet I’m twice as smart as any of you bumbling morons!”

That almost started another fight right then and there, but once again, Celestia intervened. “Enough!” she said firmly. “You may discuss your relative intelligences and the ramifications thereof on your own time. Right now, we are here to talk about your quarrel with Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight felt herself begin to sweat as every single eye in the room landed on her again.

Celestia continued, “You claim she cheated, but under the dragon code, and I quote; the only rules when dragons fight are A, no scratching the eyes; and 2, no kicking your opponent in the happy sacks. Under your testimony, it appears she followed both of these rules, and thus her victory must be upheld.”

This time it was Twilight who couldn't stay quiet. “Did you just say happy sacks? Does it really say happy sacks?”

Celestia nodded as she turned to quietly explain. “The majority of transcriptions do, yes. Dragons are known for craftiness and cunning, not their eloquence and word choice.” She turned back to the gathered dragons. “But what about the rest of the victory conditions? Were they fulfilled?”

“Other victory conditions?” one dragon whispered to his neighbor, who shrugged.

Celestia nodded. “I quote again, ‘when a dragon is killed, the winning dragon gets to keep the hoards from both dragons’. Did Twilight take possession of Garble’s hoard?”

“No, but it doesn’t matter!” a white dragon yelled. “She’s not a dragon!”

“She’s not?” Celestia frowned. “There are no other definitions for a victor under the code. If a dragon is killed, it is only by another dragon.”

There was a brief moment of silence, and then… “Huddle!” The dragons circled up and began (somewhat violently) discussing their options.

“Wait, so…” Twilight struggled to wrap her head around this development. “That means…”

“I think you’re technically a dragon now,” Spike whispered.

Celestia made no movements, but the way one corner of her mouth turned up into a small smile indicated that Spike was exactly right.

“Is that why knights went out to slay dragons?” Twilight whispered. “To become dragons?”

“Mostly to inherit the hoards of the dragons,” Celestia explained quietly. “And to be honest, that story has somewhat changed over the years. Originally, it was ‘Nights’, as in ‘Nightwalkers’; Luna's followers dating from sixty or so BB. They were a fairly small group and somewhat ‘strapped for cash,’ if you will; so they hunted dragons to try and get some easy equity.”

Twilight couldn’t help but feel that there were easier ways of making money than going out and fighting a dragon.

After around fifteen minutes of discussion, five fistfights, and two broken noses, the dragons separated and rendered their verdict. “Fine. Come and get it, but it'll be gone by the time you get there.”

“I don’t think it works that way,” Celestia said. “Under the code, she needs to take possession of it before others can steal it, otherwise it's not her hoard, and the terms of the code will not have been fulfilled.” Celestia's eyebrow raised. “Would you really go against the code?”

The dragons looked around as what felt to be a small earthquake rumbled through the room. It was suddenly apparent that it was actually a growl from the large red dragon. He looked at each of the gathered dragons in turn, and their spines disappeared faster than that of a confronted noble.

“Nope!”

“Against the code? Never!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it!”

“I’d rather give up my own hoard!”

And that’s how Twilight Sparkle ended up becoming a technical dragoness and inheriting a small fortune in gems.

Chapter 6

It had been a week since Applejack had seen Rainbow Dash. Granny Smith had begun to worry about Applejack's depressed attitude, and so Applejack found herself pushed out the door to go to yet another of Pinkie's welcoming parties, where she was surrounded by happy, laughing ponies playing games.

She, on the other hoof, was sitting at a table, looking despondently at her cup of punch. Someone had informed Pinkie Pie that this new pony’s favorite color was bright blue, and so Pinkie had provided blue punch. Unfortunately, she had chosen to serve it in white cups, which made the drink appear cyan, and Applejack couldn’t help but think of Rainbow Dash every time she saw it.

In hindsight, she probably should have stayed away from the brightly-colored cupcakes that were currently sitting in front of her, as well.

Pinkie, somehow summoned by the feeling that somepony wasn’t having a good time at her party, poked her head out from under the table. “Hi, Applejack!” she called.

Applejack, by now very used to Pinkie appearing in various ways, merely sighed. “Hi, Pinkie,” she said.

Pinkie climbed out and sat down right next to Applejack, pressing against Applejack as she ignored all social bounds and personal space issues. “So, you’re not being very party-like. What’s up?”

“Ah just… Ah’m thinkin’ of Rainbow,” Applejack admitted. “Ah’ve tried bakin’ ‘most everything Ah could think of and sending it to her, but she’s still holed up in there, not wantin’ to come out.” She sighed. “Ah just want to see her happy again.”

Pinkie gigglesnorted. “You don’t make ponies happy by giving them things, you silly. You make ponies happy by doing things for them. Sure, I give ponies presents, I give them cupcakes, but what really makes them smile is the fact that somepony cared enough about them to do something for them that they really didn’t have to do. Ponies don’t really care about cake and parties; they really care that somepony else took the time to think of them. That’s it, really.”

Applejack pondered this for the rest of the party.

* * *

Applejack stood under Rainbow’s cloud house and steeled herself. “All right,” she whispered. “You’re there for her.” She took a step back and began spinning her rope over her head, spinning faster and faster until the metal weight at the end whistled from the speed. She released and it flew straight and true, wrapping itself around one of the many columns on Rainbow’s house. The weight fell, wrapping itself around the rope a few times and then embedding itself in the cloud, keeping the rope in place.

Hopefully.

Applejack tightened her saddlebags and began to climb. Climbing with hooves is not the easiest of activities, and more than once she slid and left small rope burns along her body and inner forelegs.

But she was there for Rainbow, and it would all work out.

Probably.

She grit her teeth. She had to think more positively. This second-guessing herself was really getting old.

Arriving at the top of her rope, she pulled herself up onto the porch and relaxed. Now the hard part. She walked up and knocked on Rainbow’s door.

No answer.

She knocked again, a bit harder this time.

“Whaaat?” Rainbow whined.

“Ah came to see you again,” Applejack said.

“I noticed.”

Applejack chuckled. “Just open the door.”

A few minutes later, Rainbow did, her scowl still etched on her face. “Ok. You’re back. More food, then? Gonna fatten me up before winter?”

Applejack chuckled. “Ah'm no Granny Smith, shovin’ food down your gullet until you can barely move. Today, Ah'm here to help.”

“Help,” Rainbow said flatly.

“Yep! Anything you want me to do, Ah'm here for you.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I take it ‘go away’ is not on your list of tricks?”

Applejack shook her head. “Not today, sorry.”

“Fine,” Rainbow grumbled, stepping back to let her in. “If you’re here to help, you think of something that would help.”

“A’ight,” Applejack said, pulling a book from her saddlebags. “How’s this?”

Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Is that…?”

“Yep. Daring Do and the Search for the Golden Bridle. Newest book in the series, right off the press. Ah figured we could read it together or somethin’.”

Rainbow stared at the book and licked her lips once before the walls came crashing back into place and her glare returned. “Nah, I’m not interested,” she scoffed, looking away.

Applejack’s jaw dropped. “Say wha-?”

“I really don’t want to read it,” Rainbow insisted.

Applejack gave her a look that she had perfected over the many years of raising Apple Bloom. This look was perfectly designed to crush defenses and bring forth the sweet, sweet taste of truth.

Rainbow tried to glare back, but soon cracked under the pressure. “I just… kindof haven’t finished the last one yet,” she admitted quietly. “It’s hard to get comfortable like this, and so I haven’t had a chance to read it all the way yet.”

Applejack tried to hide a frown. “You haven’t been able to read?” What had Rainbow done all day?

Rainbow shook her head. “I tried so many times… the book falls on me or my foreleg starts to ache. I’m not even halfway done yet.”

Applejack put the book away. “Ah’ll help you finish that one, then. Where is it?”

“In my room, on the bottom of the third pile from the left.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Rainbow understood the silent observation, and shrugged—and winced. “Yeah, I guess I’ve been here a while. It’s not so bad, though.”

Applejack trotted off and soon returned carrying the book and all the blankets off of Rainbow’s bed. “Try this,” she said, folding and refolding the large comforter into a thick nest of sorts, and the lighter sheet into a cover and pillow.

Rainbow frowned, but the curiosity inspired by the sight of the book by Applejack’s hoof made up her mind. She painfully settled down on the blanket, wincing and groaning, but soon managed to get somewhat comfortable.

“This isn’t half bad,” she said, letting her wings extend their full, albeit reduced, length.

Applejack leaned up against the makeshift bed and opened the book to the marked page. “All right. Where were you?”

“The part where Daring is just realizing that the idol she was carrying was a fake and she’s been betrayed by Shortstack who was only pretending to be her friend to use her to get past the tricks and traps but he was actually working for the Darkness, the secret cult who wants to use the curse to infect thousands of ponies in Chario city in revenge for having started the banishment process for Nightmare Moon’s first paladin Darkness Rising that eventually led to Nightmare Moon's downfall.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“Ok, so maybe I’ve really wanted to read this,” Rainbow admitted, looking away to hide her slight blush.

Applejack smiled and began to read. “‘Daring’s eyes widened in horror as the scale came to a stop a full three ounces before it should have…’”

* * *

“‘This isn’t over, Daring Do!’ he howled. ‘This isn’t over!’ Daring just smiled as she walked slowly away, leaving him behind, buried up to his neck in his own trap. ‘Maybe you should just stick to selling souvenirs,’ she jabbed, ‘but if you ever want to try again, know that Daring Do will always be ready for you!’ The end.”

Rainbow cheered and pumped a hoof into the air. “That was so awes- ow!” She quickly retracted her foreleg and rubbed her shoulder gently. “I mean, that was pretty cool.”

“Yeah,” Applejack said. “Ah think Ah could get into this series.” She looked up and to her astonishment, it was dark. “Huh. Guess Ah was here longer than Ah thought.”

Rainbow nodded and then something else occurred to her. “How did you get up here, anyway?”

“Ah climbed. Threw a rope up and climbed up myself.”

“Impressive,” Rainbow said, before frowning again. “This isn't over. I'm still mad at you. And don’t want you here. And everything.”

Applejack smiled. “That’s ok. Ah’ll be like Daring Do, back in a bit and ready to go again. We still have this new book to read, after all.”

“Huh,” Rainbow muttered. “You do that.”

But the biting sarcasm was not as strong in her voice as she would have liked.

* * *

It was the next day that Applejack climbed the rope again. This time it was evening, but she had enjoyed her visit so much that she had eaten dinner at record speed just to have time to come back. She knocked on the door and waited patiently.

Rainbow answered a bit more quickly this time. “Hey, AJ,” she greeted her coolly. “What’s up?”

“Not much. Brought you some dinner.”

Rainbow grinned, but then hid it behind her trademark scowl. “Fine. It’s about time you got here. I was getting hungry, anyway.”

Dinner (and dessert) was eaten fairly quickly. Applejack did most of the talking, as she’d already eaten, and Rainbow listened politely. As not much had happened in Rainbow’s life, Applejack found it less awkward to talk a bit about herself instead, and Rainbow chuckled and groaned at all the appropriate places as Applejack discussed Apple Bloom’s latest experiment.

“So this cart thing is held together with bent nails, spit, baling twine and good luck, and Scootaloo’s in the front seat, hollerin’ for the others to push faster and so they’re tearing down the dirt road and she gets maybe fifty feet before the left rear wheel falls off—and Ah’m too far away t’ do anythin’ but watch at this point—and she goes off the road, hits a bump, gets airborne and so she’s just flailing and then she slams into a tree. She slides off and lands in a basket Ah’d left underneath, pretty as you please, covered in leaves, and right as Ah get there an apple falls and bounces off her head.”

Rainbow laughed. “That must have been something to see,” she said.

“All Ah could do was laugh.” She paused. “Then Ah made them restack the hay bales they knocked over, but yeah.”

Rainbow grinned as she shoved the rest of her sandwich in her mouth. “Wish I could get out there again.”

Little warning flags flew up in Applejack’s mind, and she needed something to change the subject—and fast. The first thing that came to mind was how bad this place smelled, and how it really could use a tidying. “Ya know, as long as Ah’m here, how’s about Ah clean up a bit?” she asked, getting out of her chair and trotting purposefully over to the living room. “Ah’ll start with this.”

“My house isn’t that bad,” Rainbow protested.

Applejack turned and gave her a look.

Rainbow wilted slightly. “Ok, maybe it’s a little bit bad,” she admitted. She slowly walked into the room. “That pile probably goes in the trash, that one’s probably laundry, I think that one used to be food of some kind…”

* * *

Rainbow nodded appreciatively as she looked over her now clean living room. “Huh, so that’s what the cloud is supposed to look like.” She turned to Applejack and gave her the first genuine smile AJ had seen in a long time. “Maybe having you over here all the time isn’t so bad after all.”

Guess miracles do happen, Applejack thought to herself with a small smile. What next, Twilight getting sick of books?

* * *

Twilight looked up, a haunted look in her eyes. “Spike?” she called.

Spike shoved the rest of the gem in his mouth, sat up and looked back. “Yes, Twilight?”

“I… I think I’m getting sick of books,” Twilight whispered.

Spike rolled his eyes and returned to his reading, grabbing another ruby and tossing it into his mouth. “You and me both, sister.”

* * *

As Applejack left, Rainbow called after her. “Come back soon, ok? You still owe me that new Daring Do book!”

Applejack smiled. That was the least of her worries. Rainbow had asked her to come back. Everything was right in the world again.

For now.

Chapter 7

The next day, before settling down to read, the two mares ate the lunch that Applejack had provided. Applejack finished her sandwich and looked at Rainbow Dash. Clearly, she wanted to say something, and Rainbow shifted uncomfortably.

“What?” Rainbow asked. “Do I have mayo on my face?”

“Rainbow…” Applejack steeled herself. “You know how there’s kindof a funky smell up here? Ah finally figured out what that smell is.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. It’s you.”

Rainbow scowled. “It’s not that bad.” She lifted a foreleg and sniffed under her armpits, and then recoiled in disgust. “Ok, maybe it’s a bit bad,” she conceded.

“How long’s it been since your last shower?” Applejack asked.

Rainbow shrugged. “Couldn’t tell you.”

“No, really,” Applejack insisted.

“No, really,” Rainbow repeated. “I kindof can’t get in the tub very well.” Rainbow looked back up at Applejack and scooted away at the look in her eyes, letting out a grunt of pain as she did. “No. You’re not touching me, and you’re definitely not putting me in the shower.”

“Come on, Rainbow,” Applejack wheedled.

“No,” Rainbow spat.

She said it so firmly that Applejack decided to try another approach before she lost all the progress she had made. “At least let me preen your wings,” she offered in compromise. “Ah bet that hasn’t been done in a while, either.”

Rainbow Dash tensed, as this was true. Her wings hadn’t been preened in a long time. Some pegasi would preen their wings numerous times daily, and Rainbow hadn't preened for nearly a month, leaving the majority of her feathers (the ones that hadn’t fallen out, that is) at strange, painful angles. Her instinctive reaction was to say yes, but she hesitated. After all, preening wings in and of itself is not foreplay; but it is fairly intimate. Centuries of trusting their lives to their wings have left pegasi extremely wary of who is allowed to touch them, usually choosing to permit only family members and special someponies to preen them. It really doesn’t help that preening feels really good for the recipient, and it also doesn’t help the preener and preenee have to be really close (their bodies touching) to get to the proper angle to realign the feathers. Both mares knew this, and so there was a bit of tension in the air as Rainbow painfully got off her chair, lay down, and then hesitantly spread her wings. “Fine, if you really want to,” she said.

Applejack slowly knelt down next to Rainbow. She had done this quite often before, and even though she (being an earth pony) didn't have the natural preening oil secreted in her saliva like pegasi did, she still knew how to preen and keep Rainbow's wings clean.

Though this time, she wasn't even sure where to start. Her wings were so bad that some down feathers were poking through the primaries. She imagined that it was very painful for Rainbow even to have her wings like this. It looked like a tangled mess of feathers that had no beginning or end.

But then again, Applejack loved challenges.

She slowly climbed on to Rainbow, who flinched but made no effort to buck her off. When she felt comfortable, she chose a feather from Rainbow’s left wing and slid it back into place, As she did so, Rainbow Dash flinched. Applejack quickly pulled back.

“Was Ah bein’ too rough?” she asked.

“No, it’s just…” Rainbow sighed and closed her eyes before speaking. “I kindof haven’t been touched in a while, by anypony.” She lowered her head onto her forehooves and mumbled something that sounded vaguely like, “feels kinda nice.”

A tiny smile played on Applejack's face as she chose another feather and continued.

For twenty minutes they lay there, Applejack gently but firmly sliding feathers back into place and Rainbow moving her wing as best she could to let Applejack have easy access. Applejack couldn’t help but smile as she felt Rainbow slowly relax underneath her. Her breathing calmed, and more than once Rainbow let out a tiny whimper of pleasure as a particularly nasty feather was slid back into place.

“I… I missed this,” Rainbow whispered, so quietly it almost seemed she didn't want her voice heard.

“Ah missed you too, Rainbow,” Applejack whispered in return as she kept working.

Soon, the left side was complete. Rainbow flapped it once and let out a little groan. “Oh, Celestia… that feels so good,” she whimpered.

“Ah still have one more,” Applejack said. She turned to Rainbow’s more injured wing and paused. This wing was more scar tissue than feathers, and Applejack wasn’t entirely sure where to start. She chose a feather at random and pulled.

“Ow!” Rainbow flinched and pulled away her wing.

“Sorry,” Applejack said quickly.

“Just… be more careful next time,” Rainbow hissed as she extended her wing as best she could.

Applejack scanned her wing and tried another one.

“Ouch!" Rainbow flinched. "Are you even trying?”

“Sorry,” Applejack said, words tumbling out before she could stop them. “It’s not like you have a lot of feathers for me to choose from here.”

The air seemed to grow colder for a brief moment. “I think I'm good,” Rainbow said, retracting her wings.

“But Ah'm not done ye-”

“I said, I'm good!” Rainbow spat, forcing herself to her hooves. Applejack tumbled off as Rainbow stood up straight. “Just… leave me alone. Thanks, but you should go.”

Applejack nodded, slowly getting to her own hooves. Why had she said that? It had been going so well! “A’ight," she said, trying to sound as nonthreatening as possible. "Ah’m sorry for hurting you.”

“Just go.”

Applejack left. As she slid down the rope, she couldn’t help but feel that she had taken one step forward and two steps back.

* * *

Spike slammed the book shut and groaned. “Nothing. Twilight, we've searched all of the Canterlot library, and we've found nothing.”

Twilight sighed and shut her own book. “I'm sorry, Spike. I really am.”

“But this isn't the end of our research, though, is it?”

Twilight didn't answer.

“Is it?”

Chapter 8

Pinkie Pie bounced over to Twilight’s house, a pair of party invitations in her mouth. She had noticed that ever since they'd come back from Canterlot, both Twilight and Spike seemed a bit more sad and stressed, even if they didn’t realize it. But Pinkie realized it. That’s why she was throwing this party, to see them smile again. Maybe she could even convince Applejack to bring Rainbow Dash and they'd have a quiet little get together and have cake eating contests and play charades and pin the tail on the pony and twenty questions and other games that Rainbow could play even with her injuries.

Her bouncing slowed to a stop as she neared the library and noticed a sign fastened to the front door.

‘In Crystal Empire; be back whenever’

Pinkie frowned dejectedly, and slowly pulled the invitations into her mouth with her tongue and ate them. It wouldn't be a de-stressifying party without the two who needed it the most.

And judging from how Twilight hadn't even made the sign a complete sentence or added ending punctuation, Pinkie knew she was super stressed.

* * *

Rainbow Dash opened the door slowly this time. “Hey, AJ,” she said dismissively. “You just couldn’t stay away, huh?”

Applejack shook her head. “Ah owed you the book and all. Couldn’t go back on my word.” She’d thought for hours last night before coming up with this excuse. It was safe, and it was something Rainbow Dash wanted, without being accusatory or blaming either mare.

And it worked. Rainbow didn’t even bring up the preening fiasco. “That’s right, you do. Come in and start reading.”

Applejack fluffed Rainbow’s nest again and set up a few snacks before opening the book. “Daring Do and the Search for the Golden Bridle.”

Rainbow snuggled deeper into the blankets and brought up a hoof to scratch at her mane.

“‘Daring Do licked her lips as she finished her joke. “So then she says, 'Well, duh. How do you think I got the ponyshoes?'” The crowd burst into laughter and Daring Do quickly wiped her hoof against her forehead, watching as it came away wet with perspiration. She was an archeologist, not a comedian; but if she didn’t keep up with these jokes, the only thing she would be was dinner.’”

“So… awesome,” Rainbow muttered, scratching at her mane again.

“‘Daring started again. “So did you hear the one about the two ponies that walked into a bar? You’d think the second one would have seen it!” This one was less-well received, and Daring started to sweat even more.’” Applejack set the book down. “You’ve been scratchin’ a lot. You ok?”

“Yeah, it’s just… it’s just kindof bad today, that’s all.”

“Ah can brush your mane if you want,” Applejack offered. That was a bit safer than the wing preening.

“Nah,” Rainbow said dismissively, turning around. “Just keep reading.”

Applejack quickly leaned down and took a lock of Rainbow’s mane in her hoof. Rainbow flinched, but did not pull away.

Applejack almost did, though. From up close, it was readily apparent that Rainbow’s mane was dirty and so matted that it looked like muddy baling twine instead of the sleek mane she usually wore. How had she not noticed this before? “This is... Rainbow, you need a bath. For reals this time.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Yeah, kindof; but that's not going to happen.”

“Ah’m serious. You’ll feel a thousand times better.” Applejack was almost afraid of the words coming out of her mouth. If preening had ended so badly, how could bathing end any better?

Rainbow snorted. Apparently, when it had been pointed out to her, she noticed just how badly she smelled. “I promise, if I could, I would be in the tub right now. Just… you know… having a little trouble on my own.”

All right, Applejack thought to herself. Back away slowly and change the subject. “Then let's do it,” Applejack said. “Ah’ll help.”

Seriously?!

Rainbow scrambled to her hooves. “You’re serious? Y- you want to bathe me?” she squeaked. It's one thing to mess around in a creek and get each other wet, but it's quite another to roll over and let somepony else bathe you like a helpless filly.

The fact that Rainbow was not ordering her out gave Applejack a bit of confidence. “Ah’ve done this before with Apple Bloom when she was a foal,” Applejack said dismissively. “Besides, you ain’t got nothin’ Ah haven’t seen before.”

Rainbow blushed ever so slightly at just how true that was. “Yeah, but I’m a bit bigger than her.”

“It’s the same idea. So if’n you don’t want to keep smellin' like Hogsworth the Third after a hot summer’s day, you’re gonna get in the bath.”

Rainbow shuffled hesitantly.

“Come on,” Applejack said soothingly. “It'll get your mane lookin' shiny again and Ah'll even brush your coat afterwards.”

Every pony loves being brushed, and Rainbow’s final defense fell. “Fine,” Rainbow sighed, “but don't try anything funny, ok?”

* * *

Applejack stared in confusion at the system Rainbow’s bathroom had. “Ah swear, nothin’ makes you feel more like a fool than usin’ somepony else’s shower,” she muttered. “Ah can’t even see what Ah’m supposed to twist here.”

“That’s because you’re not a pegasus, and those ballet slippers sure don’t make you one,” Rainbow grinned. She reached up and tapped a small cloud on the wall where the dial would be, and suddenly rain began to fall gently down to the tub. Rainbow chuckled at Applejack’s expression. “It’s a perk of being a pegasus,” she grinned.

Applejack nodded appreciatively as she saw the tub fill. “You want bubbles?”

Rainbow laughed loudly. “AJ, I’m not a foal.”

“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with bubbles in the bath,” Applejack protested. “It’s relaxin’.”

Rainbow chuckled. “Whatever you say, AJ. If you really want to give me bubbles, go ahead.”

Applejack looked around, and suddenly noticed that the mirror over the sink had been split by a large crack across the center, as if it had been punched with a hoof. Pointedly ignoring this, she found the soap and soon bubbles were filling the tub as well.

There was silence as the raincloud continued to rain, and soon Rainbow tapped it off. Now came the hard part: getting in.

Rainbow saw the look in Applejack’s eyes and narrowed her own. “You’re not lifting me,” she said firmly.

Applejack rolled her eyes, and all of a sudden a new idea occurred to her. She lay down flat on the bathroom floor next to the tub. “Then climb in.”

“Wha-?”

“Use me like a steppin’ stool and get in,” Applejack explained tersely. “Hurry now, this ain’t comfortable.”

Rainbow wanted to protest, but couldn’t think of any words to do so. As quickly as she could, she climbed on top of Applejack and slid in the tub. As the water hit her body, she let out a sigh of pleasure. This was her first bath in at least month, and she had forgotten just how nice it felt. The buoyancy of the water made her feel light again, and though parts of her wing and foreleg stung, she was able to move her body with reduced pain.

“Why didn’t I do this sooner?” she murmured.

“‘Cause you’re stubborn,” Applejack answered, lifting herself up.

Rainbow considered this and attempted to think of a good comeback, but her body was feeling quite relaxed and she was finding it difficult to be snarky. Part of her knew she should protest Applejack being in the bathroom with her, but with her eyes closed and her breath coming slowly, she was having trouble protesting anything.

Eventually, though, the water started getting colder and she sat up. “Ugh… guess I’d better clean something while I’m in here,” she groaned, reaching for a washcloth hanging from the small rack. She grunted, unable to reach it. Applejack furtively reached out and knocked it down, without making eye contact. Rainbow didn’t acknowledge this as she picked it up and began scrubbing herself. Getting the left part was easy, but the right… Rainbow finally settled for dragging the cloth across her foreleg and calling it good.

Applejack couldn’t help but notice that there was much still left unclean. “You want me to get the parts around your hind legs?”

“Nah, I got it.” Rainbow lifted the cloth and tried to bring it behind her, but dropped it with a shuddering gasp. She couldn’t even pass her middle section. She looked up, but was unable to meet Applejack’s eyes, and instead stared at the water. “I don’t got it. C- could you…”

That’s all she needed to say. Applejack nodded and fished the washcloth back out of the water and went to work.

It was strange. Rainbow was expecting to feel completely violated, and maybe even take a few off-color jokes, but Applejack was nothing but quick and respectful.

“Now for your mane and tail.” She scanned the products on the edge of the tub, but didn’t see anything specifically for those. “Do you have shampoo?”

“No!” Rainbow said far too quickly.

Applejack gave her a look.

Rainbow sheepishly pointed to the upper cabinet next to the cracked mirror. “Everything's in there.”

Applejack opened up the cabinet. Her jaw dropped and she whistled appreciatively at what she found. “You've got more hair mane care stuff than Rarity,” she said, examining the numerous brushes and various bottles of mane and tail products. Most of them were well-used, and had no dust on them.

Rainbow blushed. “Yeah, well... When you have something nice, you take care of it.” She paused. “Don’t tell Rarity,” she pleaded quietly.

Applejack smirked as she pulled out a bottle promising new life and vibrant colors and slid a brush onto her hoof. “Well, you're somethin' nice. Guess that's why Ah'm takin' care of you.”

Rainbow opened her mouth to protest, but then shut her mouth and whimpered in pleasure as Applejack ran the brush through her tail.

“Again,” she pleaded.

Applejack obliged. She continued for a few minutes until Rainbow’s tail shone. “There. You’re all done. Need help getting out, or…?”

Rainbow pushed herself slowly up. “No, I ca-”

But the water had a different idea. Her hoof slipped on the edge of the tub, and she went down hard. Applejack reached out quickly and caught her right before impact, holding her up.

The two remained touching for a brief moment, until Rainbow broke it off. “Uh… thanks,” she said, separating herself just a bit.

“D- don’t mention it,” Applejack said, supporting her weight so Rainbow could get out of the tub.

As soon as she had gotten to her hooves, Rainbow shook, splattering the whole bathroom and much of Applejack with water.

“Hey!”

“What?”

“You have towels for a reason!”

Rainbow snorted. “I can't exactly do that either, now, can I?”

Applejack rolled her eyes and pulled a towel from the rack. “Hold still.”

Rainbow looked at Applejack with apprehension as she neared. “Just... be gentle, ok? My right side…”

Applejack grinned. “Ah’m sure Ah can manage.”

Rainbow Dash flinched as the towel touched her body, but Applejack was just as gentle as before. She worked methodically from her right side, starting with her wing and crossing her ribs. It was quick going, and soon she was at her mane.

Suddenly, Applejack roughly rubbed Rainbow's mane with the towel. Rainbow took an angry step back.

“Hey!” she hissed, glaring at Applejack's mirthful look.

Applejack pointed to the cracked mirror and continued giggling. Rainbow looked and couldn't help but laugh as well at her mane, which was now poofed up and stuck out wildly in all directions.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up while you can. Just be nice to my tail. It's my best feature.”

Applejack took this invitation literally and moved back. “It is a nice tail,” she agreed as she stretched the towel again.

Now, Rainbow was no stranger to Applejack poking around under her tail, but she still couldn't suppress a shudder as she neared. But just as before, Applejack was gentle and respectful, and never revealed more than was strictly needed. When most of the water was gone, Applejack looked up. “You have a smaller coat brush?”

Rainbow nodded and gestured at a drawer. Applejack found it and slid it on her hoof, and she slowly began brushing Rainbow. Her hoof traveled gently along her body, and Rainbow relaxed. She soon lay down, giving Applejack better access to her body.

Ten minutes later, Applejack nudged her. “You're done on this side,” she said. “Roll over, wouldja?”

But Rainbow Dash didn't roll over, because Rainbow Dash was fast asleep.

Applejack could only watch as Rainbow breathed slowly. Her face was no longer twisted in a scowl, no longer glaring; she just relaxed and slept peacefully. Applejack smiled and rested her head on Rainbow's. For a brief moment, everything was right in her world. There were no injuries, no insults, no burns or scar tissue; just two lovers cuddling in the afternoon.

* * *

Rainbow's eyes flickered open. The first thing she noticed was that she felt pretty good. She felt relaxed, and more rested than she had in a long time. It was dark, so apparently she had been here a while.

She rolled her neck and noticed a piece of paper flutter to the floor. She reached out and winced as she picked it up. It was a note.

‘Hey Rainbow. Sorry I have to love you and leave you, but I had a lot of chores to do today, and I didn’t want to wake you. I’ll be back soon.
Love, Applejack’

Rainbow flicked it away. It was nice while it lasted, having Applejack here, and getting bathed wasn’t nearly as awkward as she had feared, and she really did feel better; but Applejack really needed to move on, and she intended to tell her so, firmly, the next time she came. No chance for talking; Rainbow would just tell her the next time Applejack showed up that she needed to leave.

* * *

But knowing that she needed to tell Applejack to move on and actually telling her to move on proved to be two very different air currents.

Especially when Applejack brings cider. Nice, cold, freshly-made cider.

"Part of the first batch," she informed her. "Thought Ah'd share some, seein' as how you can't exactly stay standin' in line all day."

She tried to say, ‘Applejack, you need to leave’ but it came out as “Applejack, you need to l- Is that cider? Please pour me some please please please please!”, which Applejack quickly did before pouring herself one as well.

When the cider was halfway gone, Applejack looked over. “Ah need to what?”

“Huh?”

“You were sayin’ somethin’, like Ah needed to do somethin’?”

“Oh… uh…” Rainbow set down her mug and mentally scrambled for another topic. “You know who I haven't seen in a while? Pinkie Pie. How's she doing?”

Applejack didn’t notice, or if she did, she didn’t react. “She’s all right, Ah guess. She’s worried about you, too.”

“Oh, yeah?” Rainbow asked. Pinkie Pie was a much safer topic; and that’s saying something.

“She doesn’t know what to do. She’s back to normalish, you know, but still.” She grinned. “Ah bet she’d be happy to throw you a party.”

Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah, no. That’s not going to happen.” Words kept coming out of her mouth. “I wouldn’t mind seeing her again, though.”

Applejack cracked a smile. “Ya know, if you really want, Ah’ll go get her.”

Rainbow dropped a bit and glanced around. “She’s probably up here, hiding.”

“Nah. Ah saw her this morning at Sugarcube Corner.”

“Oh, we’ve already summoned her.”

Both mares spun around to see Pinkie Pie floating outside the window, waving excitedly. Numerous balloons were strapped to her back, giving her lift, and her saddlebags looked filled to the point of bursting.

“Pi-?”

“Yep!” Pinkie crawled in and dropped to the ground. “I could feel that somepony needed a little Pinkie cheer!”

Rainbow lifted an eyebrow. “Not a party?”

“Nah. I mean, I wanted to, but I got the feeling you didn’t want to and anyway it’s most important to make sure that the pony who is receiving the party has the best time as opposed to the one throwing the party but, I mean, I have a great time throwing the parties-” She stopped to gasp for air. “Unless you really want a party? Because I could totally get one organiz-!”

“No!” Rainbow shoved a hoof in Pinkie’s mouth. “No party.”

Pinkie raised a plate. “How about a slice of cake?” she offered.

Rainbow sighed, not even bothering to question where Pinkie had obtained her cake. “Fine. One slice of cake.”

Pinkie threw her hooves up in the air, apparently forgetting that she was holding a slice of cake. “Yay!”

Applejack did not cheer, though, as the slice of cake landed on her face, covering her mane and cheeks in white frosting.

She did smile, though, as she licked part of the frosting off. “Not bad,” she said.

“Don’t worry!” Pinkie said, completely unashamed at having assaulted Applejack with cake. “I have plenty more where that came from!”

* * *

Rainbow couldn’t help but smile as she looked at the aftermath of the little party, but then shook her head. “Next time, I'll tell her to leave,” she said, trying to suppress the little nagging voice inside that whispered a protest.

Chapter 9

But much to Rainbow’s disappointment, Applejack didn’t come back the next day. She did come the day after, though, and apologized profusely.

“Ah had to help Mac out, finishing the cider pressing,” she said. “Could’ve lost our whole harvest if Ah’d left.”

“Nah, it’s ok,” Rainbow said, bracing herself. “Actua-”

“Ah thought you’d say that,” Applejack interrupted, “but Ah figured Ah owed you somethin’ special anyway.” She gestured to the saddlebags that Rainbow hadn't seen, and she pulled out a wide spread of food.

Rainbow felt her mouth water. Her bad news could wait.

After lunch, Rainbow sat back and pushed her plate away. “Great, as usual,” she said, steeling herself to do something she really didn’t want to do. “You know, it's been kindof nice to see you here, but you really shouldn't be coming over so often.”

“Why not?”

Rainbow fiddled with her hooves. “Like I said before, we're just... you know... and I... but you deserve...” Her voice trailed off as she noticed something. “Hey, Applejack?”

“What?”

“Is it just me, or are you sinking?”

“Sinking?” Applejack shook her head. “You ok, Rainbow?”

“I’m serious,” Rainbow said, forcing herself to her hooves. “You look like you’re sinking through the cloud floor.”

Applejack chuckled. “Why would Ah be sinkin’? It’s not like these sandals are gonna have the charm wear off, now, is it?”

Both looked at each other for a brief, horrifying moment, before suddenly the spell on the sandals wore off and Applejack fell through, taking with her a huge chunk of cloud and leaving a large hole in Rainbow's floor.

Rainbow didn’t even blink before jumping up and following her through the hole. Her body protested violently but she forced herself to straighten out, becoming more aerodynamic and quickly catching up to Applejack, who was flailing desperately as she fell. Instinctively, Rainbow reached out, grabbed her, and pulled her in close, instinctively rotating herself so that Rainbow would hit the ground first. Her wings spread in an attempt to slow them both down, but even if she had her wings at full capacity, it wouldn’t have been enough; her wings simply weren't powerful enough to slow them down. Rainbow grit her teeth and pulled Applejack close. If she had to die, this wasn’t such a bad way to go.

As for Applejack, she couldn’t believe what was happening. Her initial rage at Twilight and her magic faded away as Rainbow pulled her in close, and desperately she clung to Rainbow Dash. Even now, with the wind rushing through her mane and her stomach somewhere in her throat and the thought that they were both going to die a very painful death, she felt at peace, as if this were truly the place for her.

* * *

As if on cue, a donkey pulling a wagon full of unbundled hay trundled underneath, and the two falling mares slammed into it, smashing the wagon and sending wood and hay everywhere (much to the annoyance of the donkey pulling it).

When Applejack could breathe normally again, she turned to Rainbow in shock. “You saved me? You’re half-dead and you saved me?”

Rainbow smiled shakily, though it came out more as a grimace as her body painfully protested her unexpected flight. “Well, I’m not exactly known for my good decisions, now, am I?”

“Ah’m glad you’re not.” Applejack paused. “Then again, neither am Ah.”

And she leaned down and kissed Rainbow Dash, right on the lips.

* * *

Deep in the caverns of The Library of the Crystal Empire (a place so fancy that even The Library was always capitalized), Spike was sifting through yet another large tome, this one far older than he had seen in a long time. His eyes widened and he dropped the gem he'd been eating as he took in the words on the page, and turned to call for backup. “Hey, Twilight, look at this.”

Twilight's ears pricked at Spike's voice. “Did you find something?”

“Well, it’s not about scars, but I think you should see this.”

Twilight poked her head up and quickly realized she wouldn’t be able to easily extract herself from behind the veritable fortress of books she had built, and so she lit her horn and teleported out, appearing on the table right in front of Spike. She leaned down to examine the book and her eyes widened. “This book… I’ve heard of this one! This is the legendary Clover the Clever’s Guide to Various Maladies! I’ve never seen this one before! They say it had cures for maladies and sicknesses that we're still trying to recreate!” She lifted it up and examined it. “I can't believe I'm seeing this! All the copies were thought to be lost in the Great Fire of Canterlot!”

“Well, apparently no one told the Crystal Empire,” Spike observed with a grin.

Twilight scanned the page. “It’s on nerve damage,” she observed. She nodded in appreciation. Clover was much more Clever than even she had thought.

“Yeah, and there’s this spell down here that could help a pony recover the use of her limbs after fire damage.”

Twilight ripped the book out of Spike’s claws and read. “Nerves… recovery time reduced by ninety percent… pegasus recovery from lightning strike… regained full feeling and movement… regained power of flight... Spike, I think you found something!”

“Still doesn’t answer how you’re going to power it, though. It needs three unicorns in sync,” Spike pointed out. Syncing unicorn magic was a tricky procedure, as every unicorn has their own wavelength and as anyone who has studied waves knows, if one mare’s magic had a peak where another mare’s had a trough, they would superimpose and cancel out. That could wreak havoc on a spell’s casting… and had landed Moondancer and Twinkle Shine in the hospital while Twilight was back at school.

Then again, they had been trying to pull a prank on their teacher, so Twilight didn’t feel all too bad for them.

Twilight examined the spell walk-through, mentally completed a few calculations, and grinned widely. “Spike, do you know how old this book is? The level of magic for the average unicorn has grown since this book was written.” She almost launched into a long explanation on how replacing grazing with more complex carbohydrates combined with the lack of desperate survival conditions had increased magic capabilities.

Almost.

“We’ll only need two?” Spike asked hopefully.

“I can do this one myself.”

* * *

Maybe it would have happened anyway, and their recent near-death experience only sped up the process. Maybe they owed their relationship to that failed spell. She would never be able to say for sure. What she did know is, she loved Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash was not her coat, her fur, her scars, her achievements, or even her cutie mark. Rainbow Dash was Rainbow Dash because of who she was, and no matter what she looked like, that would always stay the same.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened and she let out a small squeak of protest as Applejack reached a hoof behind her head and pulled her tighter into the kiss. After a few seconds, Applejack pulled back with the intention of licking Rainbow’s lips and asking for entry, but apparently Rainbow had the same idea, because her tongue hit Rainbow’s instead. She pushed with hers, trying for dominance, but Rainbow tilted her head for leverage and pushed back. As Applejack responded with more pressure, she was startled when Rainbow instead opened her mouth and pulled Applejack’s tongue into her own mouth, holding it prisoner. Applejack couldn't suppress a small whimper as she once again tasted the slick, sweet taste of Rainbow's mouth and the natural preening oil in her saliva. She quickly recovered, and brought up a hoof to stroke Rainbow’s uninjured left side, only pulling back when she ran out of air (it is, after all, rather difficult to breathe when your tongue is completely extended). As she pulled back, Rainbow grabbed at her lower lip, holding it in her teeth as long as she could before Applejack pulled away, whereupon Applejack responded by licking Rainbow’s face, right up the middle, before leaving a kiss on Rainbow’s forehead.

“Ah love you,” Applejack whispered, resting their foreheads together and crossing over to stroke Rainbow’s right cheek. “All of you.”

Rainbow’s defenses finally fell, and she finally managed to say something she’d been wanting to say for nigh on two months now. She scrunched up her face, trying desperately not to cry.

“I love you too, Applejack.” She buried her face in Applejack's chest. “Never leave me again.”

“Ah won't. And that's a promise.”

Author's Note

And what about the donkey who lost his load of hay? Well, let's just say it's really hard to get angry at two mares when they're kissing, and he respectfully gave them their space.

Epilogue

Spike tugged nervously at his collar. “And you’re sure my name was on the invitation?” he asked again.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “For the fortieth time, Spike, yes. Your name was specifically on the invitation, and you’re supposed to be here.”

Spike looked down. “I don’t know,” he said. “I just feel kindof guilty, you know? Because I-”

Spike’s words disappeared as he felt himself be physically lifted from the ground and forced in a tight hug. When he could breathe again, he realized that it was Rainbow Dash who was squeezing him in a tight but affectionate hug.

She leaned down and whispered in his ear. “Don’t feel guilty. Don’t ever feel guilty. Applejack and me, we’re here today, together, because of what happened; and you—you gave me my life back, so don’t you ever feel guilty.”

Spike nodded and smiled nervously.

Rainbow straightened up painlessly and quickly adjusted her white shirt, tugging at the long sleeves that hid the scars that still covered her body. Though the spell had repaired her nerves and given her back her full range of movement, there was still little that could be done to fix her appearance. “That, uh… You didn’t see anything,” she warned, taking a step back and waving a hoof mysteriously in the air.

Spike chuckled. “Ok, I didn’t see anything.” He turned back to Twilight. “I’m gonna go see how the others are doing. You’d probably better run through the script again.”

Twilight grinned. “Don’t worry. I’ve already got it memorized.”

* * *

And sure enough, when the time came, Twilight Sparkle was perfectly prepared. She looked at the two ponies standing in front of her; Applejack in a dress that had probably been the one her mother used at her own wedding, and Rainbow Dash, now wearing a perfectly pressed tuxedo. Both shifted nervously, but it was the apprehensively excited nervous and not the afraid nervous, and Twilight couldn’t help but smile. She opened a large book resting on the podium (though that was largely just for show; she’d memorized this speech the night they’d asked her to officiate) and began to speak.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…”

Author's Note

Well, I guess that's it, complete with "Complete" tag. I suppose I could have drawn it out a bit longer, but I kindof liked having a nice quick resolution ~~and I much prefer happy stories where it all ends ok~~
It's so weird to finish a story... I suppose I should thank people now? DbzOrDie was instrumental in bringing this story to life, and I can honestly say this story wouldn't exist without Rated PonyStar. And, of course, thanks to you all for reading.
Live long and Dash Apples!