Little Redd: the Lost Concept of Peace

Chapter Nine

Rolling With Hogs

Redd pounded through Ponyville on a mission.  Rather than a note or lyric playing, she was desperately going over what it would take for the princesses and the Elements of Harmony to believe that Discord was back in full force.

Twilight, I have an urgent message to deliver to Princess Celestia.  Discord isn't reformed.  He's created his own Equestria to live in, and he's going to use both the Dark Elements of Harmony and the Elements of Discord to--

Once again, her anger had gotten in her way and clouded her thoughts to the point that she almost missed a ridiculously obvious and crucial point to the speech.

Little Redd was an Element of Discord.  She couldn't let them uncover that secret, but she had to tell them, otherwise they wouldn't know what they're up against.

God dammit!  Why do I have to be imperative in EVERYTHING?

She stopped outside of the library, her mind still erupting in plumes of smoke from utter frustration.  She turned around, then around again, and kept slowly spinning in her strange pacing habit.

How can physical accuracy help now?  It can't!  That's my problem, I have absolutely no pony skills.  I'm just a turret with a brain!

"And a temper."

Redd jumped, and glanced to the sky.  Of course, that smirk was there to meet her.

"You were talking out loud.  Is there something bothering you?."

Looking around her, most of the ponies in sight were looking her way.  Her body followed the potion, shying at all the attention.

Rainbow Dash's brow quirked up, and she rubbernecked to see Redd's eyes.

"Uh, you okay Redd?"

Redd's natural attitude clashed with the shyness potion, and her mind began to freak out, unsure of how to react to the eyes peering her way.

"Redd?"

Dash's voice was alarmed, and the last thing Redd clearly saw was the sunset disappearing beneath the horizon before her body failed, collapsing in a spasming heap.

As soon as she came to, Redd rolled to the side and unleashed the wrath of nausea on the dirt next to her.

"Ugh.  Let it all out, limey."

Redd felt a gentle hoof pat her back, releasing another wave of vomit from her stomach.

"Let it all out."

Redd stopped convulsing, and rolled on her back again.  As it had been many times before, she silently yearned for her mother, and glanced at the golden halo faithfully occupying her ankle.  The piece of jewelery was all she needed to gather the strength to stand.

"You okay?"

Redd winced when her bandaged ankles bent, but pushed through it anyway.

"I-- ow... I'm fine."

She got to her hooves, and met Rainbow Dash's eyes, which seemed like they were about to pop out of her head.

"Can... you see well?"

Redd cocked her brow, wondering what was wrong.

"Yes, why?"

Dash continued to hesitate.

"Your eyes're like... shattered."

Redd gasped, and shuffled nervously.

"I-- I, uh, gotta go."

She took off toward the Everfree.  Along the way she avoided eye contact with everypony she passed, turning her face away from them.

Applejack trotted along happily, humming some random tune she pulled out of her flank.  A gray mare rounded a bend of trees and ran passed her.  Applejack turned around just as the dust thrown into the air obscured her vision.  She frowned at the Unicorn, and turned again as a sonic roar reached her ears.  A cyan blur blasted through by her wings, leaving a rainbow streak and a ''sup' behind her.

"'Ey!  That's mah Stetson!"

Rainbow Dash shook the hat off her face, and gained some speed.

Way faster than I gave her credit for.

The ground between her and the pony in question was quickly closing, and RD picked up some altitude before tackling Redd to the ground.

The air was shoved out of Redd's lungs when she hit the dirt, her left ankles protesting in pain.  The two rolled for a moment, quickly losing the monstrous momentum that Rainbow Dash had generated.  Once they had stopped, Rainbow held her down.

"What's your problem!?" Dash screamed, her voice cracking.

Redd's face contorted in a grimace as she felt the creeping darkness fill her chest.

"Leave.  Me.  Alone!"

Another crack appeared in her eye as she reared back and bucked the Pegasus off of her, pushing that feeling out of her chest through the kick.  She leapt to her hooves and kept going, glancing back at Dash to see if she was following.  Unable to find her, Redd whirled back around as Rainbow tackled her again.

Again, they tumbled backwards with Rainbow Dash ending up on top penning Redd down.

"If you'd just tell somepony what's wrong, we might get the chance to actually help you!"

Redd rolled and threw the other mare underneath her weight, trading places.

"I can't!  It's none of your business and you wouldn't understand if I did!"

RD mirrored the Unicorn's previous move, spinning in the opposite direction.

"You don't know that!  If you would stop for a minute and think in the present, you might realize that we've been nothing but open to you!"

The roll went back the other way.

"You think I haven't considered you!?  I'm having so much trouble because I considered you in the first place!"

"Well that doesn't mean you always gotta be such a bitch!"