My, Daughter, Maree

And so it was that Rainbow Dash, in perfect health, would continue to fake her prematurely dispersed

illness, and would enjoy life. She got back into teaching flying lessons for young pegasi, carefully working hours

that didn't conflict with Applejack's regular visitations. Maree stayed in good health and under reliable

management, and Dash would be able to properly prepare for her return. In the back of Dash's mind, she knew what

she was doing wasn't right, but she rationalized the fact that she hadn't been expected to recover so quickly, and

what they didn't know couldn't hurt them; as long as she took Maree back before the time she was originally

supposed to take was up, there was no harm, and no foul.

The magical, stress relieving mid-night flights she took were an exhilarating experience. She had never

been so happy to fly. She'd step out into the cool of the night, spread her cyan blue wings, and just take off in

any old direction leading out of Ponyville. After her first night, she thought maybe she'd shoot for a particular

destination, but she later decided it was more enjoyable to have no where to go, and nothing to do. Having a

destination in mind meant there was a reason for her to be out here, and she didn't want that. She wanted there to

be no particular reason at all; just something she did of her own free will on the merest of a whim.

Dash could faintly remember a life years ago discarded in which this was all she ever did. Her needs and

desires defined the outcome of her life, rather than the needs and wants of others. She was her own guiding voice,

and she knew very little of responsibility or commitment. Dash looked back on the last few years she had spent

with Maree. She remembered them fondly as some of the best few years of her life. But how long had it been since

Dash was doing something for herself, rather than Maree? It had all been for Maree, it always had been. It was

nice that now, if only for just a short time, she could make herself happy, rather than those around her. How long

would it be, once Maree returned, before Dash's life was her own again? How long would the wait be before she

could do simple things like this for herself? In one mindset, she loved spending time with Maree, and would hate

to see her go; in another, she was starting to believe she may even anticipate her moving on. But that was

horrible, she knew, and was no way a mother should ever think. Was she really so selfish that she would fear a

lifetime with her own daughter, who she adopted of her own accord? Was she really the ever-giving saint who would

give her everything to someone else?

Each day, this internal argument grew louder in Dash's head, and she began thoroughly questioning her

motives and even her basic morals and principles. She was consciously lying in order to avoid her most prominent

responsibility, how could that possibly be right? But all she wanted was a little time to herself to enjoy life's

simplest gifts, what was so wrong with that? As if the dilemma itself wasn't brutal enough, each and every single

day Applejack confronted her, oblivious to Dash's plight, asking her about Dash's well-being, and would talk about

Maree; about how little she seemed to smile because of how much she missed her mommy, as if to confirm Dash's

questionable morals. She did her best to hide it, but every time Applejack came by, it killed Dash just a little

bit.

Dash had once tried to convince herself that she was only trying to help Maree by doing this; saving up a

couple advance pay checks to help them both out financially when she got back. But Dash had long since realized it

went far beyond just wanting to do some good; no doubt about it, all of this was ultimately just a result of Dash

being just too damned lazy to take care of the dearest thing in all the world to her. Dash used to hate it when

people called her lazy. She had always believed it to be untrue; she inevitably never failed her friends, even

when it wasn't necessarily in good time. But if there was ever a test for it, this was it.

One night, on the 5th week after becoming ill, Dash finally just broke down, crying hot tears into her

pillow over what she was doing. She couldn't keep lying to her friends anymore, and if at anytime, anytime at all,

one of her friends ever found out that she had lied just to get out of taking care of Maree, it would utterly

destroy her. She'd never be able to face any of them again, especially not Maree. This was her her final night,

she knew, so she needed to make the best of it.

She took of flying one last time, the night air clearing out her head and drying up her eyes. She was out extra

long on this night, knowing everything would be different when she closed her eyes on this one last night alone.

She still wasn't sure whether or not she should come clean about what she did. She knew she had to stop lying,

that was a given. But technically, withholding information wasn't the same as lying, and if no one ever knew about

it, no one would be hurt. Then again, the guilt she would hold onto would be quite severe, and any slight reminder

would put her through tremendous stress. Of course, how much easier would it be if she said it out loud anyway? All

that would accomplish is completely and undeniably accepting her wrongdoing, and that would be just as stressful.

If she never spoke of it - never thought of it - it might just fade into the back of her mind, effectively

allowing her to pretend it never happened. Just a feverish nightmare she had one time forever ago.

On this particularly long flight to nowhere in particular, Dash ended up in the air space a short distance

below Cloudsdale. She looked up at the town mournfully. She hadn't been there in a long time, but she'd heard

there was awful things happening up there. Paragon had completely rotted it from the inside out, and had a full

run of the place through his countless goons. She wondered why Celestia hadn't yet made any move to stop him; his

actions were minor acts of bullying before, but by now he was just one step short of terrorism, and surely that

had to be totally unacceptable. Celestia was a merciful leader, but everything had a limit.

The sky was quite clear on this night. Very few clouds hung in this night sky. The weather had been quite

notably clement this season. It was about time that Dash head back, and so she turned back towards her own home.

Maree, I'll be seeing you tomorrow, I promise. No more waiting, no more lying. We're going to be together again,

and this time we'll stay together. I promise I-

She didn't get a chance to finish the thought before she was grabbed violently in the back by her of her wings.

The sudden assault frightened her, and she screamed, only to be pulled in and to have a hoof cover up her mouth.

The assailant used a little too much force, and Dash cut her bottom lip on her teeth. She mumbled helplessly,

terrified, into the hoof, struggling to get free. Cruel chuckles crackled in her ear, and, unable to move, she

began to fear for her life.

After a few moments of struggling, Dash finally gave up, aware that she was being help too tightly to make

a move. In addition to the two pegasi holding her, a third descended into view from above. A large, masculine

figure with a bright yellow coat. It was the last pony in the world Dash wanted to see: Paragon. He chuckled to

himself, obviously amused by this situation.

"Well well, if it isn't the worlds most colorful silver medal, I haven't seen you around here in a long, long

time." He seemed almost nostalgic, but it was clearly all an act to help him savor the moment. "You can go ahead

and let her talk, no one can hear us way up here." The hoof removed itself from Dash, and the words flew out of

Dash's mouth instantly.

"What the big idea, paragon? Are you crazy? Let me go, I wasn't doing anything!" She spat at him angrily as a way

of hiding her fear.

"Flying in my airspace isn't nothing, Rainbow Dash." Paragon replied with a dissatisfied 'tsk'. "I would have

thought it was pretty clear that I own this airspace now. No one can just waltz in and out like that." Paragon was

taking this all too casually, and it made Dash even more scared. She tried to act tough, but her resolve was

evaporating fast. "Granted, it was something of an implied message. Perhaps in your.... SPECIAL case, I'll need

to be a bit more clear." He looked at his two cronies on either side of Dash and flashed them each a smile.

"Alright gentlemen, give her a run down."

Right on cue, the two Pegasi, still holding firmly onto Dash's wings, began flying through the air,

performing lucrative aerial acrobatics, painfully tugging on Dash's wings in many ways they were never meant to be

tugged. She briefly attempted to struggle, but that only made it worse. She had to just bite her lip; which was

now bleeding from earlier; and bear with it. When they were finally done, at the exact moment Dash thought her

wings might rip right out of her back, they both gave her a firm toss though the air. For a split second, Dash was

free again, only to be caught in Paragon's arms, trapped once more.

"Ha ha ha ha! Brilliant boys, truly a stellar performance!" The two bowed mockingly, and joined in Paragon's cruel

laughter. Dash's strength had faded by now, and she was nearly in tears. She trembled, not knowing what would come

next, and not particularly caring to find out.

"I really hope you're having fun, Dash, I know I am!" Paragon said, laughing directly into her ear.

"w-what are you gonna do to me?" Dash stammered, her voice shaking.

"'w-w-what are you gonna do to me?' Ha ha ha ha ha ha! It's no fun if I tell you! It ruins the suspense! The build

up!" He continued to cackle devilishly into her ear.

"Please, Paragon please! I have a child at home, she needs me! I just want to see her again, it's what I want more

than anything in the whole world! Just let me go, please!" Dash was now pleading with him. If she was at all like

her old self, such an action would have made her sick; her pride was one of the casualties in the struggle of

motherhood.

Paragon seemed interested by this. "A child, hm? I see. Well, how about this: I'll let you go, if you let me give

you a flying lesson." Paragon offered.

"A...flying lesson?" Dash asked. She really didn't like the sound of that.

"Absolutely! Surely, you must be curious how I perform such magnificent dives. Well, I'll teach you. It's almost

painfully simple really; all you have to do is close your eyes, tuck your body in...." As he spoke, Dash felt

something coiling around the base of her wings. It was rough in texture, and it felt familiar; a rope? But how

could he-

"...And then you just DROP LIKE A STONE!"

Paragon released his grip on Dash, and she immediately began to plummet to the ground. Whatever had coiled

around her wings had bound them together, and they were useless to her. She reached terminal velocity in moments,

and the fear she had felt before was incomparably small next to this feeling. She let out a horrified scream, but

almost immediately took it back. Somehow, amidst her panic, she came up with the rational thought that if any of

her friends saw her, she'd have to explain her being out at night, despite supposedly being sick, and so she'd

have to explain herself. She couldn't move, and she couldn't call for help. She was trapped, tumbling out of the

sky at breakneck speed.

It serves me right, she thought. I brought this on myself. If I had just gotten on with my life, this would have

never happened. I'd be sleeping comfortably in my home with Maree in the next room. Now I get to die alone, unable

to do what I was born to be the best at doing.

And so it was. She continued to fall from the sky, tears of frustration and sorrow flowing freely, her

eyes closed, hoping to not have to watch herself die. This was her fate. A fate she brought unto herself; her just

desserts.

Applejack... Maree... I'm sorry I lied to you guys. You deserve better.

Twilight... thank you for everything you've done. All the help you've given me. I couldn't have raised Maree

without you. Be the guiding spirit for her that I couldn't be.

Rarity... Fluttershy...Pinkie Pie... goodbye...

Rainbow Dash's anticipation was cut short as she stopped abruptly, and at first, she believed that she had

hit the ground and was dead. But there was no pain. Would dying have been painful? Probably not, but... nothing

seemed to change about her physically. She opened her eyes to one of the most welcome sights of all time: it was

Fluttershy!

"Fluttershy!" Dash gasped in glee, hugging her tightly. She'd been spared. She would see Maree again now all

because of her.

"Oh my gosh, thank you! You saved my life!" Dash's mixed and erratic emotions all boiled over at once, as she

began to smile, cry, and tremble all at the same time.

"There there, Dash, it's okay. You're safe now." Fluttershy said soothingly. "Come on, let's get you on the ground

safely."

The two landed on the ground, and Fluttershy helped Rainbow Dash get free of her bindings. It was indeed

rope. But, how did he tie that knot..?

"Are you okay, Dash?" Fluttershy asked.

Dash, taking stock of herself, noticed that while she was an emotional wreck, physically she was mostly unharmed.

"y-yeah, more or less..." Dash said with less than total confidence. The two sat quietly for a little while as

Dash tried to calm herself down.

"Hey, um, Dash, I don't mean to pry or anything, and uh, it's probably none of my business, but I had heard you

were pretty sick..." Dash's heart had only just started to level out when it started racing again. This was it.

"And so, I just have to ask... what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you been in bed?"

Dash looked straight at Fluttershy, trying to think of just how to respond to her. "Well, I just thought that...

you know... a little fresh air... might help..." Dash found it surprisingly hard to lie to Fluttershy. She'd

believe anything you say to her, because she has such trust in her friends. That might have been part of it.

"Fluttershy... I... I just..." Dash gave her mightiest effort not to start crying again. "I want you to keep what

I'm about to say a secret..." She started. Fluttershy looked confused, but nodded in agreement. "What I'm doing

right now... what I've been doing... it's a stupid terrible thing, and I need to understand that. I didn't mean

any harm by it... I just..." Her voice trailed off again, and she took in a deep breath, getting ready to confess.

"I wasn't really sick... I mean, I was at first, but I got better fast, and I just pretended to be sick for the

last while. When I got better, and I thought about what I could be doing, all the things in life I could be

enjoying... for myself... and then I thought about Maree. I love her, really I do. But I thought about how long it

had been since I could really go out and do my own thing; exactly as long as I had Maree. And then I thought about

how long it would be before I was alone again, and... I just couldn't take it. I just wanted - I NEEDED - a few

days to myself, you know? Just a little while..." Dash started breaking down one more time, sobbing loudly.

Fluttershy consoled her friend in her arms.

"Dash, please, try to calm down... everything's going to be okay... just calm down..." Dash noticed that

Fluttershy made no explicit reference to what Dash had just said, and so she instinctively believed that this

meant that she was not approving. She had every right to be of course, there really wasn't anything to be said about

it. What Dash had done was wrong, and even she knew it. And now, not even the embodiment of the Element of

Kindness could honestly say she had sympathy for her.

For a long time, neither of them said anything. Fluttershy just quietly held her friend, and they sat

under the moonlight. finally Fluttershy spoke.

"Are you going to be okay?" She asked.

Dash wondered herself. Was she okay? Could she face Maree again? It would be hard, but she knew she had to try.

She decided then and there that she couldn't tell anyway what had happened. This incident needed to be forgotten

and left behind in a bad memory.

"I think so..." Dash said.

"Dash, I know you're sorry about what you did. I can feel it. And there's still a chance to make things right. Go

to her, Dash. Go to Maree, and be with her."

Dash stood up, her strength starting to return after an extended leave of absence. "You're right! I should go to

her right now and tell her I love her!" Dash started to walk away, since her wings were still sore.

Fluttershy stopped her quickly. "I meant in the morning, Dash. Everyone will be asleep at this hour."

Dash smiled a little for the first time in a while, realizing how silly it had sounded trying to go over there at

this time of day. "Yeah you're right."

"Get some rest, and in the morning, you tell her how much you love her, and how much you missed her."

Dash nodded. "I will! Thank you Fluttershy, thanks for everything!"

That next morning, Dash woke up with a bounce, and was out the door before breakfast. She hadn't slept

much, but she was fully awake. She had somewhere to go, and somepony to see. Her pony. Her daughter, Maree. She

marched right down to Sweet Apple Acres, her mind focused on but a single thing. She walked right up the the

front door and gave it a firm knock. Applejack answered, looking surprised.

"Dash? What are you doin' up 'n about so early? Ain't you s'pposed to be sick?" She asked.

Dash smiled at her friend confidently. "I got better. In fact, I haven't felt this good in a long time. So,

where's Maree?" asked Dash.

"I was kinda hopin' you'd be another couple a days, so we could kinda get all this sorted out..." Applejack

admitted, not making eye contact.

"Get what sorted out?" Dash asked curiously.

"I really didn't want you ta see her like this.." Applejack was looking at the ground, solemnly. Dash's energy was

started to fade again. Something was very wrong.

"Applejack, what's wrong with Maree?"

"Well, Dash, I honestly don't quite know just yet..." Applejack admitted. "At first I thought it was just a wee

li'l cough, and I didn't think much of it. But it got pretty bad, and just today I was gonna bring her in to see

if there was somethin' wrong."

Dash's eyes were growing wide. "Applejack, where is she?" Dash asked sternly.

"Well, see Dash, I really don't know if ya should be seeing her just now, I meant you just got over being sick 'n

all..."

Dash grabbed Applejack's shoulders and made her look directly into her eyes.

"Applejack." She said almost angrily. "WHERE. IS. MY. DAUGHTER?"

The look Dash gave her frightened Applejack, and so she decided to tell her. "She's upstairs, 2nd door on your right." And she got out of Dash's way.

Dash took to Applejack's instruction immediately, and (literally) flew up the stair case and into Maree's room. She swung the door open so fast, it nearly hit the wall behind it. She heart shattered at the sight of Maree, who was pale and dizzy, and only half awake.

"Maree? It's mommy, I'm back! How are you feeling?" Dash said, trying to keep calm.

"Mommy..? Mommy, I missed you.." Maree said meekly, coughing a few times.

"Oh I missed you too, baby, come here, it's alright.." Dash held her child, comforting her. She hadn't held her child in over 5 weeks.

"Mommy... I don't feel so good... I'm cold, but I'm also warm... what's going on..?" Maree asked drearily, coughing even more.

"You'll be okay, Maree, I'm here now. Everything'll be okay..."

Maree didn't seem to hear her. "So cold.. and warm.. I'm... so.." Maree's grip around her mother loosened a little.

"Maree?" Dash pulled back and looked at her daughter. She didn't look at her.

"Mommy... I'm... I'm scared..." And she went limp n Dash's arms.

Dash was petrified. She couldn't move a muscle in her body. Her jaw finally unfroze.

"Maree..?" Her voice was bare a whisper.

"Maree?" She had raised it to a stern indoor voice.

"Maree?!" Louder now, as though she were calling her from afar.

"MAREEEE!!"