Elements of Tragedyby PokerFaceChaptersKindness is KillingLoyalty is LoathingLaughter is LonelyKindness is KillingThe sky was just darkening, gradually changing into dusk, as the sun of Celestia left the sky to make way for Luna’s moon. The sky was shrouded in clouds, and the stars were making their appearances in the inky vista of the night. Darkness was spreading across the land of Equestria fast, and the mood of the land was matched perfectly with the emotions of six figures slowly making their way through the unnatural Everfree Forest. If you looked closely, you could tell that the six figures were all different kinds of ponies. A purple unicorn in the lead, a bleach-white unicorn mare following suit, two brightly coloured pegasi watching the skies behind them, and two peachy earth ponies taking the rear. The purple unicorn stopped to check her rather small map. “Well, Twilight? Are we going the right way?” The blue pegasus asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion and a hint of worry. She spat the word ‘right’ with contempt, for she was sure that the purple mare was getting the group lost for the 10th time. Really, what was the point of a map if you didn’t know how to read it? The blue pegasus earned herself nothing but a look of irritation from the orange earth pony with a cowboy hat. “I think so. We should be at the Royal Pony Sisters castle in about an hour if we pick up the pace. That encounter with the trees back there really slowed us down.” The lavender unicorn’s face was grim, her eyebrows lowered and her violet eyes more serious than anypony had ever seen them- even when she was studying. The rainbow-maned pegasus snorted, rolling her magenta eyes to the sky. Why did the unicorn have to act so darn important all the time? “Don’t forget how me and Fluttershy saved your tail back there at the cliff. I mean, it was Awesome!” The blue pegasus then began to describe the amazing feat that had taken place not even ten minutes ago. “You were all ‘I will not!’ then AJ was like ‘Yes you will, let go and you’ll be safe!’” The pegasus did a terrible job mimicking their voices, sounding like she was mocking them rather than imitating them. Both imitated ponies sighed. This was going to be a long walk. The group kept moving at their unique paces: The purple unicorn looked as if she wanted to break into a trot, but restrained herself; the white unicorn was walking on her tip-toes, afraid of getting her precious white coat dirty; the orange earth pony was walking with her head low, glancing from side to side with her ears pricked for danger; the pegasi were taking it easy, fluttering along slowly to accommodate the slower ponies below them; and the frizzy-maned pink earth pony was bouncing along, feeling optimistic as ever with a gleaming smile on her muzzle. After twenty or so minutes of walking, the whole group was tired. All except one multicolor, winged pony, who seemed to have a jolly good time telling stories about her friends near-death experiences. “After that, me and Fluttershy looped the loop around and WHAM! We caught you right in the nick of time!” She gloated, doing a barrel roll in the air and landing next to the dark-fringed pony, who snorted in contempt but covered it with a faux smile. “Yes Rainbow, I was there. But we need to- A manticore!” She screamed, staring at the beast that was not even 20 feet away. The buttery yellow pegasus covered her face with her hooves, squeaking in fright. A manticore? How did such a rare creature arrive here? The beige beast looked like a lion: It was brownish-tan, had a beautiful maroon coloured mane and large, square paws. Two small green eyes glowed in the dim light, and a large triangular nose rested on its muzzle. It looked feline enough... except for the fact it had a scorpion tail and two dark maroon bat wings. All ponies except the pink-maned mare crouched into battle stances. The azure-eyed mare closed one of her eyes and turned away as she heard a loud smacking noise followed by a roar of pain. “Take that you ruffian!” Rarity’s shout of accomplishment sounded like she was showing off, but why would the yellow pony exploit her when Rarity looked so proud of her— Her thoughts were interrupted by a roar, a scream of anguish, then a similarly sounding scream of “My hair! My hair!” As Rarity clopped away. Her hair looked like it had been blown back by a tornado! But she didn’t blame the manticore. How fair was it that the butter pony let her friends torture this poor beast? It wasn’t like it was hurting anyone before Rarity went ahead and kicked it in the face. Who wouldn’t be mad if a unicorn back-kicked them in the jaw? The beast expressed its rage with a deep bellow, charging forward and swiping at Applejack. Fluttershy flinched, fluttering back a little bit. It is a little bit scary.. but..The apple-bucking rodeo pony leaped up onto its back, waving one of her hooves in excitement as it began to jump around. Alright Fluttershy, enough is enough. “Wait...” She flew over to the manticore, trying to get Applejack’s attention. Nobody bat an eyelash at her. They were, however, doing everything they could to make the Manticore leave them alone. Applejack was eventually thrown off of the lion, muttering something to Rainbow Dash when she went airborne. Fluttershy frowned. Why wasn’t anypony listening to her? They needed to be nice to this poor, unhappy animal! And not get too close to it, those teeth looked sharp! “Wait..!” Fluttershy tried again, looking around to see if anypony had heard her. Of course, once again, no pony noticed. The other pegasi was flying circles around the manticore, leaving a rainbow ribbon behind her as she flew. Fluttershy didn’t understand how that was going to achieve anything, except for maybe making the manticore even angrier. Fluttershy watched in horror as the lionesque animal swiped one beefy paw out, smacking Rainbow Dash to the ground and sending her skidding face-first towards the other four ponies. “Rainbow!” Twilight gasped, eyes wide. Fluttershy frowned. No, no, no! Being angry at it won’t solve anything. Her purple friend’s once blank expression turned into one of hatred. The unicorn curled her lip, grit her teeth and pawed the ground once with her right hoof, Applejack following the motive. Fluttershy bit her lip, considering what she was about to do. Or thought she was about to do, at least... She was so nervous for her and her friends she couldn’t even think straight. Rainbow Dash got up and joined the group. As one, they galloped in a line towards the manticore, all wearing the same faces of fury. Fluttershy, do something! The pegasus looked around, unsure of what to do. The ponies were drawing closer. How dare they hurt an innocent creature? How dare they want to injure it for no reason? That wasn’t nice.. Fluttershy’s face twisted into one of anger and desperation for just a fleeting moment, realizing what she had to do. Be loud, Fluttershy. You can do it. “WAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTT!” A screaming Fluttershy zipped in front of them, raising a hoof to tell them to stop. All the ponies skid to a halt, staring at the dandelion coloured pegasus with bulging eyes. Had Fluttershy, the pony afraid of her own shadow, just screamed at them- or was the heat getting to their heads? Smiling, the yellow pony trotted over to the manticore, eyes soft and kind. It growled a little bit, taking a cautious step back. She tilted her head, her teal eyes forming into pools of compassion. “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.” Fluttershy batted her eylashes, nuzzling the manticores paw. It still looked suspicious, raising its paw away from her. Fluttershy looked into the beasts eyes, smiling as best as she could and tilting her head to look cute. The manticore frowned, it’s eyebrows lowered. It whimpered a little bit, and held out one of its paws. On it sat a small grey thorn, probably picked up from one of the many sharp rose bushes growing around the area. Pus oozed out of the wound, and a little bit on blood. “Ooh, you poor thing! Now this might hurt for juuust a second.” She lidded her eyes a tad bit, looking up at the beast with shining eyes. She leaned forward to get a grip on it, but heard a warning from Twilight and Rarity. “Fluttershy.. I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Twilight was skeptical. “Fluttershy, sweetie! Who knows what kind of diseases that thing is carrying? Don’t touch it!” Rarity looked more disgusted than anything, with her nose curled up and the sides of her lips pulled down. The other three ponies nodded in agreement, shaking their heads. “Yeah, Fluttershy. Don’t do it.” Rainbow Dash craned her neck and flapped her wings nervously. “Fluttershy, we can just go around it!” Pinkie Pie squealed, her eyes wide. Fluttershy ignored them. She was great with animals! She didn’t need them to tell her how to do her job. After all, it was her special talent! But maybe they were right.. A little nervously, Fluttershy leaned forward again and bit it, tearing it out of the beast’s paw. The manticore roared in pain, it’s eyes popping in anger. It grabbed her body and bit her flank, slamming her headfirst to the stony ground. “Fluttershy!” The five ponies screamed in unison. The last thing Fluttershy remembered was how much it hurt to feel her skull crack open against the cobblestone. Loyalty is Loathing“Only ‘cause you cheated!” Applejack yelled, staring up in the sky at her competitive pegasus friend and foe, Rainbow Dash. “What?!” The cyan Pegasus blinked, swooping down to level herself with the southern earth pony. How dare she accuse her of doing such a thing? Maybe she had stretched the rules a little bit.. but cheating? It wasn’t in the Rainbow Dash code. It just wasn’t. Her orange friend raised her eyebrows, the corners of her mouth turning down just a little bit. The two hot-headed mares had just completed an Iron Pony Competition- a battle to see which pony was the most athletic. The orange cowpony had started off the first 10 rounds tied with her rainbow-maned competitor, but started to notice her friend.. stretching the rules a little bit.. with her wings. “You used your wings to help you win over half those races!” Applejack snapped, straightening her hat with her right hoof. She wasn’t about to back out of this argument. Not even close. Rainbow Dash frowned, her face twisting in shock. “You never said I couldn’t use my wings!” Rainbow exclaimed, frowning. She felt a pang of… guilt? The colourful pony shook it off, quickly conjuring up an excuse to help her. It’s true! She never said I couldn’t. But she knew that it was a loophole, and she knew that she was supposed to know better than to take advantage of their indifferences. Applejack sighed, biting her lip a little. “I didn’t think I needed to tell you to play fair!” The orange cowpony couldn’t believe her best friend would do something like this. Rainbow Dash was a good pony, and she might do some things that were out-of-line, but… cheating? That wasn’t like her. After bantering back and forth for a while, Applejack seemed to have the upper hand in the argument. “If you think you would’ve won without your wings..” Applejack looked down, deep in thought. Suddenly, she perked up with her ears pricked. Rainbow Dash took a step back. Applejack probably had an idea, and ideas from Applejack weren’t the best.. “I challenge you to race me in the running of the leaves tomorrow! But the point is to run. No wings allowed!” Applejack smirked, her face smug. Rainbow couldn’t say no. “Alright! You’re on!” The blue Pegasus spat onto her hoof, holding it out. Applejack did the same, and they shook. Rainbow Dash grinned and blew a raspberry, sending spit flying into Applejacks eye. Though competitive on the outside, both had one thought pricking the back of their minds like a loose splinter: This isn’t going to end well. Rainbow Dashes eyes fluttered open, filled with excitement. Her dreams had been filled with vivid images of her and Applejack racing at the Running of the leaves, of course with her winning each time and leaving Applejack in the dust. Inevitably that’s going to happen..! She leaned forward, stretching her hooves towards the sky and yawning. She got up and did her morning routine, which consisted of some basic yoga and stretches, taking a quick shower to relax and having breakfast. Today, however, she wasn’t feeling very hungry, so she just took a half a cup of Red bull. I’m going to beat AJ so hard Big Macintosh will feel it! Rainbow Dash grinned, feeling extremely energetic. She checked a clock on her wall. 5:45am. The race doesn’t start for another hour! I should go practice at the course to get a feel of it. She opened the door of her cloud home and began the journey. Beep! Beep! Beep! “Whoa!” Applejack fell out of bed, awoken by the sound of her alarm clock. Was it morning already? It had been a long night, her sleep had been troubled with nightmares of losing the Running of the leaves to Rainbow Dash, being mocked by her and her other four best friends for the rest of her life.. But that won’t happen, Applejack! Getting off of the floor, she opened her eyes. She scolded herself, walking to the bathroom to wash up. She was swaying from side to side a little bit, still under the influence of sleep deprivation. Yer going to beat her. It’s really not gon’ be that hard, hm? I mean, she ain’t goin’ to have the use o’ her wings. She picked up her toothbrush with a hoof and began to brush back and forth with even strokes. Since she was little, Applejack had found brushing her teeth a time to think over things, and it comforted her to have solitude. So how am I gonna’ win this..? The earth pony ran through different running strategies she had picked up running with her big brother and her grandmother. I suppose ah could use that sprinting tactic that I learned with Bic Mac the other day.. Well, however this turns out, I just hope she dusn’t cheat t’day! She put the brush down and spat in her sink, making her way downstairs to have breakfast. “Morning Applejack!” Big Macintosh grinned, waving a ruby red hoof at his sister. He was seated at the round ebony table that the Apple family had breakfast at every morning, chewing away on a bowl of cereal. “M..mor.. mornin’ AJ..!” A frail-statured, lime green pony gave her best attempt to wave at her granddaughter. Applejack frowned. Granny Smith was getting older and frailer by the day. The pony that had been raising her since she was a filly was losing her life. The orange earth pony knew her grandmother was going to be leaving them sooner or later.. “Morning Big Mac. Morning Granny.” The cowmare smiled, nodding to her grandmother and brother in turn. I’m going to win the race. For you, Granny Smith. The green pony winked at her. “..Y-you’ve.. got to win the- the race. For me..! I’ll make you some apple pie if y.. you do..” Granny Smith smiled, nodding at a pair of blue oven mitts resting on the counter beside the stove. Apple pie? It had always been Applejacks favorite food. After all, Granny Pie had been making it for her as a treat ever since she was a filly, and whenever she saw, smelled or tasted the food, a wave of nostalgia took over her and she thought instantly of her grandma. After having a quick slice of cold apple pie(even when it was cold it was still delicious) and some eggs and toast for breakfast, Applejack quickly checked the time. It was almost 7:30am. “Oh hayseeds!” Applejack frowned, dashing out the door. “I’ve gotta go!” Rainbow Dash’s hooves touched down at the racing grounds just in time to see the ponies line up at the starting line. Spotting a orange-and-hay figure in the crowd, Rainbow Dash trotted over to Applejack and knocked her hat off with a hoof. “Ready to win 2nd place today, Applejack?” The Pegasus grinned. Applejack rolled her eyes. “I’m ready to run a good, clean race!” Applejack frowned, staring at Rainbow Dash intently. Rainbow Dash muttered something and blinked slowly, tilting her head towards the cowpony. “You are not allowed to use your wings!” “I could win this race with both wings tied behind my back.” Rainbow Dash challenged, taking a step towards Applejack angrily. Now there’s an idea. Applejack laughed to herself, shaking off the thought of the Pegasus with her wings literally tied back with a rope. “Alright ponies, are you ready?” Spike's voice boomed through the speakers. He had been designated the official announcer for the Running of the Leaves(replacing Pinkie Pie, who had died a month earlier) and wasn’t about to let anypony down! “On your marks.. get set..” The small, purple dragon reached over and rang the bell sitting in the corner of her hot air balloon basket. Everypony at the starting line shot off, with an orange earth pony in the lead with a blue Pegasus not that far off behind her. Applejack went ahead and made a good lead, going a few hundred feet in front of her main opponent. “Ha!” She kicked up dust in Rainbows Face before sprinting out of sight. A good halfway through the race, nothing much had gone wrong. Applejack had kept her place at the lead, but Rainbow Dash was closing in on her. The finish line was close now, and the cowpony didn’t intend to give up her spot. For you, Granny Smith. Rainbow had done her best to catch up, but her stomach was growling and she suddenly felt lightheaded. I’m so hungry! I should’ve had a better breakfast.. oh Celestia. The ground started to sway under her. No! I have to focus! I’m almost caught up with her! Rainbow Dash was a good 10 meters behind her friend, but she knew she could catch up. Push it! She sprinted harder than ever before, rushing forward and closing her eyes. Her hooves drummed against the groud with a steady 4-beat pace, her neck craned forward and her rainbow mane streaming out behind her. “Consarnit!” Applejack growled, Rainbow Dash pulling up beside her. The finish line is literally in my line of sight! How am ah going to get ahead now? Oh yeah! The sprinting method. AJ slowed down, breaking into a trot, and let Rainbow Dash get ahead of her. Why’s she so slow all of a sudden? Oh well, I’m winning! Rainbow thought, running a little bit lopsided. I’m so tired.. But I’ll make it! Applejack waited a few seconds, just long enough for Rainbow Dash to let her guard down, before speeding forward and passing her, keeping the pace until she was back in the lead. Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped in surprise. No! I've got to catch up! She sprinted so hard, so fast.. I’m going to make it! I’ll pass her! The last three steps to the finish line were neck and neck for Rainbow Dash and Applejack.. until Rainbow Dash started seeing purple spots. Oh, Celestia.. And then she blacked out. “Heh heh, Rainbow. You sure did look funny when you fell.” Rainbow Dash blinked open her eyes sleepily, only seeing a pair of emerald eyes and nothing more. She felt like she was laying on some sort of bed, and her head was resting on a rather uncomfortable pillow. The Pegasus was cold. Shivering, in fact. “I fell?” Rainbow asked drowsily, leaning away from Applejack. Looking around, she saw she was in a white room, on a hospital bed. Four seats in the corner of the room were occupied by her two other friends: Twilight Sparkle and Rarity. Two of the seats however, was empty. I miss Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.. The Pegasus thought, shaking her head to clear it. "Yeah! You blacked two feet from tha finish line!" Applejack exclaimed, beckoning her other friends over. Twilight and Rarity got to their feet, walking calmly towards Rainbow. “Darling, we were so worried! I’m extremely grateful you’re alright. I was afraid we were going to lose another friend..!” Rarity smiled, her blue eyes filled with grief. Everypony in the room remembered very well how they lost their other two friends.. “Yeah, Rainbow! I’m glad you get to see daylight again.” Twilight chuckled, and Applejack tousled Rainbow Dashes forelock. “I thought ya’ll were actin’ a little odd today, Rainbow.” She laughed, jumping off the table and joining her other three friends. “You feeling a’ight?” The cowpony frowned. “Y-yeah.. but my head hurts.” Rainbow muttered, rubbing her temples with her hooves. “By the way, who won the race?” “Ya’lls truly.” AJ grinned, winking at the blue mare and tilting her head. Rainbow Dashes mouth dropped in shock. “You?!” How could Applejack win!? I didn’t want this to happen! This wasn’t supposed to happen! No, no, no! Rainbow Dashes eyes began to water. “Dash? Sugarcube, what’s wrong?” Applejack took a step towards the Pegasus, but got pushed away. A sobbing cyan pony shot out of the hospital room and flew out the door. This is all Applejacks fault. If she hadn’t made me enter.. I wouldn’t have lost! I hate losing. I hate it! Rainbow was now angry more than sad. Landing in her cloud home, she began pacing back and forth in front of her couch. Grr.. I’m such a loser! Her ears folded back and her expression softened. I’m a loser with no life! I can’t even win a race against an earth pony! Rainbow Dash jumped onto her couch, buried her face in a pillow and sobbed. Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie and Rarity exchanged looks of surprise, confusion and worry all at once. “..what just happened?” Applejack asked, her southern accent dripping like thick honey. Twilight frowned, looking around. Rainbow Dash had left.. she had been crying.. Since when? Oh, when Applejack mentioned her win. A couple of gears clicked in Twilights head. “I think that Rainbow Dash is mad.. or maybe upset.. because you won.” The purple unicorn nosed Rarity’s shoulder. “What do you think?” “I think the poor dear is mentally ill!” Rarity pouted, shuffling her hooves. If Rainbow Dash was indeed on the brink of insanity, then this situation was either going to turn out very well.. or terribly. Twilight considered Rarity’s opinion for about a millisecond before brushing it off. “Applejack, you’ve got to go and talk to her! She’s your friend.” Twilight grabbed Applejack’s hooves and proceeded to drag her out of the hospital room, leaving the white-and-purple mare behind. “Have fu-un!” Rarity smirked, trotting off to get back to Carousel Boutique to work on a new dress design she had in mind: One that used real plant leaves! Ooh, she couldn’t wait to get it done… Purple unicorn and Orange earth pony made their way to Rainbow Dash’s home in the clouds, Twilight using her magic to levitate Applejack onto the cobblestone driveway. What should ah do? Applejack glanced around awkwardly, looking for a door or something to knock on. Ah, screw it. The orange mare took in a deep breath, then called out as loudly as she could: “RAINBOW DASH! Get your patootey out here!” She tried to force her way through the wall of cloud to no avail. A muffled, hollow wail was heard, ringing in Applejacks ears. Wus that Rainbow..? Nah, couldn’t be. But still, the apple-bucking earth pony felt a little bit of guilt rise up her throat in a lump. ‘t sounded like her.. “Twilight! Can yuh pull me up higher?” AJ called down, looking at Twilight expectantly. She heard a quiet response, then felt herself begin to levitate, glowing with a pink aura. She was almost at a window.. A little more.. There! She wriggled inside, sending puffs of condensed water up with her hind legs. Landing with a thump on the floor, she began searching for her technicolour friend. Applejack muttered her name, trying to listen out for her more than call her. After stepping down onto the second floor of the house, she began to hear something.. heavy breathing, coughing, and maniacal laughter.. She is crying! Applejack rushed forward, galloping towards the source of the noise. “Rainbow? Rainnnnbooow?” Applejack entered a room, probably Rainbow Dashes bedroom. It was blank, except for a rainbow puddle here and there and a fluffy cloud bed in the center of the room. A couple of Pony Gaga and Hilary Fluff posters hung on the walls, and a small cloud-patterned dresser sat in one corner. But the one off thing about the room was that Applejack could hear somepony muttering to herself.. Rainbow! Applejack stared at the bed, noticing a lump under the covers. The cowpony pulled the rainbow duvet off of the bed and staring at the horrid sight in front of her. Rainbow Dash was curled up, her eyes flickering open and closed, one more dilated than the other. Her hair was messy and tousled, bangs falling in front of her face. The rest of her mane and tail wasn’t much better, knotted and damp with tears. Saltwater ran down Rainbow Dashes cheeks, the corners of her mouth curled up in a maniac smile. A small puddle had formed under her, her front hooves drenched in tears. Her usually bright mane was slightly desaturated, looking silvery and grayish. Applejack nudged her friend, frowning. Was she really that upset about not being able to finish the race? “Rainbow, get up.” Applejack tugged on Rainbow Dash’s tail, dragging her to the edge of the bed. She felt the slightest resistance from her, then felt the rainbow tail being torn out of her grasp. “No.” She coughed out the words through her tears, inching away from her and back into the puddle of tears. “Rainbow, get –mmph- uph!” AJ grabbed her friend’s tail again, pulling her out of the bed completely. “I said NO!”Rainbow Dash kicked Applejack in the face, sending the orange cowpony flying across the room. AJs face was throbbing, the most swollen spot on her forehead was the mark of a horseshoe. A little blood and pus poured out of the wound, and Applejacks face was completely shocked. Rainbow Dash, however, looked grim and reserved. Applejack gently reached up with a hoof, feeling her forehead. “You really just did that, didn’t ya’?” Applejack slowly walked out of the room, keeping one eye closed to accommodate her throbbing and swollen forehead. Rainbow Dash trembled, eyes darting from side to side. I’m nothing but a loser. I lost to her, I lost now. She deserved that kick in the face! The Pegasus pondered this for a while, the adrenaline leaving her veins and the realization of actual reality ebbed in. I just kicked my best friend.. In the face. Images of her friends gruesome wound bore their way into her head. Oh my gosh.. Oh my gosh.. Rainbow Dash found tears squeezing their way out of her eyes, stinging her raw cheeks. I’m such an idiot! The cyan mare shook her head, trying to clear it. This is just a dream.. just a dream.. ! It’s going to end soon. I’m going to wake up..! “Okay sweetie, you’ve got us all here. Now tell us, what’s the matter? And- Uahh-hhahh-ahh!” Rarity squealed, finally turning to look at Applejack and seeing the terrible damage on her forehead. Twilight grimaced, her forehead hurt suddenly. Pinkie Pie’s nose curled up, her face surprised and disgusted at the same time. The gang had been gathered by Applejack in Twilights den, for a ‘super secret meeting’. “What happened to you?” They all said in unison, Pinkie Pie leaning forward to stare AJ in the eyes. Applejack pushed Pinkie Pie’s face away, looking down. “Rainbow Dash kicked me.” Twilight raised an eyebrow, thinking. That was quite unlike Rainbow Dash.. “Are you sure it was her?” Applejack looked at her dismissively, ignoring the stupid question. Applejack then proceeded to explain the situation and everything so far that had happened to her between her and Rainbow. All of the ponies in front of her had expressions of shock at first, but then they changed to disbelief and then finally downright bafflement. “Rainbow Dash really did that? I never knew she was such a sore loser!” Rarity observed, thinking. “Rarity! What a thing to say!” Twilight rebuked her, giving her a signature ‘You’re-being-dumb’ glare. The ponies erupted into conversation, everypony talking at once. “So, what do we do?” Applejack demanded, staring from friend to friend desperately. “I think that you need to go ahead and fix this on your own. Your problem should stay your problem!” Rarity muttered, her face unreadable. “Although, if you want my advice- I think that you should just talk to her about it!” “Yeah! How hard can it be?” Twilight grinned, optimistically patting Applejack on the back. “Alright, I’ll do it!” Rainbow Dash was still curled up in a ball, twitching eratically. It’s a nightmare.. It’s going to end soon.. I need it to end soon.. It’s going to.. it’s going to.. She flinched when she heard a thud and her bedroom window slam shut. “Rainbow.. We need to talk.” A southern accent.. oh no. Rainbow Dash got up and slowly walked to another room, opening the door to one of the many balconies in her cloud home and trotted through. The whole way, a muscular orange pony galloped behind her, struggling to catch up. “Rainbow!” Applejack leaped forward and pinned her down, forcing eye contact. Rainbow however, still refused to look at her friend. She muttered something quietly. “What’s that?” Applejack strained to hear, leaning down to listen to the cyan mare. “I want this nightmare to end.” Rainbow Dash mumbled, looking down. Applejack was getting annoyed now. “What the hay girl! Just say it!” “I WANT THIS NIGHTMARE TO END!” Rainbow Dash screamed, leaping out from under Applejack. “Now don’t be like that, sugarcube..” Her expression softened. Rainbow was trembling.. not a good sign. “I hate losing.. I’m just a loser.. I don't deserve to be your friend. I hurt you. I hurt you.” Rainbow Dash mumbled, getting up and fluttering her wings. What's she doing.. Applejack thought, watching her uneasily. Rainbow Dash edged over to the railing of the balcony, landing on it with precise balance. Her wings stopped flapping, and she began to flex her legs. Up, down, up, down. The movement was making Applejack sick. “What exactly are ya’ll tryin’ to do?” Applejack demanded, stepping forward. “I'm going to leave- go to a place where I can win and never hurt you again!” Rainbow Dash turned to face Applejack, moving too quickly. Her legs slipped on the balcony and Applejack watched in horror as her friend silently tumbled Down Down Down Until she landed on the ground with a sickening THUD. “Rainbow!” Applejack ran down to meet her friend as fast as she could, finding her cyan body cold, unmoving and lifeless. Blood was oozing out of her mouth, and her body was covered in scratches. One of her back legs seemed to be bent at an odd angle, and bone splinters lay on the floor everywhere. A quiet ‘no’ escaped her lips, her eyebrows lowering in mourning. “Applejack..” She heard a quiet moan from.. Rainbow Dash! “I’m happy now.. I won..” “N-no! Stay with me, Rainbow! It didn’t have to be this way, i- it was just ah race!” Applejack shook her friend, but all the Pegasus did was shake her head. “The nightmares gone now, Applejack. You're going to be alright.. I won..” Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, her body going limp once more. Applejack lay down next to her friend, curling up beside her. The cowmare lay her head on the pegasuses neck, closing her eyes slowly. Together, they spent the night there. Laughter is LonelyIt was a typical, peaceful morning in Ponyville. The sun was rising at its normally rapid rate, the birds chirped and the animals slept undisturbed in their burrows. A pink flash zipped through the main Ponyville road, coming to a sudden halt in front of a giant floating cloud castle in the sky. Rainbow waterfalls fell from the roof of the building, collecting into a delta at the base of the cloud. A clear path wound it’s way around to the front door, and pillars of cloud vapor and water stood proud, supporting the large roof. The flash appeared to be a pony, wearing a pair of green hypnotism-glasses, a red clown nose and a fuzzy black moustache. An arrow-through-the-head headband was on her forehead, and a she was blowing a blue party horn repeatedly, creating a squeaking noise that rang up to the sky. Just a normal day in Ponyville. “Rise and shine, Rainbow Dash! We’ve got a brand new day of pranking!” The flash called, staring up at the cloud with her neck craned back. Pinkie hoped her cyan friend Rainbow Dash would come out soon, she was really bored and wanted to get pranking! When a face did finally appear, popping out from behind a cloud, it wasn’t a Pegasus- actually, Pinkie Pie didn’t know what it was! It had shaggy white feathers on it’s head, chest and neck, but sky blue feathers dappled in the white like salt and pepper. It’s eyes were golden, but had flecks of rust at the edges, like a magnet had pulled them there. The rest of it’s body was brownish-tan, furry but not feathery. For some reason, it had two claws for front feet and.. lion paws for back feet? It didn’t make any sense to Pinkie Pie! Why would a lion-bird thing with ginormus brown and beige wings be up in Rainbow Dash’s house? The thing’s pupil shrunk down to a slit, and it disappeared momentarily. She let out a “oooh” in surprise. “Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie was relieved to hear the familiar voice of her best friend Rainbow Dash calling to her from her castle. A cyan blur shot out from the bottom of the cloud, landing next to Pinkie Pie with a splat. Pinkie Pie squealed and hugged her best friend briefly and bouncing away, running her mouth and trotting about. “So, who are we going to prank today?” Pinkie Pie asked, hopping circles around her friend. “Well, actually, Pinkie Pie- I wanted you to meet somebody. Gilda, this is my gal pal Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash called up to the cloud, and it flew down, landing on all fours. It lashed it’s lion tail and looked over at Pinkie Pie, unimpressed. “Sup.” The thing asked, brushing back three out-of-place feathers in it’s forehead. Pinkie Pie waved a hoof at the thing, blowing the party horn a couple of times. “Pinkie Pie, this is my Griffon friend Gilda.” Rainbow Dash introduced her friends, and they exchanged a quick nod. “What’s a Griffon?” Pinkie Pie tilted her head, looking Gilda over. “She’s half lion, and half eagle!” Her feathered friend explained, taking a step towards the griffon. Gilda gave Rainbow Dash a side hug and growled playfully. “And all awesome!” Gilda gave the Pegasus a noogie, scratching her head with her sharp black talons playfully. Rainbow Dash laughed, pushing her friend away from her. Pinkie Pie giggled, snorting and slapping the ground in laugher. “Me and Gilda were best friends at Junior Speedster flight camp.” The cyan Pegasus’s eyes lit up, and she nudged the Griffon with a blue hoof. “Remember the chant?” “Ch’yeah, they made us recite it everyday.” The griffon rolled her eyes. “I’ll never get that lame thing out of my head.” Pinkie Pie watched in confusion as Rainbow Dash looked the griffon in the eyes, raising her eyebrows and gesturing to the sky. “Only for you, Dash.” They both floated up a couple of meters and began to sing, “Junior speedsters are our lives! Sky-bound soars and daring dives! Junior speedsters its our quest- To someday be the very best!” They swooped down, landing in front of Pinkie Pie and waving their arms. Pinkie Pie broke out into gigglesnorts, patting the ground with her front hoof and blowing the party horn again and again. Bashfully, the griffon smoothed the feathers on her forehead and Rainbow Dash scratched her forelock. “Ooh, that was awesome you guys!” Pinkie Pie choked out, in between giggles and snorts. “And it gave me a great idea for a prank!” If Rainbow Dash had been embarrassed, it certainly didn’t show now when a smirk of excitement crossed her muzzle. “Gilda, you game?” “Well Pinkie,” The griffon began, “I groove on a prank as much as the next Griffon. But Dash, you promised-“ Her wings stretched to full-span, flapping impatiently. “That we’d get a flying session in this morning!” The smile disappeared off the cyan pegasus’ face, replaced with a look of surprise. The griffon began to fly up towards the nearest cloud, not looking back to see if her friend was following. “O- oh yeah, you don’t mind, do you Pinkie? Gilda just got here.“ Rainbow Dash fluttered her wings, backing away from Pinkie Pie slowly. “We’ll catch up with ya later, alright?” She turned around and flew after the griffon, also not looking back. “Oh. Um, well sure, no problem. Have fun you guys, so I'll just catch up with you-“ She sighed. She blew the party horn, but the sound didn’t come out as happy and exuberantly as usual. It sounded lifeless and hollow. “..Later..” Pinkie Pie wandered aimlessly through Ponyville, bored and lonely. She dragged her feet and hung her head. Rainbow Dash and Gilda were probably having the time of their lives up in the clouds.. too bad she didn’t have wings. But hey, she could roll solo for a while.. right? It’s alright, Pinkie! She reassured herself. Dashie is still your partner-in-pranks and your best friend! She’s just hanging out with an old bestie, that’s all! Feeling better, she looked around for ponies to talk to in the meantime. An orange pony with a straw hat caught her eye. There’s Applejack! She quickly returned to her classic Pinkie-bounce, hopping her way over to the cowpony. When she was close enough, she called out, “Hi AJ!” The orange pony saw her, trotting over to her magenta buddy. “ ‘Ey Pink! Whatchyou doin’?” Applejack tipped her hat, and the two proceeded to exchange small talk: How the weather was so nice that day, future parties Pinkie was planning, how stressful the Apple family harvest was going to be. The orange cowpony frowned, interrupting Pinkie as she was explaining a great idea for a party that involved three zebras and two giraffes. “Pinkie, that’s nice and all, but I’m a might busy. I’ve still gotta move these apples to my new apple cellar, and Big Macintosh hurt himself again. So I’ve gotta buck all the apples by myself today!” She made a move to leave, but Pinkie Pie blocked her, a smile on her face. “Ooh, can I help? I’m super extra-lonley today, because Rainbow Dash is off with a friend!” “I- ah don’t know, Pinkie..” Applejack fumbled, eyes flickering from side to side nervously. Pinkie Pie? In her farm? This was either going to end extremely well, or terribly. “Pleeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaase?” Pinkie Pies eyes widened, pupils dilating and shiny. Her cyan irises turned into pools of pleading, pools that Applejack simply couldn’t resist. “I- okay.” Applejack gave in. How bad could it be? “But Pinkie Pie, when you’re bucking you—“ But Pinkie Pie was long gone. In her place was a cloud of dirt that lead to Sweet Apple Acres as the crow flies. The green-eyed mare stared after her in bewilderment, chuckling and following after her. There was no explaining Pinkie Pie. “Applejack! What took you so long!” Pinkie Pie whined when Applejack finally arrived. She was standing next to two wooden barrels, each almost taller than her. One was almost overfilling with bright, shiny apples- all a deep red in colour. However, the other one was only half-full of applecores. All trees within a 10-foot radius of Pinkie Pie were bare, no apples on them at all. Pinkie Pie was standing in a few applecores. The orange cowmares jaw dropped. “Pinkie! What happened to all the apples!” She demanded, staring at the mess. Humiliated, Pinkie Pie looked down, pawing at the ground and taking a step back. “I- It was hard work bucking the apples and running here so fast..! I just took a snack!” Pinkie Pie blinked, staring at Applejack. Oh no.. she’s not going to be my friend anymore! She hates me..! Applejack looked at the mess and shook her head. “Pinkie Pie, I’ll give ya another chance. But this time, no eatin’!” The orange pony shouldered Pinkie Pie, then got to bucking apples, walking away from Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie looked around, walking to the nearest apple tree. She faced away from it and bunched up the muscles in her forelegs, tightening them until they hurt. Then Pinkie Pie exploded with a blast of energy, kicking the tree and sending a shower of apples down. She picked up the apples and dumped them in the half-full barrel, eating a couple on the way there. She continued to do this, finding herself getting hungrier and hungrier. All this work is making me hungry! Pinkie Pie said, chomping away on an apple as she dumped half of her harvestings into the other barrel(she had filled up the first one by this time). “Applejack! I’m hungry!” The orange pony turned to look at Pinkie Pie in surprise. “Are ya done with ya’lls part?” Applejack asked, walking over to the barrels. They were both full, but every tree between Applejack and Pinkie Pie was bare- and then some. “Where ah the rest of ‘m?” The cowpony looked around, her gaze searching the whole farm and then resting on Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie smiled, guilty. “You ate them, didn’t ya?!” Applejack snapped, stepping towards Pinkie Pie, who in turn took a step backwards. “I-I-“ “I told ya no eatin’, Pinkie Pie! You ate almost all of them! How am I supposed ta explain' this ta Big Macintosh and Granny Smith? Get off mah farm!” Applejack chased Pinkie Pie, who ran away as fast as she could. Dashing off the farm, Pinkie Pie didn’t stop running until she reached a large, purple building that resembled a two-tier cake. It had stained glass windows with beige curtains, and to top it all off was a small red flag on top. Carousel Botique? Trotting near it, Pinkie Pie eyed it curiously and debated whether or not to go in. Maybe Rarity will be want to play with me than Applejack did! Pinkie Pie smiled just a little bit, trotting inside the purple door. “Raaaaaaaaaarity? Rarity?” Pinkie Pie trotted along the pale linoleum floor, looking from side to side for her white unicorn friend. “Ah, yes! Hold on, dear. I’ll take just a moment.” A purple tail was poking out of a small closet that Pinkie Pie had never noticed before. The rump attached to it was wiggling around, probably searching for something. Rarity emerged from the closet carrying a square of golden silk. Turning tail, she walked over to her sowing machine and placed the silk down, then began walking over to Pinkie Pie. “Oh! Pinkie, it’s you!” She said, surprised. “I thought you were someone else. Is there something I can help you with?” Rarity asked, walking back to her sowing machine. Pinkie pie bit her lip, thinking for a moment. “No. I’m just really bored because Rainbow Dash is playing with her new friend Gilda, and I don’t know what to do!” Rarity’s face lit up in curiosity. The white unicorn zipped over to Pinkie Pie, eyes aglow with interest. “Who’s Gilda?” Pinkie Pie couldn’t understand why Rarity enjoyed gossip so much, or why she wanted to know about the griffon. But Pinkie Pie didn’t mind her asking.. much. “Oh, she’s a griffon. They were friends at—“ Rarity cut her off, her eyes sparkling. “A griffon! Oh, they’re so rare! I have to meet her! What’s she like?” Pinkie Pie thought back to the meeting that they had had. Well, we didn’t talk a lot. What do I tell her? The first thing that came into Pinkies mind about the griffon shot out of her mouth. “Oh, she was really mean, actually! I wasn’t surprised, because I hear that Griffons eat ponies! I didn’t say anything about it, though.” Pinkie Pie immediately regretted the lie as soon as she said it. Gilda hadn’t shown any signs of being a mean griffon, and if Rainbow Dash liked her.. then she couldn’t have been that bad! “Oh my!” Rarity exclaimed, her mane bouncing to the dramatic movements that the unicorn was making with her head. “I never expected that! I hope I don’t run into her- She sounds like an absolute brute.” Pinkie Pie was about to explain she actually didn’t know when the phone in Rarity’s boutique began to ring. The unicorn’s horn glowed with grayish-pink light as she pulled the phone over with her magic, pulling up the headpiece and answering it. “Hello? Oh, yes. Yes, definitely! Really, by next Thursday?” The pony engaged into conversation, waving Pinkie Pie away with a rather rude gesture. Pinkie Pie’s ears drooped. Another friend I can’t play with. And with that, she left the boutique. Walking about, the small pink equine pondered the possibilities. I can’t go to Applejack now, she’s all angry at me! And Rarity’s being a meany-pants.. Rainbow Dash is busy- I know! I’ll go see Twilight Sparkle! The frizzy-maned mare bounced off in search for her flowery unicorn friend. Pinkie Pie hopped through the door of Twilight Sparkles tree house, trotting past the downstairs library and whisked up the stairs. She found Twilight sleeping in a cozy-enough looking bed, looking exhausted. A pile of open books were on top of her, and she was snoring louder than Pinkie Pie thought she was capable of. Her messy purple fringe fell in her face, and her lavender body was scarcely visible under the pile of duvets she was under. Her face looked extremely disconcerted, Spike was curled up in the crook of her stomach, their purple colours schemed perfectly. The green spines on his back were flat and his tail was curved into his stomach. He looked much like a sleeping puppy with his owner. Pinkie Pie smiled, a feeling of warmth igniting within her from seeing this adorable sight. I’ll just wait for them to wake up.. Pinkie Pie grabbed a pink-and-green book off Twilight’s chest, flipping it over to a random page and beginning to read it. The page appeared to contain some sort of spell. It was in the older Equestrian language, but Pinkie Pie could make out but a couple of words- The word dream here, the word future there, the word ancestor dabbled back and forth. Luckily, it was illustrated(Pinkie Pie didn’t know Twilight read picture books!). There was a picture of a unicorn, seemingly casting some sort of spell. Another of the same unicorn curled up in sleep, and the last one at the bottom was much like the one above it, except the unicorn had a thought bubble on top of it and a picture of a very old unicorn inside it. Hm.. future, ancestor, and dream? Is Twilight trying to see the future? Pinkie wondered, glancing at her purple pony pal. She looked very content now, her face settling into a small frown, her cheekbones obtuse and her eyes squeezed tightly shut. I wonder what she’s looking at? Pinkie Pie took a step towards Twilight, resting her chin on the unicorns chest and watching her flanks rise up, down. Up, down. The curly-maned pony sighed. This wasn’t how I wanted to spend my day.. The earth pony just watched Twilight Sparkle, staring at her eyelids. She kept in this position for what seemed like forever, but in actuality was only an hour and a half. During this time, Pinkie had inched closer, and closer, and closer to Twilight until she was touching muzzles with the pony, keeping her gaze on her eyelids. The pair of purple blinds fluttered open, revealing a pair of deep indigo eyes. The lavender unicorn sat up straight in her bed, pushing both her Amethyst duvet and the pink earth pony off of her, shouting in surprise. “Ahh!- Oh, Pinkie Pie! ..What are you doing here?” Twilight slowly got out of the bed, looking at Pinkie Pie curiously. “Oh, you’re awake! What was that suuuuper-cool, uber-neat spell you were doing in your sleep?” Pinkie Pie asked excitedly, beating around the bush of Twilight Sparkles question. “Oh, it’s a—“ “Is it a spell to see the future? Huh huh huh?” Pinkie Pie took three steps forward, pressing her nose against Twilight Sparkles. The surprised unicorn took a step backwards, only finding the wall of her tree behind her. “Yes, actually. I found a spell in one of my books that supposedly shows you the future.” The lavender pony restated everything she had learned from her slumber. “I also learned that by next year..you’llbedead.” Twilight trailed off at the last part, mumbling softly. Pinkie Pie frowned, bouncing closer to her. “What’s that, Twilight? I couldn’t hear you!” She angled one ear towards the unicorns mouth, listening closely. “By next month you’ll be dead.” Twilight covered her face with a hoof, half expecting Pinkie Pie to lunge at her. Pinkie Pie shook her head, her ears flopping from side to side. “Twilight, I still didn’t hear you!” “By tomorrow you’ll be dead!” Twilight flinched, taking a step back. The pink earth pony just laughed nervously, her sky blue eyes shimmering uneasily. “Haha! That’s silly. There’s no reason for me to die!” The unicorn frowned. “Look at the evidence, Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy’s gone. Who next?” Her tone was serious. Oh no, she’s not kidding around! Pinkie Pie turned around. “Okie Dokie Lokie! We’ll just have to see, I guess.. Buh-bye Twilight!” Pinkie Pie hopped down the stairs and out of the treehouse. That was odd. Oh well, Twilight can’t be a smart smartie-pants all the time! A smile crossed Pinkie’s face as she bounced along, passing through the town square. It was quiet. Too quiet, actually. The town square was full of ponies- why not loud, too? Ponies were all gathered around, and they seemed to be talking about something- something urgent. Pinkie Pie spotted a purple-and-white coat, she dbounced over to Rarity. “Rarity, what’s going on?” The magenta mare asked, curious. Raritys eyes lit up in delight. “Pinkie, I’m glad you’re here! I was thinking, and I thought that we could drive that revolting griffon.. Grina, was it? Ah, no matter. Drive her out of Ponyville!” Pinkie Pie’s mouth dropped. Oh, no! This isn’t going to turn out well! Not. At. All! Looking up, Pinkie Pie could see a brownish figure and a blue figure soaring through the sky, both settling on the cobblestone street outside the town square. Rainbow Dash exchanged a few words with the griffon, then took off again. The griffon began to walk towards town square, curious what was up. As she walked, the crowd of ponies parted to let her through, horrified expressions on their faces. Murmurs of “It’s the griffon!” and “Pinkie Pie said that she was a monster!” Rang throughout. The griffon picked up on every phrase said- most of them containing the name of a certain frizzy-maned pony. “Who’s this Pinkie Pie I’m hearing about?” The griffon demanded, growling angrily. How dare they talk about her like that! The ponies all pointed at a small pink filly with frizzy maroon mane, her eyes reflecting the colour of the sky.. and fear. “You dweeb! How could you talk about me like that? You’re so lame! At least Rainbow Dash was cool! I thought all ponies were nice, but you’re just a loser!” The griffon roared, blowing Pinkie Pie’s hair backwards. Said pony stepped forward to the griffon, rage crossing her face. “I’m not the loser! YOU are!” She walked forward, sizing up to Gilda and pushing her backwards. “Because you’re stealing Rainbow Dash from me! You’re just a big, fat, mean… MEANIE-PANTS!” Pinkie Pie growled with the same tone the winged lion had used, her blue eyes flashing with blinding rage. Without thinking it over, the pink pony lunged forward and bit the griffon on a paw, twisting it and flipping the lionesque creature over. The griffon screeched in pain, but got to its feet anyway. While Pinkie Pie was attached to her paw, Gilda raised her up and slammed her into the ground, her legs shaking with the effort. The two creatures soon became a writhing, screaming, dust-spraying cloud of claws, beaks and hooves. “You stole her!” Pinkie Pie screamed, latching onto Gildas tail and pulling it as hard as she could. Gilda pulled her tail(and the magenta equine) out in front of her, slamming her into the ground. “I did not!” She growled as they tussled. “You’re just a stupid, dumb, DWEEB!” Rainbow Dash kicked out the last cloud, watching it evaporate into dust and water vapor. Ten seconds flat! She thought proudly, floating easily towards Ponyville. Looking down, her eyes widened. In the town square, ponies were gathered in a circle, all seemingly chanting something. Their expressions were unknown to Rainbow, as she couldn’t see from her point of vision. A party? Without me? The Pegasus fluttered her way over. The ponies in town square were all cheering Pinkie Pie on, but despite the encouragement, she was losing. Gilda picked up the weak equine, flapping her large wings once, twice. The two animals soared up, higher and higher, until they reached the cloud tops. Rainbow Dash looked over and saw them. Gilda? What’s she doing with Pinkie Pie? The sky-blue Pegasus shot over, arriving just in time to hear Gilda whisper in Pinkie Pies ear, “Sweet dreams.” And then she dropped.
Kindness is KillingThe sky was just darkening, gradually changing into dusk, as the sun of Celestia left the sky to make way for Luna’s moon. The sky was shrouded in clouds, and the stars were making their appearances in the inky vista of the night. Darkness was spreading across the land of Equestria fast, and the mood of the land was matched perfectly with the emotions of six figures slowly making their way through the unnatural Everfree Forest. If you looked closely, you could tell that the six figures were all different kinds of ponies. A purple unicorn in the lead, a bleach-white unicorn mare following suit, two brightly coloured pegasi watching the skies behind them, and two peachy earth ponies taking the rear. The purple unicorn stopped to check her rather small map. “Well, Twilight? Are we going the right way?” The blue pegasus asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion and a hint of worry. She spat the word ‘right’ with contempt, for she was sure that the purple mare was getting the group lost for the 10th time. Really, what was the point of a map if you didn’t know how to read it? The blue pegasus earned herself nothing but a look of irritation from the orange earth pony with a cowboy hat. “I think so. We should be at the Royal Pony Sisters castle in about an hour if we pick up the pace. That encounter with the trees back there really slowed us down.” The lavender unicorn’s face was grim, her eyebrows lowered and her violet eyes more serious than anypony had ever seen them- even when she was studying. The rainbow-maned pegasus snorted, rolling her magenta eyes to the sky. Why did the unicorn have to act so darn important all the time? “Don’t forget how me and Fluttershy saved your tail back there at the cliff. I mean, it was Awesome!” The blue pegasus then began to describe the amazing feat that had taken place not even ten minutes ago. “You were all ‘I will not!’ then AJ was like ‘Yes you will, let go and you’ll be safe!’” The pegasus did a terrible job mimicking their voices, sounding like she was mocking them rather than imitating them. Both imitated ponies sighed. This was going to be a long walk. The group kept moving at their unique paces: The purple unicorn looked as if she wanted to break into a trot, but restrained herself; the white unicorn was walking on her tip-toes, afraid of getting her precious white coat dirty; the orange earth pony was walking with her head low, glancing from side to side with her ears pricked for danger; the pegasi were taking it easy, fluttering along slowly to accommodate the slower ponies below them; and the frizzy-maned pink earth pony was bouncing along, feeling optimistic as ever with a gleaming smile on her muzzle. After twenty or so minutes of walking, the whole group was tired. All except one multicolor, winged pony, who seemed to have a jolly good time telling stories about her friends near-death experiences. “After that, me and Fluttershy looped the loop around and WHAM! We caught you right in the nick of time!” She gloated, doing a barrel roll in the air and landing next to the dark-fringed pony, who snorted in contempt but covered it with a faux smile. “Yes Rainbow, I was there. But we need to- A manticore!” She screamed, staring at the beast that was not even 20 feet away. The buttery yellow pegasus covered her face with her hooves, squeaking in fright. A manticore? How did such a rare creature arrive here? The beige beast looked like a lion: It was brownish-tan, had a beautiful maroon coloured mane and large, square paws. Two small green eyes glowed in the dim light, and a large triangular nose rested on its muzzle. It looked feline enough... except for the fact it had a scorpion tail and two dark maroon bat wings. All ponies except the pink-maned mare crouched into battle stances. The azure-eyed mare closed one of her eyes and turned away as she heard a loud smacking noise followed by a roar of pain. “Take that you ruffian!” Rarity’s shout of accomplishment sounded like she was showing off, but why would the yellow pony exploit her when Rarity looked so proud of her— Her thoughts were interrupted by a roar, a scream of anguish, then a similarly sounding scream of “My hair! My hair!” As Rarity clopped away. Her hair looked like it had been blown back by a tornado! But she didn’t blame the manticore. How fair was it that the butter pony let her friends torture this poor beast? It wasn’t like it was hurting anyone before Rarity went ahead and kicked it in the face. Who wouldn’t be mad if a unicorn back-kicked them in the jaw? The beast expressed its rage with a deep bellow, charging forward and swiping at Applejack. Fluttershy flinched, fluttering back a little bit. It is a little bit scary.. but..The apple-bucking rodeo pony leaped up onto its back, waving one of her hooves in excitement as it began to jump around. Alright Fluttershy, enough is enough. “Wait...” She flew over to the manticore, trying to get Applejack’s attention. Nobody bat an eyelash at her. They were, however, doing everything they could to make the Manticore leave them alone. Applejack was eventually thrown off of the lion, muttering something to Rainbow Dash when she went airborne. Fluttershy frowned. Why wasn’t anypony listening to her? They needed to be nice to this poor, unhappy animal! And not get too close to it, those teeth looked sharp! “Wait..!” Fluttershy tried again, looking around to see if anypony had heard her. Of course, once again, no pony noticed. The other pegasi was flying circles around the manticore, leaving a rainbow ribbon behind her as she flew. Fluttershy didn’t understand how that was going to achieve anything, except for maybe making the manticore even angrier. Fluttershy watched in horror as the lionesque animal swiped one beefy paw out, smacking Rainbow Dash to the ground and sending her skidding face-first towards the other four ponies. “Rainbow!” Twilight gasped, eyes wide. Fluttershy frowned. No, no, no! Being angry at it won’t solve anything. Her purple friend’s once blank expression turned into one of hatred. The unicorn curled her lip, grit her teeth and pawed the ground once with her right hoof, Applejack following the motive. Fluttershy bit her lip, considering what she was about to do. Or thought she was about to do, at least... She was so nervous for her and her friends she couldn’t even think straight. Rainbow Dash got up and joined the group. As one, they galloped in a line towards the manticore, all wearing the same faces of fury. Fluttershy, do something! The pegasus looked around, unsure of what to do. The ponies were drawing closer. How dare they hurt an innocent creature? How dare they want to injure it for no reason? That wasn’t nice.. Fluttershy’s face twisted into one of anger and desperation for just a fleeting moment, realizing what she had to do. Be loud, Fluttershy. You can do it. “WAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTT!” A screaming Fluttershy zipped in front of them, raising a hoof to tell them to stop. All the ponies skid to a halt, staring at the dandelion coloured pegasus with bulging eyes. Had Fluttershy, the pony afraid of her own shadow, just screamed at them- or was the heat getting to their heads? Smiling, the yellow pony trotted over to the manticore, eyes soft and kind. It growled a little bit, taking a cautious step back. She tilted her head, her teal eyes forming into pools of compassion. “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.” Fluttershy batted her eylashes, nuzzling the manticores paw. It still looked suspicious, raising its paw away from her. Fluttershy looked into the beasts eyes, smiling as best as she could and tilting her head to look cute. The manticore frowned, it’s eyebrows lowered. It whimpered a little bit, and held out one of its paws. On it sat a small grey thorn, probably picked up from one of the many sharp rose bushes growing around the area. Pus oozed out of the wound, and a little bit on blood. “Ooh, you poor thing! Now this might hurt for juuust a second.” She lidded her eyes a tad bit, looking up at the beast with shining eyes. She leaned forward to get a grip on it, but heard a warning from Twilight and Rarity. “Fluttershy.. I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Twilight was skeptical. “Fluttershy, sweetie! Who knows what kind of diseases that thing is carrying? Don’t touch it!” Rarity looked more disgusted than anything, with her nose curled up and the sides of her lips pulled down. The other three ponies nodded in agreement, shaking their heads. “Yeah, Fluttershy. Don’t do it.” Rainbow Dash craned her neck and flapped her wings nervously. “Fluttershy, we can just go around it!” Pinkie Pie squealed, her eyes wide. Fluttershy ignored them. She was great with animals! She didn’t need them to tell her how to do her job. After all, it was her special talent! But maybe they were right.. A little nervously, Fluttershy leaned forward again and bit it, tearing it out of the beast’s paw. The manticore roared in pain, it’s eyes popping in anger. It grabbed her body and bit her flank, slamming her headfirst to the stony ground. “Fluttershy!” The five ponies screamed in unison. The last thing Fluttershy remembered was how much it hurt to feel her skull crack open against the cobblestone.
Loyalty is Loathing“Only ‘cause you cheated!” Applejack yelled, staring up in the sky at her competitive pegasus friend and foe, Rainbow Dash. “What?!” The cyan Pegasus blinked, swooping down to level herself with the southern earth pony. How dare she accuse her of doing such a thing? Maybe she had stretched the rules a little bit.. but cheating? It wasn’t in the Rainbow Dash code. It just wasn’t. Her orange friend raised her eyebrows, the corners of her mouth turning down just a little bit. The two hot-headed mares had just completed an Iron Pony Competition- a battle to see which pony was the most athletic. The orange cowpony had started off the first 10 rounds tied with her rainbow-maned competitor, but started to notice her friend.. stretching the rules a little bit.. with her wings. “You used your wings to help you win over half those races!” Applejack snapped, straightening her hat with her right hoof. She wasn’t about to back out of this argument. Not even close. Rainbow Dash frowned, her face twisting in shock. “You never said I couldn’t use my wings!” Rainbow exclaimed, frowning. She felt a pang of… guilt? The colourful pony shook it off, quickly conjuring up an excuse to help her. It’s true! She never said I couldn’t. But she knew that it was a loophole, and she knew that she was supposed to know better than to take advantage of their indifferences. Applejack sighed, biting her lip a little. “I didn’t think I needed to tell you to play fair!” The orange cowpony couldn’t believe her best friend would do something like this. Rainbow Dash was a good pony, and she might do some things that were out-of-line, but… cheating? That wasn’t like her. After bantering back and forth for a while, Applejack seemed to have the upper hand in the argument. “If you think you would’ve won without your wings..” Applejack looked down, deep in thought. Suddenly, she perked up with her ears pricked. Rainbow Dash took a step back. Applejack probably had an idea, and ideas from Applejack weren’t the best.. “I challenge you to race me in the running of the leaves tomorrow! But the point is to run. No wings allowed!” Applejack smirked, her face smug. Rainbow couldn’t say no. “Alright! You’re on!” The blue Pegasus spat onto her hoof, holding it out. Applejack did the same, and they shook. Rainbow Dash grinned and blew a raspberry, sending spit flying into Applejacks eye. Though competitive on the outside, both had one thought pricking the back of their minds like a loose splinter: This isn’t going to end well. Rainbow Dashes eyes fluttered open, filled with excitement. Her dreams had been filled with vivid images of her and Applejack racing at the Running of the leaves, of course with her winning each time and leaving Applejack in the dust. Inevitably that’s going to happen..! She leaned forward, stretching her hooves towards the sky and yawning. She got up and did her morning routine, which consisted of some basic yoga and stretches, taking a quick shower to relax and having breakfast. Today, however, she wasn’t feeling very hungry, so she just took a half a cup of Red bull. I’m going to beat AJ so hard Big Macintosh will feel it! Rainbow Dash grinned, feeling extremely energetic. She checked a clock on her wall. 5:45am. The race doesn’t start for another hour! I should go practice at the course to get a feel of it. She opened the door of her cloud home and began the journey. Beep! Beep! Beep! “Whoa!” Applejack fell out of bed, awoken by the sound of her alarm clock. Was it morning already? It had been a long night, her sleep had been troubled with nightmares of losing the Running of the leaves to Rainbow Dash, being mocked by her and her other four best friends for the rest of her life.. But that won’t happen, Applejack! Getting off of the floor, she opened her eyes. She scolded herself, walking to the bathroom to wash up. She was swaying from side to side a little bit, still under the influence of sleep deprivation. Yer going to beat her. It’s really not gon’ be that hard, hm? I mean, she ain’t goin’ to have the use o’ her wings. She picked up her toothbrush with a hoof and began to brush back and forth with even strokes. Since she was little, Applejack had found brushing her teeth a time to think over things, and it comforted her to have solitude. So how am I gonna’ win this..? The earth pony ran through different running strategies she had picked up running with her big brother and her grandmother. I suppose ah could use that sprinting tactic that I learned with Bic Mac the other day.. Well, however this turns out, I just hope she dusn’t cheat t’day! She put the brush down and spat in her sink, making her way downstairs to have breakfast. “Morning Applejack!” Big Macintosh grinned, waving a ruby red hoof at his sister. He was seated at the round ebony table that the Apple family had breakfast at every morning, chewing away on a bowl of cereal. “M..mor.. mornin’ AJ..!” A frail-statured, lime green pony gave her best attempt to wave at her granddaughter. Applejack frowned. Granny Smith was getting older and frailer by the day. The pony that had been raising her since she was a filly was losing her life. The orange earth pony knew her grandmother was going to be leaving them sooner or later.. “Morning Big Mac. Morning Granny.” The cowmare smiled, nodding to her grandmother and brother in turn. I’m going to win the race. For you, Granny Smith. The green pony winked at her. “..Y-you’ve.. got to win the- the race. For me..! I’ll make you some apple pie if y.. you do..” Granny Smith smiled, nodding at a pair of blue oven mitts resting on the counter beside the stove. Apple pie? It had always been Applejacks favorite food. After all, Granny Pie had been making it for her as a treat ever since she was a filly, and whenever she saw, smelled or tasted the food, a wave of nostalgia took over her and she thought instantly of her grandma. After having a quick slice of cold apple pie(even when it was cold it was still delicious) and some eggs and toast for breakfast, Applejack quickly checked the time. It was almost 7:30am. “Oh hayseeds!” Applejack frowned, dashing out the door. “I’ve gotta go!” Rainbow Dash’s hooves touched down at the racing grounds just in time to see the ponies line up at the starting line. Spotting a orange-and-hay figure in the crowd, Rainbow Dash trotted over to Applejack and knocked her hat off with a hoof. “Ready to win 2nd place today, Applejack?” The Pegasus grinned. Applejack rolled her eyes. “I’m ready to run a good, clean race!” Applejack frowned, staring at Rainbow Dash intently. Rainbow Dash muttered something and blinked slowly, tilting her head towards the cowpony. “You are not allowed to use your wings!” “I could win this race with both wings tied behind my back.” Rainbow Dash challenged, taking a step towards Applejack angrily. Now there’s an idea. Applejack laughed to herself, shaking off the thought of the Pegasus with her wings literally tied back with a rope. “Alright ponies, are you ready?” Spike's voice boomed through the speakers. He had been designated the official announcer for the Running of the Leaves(replacing Pinkie Pie, who had died a month earlier) and wasn’t about to let anypony down! “On your marks.. get set..” The small, purple dragon reached over and rang the bell sitting in the corner of her hot air balloon basket. Everypony at the starting line shot off, with an orange earth pony in the lead with a blue Pegasus not that far off behind her. Applejack went ahead and made a good lead, going a few hundred feet in front of her main opponent. “Ha!” She kicked up dust in Rainbows Face before sprinting out of sight. A good halfway through the race, nothing much had gone wrong. Applejack had kept her place at the lead, but Rainbow Dash was closing in on her. The finish line was close now, and the cowpony didn’t intend to give up her spot. For you, Granny Smith. Rainbow had done her best to catch up, but her stomach was growling and she suddenly felt lightheaded. I’m so hungry! I should’ve had a better breakfast.. oh Celestia. The ground started to sway under her. No! I have to focus! I’m almost caught up with her! Rainbow Dash was a good 10 meters behind her friend, but she knew she could catch up. Push it! She sprinted harder than ever before, rushing forward and closing her eyes. Her hooves drummed against the groud with a steady 4-beat pace, her neck craned forward and her rainbow mane streaming out behind her. “Consarnit!” Applejack growled, Rainbow Dash pulling up beside her. The finish line is literally in my line of sight! How am ah going to get ahead now? Oh yeah! The sprinting method. AJ slowed down, breaking into a trot, and let Rainbow Dash get ahead of her. Why’s she so slow all of a sudden? Oh well, I’m winning! Rainbow thought, running a little bit lopsided. I’m so tired.. But I’ll make it! Applejack waited a few seconds, just long enough for Rainbow Dash to let her guard down, before speeding forward and passing her, keeping the pace until she was back in the lead. Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped in surprise. No! I've got to catch up! She sprinted so hard, so fast.. I’m going to make it! I’ll pass her! The last three steps to the finish line were neck and neck for Rainbow Dash and Applejack.. until Rainbow Dash started seeing purple spots. Oh, Celestia.. And then she blacked out. “Heh heh, Rainbow. You sure did look funny when you fell.” Rainbow Dash blinked open her eyes sleepily, only seeing a pair of emerald eyes and nothing more. She felt like she was laying on some sort of bed, and her head was resting on a rather uncomfortable pillow. The Pegasus was cold. Shivering, in fact. “I fell?” Rainbow asked drowsily, leaning away from Applejack. Looking around, she saw she was in a white room, on a hospital bed. Four seats in the corner of the room were occupied by her two other friends: Twilight Sparkle and Rarity. Two of the seats however, was empty. I miss Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.. The Pegasus thought, shaking her head to clear it. "Yeah! You blacked two feet from tha finish line!" Applejack exclaimed, beckoning her other friends over. Twilight and Rarity got to their feet, walking calmly towards Rainbow. “Darling, we were so worried! I’m extremely grateful you’re alright. I was afraid we were going to lose another friend..!” Rarity smiled, her blue eyes filled with grief. Everypony in the room remembered very well how they lost their other two friends.. “Yeah, Rainbow! I’m glad you get to see daylight again.” Twilight chuckled, and Applejack tousled Rainbow Dashes forelock. “I thought ya’ll were actin’ a little odd today, Rainbow.” She laughed, jumping off the table and joining her other three friends. “You feeling a’ight?” The cowpony frowned. “Y-yeah.. but my head hurts.” Rainbow muttered, rubbing her temples with her hooves. “By the way, who won the race?” “Ya’lls truly.” AJ grinned, winking at the blue mare and tilting her head. Rainbow Dashes mouth dropped in shock. “You?!” How could Applejack win!? I didn’t want this to happen! This wasn’t supposed to happen! No, no, no! Rainbow Dashes eyes began to water. “Dash? Sugarcube, what’s wrong?” Applejack took a step towards the Pegasus, but got pushed away. A sobbing cyan pony shot out of the hospital room and flew out the door. This is all Applejacks fault. If she hadn’t made me enter.. I wouldn’t have lost! I hate losing. I hate it! Rainbow was now angry more than sad. Landing in her cloud home, she began pacing back and forth in front of her couch. Grr.. I’m such a loser! Her ears folded back and her expression softened. I’m a loser with no life! I can’t even win a race against an earth pony! Rainbow Dash jumped onto her couch, buried her face in a pillow and sobbed. Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie and Rarity exchanged looks of surprise, confusion and worry all at once. “..what just happened?” Applejack asked, her southern accent dripping like thick honey. Twilight frowned, looking around. Rainbow Dash had left.. she had been crying.. Since when? Oh, when Applejack mentioned her win. A couple of gears clicked in Twilights head. “I think that Rainbow Dash is mad.. or maybe upset.. because you won.” The purple unicorn nosed Rarity’s shoulder. “What do you think?” “I think the poor dear is mentally ill!” Rarity pouted, shuffling her hooves. If Rainbow Dash was indeed on the brink of insanity, then this situation was either going to turn out very well.. or terribly. Twilight considered Rarity’s opinion for about a millisecond before brushing it off. “Applejack, you’ve got to go and talk to her! She’s your friend.” Twilight grabbed Applejack’s hooves and proceeded to drag her out of the hospital room, leaving the white-and-purple mare behind. “Have fu-un!” Rarity smirked, trotting off to get back to Carousel Boutique to work on a new dress design she had in mind: One that used real plant leaves! Ooh, she couldn’t wait to get it done… Purple unicorn and Orange earth pony made their way to Rainbow Dash’s home in the clouds, Twilight using her magic to levitate Applejack onto the cobblestone driveway. What should ah do? Applejack glanced around awkwardly, looking for a door or something to knock on. Ah, screw it. The orange mare took in a deep breath, then called out as loudly as she could: “RAINBOW DASH! Get your patootey out here!” She tried to force her way through the wall of cloud to no avail. A muffled, hollow wail was heard, ringing in Applejacks ears. Wus that Rainbow..? Nah, couldn’t be. But still, the apple-bucking earth pony felt a little bit of guilt rise up her throat in a lump. ‘t sounded like her.. “Twilight! Can yuh pull me up higher?” AJ called down, looking at Twilight expectantly. She heard a quiet response, then felt herself begin to levitate, glowing with a pink aura. She was almost at a window.. A little more.. There! She wriggled inside, sending puffs of condensed water up with her hind legs. Landing with a thump on the floor, she began searching for her technicolour friend. Applejack muttered her name, trying to listen out for her more than call her. After stepping down onto the second floor of the house, she began to hear something.. heavy breathing, coughing, and maniacal laughter.. She is crying! Applejack rushed forward, galloping towards the source of the noise. “Rainbow? Rainnnnbooow?” Applejack entered a room, probably Rainbow Dashes bedroom. It was blank, except for a rainbow puddle here and there and a fluffy cloud bed in the center of the room. A couple of Pony Gaga and Hilary Fluff posters hung on the walls, and a small cloud-patterned dresser sat in one corner. But the one off thing about the room was that Applejack could hear somepony muttering to herself.. Rainbow! Applejack stared at the bed, noticing a lump under the covers. The cowpony pulled the rainbow duvet off of the bed and staring at the horrid sight in front of her. Rainbow Dash was curled up, her eyes flickering open and closed, one more dilated than the other. Her hair was messy and tousled, bangs falling in front of her face. The rest of her mane and tail wasn’t much better, knotted and damp with tears. Saltwater ran down Rainbow Dashes cheeks, the corners of her mouth curled up in a maniac smile. A small puddle had formed under her, her front hooves drenched in tears. Her usually bright mane was slightly desaturated, looking silvery and grayish. Applejack nudged her friend, frowning. Was she really that upset about not being able to finish the race? “Rainbow, get up.” Applejack tugged on Rainbow Dash’s tail, dragging her to the edge of the bed. She felt the slightest resistance from her, then felt the rainbow tail being torn out of her grasp. “No.” She coughed out the words through her tears, inching away from her and back into the puddle of tears. “Rainbow, get –mmph- uph!” AJ grabbed her friend’s tail again, pulling her out of the bed completely. “I said NO!”Rainbow Dash kicked Applejack in the face, sending the orange cowpony flying across the room. AJs face was throbbing, the most swollen spot on her forehead was the mark of a horseshoe. A little blood and pus poured out of the wound, and Applejacks face was completely shocked. Rainbow Dash, however, looked grim and reserved. Applejack gently reached up with a hoof, feeling her forehead. “You really just did that, didn’t ya’?” Applejack slowly walked out of the room, keeping one eye closed to accommodate her throbbing and swollen forehead. Rainbow Dash trembled, eyes darting from side to side. I’m nothing but a loser. I lost to her, I lost now. She deserved that kick in the face! The Pegasus pondered this for a while, the adrenaline leaving her veins and the realization of actual reality ebbed in. I just kicked my best friend.. In the face. Images of her friends gruesome wound bore their way into her head. Oh my gosh.. Oh my gosh.. Rainbow Dash found tears squeezing their way out of her eyes, stinging her raw cheeks. I’m such an idiot! The cyan mare shook her head, trying to clear it. This is just a dream.. just a dream.. ! It’s going to end soon. I’m going to wake up..! “Okay sweetie, you’ve got us all here. Now tell us, what’s the matter? And- Uahh-hhahh-ahh!” Rarity squealed, finally turning to look at Applejack and seeing the terrible damage on her forehead. Twilight grimaced, her forehead hurt suddenly. Pinkie Pie’s nose curled up, her face surprised and disgusted at the same time. The gang had been gathered by Applejack in Twilights den, for a ‘super secret meeting’. “What happened to you?” They all said in unison, Pinkie Pie leaning forward to stare AJ in the eyes. Applejack pushed Pinkie Pie’s face away, looking down. “Rainbow Dash kicked me.” Twilight raised an eyebrow, thinking. That was quite unlike Rainbow Dash.. “Are you sure it was her?” Applejack looked at her dismissively, ignoring the stupid question. Applejack then proceeded to explain the situation and everything so far that had happened to her between her and Rainbow. All of the ponies in front of her had expressions of shock at first, but then they changed to disbelief and then finally downright bafflement. “Rainbow Dash really did that? I never knew she was such a sore loser!” Rarity observed, thinking. “Rarity! What a thing to say!” Twilight rebuked her, giving her a signature ‘You’re-being-dumb’ glare. The ponies erupted into conversation, everypony talking at once. “So, what do we do?” Applejack demanded, staring from friend to friend desperately. “I think that you need to go ahead and fix this on your own. Your problem should stay your problem!” Rarity muttered, her face unreadable. “Although, if you want my advice- I think that you should just talk to her about it!” “Yeah! How hard can it be?” Twilight grinned, optimistically patting Applejack on the back. “Alright, I’ll do it!” Rainbow Dash was still curled up in a ball, twitching eratically. It’s a nightmare.. It’s going to end soon.. I need it to end soon.. It’s going to.. it’s going to.. She flinched when she heard a thud and her bedroom window slam shut. “Rainbow.. We need to talk.” A southern accent.. oh no. Rainbow Dash got up and slowly walked to another room, opening the door to one of the many balconies in her cloud home and trotted through. The whole way, a muscular orange pony galloped behind her, struggling to catch up. “Rainbow!” Applejack leaped forward and pinned her down, forcing eye contact. Rainbow however, still refused to look at her friend. She muttered something quietly. “What’s that?” Applejack strained to hear, leaning down to listen to the cyan mare. “I want this nightmare to end.” Rainbow Dash mumbled, looking down. Applejack was getting annoyed now. “What the hay girl! Just say it!” “I WANT THIS NIGHTMARE TO END!” Rainbow Dash screamed, leaping out from under Applejack. “Now don’t be like that, sugarcube..” Her expression softened. Rainbow was trembling.. not a good sign. “I hate losing.. I’m just a loser.. I don't deserve to be your friend. I hurt you. I hurt you.” Rainbow Dash mumbled, getting up and fluttering her wings. What's she doing.. Applejack thought, watching her uneasily. Rainbow Dash edged over to the railing of the balcony, landing on it with precise balance. Her wings stopped flapping, and she began to flex her legs. Up, down, up, down. The movement was making Applejack sick. “What exactly are ya’ll tryin’ to do?” Applejack demanded, stepping forward. “I'm going to leave- go to a place where I can win and never hurt you again!” Rainbow Dash turned to face Applejack, moving too quickly. Her legs slipped on the balcony and Applejack watched in horror as her friend silently tumbled Down Down Down Until she landed on the ground with a sickening THUD. “Rainbow!” Applejack ran down to meet her friend as fast as she could, finding her cyan body cold, unmoving and lifeless. Blood was oozing out of her mouth, and her body was covered in scratches. One of her back legs seemed to be bent at an odd angle, and bone splinters lay on the floor everywhere. A quiet ‘no’ escaped her lips, her eyebrows lowering in mourning. “Applejack..” She heard a quiet moan from.. Rainbow Dash! “I’m happy now.. I won..” “N-no! Stay with me, Rainbow! It didn’t have to be this way, i- it was just ah race!” Applejack shook her friend, but all the Pegasus did was shake her head. “The nightmares gone now, Applejack. You're going to be alright.. I won..” Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, her body going limp once more. Applejack lay down next to her friend, curling up beside her. The cowmare lay her head on the pegasuses neck, closing her eyes slowly. Together, they spent the night there.
Laughter is LonelyIt was a typical, peaceful morning in Ponyville. The sun was rising at its normally rapid rate, the birds chirped and the animals slept undisturbed in their burrows. A pink flash zipped through the main Ponyville road, coming to a sudden halt in front of a giant floating cloud castle in the sky. Rainbow waterfalls fell from the roof of the building, collecting into a delta at the base of the cloud. A clear path wound it’s way around to the front door, and pillars of cloud vapor and water stood proud, supporting the large roof. The flash appeared to be a pony, wearing a pair of green hypnotism-glasses, a red clown nose and a fuzzy black moustache. An arrow-through-the-head headband was on her forehead, and a she was blowing a blue party horn repeatedly, creating a squeaking noise that rang up to the sky. Just a normal day in Ponyville. “Rise and shine, Rainbow Dash! We’ve got a brand new day of pranking!” The flash called, staring up at the cloud with her neck craned back. Pinkie hoped her cyan friend Rainbow Dash would come out soon, she was really bored and wanted to get pranking! When a face did finally appear, popping out from behind a cloud, it wasn’t a Pegasus- actually, Pinkie Pie didn’t know what it was! It had shaggy white feathers on it’s head, chest and neck, but sky blue feathers dappled in the white like salt and pepper. It’s eyes were golden, but had flecks of rust at the edges, like a magnet had pulled them there. The rest of it’s body was brownish-tan, furry but not feathery. For some reason, it had two claws for front feet and.. lion paws for back feet? It didn’t make any sense to Pinkie Pie! Why would a lion-bird thing with ginormus brown and beige wings be up in Rainbow Dash’s house? The thing’s pupil shrunk down to a slit, and it disappeared momentarily. She let out a “oooh” in surprise. “Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie was relieved to hear the familiar voice of her best friend Rainbow Dash calling to her from her castle. A cyan blur shot out from the bottom of the cloud, landing next to Pinkie Pie with a splat. Pinkie Pie squealed and hugged her best friend briefly and bouncing away, running her mouth and trotting about. “So, who are we going to prank today?” Pinkie Pie asked, hopping circles around her friend. “Well, actually, Pinkie Pie- I wanted you to meet somebody. Gilda, this is my gal pal Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash called up to the cloud, and it flew down, landing on all fours. It lashed it’s lion tail and looked over at Pinkie Pie, unimpressed. “Sup.” The thing asked, brushing back three out-of-place feathers in it’s forehead. Pinkie Pie waved a hoof at the thing, blowing the party horn a couple of times. “Pinkie Pie, this is my Griffon friend Gilda.” Rainbow Dash introduced her friends, and they exchanged a quick nod. “What’s a Griffon?” Pinkie Pie tilted her head, looking Gilda over. “She’s half lion, and half eagle!” Her feathered friend explained, taking a step towards the griffon. Gilda gave Rainbow Dash a side hug and growled playfully. “And all awesome!” Gilda gave the Pegasus a noogie, scratching her head with her sharp black talons playfully. Rainbow Dash laughed, pushing her friend away from her. Pinkie Pie giggled, snorting and slapping the ground in laugher. “Me and Gilda were best friends at Junior Speedster flight camp.” The cyan Pegasus’s eyes lit up, and she nudged the Griffon with a blue hoof. “Remember the chant?” “Ch’yeah, they made us recite it everyday.” The griffon rolled her eyes. “I’ll never get that lame thing out of my head.” Pinkie Pie watched in confusion as Rainbow Dash looked the griffon in the eyes, raising her eyebrows and gesturing to the sky. “Only for you, Dash.” They both floated up a couple of meters and began to sing, “Junior speedsters are our lives! Sky-bound soars and daring dives! Junior speedsters its our quest- To someday be the very best!” They swooped down, landing in front of Pinkie Pie and waving their arms. Pinkie Pie broke out into gigglesnorts, patting the ground with her front hoof and blowing the party horn again and again. Bashfully, the griffon smoothed the feathers on her forehead and Rainbow Dash scratched her forelock. “Ooh, that was awesome you guys!” Pinkie Pie choked out, in between giggles and snorts. “And it gave me a great idea for a prank!” If Rainbow Dash had been embarrassed, it certainly didn’t show now when a smirk of excitement crossed her muzzle. “Gilda, you game?” “Well Pinkie,” The griffon began, “I groove on a prank as much as the next Griffon. But Dash, you promised-“ Her wings stretched to full-span, flapping impatiently. “That we’d get a flying session in this morning!” The smile disappeared off the cyan pegasus’ face, replaced with a look of surprise. The griffon began to fly up towards the nearest cloud, not looking back to see if her friend was following. “O- oh yeah, you don’t mind, do you Pinkie? Gilda just got here.“ Rainbow Dash fluttered her wings, backing away from Pinkie Pie slowly. “We’ll catch up with ya later, alright?” She turned around and flew after the griffon, also not looking back. “Oh. Um, well sure, no problem. Have fun you guys, so I'll just catch up with you-“ She sighed. She blew the party horn, but the sound didn’t come out as happy and exuberantly as usual. It sounded lifeless and hollow. “..Later..” Pinkie Pie wandered aimlessly through Ponyville, bored and lonely. She dragged her feet and hung her head. Rainbow Dash and Gilda were probably having the time of their lives up in the clouds.. too bad she didn’t have wings. But hey, she could roll solo for a while.. right? It’s alright, Pinkie! She reassured herself. Dashie is still your partner-in-pranks and your best friend! She’s just hanging out with an old bestie, that’s all! Feeling better, she looked around for ponies to talk to in the meantime. An orange pony with a straw hat caught her eye. There’s Applejack! She quickly returned to her classic Pinkie-bounce, hopping her way over to the cowpony. When she was close enough, she called out, “Hi AJ!” The orange pony saw her, trotting over to her magenta buddy. “ ‘Ey Pink! Whatchyou doin’?” Applejack tipped her hat, and the two proceeded to exchange small talk: How the weather was so nice that day, future parties Pinkie was planning, how stressful the Apple family harvest was going to be. The orange cowpony frowned, interrupting Pinkie as she was explaining a great idea for a party that involved three zebras and two giraffes. “Pinkie, that’s nice and all, but I’m a might busy. I’ve still gotta move these apples to my new apple cellar, and Big Macintosh hurt himself again. So I’ve gotta buck all the apples by myself today!” She made a move to leave, but Pinkie Pie blocked her, a smile on her face. “Ooh, can I help? I’m super extra-lonley today, because Rainbow Dash is off with a friend!” “I- ah don’t know, Pinkie..” Applejack fumbled, eyes flickering from side to side nervously. Pinkie Pie? In her farm? This was either going to end extremely well, or terribly. “Pleeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaase?” Pinkie Pies eyes widened, pupils dilating and shiny. Her cyan irises turned into pools of pleading, pools that Applejack simply couldn’t resist. “I- okay.” Applejack gave in. How bad could it be? “But Pinkie Pie, when you’re bucking you—“ But Pinkie Pie was long gone. In her place was a cloud of dirt that lead to Sweet Apple Acres as the crow flies. The green-eyed mare stared after her in bewilderment, chuckling and following after her. There was no explaining Pinkie Pie. “Applejack! What took you so long!” Pinkie Pie whined when Applejack finally arrived. She was standing next to two wooden barrels, each almost taller than her. One was almost overfilling with bright, shiny apples- all a deep red in colour. However, the other one was only half-full of applecores. All trees within a 10-foot radius of Pinkie Pie were bare, no apples on them at all. Pinkie Pie was standing in a few applecores. The orange cowmares jaw dropped. “Pinkie! What happened to all the apples!” She demanded, staring at the mess. Humiliated, Pinkie Pie looked down, pawing at the ground and taking a step back. “I- It was hard work bucking the apples and running here so fast..! I just took a snack!” Pinkie Pie blinked, staring at Applejack. Oh no.. she’s not going to be my friend anymore! She hates me..! Applejack looked at the mess and shook her head. “Pinkie Pie, I’ll give ya another chance. But this time, no eatin’!” The orange pony shouldered Pinkie Pie, then got to bucking apples, walking away from Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie looked around, walking to the nearest apple tree. She faced away from it and bunched up the muscles in her forelegs, tightening them until they hurt. Then Pinkie Pie exploded with a blast of energy, kicking the tree and sending a shower of apples down. She picked up the apples and dumped them in the half-full barrel, eating a couple on the way there. She continued to do this, finding herself getting hungrier and hungrier. All this work is making me hungry! Pinkie Pie said, chomping away on an apple as she dumped half of her harvestings into the other barrel(she had filled up the first one by this time). “Applejack! I’m hungry!” The orange pony turned to look at Pinkie Pie in surprise. “Are ya done with ya’lls part?” Applejack asked, walking over to the barrels. They were both full, but every tree between Applejack and Pinkie Pie was bare- and then some. “Where ah the rest of ‘m?” The cowpony looked around, her gaze searching the whole farm and then resting on Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie smiled, guilty. “You ate them, didn’t ya?!” Applejack snapped, stepping towards Pinkie Pie, who in turn took a step backwards. “I-I-“ “I told ya no eatin’, Pinkie Pie! You ate almost all of them! How am I supposed ta explain' this ta Big Macintosh and Granny Smith? Get off mah farm!” Applejack chased Pinkie Pie, who ran away as fast as she could. Dashing off the farm, Pinkie Pie didn’t stop running until she reached a large, purple building that resembled a two-tier cake. It had stained glass windows with beige curtains, and to top it all off was a small red flag on top. Carousel Botique? Trotting near it, Pinkie Pie eyed it curiously and debated whether or not to go in. Maybe Rarity will be want to play with me than Applejack did! Pinkie Pie smiled just a little bit, trotting inside the purple door. “Raaaaaaaaaarity? Rarity?” Pinkie Pie trotted along the pale linoleum floor, looking from side to side for her white unicorn friend. “Ah, yes! Hold on, dear. I’ll take just a moment.” A purple tail was poking out of a small closet that Pinkie Pie had never noticed before. The rump attached to it was wiggling around, probably searching for something. Rarity emerged from the closet carrying a square of golden silk. Turning tail, she walked over to her sowing machine and placed the silk down, then began walking over to Pinkie Pie. “Oh! Pinkie, it’s you!” She said, surprised. “I thought you were someone else. Is there something I can help you with?” Rarity asked, walking back to her sowing machine. Pinkie pie bit her lip, thinking for a moment. “No. I’m just really bored because Rainbow Dash is playing with her new friend Gilda, and I don’t know what to do!” Rarity’s face lit up in curiosity. The white unicorn zipped over to Pinkie Pie, eyes aglow with interest. “Who’s Gilda?” Pinkie Pie couldn’t understand why Rarity enjoyed gossip so much, or why she wanted to know about the griffon. But Pinkie Pie didn’t mind her asking.. much. “Oh, she’s a griffon. They were friends at—“ Rarity cut her off, her eyes sparkling. “A griffon! Oh, they’re so rare! I have to meet her! What’s she like?” Pinkie Pie thought back to the meeting that they had had. Well, we didn’t talk a lot. What do I tell her? The first thing that came into Pinkies mind about the griffon shot out of her mouth. “Oh, she was really mean, actually! I wasn’t surprised, because I hear that Griffons eat ponies! I didn’t say anything about it, though.” Pinkie Pie immediately regretted the lie as soon as she said it. Gilda hadn’t shown any signs of being a mean griffon, and if Rainbow Dash liked her.. then she couldn’t have been that bad! “Oh my!” Rarity exclaimed, her mane bouncing to the dramatic movements that the unicorn was making with her head. “I never expected that! I hope I don’t run into her- She sounds like an absolute brute.” Pinkie Pie was about to explain she actually didn’t know when the phone in Rarity’s boutique began to ring. The unicorn’s horn glowed with grayish-pink light as she pulled the phone over with her magic, pulling up the headpiece and answering it. “Hello? Oh, yes. Yes, definitely! Really, by next Thursday?” The pony engaged into conversation, waving Pinkie Pie away with a rather rude gesture. Pinkie Pie’s ears drooped. Another friend I can’t play with. And with that, she left the boutique. Walking about, the small pink equine pondered the possibilities. I can’t go to Applejack now, she’s all angry at me! And Rarity’s being a meany-pants.. Rainbow Dash is busy- I know! I’ll go see Twilight Sparkle! The frizzy-maned mare bounced off in search for her flowery unicorn friend. Pinkie Pie hopped through the door of Twilight Sparkles tree house, trotting past the downstairs library and whisked up the stairs. She found Twilight sleeping in a cozy-enough looking bed, looking exhausted. A pile of open books were on top of her, and she was snoring louder than Pinkie Pie thought she was capable of. Her messy purple fringe fell in her face, and her lavender body was scarcely visible under the pile of duvets she was under. Her face looked extremely disconcerted, Spike was curled up in the crook of her stomach, their purple colours schemed perfectly. The green spines on his back were flat and his tail was curved into his stomach. He looked much like a sleeping puppy with his owner. Pinkie Pie smiled, a feeling of warmth igniting within her from seeing this adorable sight. I’ll just wait for them to wake up.. Pinkie Pie grabbed a pink-and-green book off Twilight’s chest, flipping it over to a random page and beginning to read it. The page appeared to contain some sort of spell. It was in the older Equestrian language, but Pinkie Pie could make out but a couple of words- The word dream here, the word future there, the word ancestor dabbled back and forth. Luckily, it was illustrated(Pinkie Pie didn’t know Twilight read picture books!). There was a picture of a unicorn, seemingly casting some sort of spell. Another of the same unicorn curled up in sleep, and the last one at the bottom was much like the one above it, except the unicorn had a thought bubble on top of it and a picture of a very old unicorn inside it. Hm.. future, ancestor, and dream? Is Twilight trying to see the future? Pinkie wondered, glancing at her purple pony pal. She looked very content now, her face settling into a small frown, her cheekbones obtuse and her eyes squeezed tightly shut. I wonder what she’s looking at? Pinkie Pie took a step towards Twilight, resting her chin on the unicorns chest and watching her flanks rise up, down. Up, down. The curly-maned pony sighed. This wasn’t how I wanted to spend my day.. The earth pony just watched Twilight Sparkle, staring at her eyelids. She kept in this position for what seemed like forever, but in actuality was only an hour and a half. During this time, Pinkie had inched closer, and closer, and closer to Twilight until she was touching muzzles with the pony, keeping her gaze on her eyelids. The pair of purple blinds fluttered open, revealing a pair of deep indigo eyes. The lavender unicorn sat up straight in her bed, pushing both her Amethyst duvet and the pink earth pony off of her, shouting in surprise. “Ahh!- Oh, Pinkie Pie! ..What are you doing here?” Twilight slowly got out of the bed, looking at Pinkie Pie curiously. “Oh, you’re awake! What was that suuuuper-cool, uber-neat spell you were doing in your sleep?” Pinkie Pie asked excitedly, beating around the bush of Twilight Sparkles question. “Oh, it’s a—“ “Is it a spell to see the future? Huh huh huh?” Pinkie Pie took three steps forward, pressing her nose against Twilight Sparkles. The surprised unicorn took a step backwards, only finding the wall of her tree behind her. “Yes, actually. I found a spell in one of my books that supposedly shows you the future.” The lavender pony restated everything she had learned from her slumber. “I also learned that by next year..you’llbedead.” Twilight trailed off at the last part, mumbling softly. Pinkie Pie frowned, bouncing closer to her. “What’s that, Twilight? I couldn’t hear you!” She angled one ear towards the unicorns mouth, listening closely. “By next month you’ll be dead.” Twilight covered her face with a hoof, half expecting Pinkie Pie to lunge at her. Pinkie Pie shook her head, her ears flopping from side to side. “Twilight, I still didn’t hear you!” “By tomorrow you’ll be dead!” Twilight flinched, taking a step back. The pink earth pony just laughed nervously, her sky blue eyes shimmering uneasily. “Haha! That’s silly. There’s no reason for me to die!” The unicorn frowned. “Look at the evidence, Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy’s gone. Who next?” Her tone was serious. Oh no, she’s not kidding around! Pinkie Pie turned around. “Okie Dokie Lokie! We’ll just have to see, I guess.. Buh-bye Twilight!” Pinkie Pie hopped down the stairs and out of the treehouse. That was odd. Oh well, Twilight can’t be a smart smartie-pants all the time! A smile crossed Pinkie’s face as she bounced along, passing through the town square. It was quiet. Too quiet, actually. The town square was full of ponies- why not loud, too? Ponies were all gathered around, and they seemed to be talking about something- something urgent. Pinkie Pie spotted a purple-and-white coat, she dbounced over to Rarity. “Rarity, what’s going on?” The magenta mare asked, curious. Raritys eyes lit up in delight. “Pinkie, I’m glad you’re here! I was thinking, and I thought that we could drive that revolting griffon.. Grina, was it? Ah, no matter. Drive her out of Ponyville!” Pinkie Pie’s mouth dropped. Oh, no! This isn’t going to turn out well! Not. At. All! Looking up, Pinkie Pie could see a brownish figure and a blue figure soaring through the sky, both settling on the cobblestone street outside the town square. Rainbow Dash exchanged a few words with the griffon, then took off again. The griffon began to walk towards town square, curious what was up. As she walked, the crowd of ponies parted to let her through, horrified expressions on their faces. Murmurs of “It’s the griffon!” and “Pinkie Pie said that she was a monster!” Rang throughout. The griffon picked up on every phrase said- most of them containing the name of a certain frizzy-maned pony. “Who’s this Pinkie Pie I’m hearing about?” The griffon demanded, growling angrily. How dare they talk about her like that! The ponies all pointed at a small pink filly with frizzy maroon mane, her eyes reflecting the colour of the sky.. and fear. “You dweeb! How could you talk about me like that? You’re so lame! At least Rainbow Dash was cool! I thought all ponies were nice, but you’re just a loser!” The griffon roared, blowing Pinkie Pie’s hair backwards. Said pony stepped forward to the griffon, rage crossing her face. “I’m not the loser! YOU are!” She walked forward, sizing up to Gilda and pushing her backwards. “Because you’re stealing Rainbow Dash from me! You’re just a big, fat, mean… MEANIE-PANTS!” Pinkie Pie growled with the same tone the winged lion had used, her blue eyes flashing with blinding rage. Without thinking it over, the pink pony lunged forward and bit the griffon on a paw, twisting it and flipping the lionesque creature over. The griffon screeched in pain, but got to its feet anyway. While Pinkie Pie was attached to her paw, Gilda raised her up and slammed her into the ground, her legs shaking with the effort. The two creatures soon became a writhing, screaming, dust-spraying cloud of claws, beaks and hooves. “You stole her!” Pinkie Pie screamed, latching onto Gildas tail and pulling it as hard as she could. Gilda pulled her tail(and the magenta equine) out in front of her, slamming her into the ground. “I did not!” She growled as they tussled. “You’re just a stupid, dumb, DWEEB!” Rainbow Dash kicked out the last cloud, watching it evaporate into dust and water vapor. Ten seconds flat! She thought proudly, floating easily towards Ponyville. Looking down, her eyes widened. In the town square, ponies were gathered in a circle, all seemingly chanting something. Their expressions were unknown to Rainbow, as she couldn’t see from her point of vision. A party? Without me? The Pegasus fluttered her way over. The ponies in town square were all cheering Pinkie Pie on, but despite the encouragement, she was losing. Gilda picked up the weak equine, flapping her large wings once, twice. The two animals soared up, higher and higher, until they reached the cloud tops. Rainbow Dash looked over and saw them. Gilda? What’s she doing with Pinkie Pie? The sky-blue Pegasus shot over, arriving just in time to hear Gilda whisper in Pinkie Pies ear, “Sweet dreams.” And then she dropped.
