Chapters One Pony Amongst Many People
Rainbow Dash woke up to a knock on the front door. Her hooves hit the ground as she trotted, staggering from side to side due to still being tired, down the hallway. Once she was at the door, she reached with a wing, turning the knob and pulling back, opening the door. A tall figure, certainly not a pony, stood before her. It did not have fur, but still did have hair on its head. It was wearing a black cloak. The vest under it had a wolf's head embroidered into it. Rainbow spoke first. "Hello. Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
The creature replied, "I am Jon Snow. I am here to take you to Castle Black."
"Castle Black? Never heard of it."
Jon turned around and pointed toward the mountains. "You see the mountains? Beyond that is The Wall, built to keep wildlings and creatures like you away."
Rainbow furrowed her brows. "Hey, what're you calling creature?! You're the only strange creature!"
"We are called humans. You all are called?"
"Ponies like me are called pegasus ponies. My friend, Rarity, is a unicorn, and my marefriend, Pinkie Pie, is an earth pony. My other friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle, is an alicorn. Satisfied?"
"Anyway, I am hunting for food. If you don't come with, we will both be in trouble."
"Uh-huh," Rainbow Dash said in a sarcastic tone. "And how will I be in trouble?"
"If I come back empty-handed, every man in Castle Black will hunt this far away as well. If they figure out that there are ponies here, they'll stop at nothing to make sure that every pony in this place is killed and eaten. Got it?"
Rainbow pondered this for a moment. "Fine."
Jon reached out with a leash, but Rainbow slapped his hand away. "Just don't treat me like a pet, okay?"
Jon didn't reply. He put the leash back and beckoned for her to follow. Rainbow flew his way and stopped beside him. "So, how long will it take to get there?"
"Took me a day, so it should be the same amount of time, if you don't slow me down."
"Are you kidding me?! I just might speed you up! My mother didn't name me Rainbow Dash for nothing, you know."
Jon didn't say anything. He seemed to be deep in thought. Finally, he spoke. "I never met my real mother."
"Why not?"
"I am a bastard. That means I was born without my parents being married."
"Didn't your dad already have a wife?"
"Yes."
"Then why would he do that?"
"I don't know."
"That's considered illegal in Equestria."
"Do you have any sisters or brothers?"
"I have a brother. His name is Spectrum Sprint. You?"
"I have no full siblings, but I have five half siblings. Being a bastard, they have different last names from mine. Snow is the last name that all bastards have. Their names were Robb, Sansa, Branden, Arya, and Rickon, oldest to youngest. Robb was killed at a wedding, Sansa left Castle Black a few days ago, and I don't know anything about the rest."
Rainbow looked at him sympathetically. "And your parents?"
"My half mother was killed at the same wedding of Robb's death, and my father got beheaded for treason."
"Wow, your family members are dropping like flies."
Jon looked down at the ground. Rainbow spoke in a slightly nervous voice, "Oh, sorry. Not helping much, am I?"
Jon didn't say anything, but nodded. After a moment's thought, Dash began to fly ahead, but stopped to see if Jon could keep up, and he did. He was sprinting after her without panting, which was surprising. She kept flying, a breeze blowing in her mane. Soon enough, they both reached the bottom of the mountain. Rainbow sat down on a rock, stretching her wings in case she wanted to fly some more. The sun was beginning to set. Jon stopped to catch his breath. Rainbow Dash chuckled. "You're pretty fast, for a human."
"I'm just as fast as everybody else."
"Well, you'll have to be pretty fast to outrun a pegasus, and you came pretty close to doing just that." Dash looked over to Jon. He glanced back at her and smiled. Then, Rainbow heard voices. They didn't sound like anybody she'd met before. Jon reached into his cloak and wielded a sword. He got up and started creeping around the corner. "Don't move," he whispered.
Rainbow Dash ignored his orders and glided ahead. A minty unicorn and a cream-colored earth pony trotted along the base of the mountain, but stopped dead in their tracks, eyeing Jon Snow with their mouths agape.
They both screamed and cantered in the other direction. Jon sighed. She looked back at him to see him looking down at his vest. The wolf head. Rainbow sat beside him. "Who made that?"
"Sansa, one of my half sisters."
"Why'd she make a wolf?"
"The direwolf is the Stark sichel."
"Huh. You guys must be die hard fans."
"We're not fans. We are the Starks."
Rainbow nodded. By habit, she took to the skies and set hoof on the top of the mountain within a few minutes. Jon glanced up, then took out two pick axes, driving one onto the stone as if it were plastic. One after the other, he climbed the mountain, hanging on to the axes for dear life as he did so. Within two hours, he set foot on the highest point. Rainbow laid back, gazing at the stars above. Jon did not do that, though. He slid across the surface of the hill toward the bottom.
Rainbow spread her wings and glided along the snowy mountain, soon catching up with him. Jon's feet drove into the snow at the base of the giant stone as he skidded to a stop. About another ten miles worth of walking and they would be climbing The Wall. The cyan pegasus walked up from behind Jon, wrapped her hooves around his waist, and began to fly. She never knew how easy carrying a human could be.
Jon yelped at the sudden takeoff, then slowly slid from her embrace. She let him go. He thought that she was trying to kill him right before Rainbow's hooves embraced his hands and left him dangling from her strong hold. She pulled him up slightly, then jerked him upwards, flipping him onto her back. Rainbow sped up, almost able to feel the sound barrier pulling at her body. Jon was breathing heavily, his heart thumping so loudly that it caused ringing in his ears. Just as the sun was about to rise-
BOOM!
A rainbow circled the world as Rainbow Dash broke the sound barrier. Jon had never seen anything like it. He was sure that it was a sonic boom, but with a lot more... "Rainbow" to it.
One Pony Amongst Many People
Jon Snow and Rainbow Dash walked through the forest, chatting about their past. Jon happened to have been killed in a mutiny, but was brought back to life by a woman in red. Dash found this interesting and weird at the same time.
At some point, Rainbow mentioned that what she just did was called a Sonic Rainboom, and that this was the third time she's done it.
"It's actually how I got this baby!" she said, pointing to her cutie mark.
"What is that?"
"It's called a cutie mark. Every pony has a different one. My marefriend, Pinkie Pie, has three balloons for her cutie mark."
"What does a cutie mark represent?"
"It represents a pony's special talents."
"And, what is a marefriend?"
"A marefriend is what you humans would call a girlfriend."
"You prefer the company of women over men?"
"Actually, I'm bi. It means that I don't care which gender I fall in love with."
Soon enough, they reached a tall ice structure. Rainbow gazed at the top of the barrier. "What's this?"
"This is The Wall," Jon uttered, taking out the axes again.
He drove one of the axes into the ice, doing the same to the other, just as he did when he climbed the mountain. Rainbow simply flew upwards, trying not to go too far up. She stayed beside him as he climbed. Soon, she decided that he was taking too long, and picked him up again, flying upwards.
About a minute later, they were halfway up The Wall. Dash kept looking up, but was careful not to drop Jon. Soon, they were standing on top of the ice structure. The cold wind blew through Rainbow Dash's mane and tail, sending a shiver down her spine.
Dash glanced at Jon, his eyes staring into her own. She spread her wings, ready to fly down the wall, but Jon stopped her. He pointed to a wooden contraption that looked somewhat like an elevator. He strolled inside it. Dash rolled her eyes, then, reluctantly, trotted inside. The door closed and the elevator slowly lowered itself.
Within ten minutes, they reached the bottom. About ten people sat around a fire. As the door opened, Jon told Rainbow to stand behind him. He briskly walked out of the elevator with the blue pegasus in tow. The ten men glanced their way. "Lord Snow," they each muttered in unison.
One of the men spoke. "What's that thing?"
Jon stepped to the side, revealing Rainbow Dash to the men. They looked at Jon as if he's gone mad. "What in the seven hells is that thing?!"
"I'm not a thing."
The men glanced over at Dash with startled looks in their eyes. "How is it speaking of it's an animal?!"
"To answer your question, that thing you're speaking of Is a pegasus. If it weren't for her, you would not be seeing me now."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that she-"
"And did you give her a name, too?"
"She already had a name."
"And what is it, eh?"
"My name is Rainbow Dash."
Dash spread her wings and flew up to them. "And don't call me a horse, if you don't want a broken nose."
"Anyway, Jon, do you know anything about the thunder last night?"
"I didn't hear any thunder."
"I heard thunder right as the sun shone on the horizon."
"Oh, I caused the thunder. I broke the sound barrier."
"And how, pony?"
"I flew."
The men chuckled. "Jon, did you get this... thing for food?"
A man had already made his way in front of Rainbow. "Obviously he did. Otherwise, he would've left her behind," he said, scratching her chin as if she were a puppy. She slapped his hand away.
Rainbow felt a pinch in both of her wings as they were spread against her will. She kicked and squirmed, causing both of the men to back away. She kicked one of them in the nose, causing a trickle of blood to run down his face.
The other man wielded a sword as Rainbow charged toward him. She reared and kicked his groin as hard as she could. He fell back, yelling in agony. Jon chuckled as softly as possible, so nobody could hear. He was beginning to like her untamed spirit.
It was almost as if she were a sister of...
Ygritte.
He shook his head at the thought. He missed Ygritte. Most of all, he missed the way that she teased him for knowing nothing. "You know nothing, Jon Snow," she would say. Words said so often that he heard them almost everywhere he went.
If he ever heard anybody say it, try as he must, he could not stop himself from growing at least a little angry.
A voice snapped him back into reality. "Jon? Are you okay?"
It was Rainbow Dash. "Yes, I'm fine," he said quickly.
Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. "You sure?"
"Of course."
"Apparently, the men want you in the castle," she said. He nodded and went inside.
He thought that maybe, just maybe, he may fall in love one last time.
When he got inside, everybody was sitting at a table. Jon sat at his normal spot. Every man in the room was talking. "Maybe we should chop 'er up and eat 'er!" one man shouted above the rest.
Another man spoke. "Aye! We haven't had anything to eat for days!"
Jon didn't have to guess that they were talking about Rainbow Dash. Two men looked from side to side before going outside.
* * *
Rainbow Dash heard a door creak open. She glanced over her shoulder to see two men wielding swords. They walked slowly and steadily. "Come here, pony."
"We're not going to hurt you."
One of them lunged forward on top of her. She squirmed under his weight, but only her wings seemed to escape. Through her grunts, she could hear him whispering, "Perfect. Your wings are all we need."
* * *
Jon spoke up. "Brothers!"
Before he could say another word, he heard blood curdling screams from outside. "Rainbow Dash..."
He sprinted toward the door and jerked it open only to gasp. Blood coated the ground around two men and Rainbow Dash. One cyan wing, nearly coated in the crimson liquid, clung to her body by only a sliver. There was no doubt at all that those screams of agony and tears of pain were from the cyan pegasus, who, right in front of him, was being brutally transformed into an earth pony.
One Pony Amongst Many People
"Stop! Please! Agggghhhhhh!!!"
Jon wielded his sword again. He charged toward the group and shouted, "Get away from her! What do you think you're doing?!"
"Lord Snow, we're hungry, so we thought that we could carve a sliver o' meat off this pony here," one of the men said, holding up both of the pegasus wings, both of them dripping with blood, the bone that connected with her back sticking out from the wings.
Rainbow laid there, wailing in agony as blood dripped from her stinging sides. Due to the loss of blood, she blacked out.
* * *
"Lord Snow, should we keep her, or throw her from The Wall?"
"I have an idea, in case she wakes."
As the world came to focus, Rainbow Dash pressed a hoof to her back, and felt nothing but stinging agony. No wings, but a few feathers were left behind. From how they felt, Rainbow pictured them being mutilated and covered in dry blood. She seemed to be lying on a wooden table. various men stood in a circle, about ten feet away from her. By the looks on their faces, they seemed to think she was dead. Some of them looked as if they weren't worried at all, such as Jon, who stood in the middle of the large circle.
Everybody was asking him at different times, "Should we eat her if she's dead?"
"I don't know yet."
"What would we do with her if she is?"
"I don't know."
He seemed to be getting more stressed by the second, by how his voice grew louder every time he spoke. Rainbow tried to stretch, but felt agonizing pain in her back. She was already tired of not having wings, let alone not being used to it. She breathed heavily, due to trying not to yell in pain. She rolled off of the bed, her hooves hitting the ground with a soft 'clop'. She winced as the fiery sting in her back got worse. Her hooves hitting the ground caused all of the men to turn their heads in shock. Jon smiled slightly, when nobody was looking.
Rainbow looked up sheepishly. Her legs seemed to have given out from under her as the agony in her back got the best of her. Her eyes filled with tears as she grunted in pain. She felt a pair of arms try to hold her up. Opening her eyes, she could make out, through the blurriness in her eyes, Jon Snow. "Are you alright?"
"No, I just got my wings cut off, but I'm only worried about my back getting infected."
A cold cloth made contact with her fur as it wrapped around her body. It was wrapped tight, but it was more comfortable than having her wounds exposed to the air. "Thanks."
"No problem."
The other men had left the room moments ago. They must have thought that Jon helping Rainbow was "ridiculous". They didn't care, though. Rainbow gazed into Jon's deep brown eyes, a heavy blush crawling across her cheeks. Jon stood up again and turned to leave the infirmary. Dash found it weird that... she didn't want Jon to leave.
Jon shut the door behind him, but didn't walk away. He stayed and stared at the door. He didn't want to leave her. For some reason, he didn't want her to be left alone, he thought she was lonely. He hasn't had this feeling since he had Ygritte. He thought that he may be feeling the same thing for Rainbow Dash that he was feeling for Ygritte, that he loved her. He thought that it was awkward to love someone that wasn't human, but he couldn't help it.
Rainbow Dash thought that it was weird to have an inter-species crush, but, try as she must, she couldn't stop thinking about him.
Won't tell anybody how you turn my world around,
Won't tell anyone how your voice is my favorite sound
A woman with strawberry blonde hair on horseback rode into view. She actually looked as if she were just under eighteen years of age. She had a vest with the same wolf head that Jon had on his. Her eyes seemed to have been bright blue, almost white. It didn't take long for Rainbow to guess that it was one of Jon's half sisters, but she couldn't remember the name. She clenched her eyes shut, pressing a hoof to her head to remember. Soon, she remembered it. "Sansa," she said quietly.
She got up onto her hooves, despite the intense sting that her back felt, and cantered out of the room.
Trotting outside, Rainbow Dash bumped into another person. She looked up and saw Sansa, standing over her, looking down at her with a curious look in her blue eyes. She looked at her half brother. "Am I seeing things?"
Jon hesitated. He shook his head as he spoke, "No, you are not."
"What is it?"
Rainbow looked up. "I'm not a thing," she uttered angrily.
Sansa looked down at Dash and gave a warm smile. While still looking at her, Sansa asked, "Jon, are you going to keep her?"
"She's not my pet. She has no owner. And I don't think she'll need one any time soon."
"How do you know that?"
"When I found her, she had her own home, was living alone, and seemed to be doing just fine without anybody by her side constantly."
Sansa, understanding this, held out a hand for a quick shake. "Very well. Hello, pleased to meet you. I am-"
"I think I know your name from somewhere, Sansa. I'm Rainbow Dash, in case you were going to ask." She shook the other girl's hand and slowly walked away.
Sansa eyed the bandages on Rainbow's back. "Are you wounded, Rainbow Dash?"
"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about it now."
Jon walked up beside his half sister with a frown upon his face. He looked at Rainbow sympathetically before turning to Sansa. "She has been through some really rough times lately. She lost the very thing that named her 'Rainbow Dash' just yesterday."
Sansa cocked an eyebrow. "What is that thing you speak of?"
"Her wings."
"How?"
"Two men worked together. One was on top of her, which prevented her from moving. She struggled, but... only her wings seemed to escape. The other man took his sword and cut them off. If I hadn't walked out at that moment, they would have cut off much more from her than what she's already lost."
"Jon?"
"Yes?"
"You can't seem to take your eyes off of her. Is there something wrong?"
"No. She simply reminds me of somebody."
"Who does she remind you of?"
"An old friend of mine. Her name was Ygritte. She was free spirited, just like her. It's almost as if Rainbow is a sister of hers."
"Did you have a close connection with Ygritte?"
"Of course I did."
Sansa thought about this. She whispered, so that nobody could hear except her half brother, "Do you feel for Rainbow Dash what you felt for Ygritte?"
There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Jon sighed. "Yes."
One Pony Amongst Many People
Rainbow Dash sat in front of the fire that night. Everybody else was on top of The Wall, watching for intruders. The sound of the wooden elevator creaking as it came down caught her ear. The door to the mechanism opened, revealing Sansa. The cyan mare looked away. "Hey," she murmured, seeming annoyed at the fact she was there.
Sansa sat at the other side of the fire. Dash crossed her hooves. The young woman giggled slightly. "What're you laughing about?"
"Something Jon thinks about you, but I promised I wouldn't tell," Sansa said through soft chuckles.
"You can tell me."
"I said I promised . I won't tell unless he tells me I can."
Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. "Can I tell you what I feel about him without you telling him?"
Sansa crossed her chest with her hand. "You can trust me."
Dash whispered, so quietly that Sansa had to lean in. "As long as you tell me what Jon feels about first!"
Sansa sat back and folded her arms. Frowning, she pondered this. She was torn between forgetting this or telling her. She had finally made her decision in about ten seconds. "Jon... Jon..."
"Jon what?"
Sansa clenched her eyes shut, then said quickly, "You remind him of another girl."
"What do you mean?"
"He had a personal connection with this girl. Her name was Ygritte. He loved her. He feels the same about you."
Sansa opened one eye and, through the flames, she could make out Rainbow Dash, cheeks on fire, practically, and her rose colored pupils were the size of peas. "...Alright... My turn. Ever since I answered my door and saw him on my front porch, I couldn't stop thinking about him. I think I might have a crush on him, but I'm not entirely sure."
The blush spread from her cheeks to her ears. Soon enough, her entire face was burning red. A door creaked open. A woman with a crimson cloak stepped out. She spoke. "Rainbow Dash? Follow me."
Rainbow hesitated. She shrugged. "Okay."
The blue pony stood up and followed the woman in red. As they walked down the hallways of the castle, the woman kept asking Rainbow questions, such as "How did you lose your wings?"
That nerved Rainbow a little bit. "I don't want to talk about it."
When the woman stopped, she turned her head and opened a door that led to the infirmary. "Lay on any bed, on your stomach."
Rainbow slowly followed her orders. As soon as she did, she felt extremely drowsy. She closed her eyes, as the woman commanded. Within seconds, she was in a deep sleep. The woman grabbed two steel wings that were able to be folded. The base of each wing had a needle-like edge. She took one and, carefully, stabbed it into one of the two wounds on her back. It fit perfectly. Rainbow stirred in reaction, but quickly fell asleep again.
The woman sighed with relief. She grabbed the other wing and did the same thing on the other side. Then, she shouted softly, "Lord of Light, bless Rainbow Dash with another pair of wings."
After she said this, she checked if the steel wings could move out of place. They couldn't move, but they could fold when Rainbow had the choice.
Rainbow Dash stirred, yawning as she stretched. What her back felt was as if she had wings, but... She looked over her shoulder and gasped. She had steel wings. She tried to move them, and it was as if she had her old wings taped to her back again.
She glanced around the room, but there was nobody to be seen. She gazed in the corner and there stood the lady in red. "Rainbow Dash, get up. You've got to get ready."
"For what?"
"You'll see."
The red woman tossed a black cloak, but kept some shears in her hand. "Come on, put it on."
Dash looked at her as if she were the craziest person she'd ever met, but soon gave in and put on the cloak. The woman smiled sweetly. "Looks good on you."
She approached with the shears in hand and stood behind Rainbow. It didn't take long for the cyan pegasus to know that she was cutting her mane and tail. A long lock of oranges, reds, and yellows drooped over one side of her face. The back of her mane was spiked upwards. The tail was cut short. Before long, the woman finally spoke. "Perfect."
She handed Dash a mirror. She looked at herself. She had to admit, she looked pretty good. The woman spoke again. "Come, let's get to the ceremony."
"What ceremony?" Rainbow asked as she tried to fit her wings through the holes in the fabric.
"You'll see."
They both walked out of the castle. There were two lines of men, leading to Jon Snow, tho stood at the end of the lines. Sansa stood beside him, a scroll grasped in her hands. The woman in red beckoned for Rainbow to go.
Dash stood up straight and marched between the lines of men. Her steel wings couldn't fit through the holes, so they stayed folded at her sides. She stopped in front of Jon. Sansa set a scroll down in front of her. The directions on the top said to read the following words aloud and kneel while doing so.
"Hear my words and bear witness to my vow.
Night gathers, and now my watch begins.
It shall not end until my death.
I shall take no husband, hold no lands, mother no children.
I shall wear no crowns and win no glory.
I shall live and die at my post.
I am the sword in the darkness.
I am the watcher on the walls.
I am the shield that guards the realms of men.
I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch,
For this night, and all the nights to come."
Jon spoke. "You knelt as a filly. Rise now as a mare of the Night's Watch."
One Pony Amongst Many People
Rainbow lifted her head and straightened her limbs into standing position again. Once she did, she turned around to face the men, whose eyes were fixed on her. Something moved under her cloak and every man, and woman, turned their heads from her face to her cloak. It was pulled onto her back as she spread her steel wings wide. Everybody's eyes, except the red woman's and her own, opened wide.
Dash strolled between the lines and made her way into the castle once more. Everyone looked at her wings, mouths agape. Rainbow felt good about herself. Her wings amazed everyone around her. She looked into a big mirror, checking herself out as she grinned with pride. She felt more mature, especially because she knew that she was the only female in the Watch.
The door behind her opened as Jon stepped inside. He looked at her and smiled warmly. "You did good."
Rainbow shrugged. "Eh, it's how Rainbow rolls."
Out of the corner of her eye, Dash could see him wink at her.
She blinked sharply and blushed slightly. Jon chuckled. "What's wrong? Has anybody ever winked at you?"
"No."
"Sansa told you, didn't she?"
Rainbow stiffened. "Told me what?"
"How I felt. She told me how you thought of me as well."
Rainbow furrowed her brows. "She promised she wouldn't tell you!" She was humiliated, her ears on the verge of bursting into flames, she was blushing so hard.
Her heart hammering in her chest, Rainbow flew out of the room as she grumbled, "I'm gonna show her what she's dealing with... When I'm finished with her, she'll be begging for mercy."
The blue fur on her face glowing red with anger and embarrassment, she stormed out of the castle. Stomping over to the ginger girl, she gritted her teeth, so hard that she felt as if they would break under pressure.
Sansa looked over to her and smiled. "Hello, first sister of the Night's Watch. How does the new cloak fit? I see that you got another pair of wings!"
"Sansa, can we talk somewhere without as many people around to hear?"
"Of course."
Dash led Sansa to the back of the castle. Once she was sure that nobody could hear, she lashed out at the Stark girl. "Why did you tell him?!"
"I was sure that he would like the fact that you like him. After all, he likes you back."
"I don't care !" She yelled, a tear of anger falling down her face.
"Now look. You've got yourself worked up into a tizzy over nearly nothing."
Rainbow breathed heavily, a translucent cloud of white dispersed from her snout.
Sansa turned her back and walked away. For Rainbow, this was one of the most embarrassing things she's ever experienced. She actually didn't think she could show her face in front of him after what he had said. After how Sansa broke her promise.
Soon, she had cooled down and decided to sit at the fire until she had further instruction. Within minutes, she was fast asleep.
* * *
"Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow lifted her head off of the log and sat up. She glanced upwards and could make out Jon's face, staring down at her with his mesmerizing brown eyes. He beckoned for her to follow and strolled to what looked like a practice area. Archers took their places and shot targets with arrows. Men in pairs practiced fighting with swords with one another. The weapons were wooden.
Jon walked over to a barrel and tossed one wooden sword to Dash. Her wings were outstretched to catch it, but, with the sharp edges of the makeshift feathers, it was sliced in half without much effort. She folded her wings back to her sides. Her wings were her swords.
She spread her wings again and swiped it upwards, knocking the spare sword out of Jon's hand. Then, she thrust it forward, almost hitting his stomach. "Dead," she uttered.
Sansa ran toward the pair. "Jon," she muttered, obviously afraid of what had happened to her, which Rainbow didn't know.
"What's wrong?"
"A raven flew in from Winterfell. He wants me back."
Sansa handed Jon a letter with the Bolton's seal on it. He opened the note and read it, the horror on his face growing more intense. He looked up from the message. "Are you sure it's Ramsay Bolton?"
"Who else would send ravens with the Bolton sichel? He's the only Bolton left. I've been meaning to tell you this for a while. The truth is," said Sansa with a pause, "I'm his wife. I... I..."
"You what?"
"Jon, I need for us to talk where Rainbow Dash can't hear."
"Of course."
Jon and Sansa walked away and a million questions were left unanswered. Who is Ramsay Bolton? What did Sansa not want to say to Rainbow?
* * *
Sansa led Jon into an empty room. She stopped in the center, then sighed, the anxiety clear in her voice.
"What is it you wanted to tell me in secret?"
Sansa hesitated, breathing heavily as she broke into a sweat. After an awkward silence, Sansa clutched her stomach. "Try and guess."
* * *
Dash sat near the fire, rubbing her hooves together and sticking them out. White, translucent clouds dispersed from her mouth as she exhaled. A door beside her creaked open and slammed against the building as Jon and Sansa ran out of the building, but Sansa barely running at all.
Rainbow ran after them. "What happened? Is something wrong?"
Jon turned around and gazed at her with a frightened look. "Yes."
"What is it?"
"Sansa is pregnant."
One Pony Amongst Many People
Rainbow gasped. "She's what?!"
Sansa walked up next to Jon and nodded. "It's true. I had never wanted one, though."
"Who did this?"
"Ramsay did it."
Rainbow furrowed her brows. She knew that there was something off with Ramsay Bolton. Still, though, she wanted to know how she could help. "What do I do?"
Jon sighed. "If I don't bring her back, there will be battle. You fight with us. We will all gather men."
Sansa spoke up. "How do you propose we do that?"
There was a long pause. "I'll see what I can do to get the Wildlings on our side."
"Jon, have you gone mad?"
"Trust me, Sansa."
The bright blue eyes of hers lit up as she got an idea. "I'll see if the Knights of the Veil can help."
"Sansa, you need to stay behind."
The girl looked insulted. She had always wanted to help fight with her half brother, but he had always denied it. As if she were incapable of making a contribution.
Dash looked at the stables,which were nearly full of horses. One stall, however, was occupied by a large white dog. "What's that thing?"
Jon Snow glanced at the stall she was looking at for a brief moment. "That is my direwolf. His name is Ghost."
"Neat name. What does he do?"
"He is the reason that some of our brothers are still alive."
The white dog lunged forwards and tackled Rainbow, baring his fangs. Jon ran to stop him, but stopped and laughed when he saw Ghost licking Rainbow's face. Sansa's and Rainbow's laughter could be heard as well.
Ghost barked happily and got off of her and walked toward Jon. He stopped by his owner's side and nuzzled his way under his arm. Jon strolled to the stables and opened one, revealing a large, brown stallion, but it didn't look like any pony that Rainbow had ever seen. She brushed it off and flew into the castle. Once she did, the Red Woman appeared, anger flooding her face. Rainbow wanted to know what was going on. "Hey, lady. What's up?"
"You."
"What do you mean?"
"You love Jon, do you?"
Rainbow blushed. "Y-yea..."
"How shall Jon Snow have nobody to love? I wonder!"
Dash partly knew what she was about to do, but decided against it. Why would an old woman try to win the love of someone much younger? The woman made her way in front of the cyan pegasus, a long dagger in hand. She raised the knife up, getting ready to strike.
A white flash, then the red woman was tackled. Screams filled the air as Ghost scared the living daylights out of the lady. The cries ceased as the woman finally guessed what was going on. The dagger had already fell onto the hardwood, Rainbow picking it up with her mouth. Once Ghost finally got off of her, Dash walked up to her, then placed the dagger into her right wing's embrace. She shifted it forward. Barely touching the woman's chest with the knife, she spoke. "What is your name?"
The woman was not expecting this question. "M-Melisandre."
"The next time you try to get rid of me, you will lose both your arms, Melisandre," She said, putting the dagger on the desk beside them and trotting away.
As she came out, she gave her wings a look. Did she do the right thing? Did Melisandre deserve to be threatened like that?
She had brushed the questions off of her mind as she walked away. Her cloak rippled and waved like the ocean in the cold, harsh wind as a shiver ran down her back. Dash walked toward the gates, where everybody else sat on horseback. Since she was a pony, she didn't need such things. She stood alone, between Jon and a wildling man that had come to Castle Black, named Tormund Giantsbane.
Jon glanced at Rainbow from the corner of his eye and smiled slightly. She grinned back. She unfurled her wings, ready for takeoff as the gates opened. As the other horses started galloping out of Castle Black, Rainbow took off and flew ahead of the others.
Her mane and tail left a trail of various colors, all in the order of the complete spectrum. Her cloak tugged at her shoulders, but kept in place. The men stared at her in shock. It was a face that Jon remembered all too well. They made these faces when Jon Snow came out of Castle Black after his death, but was alive. Since then, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was still hated by some of his brothers. Rainbow Dash was the exception, though. She made him feel loved and like he was a somebody.
When he saw her rose-colored eyes of hers glisten when she saw him, there was something about her that made his heart flutter. Maybe it was her color. She had the most color and energy out of anybody that he had ever met. Maybe it was her speed. She had pulled off a Sonic Rainboom, and that was when he had started liking her. Maybe it was that he knew that she liked him back. Maybe it was because, simply, Rainbow reminds him of Ygritte.
He doesn't know. He did know one thing; her face was the only thing he liked to see at this point. It was almost as if Rainbow Dash and Jon Snow were meant to be together, maybe not. Nobody knows. Maybe it was a typical romance that he had see when he read realistic fiction novels. She was the beauty, and he was the beast, that they never knew that they were in love until the end of the adventure. Except this time, they both already knew.
One Pony Amongst Many People
Twilight Sparkle cantered along the streets of Ponyville, searching through every nook and cranny for that cyan pegasus she knew. "Has any pony seen Rainbow Dash anywhere?!"
Every pony she asked shrugged and said, "Maybe she's doing extended Daring Do catch-ups."
Frankly, it was really strange. She wouldn't be locked up in her house for two and a half days to catch up on the Daring Do books. Besides, she was finished with the series. Even so, she had read the second to last book twelve times just to wait for the next one. The lavender alicorn had not checked her home for her. Not yet. It was a bit too obvious. She cantered up to Sugar-cube Corner, banging on the door. "Pinkie !" she yelled, so loud that people stopped to stare.
A pink mare opened the door, smiling brightly. "Hi, Twilight!" she said, waving her hooves as she did so.
"Pinkie Pie, have you seen Rainbow Dash anywhere?"
"No, why?"
"Are you not worried?! She's been missing for two and a half days!"
"She has ?!"
"Can you help me find her?"
"Oh, silly, Rainbow is just on an adventure or something! If she's got one of those, she'll always come back! Just wait, and she'll be back soon enough. Don't worry your pretty princess head about it, it'll all be fine!"
"Pinkie! Please! You should be worried, she's your marefriend, after all."
"But I know Dashie personally. I know she'll come back!"
Twilight sighed. "Fine. If you won't help me, I'll be just fine searching on my own."
She trotted away. "She's right. She's just on an adventure. It'll all be fine. Right?"
* * *
Rainbow Dash flew above the trees, the branches on top almost touching her stomach. She felt alive, but she missed her friends a lot. But she joined. Once you join the Night's Watch, you never leave. She dove downwards and landed on the ground, slowing to a trot. A few men on horses galloped in front of her.
Tormund got off of his white stallion and pulled his sword out of its sheath. Dash sighed in annoyance. "This again?"
She spread her wings and Tormund brought his sword down, clashing with the steel of her wing. She thrust her wing in mirror movement with Tormund's sword as the sound of metal hitting metal filled the air. More stallions with men on top of them rode forward just as the blade went between the feathers of the wing and slashed her eyelid vertically. It was only a scratch, as deep as a paper cut due to Rainbow ducking just a millisecond too late.
Dolorous Ed dismounted and wielded his sword, pointing his sword at the former member of the free folk. "Put your sword away."
Tormund, slowly and reluctantly, put the sword back into its sheath. He mounted his steed and it galloped away, the other men following. Rainbow walked toward Dolorous and thanked him.
The man had put the sword back into its sheath and stuck his hand out for a shake. Dash returned the gesture and Dolorous spoke. "You're welcome."
Jon Snow rode up to them. He eyed the cut across her eyelid. "Did someone attack you again?" Jon asked, cocking a brow.
"Yeah. Tormund, to be exact."
Without any more words, they all cantered off into the thicket. A camp lay ahead. Jon's stallion galloped faster. He rode into the camp, startling some settlers. They looked like wildlings. Tormund came riding into the camp as well, right on cue. Rainbow walked slowly into the area. Her wings folded back to her sides. The wildlings ran toward them, some of them with spears in hand. A giant stomped its way to the back of the crowd.
Their leader stepped through a gap in the crowd, eyeing the cyan pegasus curiously. "Who's that?" he asked, pointing toward Dash.
Jon replied, "Her name is Rainbow Dash."
"What is she, though?"
Rainbow sighed in annoyance. "I'm not a thing."
"She is a pegasus pony. She's one of our members."
The wildlings roared with laughter. Rainbow Dash spread her wings, ready to charge, but Jon stopped her. A horn blew.
One time. "Enemies," Jon muttered.
Twice. "Wildlings."
Three times.
Jon went wide-eyed. "White walkers."
His stallion reared and charged back to The Wall. A pale figure tackled Tormund. A figure as pale as the moonlight, with blue eyes that burned like ice.
Dash heard a branch snap behind her. She turned around and her sight revealed a little girl with the same ice blue eyes and pale skin. For a while, the girl stared at Dash with her deep, lifeless gaze. Her dark chestnut hair, dirty with twigs and dead leaves, rustled in the breeze. Rainbow reared and bucked, sending the girl crashing into a tree. Her head snapped upon impact, but her head still rose a few second after making contact with the bark.
Jon rode between the two, grabbing his Valyrian Steel sword from its sheath. One quick swipe, and the white walker's head bounced into her line of sight. He turned his head to her and reached into his cloak. Pulling out a completely black dagger, he handed it to her. She took it with a wing. She brushed her hoof across the blade. It sent a small shiver down her spine. She looked up at him.
"It's dragon glass," Jon uttered. "Use it on the white walkers."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
He rode away, killing more white walkers as they came out at him. She just sat there, eyeing the life-saving gift that he had given her. A snarl from behind her was all it took for her to snap into reality. She whipped around and sliced the white walker's throat, shattering it to pieces.
She glanced down at the dagger. Time to kick some tail.
One Pony Amongst Many People
Rainbow Dash flew swiftly through the air, slashing the dagger through the white walkers' heads, shattering at least a third of them in her sight. Within about thirty minutes, few wildlings and few members still stood. White walkers took up a lot of the space, as did dead bodies.
Jon Snow and Rainbow Dash were two of them.
Dash landed and about twenty white walkers at once stood in front of her. The giant swept them out of the way with his arm. He stomped away and killed many more at a time. He stepped on a few, threw a couple of them across the wood. Jon slashed his sword, killing two at a time. That was not enough. Rainbow took off and stabbed whatever walkers were in front of him. She looked at him. Neither had a scratch on their bodies from this battle.
She looked into his dark brown eyes and he gazed back into her own. A white walker crept up behind him. "Jon! Look out!"
He turned around and swept his sword downwards, cutting it in half. In a couple seconds, it shattered. He glanced over his shoulder again, and she was still standing there. Staring at him. He swore that he could see stars in her eyes, even though the sun hasn't completely gone down.
Rainbow quickly took off to see if there were any more others coming. Surprisingly, there were about ten more within a mile of them. The rest were at the other side of the frozen forest. Dash landed, folding her wings back to her sides. "There's about ten more coming," she yelled to the other side of the camp, where the remaining fifty people stood, fighting more others.
She sprinted over and swiped her dagger to and fro. A few wildlings ended up on top of her, after being struck dead from a few white walkers. She bucked them off and sprinted in the direction of the bulk of the white walkers while screaming, "CHARGE!"
She flapped her wings for leverage as she streaked into the gang of white walkers, knocking them down like dominoes. They got up to have a dagger slice through their heads. Whatever white walkers were left were still running toward them, but they were going extremely slowly, because in thirty minutes, there still weren't any left.
The men and wildlings mounted whatever horses were left and cantered away from the camp. The light cerulean fur of Rainbow's stood up as she heard several growls from behind her. She whipped around. Ghost was staring at her with his blood red eyes. He lunged forward and bared his fangs, but this time he didn't try to lick her.
He tried to bite her.
She threw him off with her front hooves and galloped in the other direction, not looking back at the direwolf, whose barking caught her ears. Her hooves pounded against the ground with every step as she struggled to catch up with the other men. She took off once more, leaving hues of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, and metallic grey in a trail. Quickly, she lost the hound, but she knew that soon enough, she would have to land.
Ghost's snarling and barking could be heard, slowly getting more muffled as she flew farther away. Soon, when she thought she was safe, Rainbow landed. Slowing to a walk, she realized that she was way ahead of the men. She looked back, and, sure enough, men on horses were riding her way.
A white hound burst out from between two of the men, charging toward Dash with angry eyes. It was Ghost. Rainbow took to the skies again and left Ghost running into nothing, with the exception of a fairly large tree trunk. He stood on his hind legs and clawed the trunk. It looked as if he was trying to climb it. A horse with Ghost's owner galloped into view. Jon Snow dismounted his steed, heading over to Ghost.
"What is it, boy?" he asked quietly.
Ghost barked and snarled at whatever was in the tree. A trail of colors descended from the tree, heading straight for The Wall. It hit the ground about a hundred feet away from the two. Rainbow Dash looked at the hound menacingly. She walked slowly in the direction of the other men, keeping her head up high as she stomped through the snow.
None of the men moved as she tried to squeeze through them. It was almost as if she were invisible. Dash, after fifty seconds of attempts at getting to the back of the crowd, finally came out of the haze of horses and men. She turned around and came to a halt. The two rows of horses, one on each side of her, slowly scooted away, as if Rainbow was germ infested. She looked at her hooves as the band of soldiers marched forward, and she followed. Jon must have been in the front of the crowd. She could really use someone to notice her right now.
She could use someone to care for her. Like Pinkie did. It was almost as if it were just yesterday that she and Pinkie Pie had had their first date. Rainbow had asked her herself.
Enough reminiscing. Time to gather men. The team of soldiers rode through The Wall's passage and came out at Castle Black. Once she stepped inside, she sighed. Hanging her head and furrowing her brows, she walked into the castle. Sansa sat in a wooden chair, staring down at her slightly bloated stomach. A tear ran down her face as she remembered the event.
"Sansa? Are you alright?"
The red-headed woman turned her head to see the cyan pegasus pony with prismatic hair. Sansa looked away from her. "Yes, just fine."
"Are you sure?"
Sansa stared her way, cocking an eyebrow. "Do you always have to ask people if they're sure about what you're asking them?"
"I have a hard time trusting people's honesty unless they say they're sure about it. I never needed to ask my friends if they were okay, I always judged the look on their faces. I didn't need to even look at my best friend's face, even. I judged her tone of voice."
Rainbow gasped as fiery stings erupted throughout her entire body. She fell to the ground as her pony ears disappeared. Her entire body vanished under the cloak, leaving nothing but a gasping lump under it. Soon, Sansa had walked over to hear nothing coming from under the thing, but it was moving. The center of the lump moved up and down in slow motion.
Uncovering the lump, Sansa's jaw dropped at the sight of the naked body of a human with rainbow hair and steel wings, curled up into a ball.
One Pony Amongst Many People
The tail was gone. The cutie mark, instead of being on her flank, was on both cheeks of her face. The blue fur was gone. The pony ears were gone. The hooves were gone. The steel wings and prismatic hair still remained, as did the scar on her left eyelid. What replaced the fur was tan skin. Her eyes were smaller than they were before.
Rainbow Dash stared up at Sansa with her same magenta eyes, breathing heavily. "What happened to me? I feel differ-"
She paused when her hand reached her line of sight. No fur. No hooves. Only five fingers. Her hair now reached her lower back. She pulled her cloak back over her body as a reaction of being cold. With fur, she never had to do that. Once she did, she heard footsteps coming from the ground outside. They got closer, until the door opened. She didn't move.
Jon looked around the room, then looked down at the lump on the floor. Its head was facing the other way. It had a total of six colors in the hair, but those familiar ears were gone. Sansa was leaning in beside the body, on her knees. She looked up to her brother. Jon cocked a brow.
Rainbow slowly turned her head toward him. She bit her lip as she clenched her eyes shut. Her cloak was wrapped around her entire body. She stood up, keeping the cloak wrapped around herself. No hind legs. She nearly toppled over due to not being used to having only two legs, but Sansa rushed over to hold her up.
Jon was speechless. He just stood there, dumbfounded. She was human now? That should have been impossible!
The steel wings of Rainbow's wrapped around her upper body, leaving tiny cuts that weren't deep enough to bleed. Her lower legs, other than her head and arms, were the only parts of her visible under the cloak.
Sansa said in a voice soft enough to rival Fluttershy's, one that Jon couldn't hear, "Come on, let's get you dressed."
Rainbow nodded, and they turned around to leave the room. Sansa kept holding Rainbow up as if she were drunk. Jon stood there and bit his lip. He sighed as he turned and walked away.
* * *
Sansa picked at the new suit, tugging and pulling at the fabric to make sure that who was wearing it at the moment was comfortable. "Sansa, it doesn't matter. I'm fine."
Sansa stopped picking at it and stood up, eyeing Rainbow Dash in her uniform. Earlier, she had cut holes in the back of the vest, letting her steel wings slip through easily. She stepped aside and revealed a big mirror. Somehow, some way, she looked a little bit like Sansa with prismatic hair dye. Rainbow smiled. "Thanks."
"You're welcome."
The two women walked out of the room, Rainbow spreading her wings for better balance. As the girls strolled down the steps, Sansa looked at Dash with worry in her eyes. She didn't know why she was nervous about the other woman, but she just was.
Rainbow Dash gazed back at her. With no thought at all, she took flight, zipping past Sansa and gliding out of the castle. She landed in the practice area. When she looked around, she could see the many faces of men, staring at her with amazement clear on their faces. One of them covered their mouth with his hand as if he were giggling.
She glared his way, and some of them chortled. Rainbow spread her wings, which intimidated them enough to get them to stop their laughing. Her wings were much bigger than when she was a pony, that was for sure.
Tormund and a few others just stared at her with wide eyes. A few looked as if they thought that Sansa had dyed her hair again. Only one person in the crowd knew what was really going on, and that person emerged from a gap that had been made a few seconds ago. Once again, like in the building, he was speechless. Dash looked down at the ground, not knowing what was going to happen next. She didn't know whether or not she was going to ever be looked at normally by anyone anymore.
Or any pony, depending on the odds.
Jon opened his mouth slightly to say something, but lost track of thoughts. He had too many questions that he needed answered at the moment. He managed to ask, "How?"
Rainbow looked up at him. "I don't know," she replied.
She really didn't know how all this happened. Blush heated her face as he walked closer to her. But he stopped when he was within arm's reach. The woman in red walked out of the building, leaning in the doorway. She stared at Dash with penetrating look. The woman spoke up. "Did I miss anything?"
Dash glared at her, almost wanting to say to change her back, but then again, Melisandre might not have done it. Rainbow thought that things like turning an animal - or, pony - into a human would be magic even beyond her measure. Even Twilight couldn't have done that.
Instead, Rainbow turned back around and ignored her. Walking off, she stood by the fire that was barely burning. Looking at the flame, she got a feeling of Deja Vu. The light looked as if it were telling a story. A warrior that resembled Jon Snow wielding a sword seemed to walk out of a burning building, untouched.
Abruptly, the flames went back to normal and Rainbow Dash came out of her trance as somebody put their hand on her shoulder. She jumped slightly, then whipped around. Tormund stood there, staring at her. "Are you alright? Seem a bit jumpy, I see."
She turned around. "Sure. What do you want?"
"Well, nothing except... wow, you're a human now! It's amazing. It's a phenomenon I've never seen before."
"You've never seen a rainbow horse with wings turn into a human without warning? I sort of predicted that none of you guys have seen that ."
He chuckled as he walked up and stood beside her and stared at the flame. "So, there's a rumor going around saying that you and Jon have been quite the smitten kittens lately. That true?"
Blush heated her face and she scratched the back of her head. "I dunno about that, but I can see how you think that. It's always been kinda weird to fall in love with someone that wasn't a pony back where I lived, but everyone handled it fine when Fluttershy got married with a draconequus."
He looked at her with a quizzical look. Rainbow chuckled. "Oh, you haven't exactly been there. Fluttershy is one of my friends, and a draconequus is a creature with body parts of several other animals. He has a pegasus wing, a bat wing, an eagle's talon, a bear claw, all that other stuff. His name is Discord, he's the symbol of chaos. He's kinda cool, but we don't hang out as much now that I'm here. And, he's back there."
Tormund nodded. "I see. So you're a creature expert?"
Dash raised a brow. "No, of course not. I only know all of that stuff 'cause he's a friend of mine. And he used to be an enemy."
"I used to have enemies too."
"You did? Like who?"
"Everyone at Castle Black, until I started living here."
Rainbow nodded. "So, who were your friends back then?"
"There were no friends in the wildling camps. It's everyone for themselves unless it comes to battle."
"That's sad."
"You think that's sad? Go check out the rest of Westeros!"
Dash pursed her lips and looked down at the snowy ground. She did feel sorry that Tormund was alone. That sounded mushy when she thought about it. Turning around and walking away, she laid eyes on a stone on the ground. The grooves seemed to tell the same story, just as the flames in the fire did. She shook her head. The rock couldn't have moved.
But she couldn't stop thinking about it. She couldn't stop picturing the building burning, Jon walking out of it with a body in his arms.
Shaking her head some more, she held it in her hands.
Was everything at once trying to tell her the same thing? Well, that was obvious. The burning building, Jon Snow walking out of it untouched...
Now everything she looked at was moving like the flames were. Too many things on her mind at once, she felt as if she might pass out or fall over. "Stop it!" she nearly yelled, grasping her head tighter and leaning against a wall. "Just stop!"
Someone tapped her shoulder. She spun around, nearly jumping out of her skin. There stood Jon, looking at her with curiosity and worry clear on his expression. She began to panic, looking down with fear. "You're the last person I want to see right now," she muttered.
"What?" he asked, not able to hear her.
She looked up with tears of anxiety in her magenta eyes. "I said you're the last person I want to see right now!"
Taking flight, she sat atop the castle and didn't leave her post until sundown.
