It was another lovely evening in Ponyville. The sky was clear today, with mild winds rolling down across the town all evening. Sunshine basked the candy colored buildings, giving them a dazzling glow of colors. On the far side of town was a house where the mysterious Doctor Whooves lived, and today his assistant, Derpy Hooves, had invited Rainbow Dash to assist in their research, and partake in what Rainbow Dash thought was going to be "general crazy theoretical scientific study... on things... that could blow up".
While Rainbow Dash had yet to sate her appetite to test the limits of the physical world in hard core, dangerous science, she was content with simply browsing the equipment that lined the room.
"What's this?" Rainbow Dash picked up a peculiar device from off a shelf.
"Oh, We aren't supposed to touch that." Derpy scrunched up her face to make sure she expressed her dismay. "I don't know."
Rainbow turned to another piece of equipment that caught her attention. "Whoa, whats this thing!" Rainbow Dash shouted in front of a large cylindrical shaped machine with a heavy glass frame stripe around it.
"Oh, that's a fission reactor." Derpy beneficently responded
"Fission, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked rhetorically.
"Uh-huh." Derpy assured, having failed to get the hint.
"So that means that it combines two nuclei, and makes a new one." Rainbow Dash explained followed by a proud expression.
"No. Actually, it divides nuclei." Derpy beneficently corrected.
Rainbow Dash was a bit disturbed that Derpy knew more about nuclear physics than she did, but the feeling was overwhelmed by her pride in Derpy.
"Wow Derpy, I didn't know you were such an egghead," Rainbow teased.
"What? What's wrong with my head?!" The bemused Derpy panicked, reaching for her head.
"No,-n-nothing, never mind." Rainbow Dash quickly assured her friend to circumvent a difficult discussion. She'd forgotten how annoying Derpy could be.
Derpy returned to her work, happy that the egghead business had resolved itself.
"So, Derpy, why did you bring me here?" Rainbow asked impatiently, remembering that Derpy had yet to explain that part.
"Oh," Derpy had to think back."Oh yeah. I need you to help me carry this equipment."
Rainbow sank a bit. Derpy was pointing to a very heavy looking machine.
"Ok, there's no way I'm going to lift that Derpy." Clearly this was a job for Twilight Sparkle, and not her.
"Oh no," Derpy consoled her friend; Rainbow Dash regarded consolidation as derogatory from anypony, even more so Derpy the ditsy mail mare. "You just have to push it over a little."
"Derpy!" Rainbow Dash whined.
"Yea?"
Rainbow Dash ignored her obnoxious friend. "That's why you brought me over?!" Rainbow Dash asked, realizing the clever ploy of getting her over here to show her all this equipment.
Derpy wasn't sure how else to put it, "Um, yeah?"
Rainbow face hoofed. "Great, well let's get this over with so I can get back to what I was doing." She recollected what she was doing prior; it had something to do with napping.
"Ok," Derpy chimed buoyantly. "Just move it about a foot (30 centimeters) to the left."
Rainbow flew up in front of it to scale the distance. There was an eleven inch (a 27 centimeter) gap on the left side of the machine just large enough to squeeze it into. Rainbow Dash shrugged. She knew she had the strongest and sleekest body in all of ponyville, save applejack perhaps, but this wasn't a piece of equipment that you just pushed around.
Hesitantly, she brought herself over to the right side of the machine, placed herself on the ground, and used her forehooves to push the giant machine into the specified corner. Thankfully it wasn't as heavy as she had thought.
Upon completion, Rainbow Dash flexed her shoulder muscles; she was just too awesome. Rainbow Dash suddenly realized how thirsty that moving business had made her, and she scanned the room for something to drink.
"Hey Derpy, I'm parched. You have something to drink here right?"
Derpy paused her work on a difficult calculus problem, and noticed a haphazardly placed beverage to her right. "I guess you can have this one." Derpy gesticulated toward the cup.
Rainbow Dash flew closer to inspect the purple substance. "It looks tasty, what is it?"
"It looks like lemonade." Derpy answered, becoming more enthralled in this peculiar liquid.
"Does it?" Rainbow Dash wasn't sure. She hadn't seen a purple lemon before.
Rainbow Dash's curiosity was peaked, galvanized by her thirst; she had to try out this peculiar new beverage. She took one more moment to think it over.
How bad could it possibly be? She reasoned in her head. Suspending herself in the air, she hoisted the glass up with her forehooves. Without hesitation she took a sip of the drink.
"It's good!" Rainbow Dash complimented, before downing the rest. The tangy drink stimulated her taste bud's receptors, tingling her olfactory system and filling her mouth with it's piquant flavor.
Rainbow Dash coughed. maybe too much
Suddenly, she started to regret her decision on the drink as her head began turning inexplicably. A few seconds later, and Rainbow knew something was wrong.
"Um, Derpy, I don't...think!" Rainbow Dash struggled to speak.
"Oh!" Derpy remembered."That was a potion."
"A potion?!" Rainbow Dash cried out in shock.
What does that mean? What's going to happen to me?
Suddenly Rainbow Dash knew the answer as her conscience began to leave her. She felt her head spin as she flopped about in the air, threatening to topple over and fall to the ground. After a final bitter struggle to maintain consciousness, Rainbow lost all capability, and began falling to the ground.
As soon as Rainbow Dash began to fall Derpy had started chase. Reacting quickly, Derpy managed to catch Rainbow Dash with her arms, and hold her in a cradling position as they descended to the floor.
Not sure of what exactly she should do now that she had intoxicate and incapacitated a pegasus pony, she decided that the best way to handle the situation was to hold Rainbow Dash upside down with her forearms until she regained consciousness. To Derpy’s relief, Rainbow Dash was quickly coming to.
Rainbow Dash felt something dark impairing her thoughts, like something was feeding off her. Rainbow's eyes began to lull open. The first thing she saw was Derpy Hooves’ expressive eyes and scrunched up face; at this point Derpy Hooves couldn't hold her up any longer, and decided to place her on a nearby sofa.
Rainbow Dash's eyes winced, and she blushed at the charming gesture.
Derpy could have sworn she saw hearts glowing in Rainbow Dash's eyes, but then, she reconsidered with a giggle, she was never too sure of anything.
Rainbow Dash tried to raise her consciousness, and reflect on everything she could remember about Derpy with adoration; a futile and ultimately delusive percipiency granted that the only things she could remember was waking up in Derpy's arms and then gazing briefly at her fatigued expression.
Derpys the best, she thought as she picked herself back up on her feet and approached a bemused Derpy. Sure she makes mistakes, but she always means well, and she's always is there to lighten up the mood. Derpy, I love you.
Rainbow Dash felt her insides light up. She was quite sure that she was in love.
"Derpy, I love you." Rainbow Dash, not bothering to hold back, repeated her previous thoughts out loud.
Derpy giggled cheerily. "I love you too Rainbow Dash."
"I mean" Rainbow Dash made an uncharacteristic stutter "I really love you Derpy." She struggled against her indignity to sound bashful in an attempt at Derpy’s adoration, but she failed, because she couldn't quite remember why it was so important.
Derpy considered this for a moment.
"You mean like family?" Derpy asked inquisitively as Rainbow Dash began fondling Derpy’s wings.
"Like we're a family." Rainbow Dash whispered childishly in Derpy’s ear.
The thought of love being requited made Rainbow Dash uneasy. She was well aware that she wasn't quite thinking right, but, then again, she had never really been in love like this before. What point was there in questioning it now?
Derpy Hooves thought she was getting it now. "You mean like how I loved Dinky Doo when she was my cuddle muffin?"
Rainbow Dash wasn't paying much attention, but Derpy took her loving snugs as an affirmative "YES".
"So, I'm like your widdle cuddle muffin!" Derpy giddily exclaimed at the delightful thought. So many new possibilities, so many new opportunities, and none of which she could quite discern at the moment.
Derpy was ready to begin testing the limits of this new "relationship" she had developed, and decided that her first course of action was to do something about all of this physically reinforced attention she was receiving. Thinking back to the days when she was raising her little muffin, she was never allowed to give overwhelming amounts of attention unless she was prepared to deal with the upset dinky doodle that came with it, but now she was the little muffin, and she had decided that she'd had enough.
"No!" Derpy shouted abruptly at Rainbow Dash, who promptly stopped all movement.
"No?" Rainbow squeaked, completely dumbfounded.
"No more hugs!" Derpy ordered. "I want... MUFFINS!"
No more hugs. Muffins.
Rainbow Dash thought she was getting it now. That is, she incorrectly assumed that her marefriend Derpy was implying that they should be taking a more partial approach to their relationship, and that it would do them good at this point to go out on a date.
"Of course! how thoughtless of me." conceded the disconcerted Rainbow Dash as she complied with her marefreinds orders and allowed Derpy to begin pushing her out the door.
MEANWHILE!
Twilight was enjoying one of those rare early evening outings that she allowed herself when she needed to replenish her supplies.
Ponies everywhere paused to wave at the purple unicorn, and when they did she would politely wave back. She couldn't allow herself to become too distracted however, she was adamant to getting her supplies back to full stock after all. Finally after a lengthy journey she had finally made it to the part of town that comprised of the pawn shop she used for last minute supply pickups, Doctor Whooves peculiar residence, and a few of Ponyville’s other eccentric tenants.
"Jeez, this sure is a weird part of town," Twilight commented out loud to break the silence around her. "I wonder if the store will have some superfine-"
She stopped at the sight of what she made out to be Rainbow Dash being pushed by a dainty blonde maned pony. Curious as to why somepony should have to push Rainbow Dash across town, Twilight decided to approach the couple.
She soon recognized the blond maned pony to be Rainbow's friend Derpy Hooves the mail mare, somepony who she had never really had the opportunity to become properly acquainted with, because she never really needed to mail anything.
"Hi there," Twilight greeted the two pegasi warmly. Now, Twilight believed herself to be a very astute pony, so, that being said, she was quite sure that she couldn't have, in any way, expected to receive the reception she did. Because, as soon as she introduced herself, the mare she identified as the one called Derpy stopped pushing Rainbow, gave her a smile, and waved, before turning back around and continuing to push Dash across the ground; and Rainbow Dash was completely oblivious to her presence, even thought the whole exchange took place while they were only a yard away.
Twilight guessed something was wrong.
"Uh, Derpy is it?" Twilight asked as she brought herself closer to the two pegasi.
"Yeahuh." Derpy politely responded without stopping.
"I see you're pushing my friend Rainbow Dash around." Twilight said as she tried to get a closer look at the cyan pegasus. "I was just wondering why that is?"
"We're going to get some muffins." The cloy Rainbow Dash murmured listlessly.
Twilight was now obstructing their path.
"Ok guys. What's going on? What's the matter Rainbow, and why aren't you walking?"
Rainbow suddenly snapped back to, and seeing Twilight chastise her marefriend greatly upset her. Rainbow Dash wobbled as she brought herself up off the ground. She quickly turned around, and returned to the embrace of her marefriend Derpy.
"What's going on guys?" Twilight asked, not bothering to hide her amusement.
"Derpy and I are in love." Rainbow stated indifferently. Rainbow Dash would have said more, but she was only just now realizing how alluring Twilight's eyes were, and needed a moment to take that in.
"You're in love?" Twilight asked Rainbow Dash incredulously,"With Derpy the mail mare?"
"Yes, I am."
"And you, Derpy, are also in love with Rainbow Dash?"
"Yeah, I'm her cuddle muffin."
Twilight face hoofed.
"Rainbow Dash what's really going on here?" Twilight asked, after having figured the whole thing for a bluff. Rainbow looked as though she was more interested in telling her something than she was in Derpy.
"Twilight! Are you saying that there's a problem with two mares.....falling in...in a relationship?" Rainbow Dash criticized indignantly.
"Certainly not. Ponies can fall in love with whoever they want, but I can tell that something's wrong with a relationship when one mare refers to herself as a cuddle muffin while dragging the other on the ground- Rainbow Dash are you ok?" Twilight interrupted herself to ask Rainbow why she was shaking. Rainbow Dash was, clearly, overenamored by Twilight's persistence.
"Twilight..............you're such'a.....monomaniac." Rainbow Dash criticized, while trying to take her attention off of Twilight's beautiful purple eyes.
Twilight turned her head, and shook off the insult. "I hardly think so,"she retorted. Perhaps she was, she reasoned, but only when necessary.
Twilight turned back to Rainbow Dash whom she realized hadn't broken eye contact. Twilight made contact with her friend's eyes, and upon seeing a pure, if ingenuous, adoration in Rainbow Dash's eyes, her cheeks began to blush.
"Um. Are you ok Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked carefully as not to upset her spacey friend.
"Yeah." Rainbow Dash replied dreamily.
"Is something the matter?"
"Nah."
Twilight wasn't too dense that she couldn't tell when somepony was hitting on her, but Rainbow Dash was one of her closest friends. Was all this just a scheme Rainbow Dash was using to make a move on her?
"Um, Rainbow Dash do you... like me?"
"Yeah." Rainbow Dash said with a sigh.
Twilight Sparkle turned away to absorb herself in this unsettling development.
What? Twilight thought to herself in disbelief. Does Rainbow Dash really want to be marefreinds with me? Sure she knows me better than most other ponies. There's certainly no harm in attempting at a relationship, but what if it becomes something more? What if I can never have children, because Rainbow Dash doesn't want children, and because we violate Cloudsdale security policies-?
Twilight regained some of her self control before her grief drove her to do something insane again. It was only a couple years ago that she had become acclimated to having and maintaining friendships, she reasoned, so surely Rainbow Dash could understand her hesitancy toward relationships.
Twilight turned around with renewed confidence.
"Rainbow I-...Um...." Twilight Sparkle couldn't finish her sentence; Her attention was occupied by the peculiarity of Derpy dragging Rainbow Dash across the ground by their forearms-- She sure wasn't feeling too confident about the situation now.
"Um Derpy?"
"Yeah?"
"Nothing would be substantially wrong with Rainbow Dash to make her completely limp like she is now, would there?"
Derpy was wondering what Twilight was getting at. She let go of Rainbow Dash's forearms, and let her drop to the ground with a painful sounding crash.
"Oh you mean when she drank a potion?"
"DRANK A POTION!"
"Yeah, Rainbow Dash accidental drank a potion I found," Derpy began explaining to the best of her ability. "But she got all better now, see."
"Derpy, Rainbow Dash could be poisoned." Twilight explained worriedly. She had hoped that Derpy could tell her more about this potion she gave Rainbow Dash, but it was clear to her that Derpy was dangerously ignorant of toxic chemicals. "I need to get her back to my library if I'm going to figure this out. I'm sorry Derpy, but Rainbow Dash needs to come with me."
"Ok! the Doctor wanted my help with something anyway!" Derpy said.
Twilight Sparkle face hoofed as the wall eyed pegasis turned away to head back inside Doctor Whooves cozy abode.
Rainbow Dash lifted her head up, and observed that Derpy Hooves the mail mare, her assumed marefriend, had abandoned her.
Rainbow Dash couldn't comprehend what just happened. Derpy had left her, and in front of her beautiful friend Twilight no less. Rainbow Dash felt a pit in her heart where Derpy was. It was empty now. She began to curl up in a ball into the fetal position.
Twilight, feeling she as though she had been thrust into a situation without any due clarification, was trying to put all the pieces together in her head.
Rainbow Dash had obviously drank a poisonous substance. One which is functioning to impair her reasoning, and cause her to react amatively to everypony she happens by.
"So... It's a love potion." Twilight deduced outloud.
"Why?" Rainbow Dash squeaked in a sorry tone.
Seeing her friend in such a depressed state hurt Twilight. She could see that part of Rainbow Dash was still fighting against the effects, which, in ordinary circumstances, would leave the victim inebriated; but Rainbow Dash wasn't one for docility, and Twilight anticipated this would be a problem.
"Rainbow? What's the matter?" Twilight gently asked her friend to sooth the apparent pain.
"Twilight?" Rainbow Dash squeaked again as she brought her eye line toward Twilight's. Twilight Sparkle tried not to smile at her adorable pouting face as Rainbow emoted her despair.
"Hey there, are you alright?" She asked warmly. Twilight knew she was good at dealing with ponies' problems, but she wasn't totally sure how to console somepony who had been drugged, dated and then dumped within a two hour time period. Before she could follow up her question, Rainbow Dash began expressing her despair.
Rising from the ground at an astonishing speed, Rainbow Dash embraced Twilight Sparkle's neck. She leaned her head on her arms, and began whimpering incoherently. Twilight knew things were bad if Rainbow was already emotionally breaking down like this, which was something she hadn't, until now, seen her do before.
"Twilight. It's awful. Derpy, she... left me." Rainbow Dash cried on Twilight Sparkle, who was uncomfortable with being so close to another pony. "My life is RUINED!"
Even though Twilight Sparkle had only just met Derpy, the irony that Rainbow Dash thought that they'd been in love didn't escape her.
"It's ok." Twilight consoled her friend. Unfortunately for her, Twilight failed to portend this mistake.
"Twilight, do you love me?" Rainbow Dash asked incredulously.
Twilight realized her silly mistake, but would deny it provided it availed her the benefit of getting Rainbow Dash help.
"Um, yes I love you Rainbow," Twilight lied.
Realizing that she sound completely melodramatic, Twilight tried again. "I really love you."--No, that wasn't any better.
Rainbow Dash didn't get why Twilight was having so much trouble expressing her feelings, and gave her a disapproving look.
Rainbow Dash didn't think it was supposed to be this difficult.
Twilight decided she'd need to make a few compromises if she was going to pull this off.
How difficult could it be to get a drugged Rainbow Dash to think they were in love.
Twilight looked about incredulously. Rainbow had absconded from her sight and was molesting an earth pony with blond hair, a tan coat and glasses.
"Hi." Rainbow Dash said bashfully.
"Oh, hello" Doseydotes said happily, giving Rainbow a warm smile. Then Rainbow Dash reached out and hugged her.
"you’re really pretty." Rainbow whispered in an exalted tone.
"Ok? this is a'little weird." Doseydotes admitted, before slipping out from under Rainbow's arms and trotting off. Rainbow, having nothing more to lean on to, toppled to the ground. Choosing to forget the embarrassing display, Rainbow picked herself up, and turned to find her next victim; a stall vendor named Carrot Top.
Twilight was quicker this time, and pinned Rainbow Dash to the ground with her magic.
"Rainbow, please!" Twilight didn't want to have to do this in a public area, but she swallowed her pride with a loud gulp. "Rainbow, I love you."
Twilight saw hearts glow in Rainbow's eyes. "Wow, Twilight, I....didn't know." Rainbow stuttered to whisper as though she had heard the most charming comment she had ever received, rather than a really tacky and uninspired pickup line. Rainbow approached Twilight and nuzzled their noses together.
"Get a room!" Carrot Top decided she'd seen enough of this abhorrent display, and was now closing her shop to get away from the disturbing couple.
"Uhhhhhhhhhh.." Twilight blushed. This wasn't what she had hoped for. "Rainbow, I was wondering if you wanted to go back to my place. We could read the new Daring Doo, the Quest for the....Sapphire?"
There was an awkward pause, before Rainbow jumped on the idea. "Yeah, let's do that thing!" She yelled over-enthusiastically.
As Twilight turned around to lead Rainbow out of the embarrassing scene they had made, she felt something climb up and lean on her back. Twilight looked back to see that Rainbow Dash had now taken to the idea that she could lie on top of her for the entire duration of their trip across town. "Rainbow, please get off me, other ponies are looking." This was become a bit too absurd for her.
"Huh?"
"Get off my back!"
To Twilight's surprise, Rainbow got off her shoulders, but was now running toward a pink pony over yonder.
"Rainbow Dash, wait!" Twilight shouted, but Rainbow couldn't hear.
"Ah-haha, Pinkie Pie", Twilight heard Rainbow laugh lethargically, her voice sounding a little too comely to be considered just friendly. With that she knew for a fact that Rainbow Dash was now molesting Pinkie Pie.
With a frustrated expression, she turned to see where Rainbow Dash had now run off too. As she had expected, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were exchanging dialog, however Rainbow Dash was on the ground, upside down, and making awkward gestures with her for-hooves. Twilight hurried herself over to them.
As she came closer Twilight could hear more of their conversation. She heard Rainbow Dash's chuckling, and Pinkie Pie's giggling, but she had no idea of what was going on.
"Pinkie Pie. Remember when you- pffff-ahahaha." Rainbow laughed light heartedly.
"Yea, it was pretty funny wasn't it?" Pinkie said quizzically before joining in the laughter.
Even when Twilight was just a few feet away from the two ponies she couldn't discern what was going on, but she was pretty sure that they weren't talking about the same thing.
"-And, and then when-" Rainbow stopped abruptly as though she couldn't hold in her laughter any longer, and started chuckling while teetering from side to side on her back.
"-And then when I stuck confetti in the microwave." Pinkie Pie attempted to finish her friends thought, before falling over onto her back in a fit of laughter.
Pinkie was so absorbed by the ridiculous moment she was sharing with Rainbow Dash that she didn't notice it when Rainbow began rolling over to her. Pinkie abruptly stopped laughing to look down at her friend who had latched on to her and was now nuzzling her chest.
Pinkie's first thoughts were almost as calm and rational as they could possibly be. She new Rainbow Dash was a little different from her other friends, though she never expected her to open up like this. Pinkie became a little bit less calm as Rainbow continued with her giggly, nuzzly-ness apparently unconcerned with how it made them look when in public, or, more specifically, in the dirt. Even for her, this was a absurd.
Pinkie struggled a bit to pull her friend off her, but Rainbow Dash was much stronger than her, and surprisingly determined to hold her down on the ground against her will.
Rainbow Dash, how dare you take advantage of my friendliness to pull off a stunt like this, pinkie thought to herself as she began struggling against her friends embrace.
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight shouted down at her friend on the ground.
"Rainbow Dash!". This time Rainbow Dash let go of Pinkie and turned to her other friend who was leaning over her. Pinkie Pie took this opportunity to pull herself up off the ground, and then turned around to give Rainbow Dash an upset look. Rainbow's facial expressions sunk as she saw Pinkie and Twilight, who were looming over her, and sharing a similar expression of distaste.
Twilight....it wasn't..Pinkie Pie...we were just...
Rainbow Dash made a depressive look as she tried to cover her face with her hooves.
"Sorry about that Pinkie," Twilight tried to apologize for her friend's actions."Rainbow Dash isn't feeling well."
"Well what's the matter with her," Pinkie asked. Her disposition lightening up almost instantaneously. she turned her attention back toward Rainbow Dash who was on her left side still trying to cover her face while she wept silently."does she have the flu?"
"No, I'm afraid she might be have drank a love poison." Twilight answered Pinkie's question before her inquiries got any further out of hand.
"Oh no!" Pinkie exclaimed before asking,"is there anything I can do to help?"
"I don't think so, but if I can get her over to the library I should be able to figure out whats afflicting her."
There was a moment's pause.
"I know, we can use my greetings chest!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"I....don't follow," Twilight said dubiously.
"My greetings chest," she repeated enthusiastically."I use it to greet ponies I haven't met, or at least the newer ones. It's a new thing I do. It has four wheels, and a saddle, and enough room to carry an entire pony."
Suddenly Twilight was as enthusiastic as Pinkie Pie about this plan.
"That's a great idea." she exclaimed before realizing the only problem with this plan."but rainbow dash doesn't seem to be following directions right now."
"Hmmm" Pinkie murmured as if she were pondering the question of how to get Rainbow Dash off the ground and into the greetings device, but there was one obvious solution that they both knew would work.
Twilight released a heavy breath before returning to her friend who was still hunched over in the dirt. She was hesitant to put herself in such a compromising position again, but she knew she had to do it for Rainbow Dash's sake.
"Rainbow Dash. Come on, lets go." Twilight said as she pulled the bedraggled pegasus off the ground.
Twilight..You're..So great. Obscure thoughts continued to fill Rainbow Dash's mind idolizing every moment she ever shared with the purple unicorn, but they all seemed contrived to her in some way that her mind couldn't rationalize. Rainbow made a pain filled grimace at the unwholesome thought.
"Rainbow, come on." Twilight cooed her friend."Lets get you fixed up."
Whatever unwholesome thought Rainbow Dash had was now replaced by euphoria at the thought of accompanying her marefriend once again.
"Twilight." rainbow dash whispered lovingly before following the unicorn.
Twilight made another futile attempt to conceal herself in the box.
What could be more embarrassing than being molested in public and not being able to do anything about it? She wondered as she lied in the decorative chest.
A dirty blue pegasus with a pretty rainbow mane was huddled over her with her stomach lying on her back.
Rainbow Dash's head rested snugly in Twilight Sparkle's purple mane. She wore a smile on her face as she blissfully slept
Twilight considered calling it a day, tying rainbow dash down to the cart, and just dragging her the rest of the way.
As quickly as Twilight had finished her thought had Rainbow Dash ejected herself from the crate. Alarmed, Twilight picked herself up to see where the pegasus was now retreating to. She spotted Rainbow Dash flying erratically toward Rarity's familiar place of residence.
"Rainbow DASH!" Twilight shouted, but Rainbow Dash was too quick.
Rarity had been working meticulously on a dress being worn by a mannequin. She was just finishing up with some of the decorations when she heard the door open.
"Welcome to Rarity's Boutique," Rarity welcomed her unseen guest melodically, assuming that she was addressing one of the towns folk wishing to browse her store."Please wait one moment and I'll be right with you."
"Rarity?" She heard Rainbow Dash's call.
"Hello Rainbow dash. What is it?" Rarity called back inquisitively.
"Rarity..."
Rarity was forced to stop at this point. Never had she imagined that Rainbow Dash could be so dramatic.
"You know Rainbow, you'd be a flawless actress." she complimented absentmindedly as she returned her attention to her work.
Rarity looked over again to see Rainbow Dash stumbling toward her.
"Rainbow Dash! What happened!?" Rarity asked in her most sincere tone as to not come off as condescending, something that Rainbow Dash often misconstrued.
"Rarity......You are the most...elegant, and glamorous pony I know." Rainbow Dash commented lovingly.
"Oh!" Rarity loved attention, and fervently believed that she didn't receive enough of it; a problem which stemmed from her seriously lacking romantic life, but Rainbow was now pursuing her in a most esoteric fashion, save the tripping and bedraggled appearance. There was something genuinely adorably sweet, and innocent about it.
Rarity considered her platonic admiration. Still, Why hadn't she picked up on this before.
"Rarity, I'm..Love you."
Whatever feeling of flattery she managed to kindle was now diminished by the sudden disheveled appearance and lethargy of her attitude.
Rarity new rainbow was at least a few screws loose. Just a year ago Rainbow kissed her out of some masculinity affront while they were being stalked by a dragon, but this was completely absurd.
"Well, I'll need time to think about this," Rarity responded irritatedly, while trying to refocus on her work."Now if you could excuse me, I don't appreciate ponies tripping over my stuff in deranged stupors."
To her surprise Rainbow Dash was still approaching her in the same erratic pace. Suddenly frightened of what Rainbow was intending to do, Rarity began backing toward the corner of the room.
"Um, Rainbow Dash, you are okay are you not?" She questioned as she continued her steady retreat from the pegasus.
Rainbow stopped her approach shortly after hearing her friends question. Her expression was completely blank for a moment, and then suddenly became red. Her face became contorted with emotions as she struggled to apprehend what was going on.
Rarity. Why?........Why...Do this....This isn't supposed....I don't...?
"Rainbow?"
Rainbow Dash stopped at the sound of Rarities concerned call. Rarity noticed that her face was completely expressionless again, and had returned to its normal colors. She also noticed tears lining the edges of her eyes, and that her eyes were a bit more red than before, but other than that her face held no signs of emotion.
"Rarity?" Rainbow asked pitifully.
"Rainbow?" Rarity called again, hoping that whatever was afflicting her friend had alleviated itself. "Rainbow Dash?"
"Rarity." Rainbow Dashed said this time with an added emphasis stemming from some hidden desire. her powerful call reverberating off the walls and sending chills down Rarities spine.
Rarity used her magic to grab a manikin from nearby to shield herself from her friends fatuous approach. Rainbow's face still held no emotion though she noticed that her friend was a little more clumsy than she had been previously.
To Rarity's surprise, however, once Rainbow had made it to the mannequin she began trying to climb over it.
Rainbow made several attempts at jumping on it, each time causing her to fall, and to make a painful sounding grunt as she hit the floor. Sometimes rather than picking herself up, she attempted to climb up over it from off the ground.
Rarity watched the depressing sight play out, and seeing that Rainbow might not be as dangerous as she first believed, she considered approaching to try to help her friend.
Before Rarity could decide the door burst open again, only this time it was Twilight who entered.
"There you are" Twilight exclaimed as she approached Rainbow Dash.
"Twilight" Rainbow replied in an elated tone, turning toward her friend.
"Twilight, whatever is going on?" Rarity asked as Rainbow Dash made her way over to Twilight, casually pulled herself up to lean on Twilight's back, and proceeded to rest her head.
"Sorry about that Rarity," Twilight apologized as she shifted the added weight on her shoulders,"but it seems that Rainbow Dash has ingested some sort of love poison."
"Oh dear!" Rarity exclaimed, the feeling of consternation returning to her."I hope its not serious."
"I hope not," Twilight responded worriedly."I've been trying to get her back to my place to do more studies on it, but Rainbow Dash here keeps wandering off."
"I see," Rarity remarked thoughtfully."I believe I might be able to help."
Twilight was glad to have Rarity's help. With Rainbow Dash suspended in the air via the combined powers of both Rarity and herself, Twilight was beginning to believe that this journey may finally be coming to an end.
Twilight and Rarity were fine with the way the situation had developed, merrily trotting down the streets of Ponyville with their lethargic friend in tow. Rainbow Dash was also quite content with drifting through the air, or at least she seemed content. She had no particular facial expression, in fact, it looked like she didn't even know where she was while she slowly revolved about in the air to the torque created from the two ponies combined magics.
Twilight found it upsetting. All indicators lead her to believe that her friends condition was deteriorating, which would mean that there was something more at play here than just a neurological debilitator. The day would soon be getting dark however, and she wanted to find the source of this disease before then.
"Howdy" the two unicorn heard somepony shout from behind.
As Twilight and Rarity began to turn to exchange greetings with this new pony Rainbow Dash began fighting ferociously against their magic. This was an unfortunate development because most unicorn knew that attempting to hold pegasi in the air is a lost battle. Twilight looked desperately for someplace to hold Rainbow Dash before she could break free, and tackle their companion. Luckily twilight spotted a vacant wagon in the other street, but Rainbow was unyielding. with one final tug Rainbow Broke through.
Apple Jack couldn't make heads or tails of the situation. She had decided to keep her distance in an attempt to assess the situation, but ended up getting tackled by a deranged Rainbow Dash instead.
Apple Jack had gotten used to being a victim of Rainbow Dash's antics, but no matter how close of friends they were she could never completely absolve Rainbow of her thoughtless actions. Rainbow Dash's obnoxiously childish laughter was what got her off this time.
"What in tarnation? Rainbow Dash, get off of me!" Apple Jack shouted up at the pegasus laying on top of her.
Rainbow Dash was a conceited problem, purposefully pinning apple jack down with her weight, but Apple Jack wasn't amused, and tugged Rainbow off with force enough to send her pivoting through the air.
As Apple Jack pulled herself from the ground, Rainbow Dash looked up at her in shock and bewilderment. She lied sprawled on the ground with her right wing outstretched toward Apple Jack who had already began readjusting her hat and regaining her composure.
I...Just want..To be loved..I just wanted her to like me. the perturbed Rainbow Dash thought to herself I..Need her to like me.
Before Apple Jack was fully aware of what she was doing had Rainbow Dash wiggled her way under the orange earth pony, and to Apple Jacks bemusement; she pulled herself up against Apple Jacks stomach, stretched out her wings, and began hanging off from her.
Finding that having an upside down pegasus hanging off of her significantly encumbered her movement, Apple Jack decided she would need to remain stationary as she attempted to figure out what was going on.
"Hi, Apple Jack." Apple Jack heard Twilight greet her from behind.
"Err, Howdy there Twilight, Rarity." Apple Jack said, apparently unamused by the compromising position she was in.
"Are you having a nice evening." Twilight said to be cordial with Apple Jack while trying to get everything back into a progressive state.
"Well, I was watching y'all tugging Rainbow Dash through the air, when she suddenly tackled me." Apple Jack explained, obviously wishing she hadn't needed to. She made another futile attempt to turn. "But other than that, yes, the evening's perfect."
Twilight didn't think she could deal with Rainbow Dash much longer, but for Rarity this was too cute. "How is everything hanging there, Apple Jack?"
"Just fine Rarity, but I was hoping that y'all could tell me what's going on, if that'd be alright?" Apple Jack mussed, taking note of her friend's adoring comment.
"I see you and Rainbow are sharing a moment." Rarity persisted, giving Apple Jack a clear perspective of the situation.
"Rarity?" Apple Jack heard Twilight whine. Apple Jack decided she'd had enough. If Rainbow wanted to tell her something then she could tell her, but the whole group thing was a bit absurd. Without another thought, Applejack flexed her hind quarters, causing Rainbow to slide off and hit the ground.
"So how are you doing Apple Jack?" Twilight asked as she came closer to where Rainbow now lay.
"Oh, me and Big Mac were just going to the local stores delivering apples." Apple Jack pointed to her brother who had apparently just concluded business with an apple vendor on the side of the road.
Big Mac was approaching from the market. He had watched the whole thing in silent distaste. He wondered why his sister was being so prude when her friend, who he had got the impression they were very close, was admitting her attraction towards her. He knew that Rainbow Dash was a reasonable sort of pony, and that she and Apple Jack were the closest friends. He began worrying his sister was becoming too distant to the idea of finding somepony for herself, and was now exacerbated by anypony whom liked her in that respect.
He approached the group, however he found Rainbow Dash was prancing toward him first. He stopped in abashment, Rainbow Dash was now circling around him, and rubbing up against him like a cat. Big Mac's back stiffened at the overwhelming amount of loving physical attention he was receiving from a girl he but hardly knew.
"Big Mac, your so..cool." Rainbow Dash insisted as she continued with her affectionate rubs.
"Uhhh." Big Mac stammered, he couldn't quite find the right thing to say. His cheeks blushed, he was a sucker for the lovey duby stuff, but he could easily identify the contrived sentiments behind her words and actions.
"Rainbow Dash, what's going on with you?" Apple Jack yelled, after deciding she was angry about Rainbow molesting her brother and herself.
Twilight was getting tired of taking responsibility for her friend, but stifled her anger to answer her friends question. "Sorry Apple Jack,- RAINBOW DASH! WAIT!" Twilight cut herself off to shout after Rainbow Dash, who had taken flight again, and was speeding through the air toward something.
Fluttershy, who was flying toward Twilight's place to return a book on anthropology, failed to see the blue pegasus flying pegasus colliding with her, resulting in them both crashing and tumbling to the ground.
"No! Stop!" Twilight chased after the two pegasi as they crashed into the apple stand.
Rainbow Dash picked herself up out of the wreckage, having used her incredibly flexible body to compensate for impact. She caught glance of a blue unicorn in a spectacular get up, and happily trotted over to her.
Fluttershy remained strewn about in the debris, not wanting to move due to the tremendous pain she was in. "Rainbow Dash, why?" she squeaked.
Twilight couldn't help Fluttershy at the moment, she had to deal with the angry stall owner, and then catch up to Rainbow before more devastation ensued.
"I'm sorry, I can pay for this." She reassured the stall owner before sprinting toward Trixie.
"I think I you're really pretty." Twilight heard Rainbow Dash speak clumsily to the blue unicorn. Rainbow was trying to climb up on top of Trixie, which did nothing for Trixie's disposition.
"Trixie is quite sure she doesn't know you." Trixie said before sweeping Rainbow away with her cape
"Hey, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie shouted as she frolicked forward, the greetings chest still attached to her.
Twilight turned her head and smiled at Pinkie without stopping. She'd nearly caught her.
This time Rainbow tried jumping on top of Trixie; succeeding in tackling the unicorn's back, wrinkling her hat and cape. In retaliation, Trixie propagated a storm cloud which she used to strike lightning at her assailant. Trixie, having been spared the lightening strikes affects, walked away from the crumpled pegasus.
Rainbow was nearly incapacitated from the strike, and Twilight thought it was only appropriate. Twilight had nearly made it to her home, and with Rainbow incapacitated, her studies could soon begin. Slowly Apple Jack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Big Mac all formed a circle around the injured pegasus.
"Twilight, what's goin' on." Apple Jack persisted for an answer.
"I'm sorry Apple Jack, Fluttershy, Big Mac, but Rainbow Dash has been poisoned." Twilight explained for what she hoped would be the last time. Rainbow Dash began shaking.
"What do you mean? She's not hurt is she?" Fluttershy asked worriedly while leaning over her spastic friend.
"No," Twilight tried to answer."Or, no, I don't know?"
"Well, she doesn't seem to be getting much better," Apple Jack responded seeing her friend was having difficulty. "Is there somewhere we can get her help, perhaps a clinic."
"Um." Twilight wasn't sure." No. A clinic would just put her in bed and give her sedatives or sleeping pills until the potion wears off, and if it doesn't then the patient could suffer serious damage to their memory."
"So, what do you have in mind?" Rarity asked Twilight hopefully.
"If I can get her back to the library, then I could easily find a spell to combat the effects of the poison, thus enabling her to retain her memory while the poison leaves her blood stream." Twilight encouraged her friends, before addressing the obvious dilemma. "But we've still a ways to go before we get to my place."
"No problem!" Pinkie Pie shouted," We can use that vacant wagon over there."
They all turned to see the wagon that Pinkie Pie had mentioned, and all agreed it would work.
"Big Mac, head back to the farm and tell the rest I'll be a while." Apple Jack said over to her big brother, before helping Pinkie Pie and Rarity lift up Rainbow Dash and carry her over to the wagon.
"Eyup." He reassured his sister, before trotting off.
Twilight was relieved. With her friends help, and rainbow immobilized, they could end this excursion.
It was now rather late in the evening.
Twilight was glad she was finally back at the library. Every branch of the tree, every sparkly clean window, and each of her two finely dusted doors were akin to her a sanctuary, and at the moment, necessarily. Twilight found that Rainbow wasn't apprehending the same greeting, as she began squirming ever more violently in place under Apple Jack. Twilight opened her door and stepped aside to let her exhausted friend inside. After each of her five friends had made it inside the library Twilight entered herself, searching high and low for her purple dragon assistant.
"Spike," Twilight called out.
promptly the dragon appeared from the corner of the balcony.
"Hey guys," The baby dragon greeted, puzzled as to why they would be having so many guests at such an hour. The question escaped him as he caught sight of Rainbow dash struggling against some unknown aberration.
"Spike I need you to find me the books on toxic and poisonous substances." Twilight ordered before turning around to attend to Rainbow. Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight all helped recline the fidgeting pegasus onto Twilight's chair. Then Twilight received a very acute question.
"Um, Twilight? what books on poisonous substances?" Spike asked, hoping she could clarify her ambiguous directions.
"I think I'll need all of them." Twilight managed to say, as she attempted to hold Rainbow Dash down.
Two hours and Twilight was losing hope of finding the source of the problem before the evening ended. It was getting late, and the sun had left them, but twilight still had nothing, not a single tangible answer to her problem. She had spent the last couple hours searching safety books and cross referencing what she found with her giant toxic chemicals thesaurus, but yielded nothing useful. She turned back over to her poor friend Rainbow Dash who had forfeited her struggling to wheezing and clutching her chest as though it were in pain.
She couldn't bring herself to tell her friends, but Twilight thought Rainbow Dash looked as though she were dying. If it wasn't a poison that killing her then what was it?
Twilight thought back to her school days. She remember doing a paper on Panzer Faust, a pony Scientist. She remembered reading that he had once made a very interesting theory; that should a pony ingest an intoxicating substance which impairs one's reasoning, that they're more likely to experience a perversion of the soul; a curse.
Twilight gulped, It wasn't as far fetched the scientific community believed. She looked back toward Rainbow Dash. Unbeknownst to her friends, who proceeded upstairs to help in the search, Rainbow Dash had managed to pick herself up off the couch and was beginning to making her way toward Fluttershy.
Fluttershy, who had decided to remain by Rainbow as a sentry, had become awkward at the sight of her approaching friend.
"Um, Rainbow Dash..wouldn't you like to lay down?" Fluttershy asked Rainbow Dash gently."You're not looking too well."
"Fluttershy. I love you." Rainbow Dash said obstinately.
"No, you should lay down. You're not thinking right." Fluttershy attempted to remedy her friend's misconceptions.
"No, I want you to be with me." Rainbow Dash chimed cruelly.
Fluttershy shrank toward the wall as she attempted to block herself from the unstable etiquette that Rainbow Dash was reflecting on to her.
"Rainbow Dash, stop this immediately." Rarity demanded, clearly she'd had enough of Rainbow Dash's delusions for one day. Gradually the rest of the company filled the room, all of them harboring resentment toward the obstinate Rainbow Dash.
"Rarity's right, You can't go about treating your friends like that." Pinkie Pie remarked.
"I'd thought better of you." Apple Jack criticized.
Rainbow Dash giggled. Rainbow Dash thought all these faces coming to criticize her looked familiar, as though she once knew them and loved them, but she didn't know them; she didn't want to if they were all this mean. Rainbow Dash stopped at the thought, she didn't need them. Surely they were just here to criticize and impose bigoted opinions at her and her true love...
Rainbow Dash was disconcerted, she had none. Nopony was in her heart, and nopony she remembered that she cared for. Everything Rainbow thought felt shallow and contrived, Confusion labored her mind.
"Why, Rainbow Dash?" Rainbow heard Fluttershy speak. Fluttershy thought her friend had become an absurd jerk. "I thought you valued loyalty?"
She couldn't take it anymore, Rainbow tried to escape into the recesses of her mind, where she could find refuge in her complacency. Now nopony could reach her, and nopony could console her. Rainbow Dash was completely consumed in her madness. Everypony in the library had stopped what they were doing to ogle at the cyan pony. She had taken to a fetal position and wore an expression of delusion. Her eyes were closed tight, barred from the world, and She began making odd fidgets with her neck, thighs, and shoulders.
"Rainbow Dash, can you hear me?" Apple Jack asked. She turned to everypony else."I don't think she can hear me."
Everypony turned to Twilight Sparkle for an explanation.
"I think I may have found a reason for Rainbow's condition." Twilight said wearily. "have any of you heard of Panzer's theory on the corruptible soul?"
"Corruptible soul?" Worried, Fluttershy asked.
"Panzer Faust theorized that a pony could be weakened to the point that they could no longer protect themselves from internal threats, such as corruption. I think Rainbow Dash has become cursed."
"A Curse?" Pinkie shouted, hoping Twilight was kidding.
"What do you mean? What kind of curse?" Rarity inquired.
"A curse, or a malediction, is a manifestation of darkness in one's heart. While most of us are capable of fighting them off, Rainbow Dash has become impaired due to her poisoning, and is now more vulnerable to them. It's capable of emanating dark energies through its victims, and its been gradually taking control of Rainbow Dash as her constitution and will power digress."
Rainbow Dash made a muffled scream. She saw it now. Within the swirling vortex of confusion that her conscience had degraded to, she saw a black blur creeping toward her. She began whimpering in fear, as tears started to trickle down her cheeks.
"So, what do we do?" Apple Jack asked, unable to hide her worry. "how do we cure it, or purge it, or whatever?"
"I..I don't."Twilight was reluctant to give them the answer.
"It's not that simple." Spike explained. "A perversion of the soul cannot simply be purged, else you would risk damaging the soul itself."
"You're not suggesting that we do nothing." Rarity appalled herself at the thought. "We have to do something. Use a magic dampening spell. Help her fight the curse and prolong her life."
"The curse has already adapted itself to extend and augment the effects of the poison." Twilight's heart sank as she thought out loud. "Even if we were to beat back the curse, there's little chance we will be able to purge it in this context."
"What do you mean? Why not?" Pinkie caught herself before her panic freaked everyone else out, but Twilight was already upset.
"What I mean is that there is the minutest chance that we would succeed. Think about it, we all knew she was ill and that our refusals to give into her feigned desires were straining her. We can't do it because one of us would have to pretend to love her every day for what could be as long as a five years!" She stopped her shouting.
There was a moment of silence. Nobody was sure what to do or say.
"I'll do it." Pinkie whispered somberly. Rarity looked at the brave pink pony and quickly glanced away, tears filling her eyes.
"Pinkie, you have to understand that it's not that easy. Were you to wait out Rainbow Dash's condition, she would gradually come to realize how false your love is. She will realize that none of her relationships are real, and that all of her memories are hollow. she'll be completely empty."
"No! I can do it. I can be with Rainbow Dash for the rest of our lives." Pinkie Pie tried to convince herself.
Fluttershy was appalled at her friend. "Pinkie Pie!"
Twilight looked at Pinkie too, a sorry look on her face. She couldn't let her do it, because she had to do it. For failing her weak friend, for her dereliction, she would need to take care of Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow had begun fidgeting more violently, and Twilight instructed the group to bring Rainbow Dash to her bed. Together they gently carried her to the upstairs bed room, and tucked her in bed.
Rainbow Dash couldn't open her eyes to see. However, she allowed herself to sink into the cozy mattress, managed to folded her wings in, and shake her unkempt mane out of her face. Then she was calm, deciding to let the darkness consume her and end her pointless life. She saw that the Dark creature was, indeed, edging closer at an exponentially quicker pace now. Soon it was upon her, and a moment later it engulfed her. For a moment she couldn't feel anything, and had thought she had already died. Then a sharp pain struck her heart. Rainbow let out a blood curdling cry as she began shaking spastically. Her friends all blocked their ears from the barrage of painful screams. Rainbow Dash struggled against the pain; her wings flailing as a flowing stream of tears ran down her face.
Her agonized screams muffled out most of the concerned chatter that the others in room were attempting to exchange, which was mostly directed toward Twilight and pertaining to the spell that need to be made.
"Uhm, guys I think its 'bout time we did something." Apple Jack panicked.
"Twilight, Do something!" Fluttershy shrieked as she tried to cover her ears again.
"Make it stop! Make it stop!"
"Twilight!?"
"Twilight! Do it now!" Rarity shouted over all others.
Twilight couldn't bring herself to help her dying friend. She needed to ask herself first: could she help her friend? Could she be there for her? love her for the rest of her life? She looked down at her perturbed friend, wondering if she could ever truly love something so hollow, so dead inside.
Rainbow Dash made one final scream that was cut short as she began gasping for air. Her back becoming taut, and her life force began to ebb away. Twilight braced herself to cast the spell. She couldn't let her friend die for her; she couldn't fathom it.
In a burst of purple light a translucent cone formed around the group. Not long after Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth as the curse began to recede a safe distance from her consciousness.
Twilight felt her magic being suppressed, reassuring her that the spell had worked. Rainbow had stopped her fitful spasms, but showed no signs that she was consciously aware of what was going on. The poison was still very much in effect.
Everyone in the room was looking toward Twilight for guidance. The magic dampening spell wouldn't last forever, and they need a plan before the curse could attack again. Twilight Sparkle paused to let it all sink in before turning to adress her freinds. With a wave of her hoof and a weary smile she dismissed them for the night. Everypony else glanced at one another before departing, Spike excluded, who saw his pony friends off before returning to the somber scene.
Twilight Sparkle didn't wait for his impute. She was already addressing the issue at hand. She brought herself over to Rainbow, whom had apparently fallen asleep from exhaustion. With a soft shake Twilight Sparkle got her friend to open her eyes. For the next moment nothing happend. Rainbow Dash only wore a sore look on her face as she tried to figure out where she was. After glancing around she spotted Twilight, who she could barely recognize.
"I know I wasn't there for you, but I want to help you. You might not trust ponies right now, granted Ponies aren't always perfect. Sometimes they fail, and let vainity and selfish desires could their judgement. Sometimes this means that they want to use others, and encrouch on their freedom and happiness inorder to gain, what they consider, greater purpose. But you're not like them Rainbow Dash, you're just alittle sick. We just need to stay true to each other. I believe in you Rainbow Dash. I know you're still there." Twilight examined Rainbow Dash to see if she was registering any of what was said. Twilight didn't seem to be helping, but she was persistent and had nothing left to hide. "We can't lose you Rainbow Dash, you can't leave us."
Twilight remembered that they weren't alone.
"Spike! I don't want you to watch us," Twilight ordered, although she was glad she still had him close by.
Spike mumbled something as he made his way to his bed and brought out a bag full of pillows he had kept under his bed. Twilight figured that Spike was addressing said issue, and turned back to Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow didn't make any remarkable expression, she still looked exhausted from the earlier incident. She could tell this unicorn wanted to help her. Rainbow just didn't want to be hurt again, she knew at this point that her body couldn't take it.
Twilight sympathized with her friend, they were now in the same precarious situation after all; neither of them wanting to be in a relationship, but bound by necessity.
Twilight knew she had to act now. It was time to let Rainbow know she cared about her.
"We have to be strong." Twilight whispered to convince her beloved friend. Pulling her as close as she could, Twilight put her head over Rainbow's as they both lied down against the bed.
Rainbow bowed her head to her chest in response to the loving gesture, but Twilight wasn't going to allow herself to make the same mistake twice; she needed to seal the deal by letting Rainbow know that she was hers and they were each other's.
Twilight Sparkle looked into Rainbow Dash's eyes, and epiphanized something; she loved her friend Rainbow, and more than anything wanted her back. "Rainbow, no matter what, I'll be there for you. I'll always be there for you." The platonic feeling swelled in Twilight. To be smitten with her, Twilight pulled Rainbow against her, and kissed her, on the mouth.
Twilight's action wasn't completely without regret. Rainbow's mouth wasn't the cleanest place at the moment, but it was tolerable. Still Twilight followed through with the kiss for nearly half a minute before pulling herself off.
The feeling of her hollow love requited was so poignant that it made Rainbow feel as though her viscera were squeezing together. Through all the painful stimuli, Rainbow began regaining her memory of Twilight: Twilight, the one who cheered for her; Twilight, the one who helped her; Twilight, who she loved. Thinking of Twilight's actions and the actual consequences they held, Rainbow couldn't help but see herself as comparatively useless. Rainbow let out a quick breath, her face tensed, and she clenched her teeth.
...I've failed everyone... after another exasperated breath, she had returned to her docile state.
Twilight knew it was going to take allot of work and would be miserable for Rainbow Dash, but she had to stick to the plan. She snuggled up next to her depressed freind, embraced her, and leaned her head against the back of Rainbow's cranium. She reflected on her decision, it was for the best after all. She would have plenty of time to spend with Rainbow Dash for hands-on exercises as they tried to improve her motor control skills and other cognitive exercises.
Twilight allowed herself a smile, Rainbow Dash was kind of cute like this, more humble at least. Tears began to roll down her cheeks and onto the Pegasus under her. Twilight cried herself to sleep.
Unbeknown to Twilight, Rainbow had been awake the whole time, her eyes wide open. She lied there, expressionless, as tears rolled down her neck and onto Twilight's cushy pillow.
She couldn't sleep, not until she knew what she was going to do with herself. If Twilight was her friend-.. Rainbow Dash corrected herself; if twilight was her marefreind then she needed to be true to herself. She couldn't allow herself to burden Twilight to tears every night.
Twilight..is in pain...it's..my fault.., she fought for lucidity, and felt some of herself coming back, if..i can..just...fight it.
She released her breath, letting Twilight's body weight sink into her. Her struggle was hopeless. She could no longer find herself. Suddenly she heard a dark, emotionless, pragmatic voice in her head.
She has conceded to offering you her aid, you may protract this life should you allow this curse to spread to her.
No...Twilight is my friend....I love Twilight..I am loyal to her. I can't allow that.
You would inhibit this curse from spreading?
Yes...The curse will end with me.
Then you must allow this curse to kill you, before it spreads to your friends.
.........Yes.....
Rainbow Dash easily snuck out from under the exhausted, tear drenched, Twilight and began making her way outside. With spike covered in pillows from his makeshift bunker, and Twilight fast asleep it wasn't too difficult for Rainbow Dash to abscond to the lower floor. Rainbow waited for the squeaking of the door to stop before she departed into the blackness of Luna's night.
She was sure of one thing: she needed to die.
Twilight woke up early due to an unsettling dampness on her pillow. Twilight quickly reflected on the last terrible day she had endured before realizing that something was terribly wrong. She had a hunch, Rainbow Dash was missing. Twilight felt her heart race as she leapt from bed quicker than her lethargic brain could register, and after finding the front door open and that Rainbow was nowhere in the library, she reached for where she figured Spike was hiding.
"Spike! Spike!" cried Twilight Sparkle as she began pelting his little pillow shelter with her hooves. Twilight wasn't so sure it was a good idea to wake a dragon by frantically tearing him out of bed in such a manner, but she needed his help immediately, and eye wax globs were impairing her vision. Spike wasn't spared a few blows before he managed to break Twilight's bizarre assault.
"Twilight, what in Lunas name-?!"
"Spike, did you see Rainbow Dash leave?!" Twilight pulled herself off her assistant.
Spike scrambled from his bed. "No! She's gone?!"
"Yes, I think she left in the middle of the night, and I can't find her!" Twilight panicked as she began pacing back and forth, trying to shake off her dreariness so she could think clearly.
"So then, what do we do?" asked helplessly.
"I'll get everyone I can and search," She answered, allowing herself to calm down some. "You'll need to find the Elixir, and bring it to me."
Spike somberly watched Twilight as she rushed out of the library and toward town, before following her directions.
As twilight made her way into town she was greeted by a pleasant surprise. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy had all gotten up early, and they were heading in her direction.
"Hi Twilight!" Pinkie shouted at her friend, expecting to receive a warm greeting in return. However Twilight was still sprinting frantically toward them, and assuming something terrible had become of Rainbow, the three ponies began closing the distance between Twilight and themselves.
Before they could reach formal speaking distance Twilight revealed her bad news,"Rainbow Dash ran away!"
Twilight let her friends gather closer,"It must have been during late at night. The Door was left wide open, and I have no idea where she could be."
"Well why would she leave?!" Fluttershy reasoned."Do we know why Rainbow Dash would have left in the middle of the night?"
"We can't bother with that now!" Twilight shouted frantically, hoping they could understand her urgency. She was more worried about Rainbow Dash than she had realized.
"Twilight, we need some idea of where to look." Rarity said, attempting to explain Fluttershys reasoning for her.
"I don't have any idea where to look, I-" Twilight caught herself before she made the situation any worse. "What we need to do is spread out. Fluttershy, you're the most capable with the advantage your wings give you. from a birds eye view you should be able to scan the hills with ease-"
"Twilight look," Fluttershy stopped her friend, while directing Twilight's sighted with her left hoof.
Twilight was getting irate over her thoughts getting interrupted, but stifled her irritation to look where she was told.
They saw Spike racing toward them at his quickest pace, even on a good day twilight hadn't seen him run so fast. To spare them the disuse of time needed to wait on Spike to progress the plot, the three ponies made their way over to the slow purple dinosaur.
"What is it spike?" Pinkie ask upon reaching him.
"Apple Jack," Spike allowed himself a moment to catch his breath."Apple Jack came by saying she saw Rainbow Dash over by the Ever Free Forest. She went back to see if she could catch her."
Twilight lowered herself to her front knees to allow Spike on. "Do you have the Elixir?" Spike revealed a flask containing luminescent liquid that he had previously concealed in his hand. "Come on," Twilight rallied her friends to follow her, sprinting towards the general direction of the Ever Free Forest.
Fluttershy thought ahead and took to the air.
"Twilight do you think that we should do it, give Rainbow Dash the Elixir?" Spike attempting to portend the difficult choice they would soon need to make, while trying to maintain his balance on top of the sprinting pony.
Twilight didn't bother to answer the question now. There was no point jumping to such an extreme, or at least that's what she had hoped.
The field near the Ever Free Forest looked more peacefully than anypony had ever seen it. The bright morning sunlight washed over the grassy flat undisturbed, save the forest floor itself which remained completely shrouded. gentle breezes rolled in from the north, and down across the tree line that extended south a ways further. Twilight couldn't allow her self to appreciate the perfect weather, she was running as fast as she could in the direction that Spike specified. She halted her advance as she heard Fluttershy cry out from above.
"Every one, I've found them!" Fluttershy called out in an impossibly quiet exclamation, before changing course due south.
Twilight was exhausted, she had no idea she was so unfit until then. She looked over at Rarity and Pinkie Pie, who were looking much worse than she was. It pleased her to see they were as determined as she to seeing the struggle through. She realized that she loved them, as friends, and couldn't bear the thought of losing them. She paused a moment, and gave them a smile. Pinkie Pie, though visibly exhausted, had turned her mouth up into an enthusiastic smile. Rarity, who was a bit more fit, but relatively more mussy, gave Twilight reassuring smile. With an aura of renewed confidence, Twilight and her friends turned, and started charging south.
Finally Twilight Sparkle, Rarity and Pinkie Pie all caught up to Fluttershy, who was helping Apple Jack tend to a dying Rainbow Dash. Twilight could hardly bring herself to look at the pony lying on the ground; she was still breathing, but her battered countenance, and limp posture both made her look like she had already died. The sunlight did nothing to help lighten up her features. The rings around her eyes were a miserable looking velvet, and ruffled mane rolled across her face in the gentle morning breeze. Her mouth was open slightly to let out her last labored breaths.
Apple Jack lifted her head at the sound of her friends approach, her facial expression easing up a bit. "Oh Thank Celestia you're here. You can help her, right Twilight?"
Twilight fought back her tears she approached the sky blue pegasus.
There was no hope in saving the Rainbow Dash they knew, because she had already given up on living.
Twilight couldn't bring herself to break the bad news to her friends, but she could still help Rainbow Dash. Even if most of her soul was consumed, and her memories diluted, Twilight could still give Rainbow Dash freedom from a lonesome death. Twilight took one last moment to consider the consequences of her action, before turning toward Spike and giving him an affirming nod. Spike sank, but he knew it wasn't his place to refuse, and he passed the Elixir over into Twilight’s possession. Twilight slowly made her way through the circle of her friends that had formed around Rainbow Dash, and knelt beside her beloved friend. Everypony waited in anxiously for Twilight Sparkle to apply the magical concoction, and bring their friend back. Twilight leaned over her friend.
With a heavy heart Twilight levitated the vile over Rainbow Dash, and carefully poured it down down her throat. Rainbow felt the darkness leave her a battered and broken corpse. There was a moment where Twilight had wondered if it had even worked, but felt relief as Rainbow began improving her oxygen intake. Slowly Rainbow's eyes began to lull open.
...................................................... Rainbow Dash didn't know what she was looking at. The sun, the sky, the planet that orbited the sun, the sun that fell across the sky as the planet rotated around.
Rainbow noticed a group of organisms were hovering over her. She began to remember: they had names and involved means of communicating with one another. most of all, she began to remember laughing, playing and learning with them. Rainbow felt her insides light up, a feeling that she let wash over her entire body.
I love you guys, Rainbow thought to herself, everything started coming back to her. At the end of her recuperation, Rainbow had felt as though she had just woken up from a nap, a little out of sorts but very much alive and well. She coughed the nasty Elixir residuum from her mouth, and covered her eyes from the sunlight beaming down on her.
"Oh, hey guys." Rainbow Dash made a light headed greeting, while trying to figure out what was going on. She pulled herself up and tried to rub the stiffness out of her neck. "Man, I'm not feeling so hot."
"Rainbow Dash!" They all called out as they jumped forward to embrace their friend. They all piled on her, pulling her as close as they could.
"Err, okay guys." Rainbow said awkwardly, cheeks blushing. "This is a little absurd."
All of Rainbow's friends giggled in high spirits as though there was something ironic about her comment.
Twilight fought back tears of joy. Everything was going to be alright.
Spike lay in the grass, basking in the early morning sunlight, and watching the ponies with a smile on his face. he thought about writing a letter to the Princess of the Light. He pondered the details in his head:
Dear Princess Celestia,
It is me Spike, writing to tell you that I have learned a very valuable lesson today, though not about friendship so much as it is about love. I learned that while ponies are social creatures, who rely on one another for happiness and cohesion, that it's the mutual fellowship of that relationship which makes it as important as the more intimate relationships. Only by staying true to ourselves, through kindness, honesty, generosity, humor and loyalty, can we hope to find the way to true love and happiness with our fellow ponies, while also protecting you from nasties whom just want to abuse you. Still, no matter what you know, or what you do, it's always important to stay true to your friends, and to be there when they're down.
Spike glanced back at the group. Rainbow and Rarity would make a cute couple. Shaking the thought, he refocused on his letter.
Sincerest love, Spike.
