Wing Ache

Aching wings were never a good sign. It meant that you couldn't fly as fast, and if it worsened, you might be grounded for a few weeks. Neither option seemed preferable for Rainbow Dash, especially with an upcoming Wonderbolt show. Following a visit to the Ponyville Hospital, she was advised to lay off flying for a few days, but that wouldn’t do. Constant practice was required prior to any show, or else who knew what kind of disaster would happen. Ponies could get out of sync, throwing the whole routine off. The audience might get injured. Not to mention being unable to fly was just really boring. In other words, Rainbow Dash was going to find a way to cure her wings without waiting around. Anyone’s first thoughts would be to see if Twilight had any spells, but past… experiences has taught Rainbow to use that as a last resort. A memory of her right wing being twice its normal size, while her left wing being half its size brought a shudder to the cyan pegasus.

Zecora might be able to help. Rainbow didn’t know the rhyming zebra as well as the rest of her friends, but anything was worth a shot to get her wings fixed. With a destination in mind, Rainbow started walking towards the Everfree Forest from the hospital. As Rainbow ventured within the forest, she couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic. The forest used to be a place of fear, where things happening by themselves seemed unnatural. But as more time and adventures passed, ponies had fewer reasons to fear the forest. Things often happened on their own outside of Equestria, and in that sense, ponies’ control over everything seemed to be what was truly unnatural. Sure, there were still cockatrices and manticores around, but they didn’t tend to wander too far off their own sectors of the forest. There was absolutely nothing to fear for a daring pony like Rainbow Dash.

At the corner of her eye something moved, causing Rainbow to jump a little. Maybe there was something to fear after all. Quickening her pace, she tried to think nothing of it. It’s just the wind, probably. Rainbow tried to assure herself. Then it happened again; the quick movement from between behind the cover of the trees and bushes.

“Hello? Anypony there?” As to be expected, there were no response. Or at least, not a conventional one. Instead, it spoke to her nose. It was acrid, pungent, and definitely disgusting. It was a miracle that Rainbow didn’t just throw up right there and then. “What the hay is that smell?” With no answers anywhere in sight, she decided to make her trip as brief as possible, and rushed towards Zecora’s hut. It didn’t take long before she reached her destination, but her nose certainly suffered throughout the journey. Whatever the smell was, it seemed to be following her, if that was even possible; it didn’t falter even slightly and appeared to be getting stronger. I should ask Zecora about the smell to see if she knows anything about it. The hut was dreadfully silent. Rainbow didn’t let this bother her too much, before knocking on the door.

“Zecora? You in there?” No response. She knocked a little harder, and to her surprise, the door swung open from the extra force. “You, uh, forgot to lock the door or something?” Taking a step into the hut, Rainbow unconsciously braced herself, expecting something to jump out. But, nothing did. In fact, no zebras were to be seen. “Huh. Probably went to get some herbs or something. It would explain why the door wasn’t locked.” She thought about the options she had now: either go back home with her aching wing, go out into the Everfree Forest to search for Zecora, or wait in the hut for what might be very long time. None of the options were really that preferable, but she’d rather be out there doing something instead of waiting here and doing nothing. Patience was a virtue that Rainbow severely lacked.

The pegasus ran off into the forest, opting not to use her wings. While she could probably scout the entire forest within minutes using her wings, she didn’t want to further strain them following the incident where she… Wait, why did my wing start to ache anyways? I didn’t train excessively lately nor did I crash or anything to cause an injury like this to my wing. It just didn’t make sense. But what else didn’t make sense was the pink figure that just zoomed past Rainbow’s vision. Was that Pinkie? What’s she doing in the Everfree Forest?

“Pinkie? Are you around here? Is this a prank? I’m not really in the mood for a prank right now!”

The silence was unbearable. Something was wrong. She could tell something horrible was going on but she found herself not leaving the forest; something was compelling her to pursue her close friend. As much as Rainbow would hate to admit it, she was scared. While she wasn't sure what the smell’s origins were, ideas started forming in her head. On top of that, Zecora was missing. The seeds of doubt within Rainbow’s head had been planted, and they blossomed. Maybe Pinkie will know what’s going on, when I find her.

Rainbow soon found herself in unrecognisable territory within the forest, with no indication of which direction she came from, and no sight of the pink earth pony. She staggered her way forward, tired from all the run. My wings were always more reliable. Rainbow slowed down her pace and took a look at her surroundings, which were trees, trees, and more trees. Except these seemed similar; they had faces carved right into the trunk of the trees. Alright, I know how to deal with these. Pinkie taught me that much. She turned her mind to happier thoughts, when the Wonderbolts accepted her, when she managed to save a unicorn and won a competition of some sort. Her memories were inexplicably blurry, but she could sort out her ability to recall later on.

Rainbow Dash started to laugh and giggle. It wasn't the most conventional location to burst out in laughter, but if she’s going to be lost in the forest for a while, she might as well enjoy herself before she desperately needs to find her way out. What wasn’t as funny, was the spine-chilling laughter that joined her own. “Who-?”

She looked around her several times, finding nopony around. “Oh, Rainbow Dash. Don’t you recognise me?” the voice sang, familiar yet foreign at the same time. “Why don’t you take a look behind you? Maybe that’ll help.” A much-too-familiar pink pony crept her way in between a split tree. She stepped on the trunk and stared at Rainbow with whited out eyes, a nightmarish grin on her face. Worst of all, that repulsive smell was as strong as it had ever been. It originated from the red patches on her coat, most of which seemed fresh, while some parts were dried.

“Is that… blood on you, Pinkie? What happened with you?”

“Me? I wouldn’t be so worried about me, I would be more worried about what’s going to happen to you,” she crooned.

That set off a major red flag within Rainbow’s mind. This being a prank could still be within the realm of possibility, albeit it would be one in poor taste. It has to be a prank, right? “P-Pinkie? If this is a prank, it really isn’t that funny anymore.” She was starting to regret pranking Fluttershy that one time.

“Who ever said this was a prank?” She lunged towards Rainbow, grabbing a bloodstained knife from within her mane. Rainbow instinctively braced herself, but nevertheless got pinned down by Pinkie. Rainbow desperately tried to break free, but Pinkie's sheer weight immobilized her on the ground. Rainbow watched helplessly as the her assailant drove the knife deep into her stomach. It was quick and relatively painless, so Rainbow managed to convert her fear into strength, and finally push Pinkie off her. Refusing to look at the bloodsoaked mare, Rainbow galloped deeper into the forest, hoping to lose Pinkie who was no doubt pursuing her. Running unsteadily and stumbling a fair bit, she still forced herself to run as fast as she could. With her wings out of commission, it was either this, or more stabs to her stomach. As she ran, she heard an extra two pairs of steps behind her. Rainbow knew that if she slowed down, she would be gone for good; she had to keep moving.

The forest was not an easy place to navigate, with trees that seemed to grow fresh out of the ground to block Dash’s way. Thankfully, speed and precision were skills that Rainbow had in abundance. Unfortunately, Pinkie wasn’t lacking in these departments either. Every step forward felt like a chore, a struggle. Pinkie was right behind her and she could feel it. She knew from past experiences that speed alone, even when flying, wouldn't be able to get herself rid of Pinkie. She’d have to outsmart her. But how does one go about outsmarting the most unpredictable mare in Equestria?

Unfortunately, she didn't have the answer. The best she could hope for at the moment was to escape from the forest, and get help. That was much easier said than done; all the running around had made Rainbow lose her sense of direction, but there was light at the end of the tunnel. After some time, no longer audible were an extra pair of hoovesteps behind her, alerting her that in one way or another, she probably managed to lose the bloodlusted maniac. She let her hooves slow down, allowing her to finally catch a well-deserved breath.

Taking a look at her wound, it was a deep cut into her stomach, a gory mess that needed treatment immediately. It made no logical sense how she was able to still live, let alone running for what seemed like miles. She took a look from the direction she came from, finding nopony. Thank Celestia. Now she’d have to find a way out of this mess. Pinkie was out there somewhere, hunting for her, and she had no idea why. By then, it was rather clear that this was no prank; Rainbow's gut feeling told her that. Literally. More literally than she would have liked.

What do I do now? I don’t have a heck of a clue where Zecora is, Pinkie’s gone mad, and I’m absolutely lost in this forest. Maybe if I could have a better view… Straining her aching wings wasn’t ideal, but between that and dying here, one choice was clearly superior. Taking off to the skies, the view scared the pegasus, as much as she hated to admit it. As far as she could see, there was an endless amount of trees in all directions, the forest’s end nowhere in sight. The forest never was this big… Sometime during her trip, Luna’s moon has taken over Celestia’s sun in the skies. The white orb seemed to shine especially dull that night.

Deciding whichever direction would work as long as she got out of the dreadful forest, Rainbow sped off straight ahead, hoping that she’d find herself back in Ponyville. Sometimes, hope was enough to get something done, serving as motivation to achieve something. But not this time. This time, no motivation would be enough to get out of this nightmare. As she flew at top speed, she tried to use her acute ability of absorbing information to spot for any landmarks within the forest that could help her find a way out. If it was even possible, she seemed to fly in a loop but that shouldn't have been possible; she's been flying straight the whole time. How could it be possible that she was seeing the same trees in the same spots with the same spacing between other similar trees?

Come on, Rainbow. Please wake up. For our friends. For me.

What? Who said that? The voice was familiar, yet it was one that Rainbow hadn’t heard all day. Wake up? Does that mean… I’m asleep? The explanation made sense. She didn't feel pain when Pinkie stabbed her, the nonsensical geography of the forest, Pinkie herself going mad? All were telltale signs. Now, how do I wake up? The realisation was easy enough, but the problem now, once again, was getting out. Her wingbeats started slowing down as she descended. If this was truly a nightmare, Pinkie would attempt to sneak up on her in a way she would truly fear. Right on cue, the ground started shaking and Rainbow found herself sinking right into the ground. At least it isn’t the singing flowers.

Normally, Rainbow would start panicking and take to the skies. While she definitely did panic a little, she forced herself to keep her wings in place. Soon, it’d be over, and she could go back to whatever she was doing before she fell asleep. It didn’t change the fact that her body was halfway into the ground, however.

“And what is our little pegasus trying now?” Pinkie– no, this creature wasn’t Pinkie. Referring to her as Pinkie would be an insult to her bubbly friend. The creature’s voice didn’t really come from one specific direction, and not knowing where she was might have been more terrifying than if she was right behind Rainbow.

“I know this is a dream, and you’re not real. So, brain, it’d be awesome if you let me wake up as soon as possible.” As expected, Rainbow Dash didn’t wake up. “Well, darn.”

The creature laughed, albeit much weaker than their last encounter. “So you’ve figured out that this is a dream. Very impressive, I must admit. Not many ponies could figure it out on their own. Not without Luna helping them. But now that you’ve figured it out, it’s pointless for me to continue. The magic I have to expend to keep feeding on your fears isn’t worth it.” By then, Rainbow's body had been swallowed up by the ground, with the exception of her head. “But that doesn’t mean you’re gonna get out of this alive.”

The creature was going to do something, but Rainbow didn’t know what. “I don’t know what you are, but I certainly didn’t figure out this was a dream on my own. And I know whoever helped me will be disappointed if I just gave up now!” This is a dream, damn it, I do what I want. Rainbow found the strength to pull herself literally out of the ground, and took to the skies. The creature barely had a second to react as Rainbow streaked towards her hooves first.

“Rainbow! You’re awake! You’re really awake!” a familiar voice said. A voice that she had heard in her nightmare.

“Twilight…?” She forced her eyelids open, and was promptly blinded by the light of the room. It took several seconds for her eyes to adjust to the brightness. When she could finally see, she recognised it a room that she was all too familiar with. The distinctive smell of disinfectant entered her nose, and the incessant beeping of the heart monitor only served as confirmations that she was in the hospital.

“Yes, Rainbow, I’m here.” Rainbow tried to sit up, but found her left hoof held down by Twilight’s own hooves. “Don’t move. Your body is still very weak, just try to rest.”

“W-What happened?”

“Zecora found you out cold in the Everfree Forest. She said you got attacked by a Baku, a creature that feeds on fears generated within a pony’s dream.”

“Yeah, sounds about right.” A weak smile formed on Rainbow’s face.

“The girls and I were taking turns to watch over you. I think they’re in the canteen eating right now. Let me go get them and send a letter to Luna to tell her that you’ve woken up.”

“Yeah, sounds good, Twi.”

“Do you need anything?” Twilight's brow furrowed in concern as she gazed at Rainbow.

“No, I just need to lie down and rest for a while. And don’t worry about me, I’m fine.” With that, Twilight walked out of the room, content that Rainbow was going to be fine.

Rainbow lay there, unmoving for a few minutes as she waited for her friends. Whatever happened in the nightmare didn’t matter anymore. Her friends are gonna be right by her side, and she’s gonna be just fine, just like she told herself.