Shut The Blinds

by The Rainbow Blunderbolt

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Sad, Main 6, Romance, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 73452

Rainbow Dash is blind.

Rainbow Dash isn't having a very good day. First she was in some dark place, then it turns out she's in the hospital. Oh, and she's apparently blind now.

Eventual Twidash!

SEQUAL IS HERE!!!

Inspiried by the cover art, which belongs to the awesome 8-Xenon-8 on deviantart! Also inspired by the Ask Blind Rainbow Dash tumblr blog by Jykinturah.

Youtube reading, by the awesome L0RdZovChAoS, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6S23CkL48EM

Published 2012-10-22 18:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-02-24 03:06:12 UTC

Dark

She couldn’t see.

That was the first thing that came to her mind when she tried to think. She couldn’t see. Or at least she thought she couldn’t. All around her was darkness. She could feel her eyes opening and closing, over and over again, but as much and as hard as she tried, her world of darkness stayed firmly put. Forcing herself not to panic, she bobbed her head around, thinking that perhaps it was just in that particular spot that she couldn’t see. But alas, no matter which direction she turned her head, she still couldn’t see anything.

Then she heard something. She couldn’t describe the sound exactly, but from what she could hear, it was soothing. It was a humming sound, low and raspy as it touched her ears, but it had a calming sense to it.

The small sound was welcoming to her ears, which had heard nothing but her shallow breathing up to this point. Soon, after a long, hard effort, and the help of the peaceful melody, she managed to calm her scrambling senses to a point of relative comfort, if only by a small margin. The sound rang in her ears louder now and, as if automatically, she started moving forward.

As she walked, something seemed to happen. Everything started becoming lighter. The place was still dark, however, but the space around her just seemed to go from pitch black to a dim, grey light. She smiled as she kept her pace, happy to have something other than pure darkness to keep her company. The humming, unlike the darkness, stayed the same. A low, melodic rasp. Even though it was relatively low, and she was sure that any other soul that was in her little void would not be able to hear it, she could still hear it clear as day. That thought gave her comfort, the thought in knowing she was an individual in this strange place, and that this comforting little rhythm was her own.

She kept walking, now feeling oddly relaxed in the space. As she got further and further along, however, she noticed that the light grew into somewhat of a passageway, almost like a large tunnel. However, she couldn’t see the end of it, if it even had one. The female blinked curiously as she saw the light change. It was weird though. With each step she took felt nothing underneath her hoof, if that was possible, which she was quite sure it wasn’t. She actually wasn’t sure how she was even moving. Still, she didn’t let it stop her as she moved. Keeping her steps light, just in case the thing keeping her standing collapsed, she saw the shape of the tunnel descending down the length of the large void she was in, and in return she kept following it. Still, it wasn’t like she had much of a choice.

Soon the tunnel started getting wider, and wider, and wider still, until it started getting brighter. It was then, in the middle of the bright passageway, she stopped. Maybe it was a hunch. Perhaps it was an internal voice in her head, screaming at her, but nevertheless she stopped. Something was going to happen. She was sure of it.

"Beep..." she heard. It was right in front of. Suddenly, the large light that stood before her grew brighter, and more…calming, was it? She wasn’t entirely sure, but she felt at ease in a strange way.

“Beeep…” The sound started getting louder, and more hysteric. She started hearing something else as well, but she couldn’t make out exactly what it was, but it was hysteric as well. It sounded almost like voices, though. Yet even with the beeping and the supposed voices, the calming, yet unimaginably bright light that shone before her soothed her. It made her feel safe and warm. Soon, the vast darkness around her became nothing more than a distant thought, slinking away into the deepest corners of her mind, never to be thought of again. Or at least she hoped so.

What was that? It was in her chest. Pain. That was what she felt. That was all she felt. Again and again that electric jolt shot through her chest. She gasped, and stepped back, grimacing. To her dismay, the light started fading. Her eyes widened as the comforting warmth the light brought with it started fading too. Gasping, she felt another spike of pain blossom within her. Desperate to make it stop, she closed her eyes, and clutched at her chest. After a few moments of intense agony, the light was gone. Completely and utterly gone. It was in that moment she felt crushing defeat, and, surprisingly, another sensation. It was warm, hot, sticky, and it was running down her face. Her breathing hitched and her knees collapsed, buckling underneath her scant body weight.

And there, in that void of black, the grey feeling of loneliness washed over her, engulfing her in its cold, unforgiving hands.

“Is she…? Is she waking up?” a dreary yet hopeful voice broke the silence that had made itself known to her.

She grimaced as she turned her head weakly, flopping it against a light fluffy solid. Funny, it almost felt like a pillow.

“Dashie?”

Rainbow Dash turned to the sound of the voice. Unfortunately, she still couldn’t see. Groaning, she forced her mouth to make words, but those premature murmurs were stopped by a professional sound.

“Don’t speak,” a male voice told her. Barely able to think, and not wanting to argue and make her head hurt more, she begrudgingly closed her mouth and turned her head back. Then the voice spoke again. “You’ve been unconscious for a while, Rainbow Dash. But, it could have well been a lot longer.”

She groaned at the news. It hadn’t answered any of the questions swirling around in her mind, and only made her head hurt. Deciding for herself that she could speak again, she forced her mouth to move, and this time words roughly slipped out of her mouth,

“H…how…long?” the words sounded rough and scratchy, even for her voice. Then again, she hadn’t used it for a while.

The voice, the male, seemed taken aback, though she couldn’t imagine why. “A…around a week,” he answered,

Rainbow moaned in annoyance, thinking of all the things she might’ve missed. Suddenly, she felt a hoof on her own.

“How are you feeling, Rainbow?” Twilight Sparkle’s voice asked. The pegasus assumed that it was Twilight’s hoof touching her own.

“Like…I got hit be a train,” she muttered, grimacing. “What happened anyways?”

“You mean you don’t remember?” Pinkie asked curiously. A little step was heard after her small sentence, probably meaning that she had hopped closer to Rainbow Dash.

“Pinkie, hush!” Rarity’s fine voice scolded. “Do you really expect the poor dear, who has been comatose for a week, might I add, to remember something probably very traumatic for her?” The alabaster unicorn’s voice sounded sympathetic.

“I guess…but, a dragon attack would be kinda hard to forget, don’t you think?” Pinkie replied.

Rainbow’s body shot up, but a gentle hoof helped push her body down. “Whaddya mean a dragon attack?! What happened?! Why can’t I see?!” As she heard the words come out, she thought her voice sounded on the brink of hysteria.

“Miss Dash, please calm down,” the doctor, or at least she assumed that was who it was, urged. She grunted, but followed his instructions reluctantly.

“Okay, I’m calm. Now can you tell me what happened?” she asked impatiently, in the most peaceful voice she could manage.

“First of all, as you might’ve already guessed, you’re in the hospital.” Rainbow snorted as the doctor brought that up. “And, as Miss Pie here informed us, you did have a run-in with a dragon,” he told her.

Rainbow Dash let out a heavy sigh. “Geez…wait, who’s here right now?”

“Pinkie’s here!” said pony answered immediately.

“Ah’m ‘ere too,” a southern voice said. That was most definitely Applejack.

“And I as well.” That was Rarity.

“I’m here too,” Twilight said from beside her.

One…two…three…four. That was only four. One was missing. “Where’s Fluttershy?” she asked, turning her head in Twilight’s general direction.

“That ties in with the dragon attack,” the doctor answered. “Are you sure you don’t remember?”

Rainbow Dash thought. What had happened? She felt like she should remember, but no immediate details came to her. Sure some did, like a dragon was in the Everfree Forest, and some other foggy details pushing themselves out of the haze of her subconscious, but that was it. These events they were listing off were almost completely foreign to her. Panic then rushed itself into her mind.

“Wait, is she okay? Where is she?” Rainbow asked quickly, concerned for her friends’ well-being.

“She’s fine, thanks to you, Dashie,” Pinkie told her happily.

Rainbow breathed out a small sigh of relief. In this jumbled state of confusion, it was nice to have something that she was sure of. Then a thought came to her. The thought burned, almost as if an open flame had lit itself inside her skull. It burned brightly, and made itself known very well. Then that thought led to another, and another. Soon, a whole scene was playing inside her mind. Going to Fluttershy’s and talking for a while before a loud crash broke the comfortable silence around them.

“Fluttershy!” she had yelled. “Get out of here!”

“But, Rainbow-”

“Go!”

“Rainbow? Are you alrigh’?” Applejack asked. She heard hoofsteps coming closer.

The pegasus grit her teeth as her muscles tensed up. More memories came rushing at her. The image of a dragon appeared, then fire. It was everywhere, all that she could see. She could only see fire, and even worse, it was heading straight at Fluttershy. Said pegasus was frozen to the spot, seemingly paralyzed with fear. Suddenly, the split-second decision was made, and in a heartbeat the cerulean pegasus was in between the line of fire and her friend. Then a burning, a white hot burning. She remembered she was foolish enough to open her eyes, and she saw a beautiful purple light descending upon the flames.

That was when she must’ve blacked out.

“Wait…” she said slowly.

The noise that was there a few seconds ago stopped and the room fell silent.

“Why can’t I see?” The sentence was slow and precise.

“…” A sigh. “I might as well get down to the point. Now, I assume you know enough about the dragon attack?” the doctor asked her.

“Well, when it happened, you were burned. Badly. It…actually killed you.”

That was new. “So, you mean I was…?”

“Dead. Yes, you were dead,” he finished for her. “But, thanks to Miss. Sparkle, you’re still with us.”

Rainbow made a mental note to thank Twilight later. For now, she let the doctor finish his explanation.

“However, there was one…consequence, for lack of a better explanation, of the method she used.” Another pause. Then a deep breath. “I hate to say this, Miss Dash, and I’m truly sorry, but…I’m afraid you will no longer be able to see,” he told her, sympathy filling his professional voice.

Her heart stopped.

“Wh…what?” she gasped, a lump forming in her throat.

“The nerves behind your eyes were completely burned off. We did all we could, but even the magic we used wasn’t enough. I’m sorry, but you are blind,” he said.

She leaned her head back against the pillow and tilted her head up.

She couldn’t see. And if she couldn’t see, she couldn’t fly, and if she couldn’t fly she couldn’t join…

If you could hear the sound of a heart breaking, then a deafening shatter would be heard at that very moment, Her dreams were destroyed. She wasn’t the fastest flier in Equestria anymore. She didn’t hold that title anymore. For that title you needed to be able to see, a sense she no longer acquired. All she was now was nothing more than a helpless cripple. In a moment of bitter devastation, she felt as though the whole world had come crashing down upon her as the full reality of her situation kicked in.

She was blind.

Little Talks

Chapter two: Little Talks

Twilight sighed as she watched the clock on the wall in the waiting room of the Ponyville Hospital.

It had been about twenty minutes since she and her friends had been herded out of Rainbow Dash’s room. After being told she was blind, the pegasus had been silent for a while, but then had reacted…rather violently. Even now she could still hear the screams that came from the now-blinded pegasus. Screams of how her life was ruined and how she could never join the Wonderbolts echoed through her very soul. At that point Twilight thought Rainbow Dash would personally maim the doctor that had told her the unfortunate news herself. But thankfully, with the help of Applejack, herself, and a few nurses, they were able to get her calmed down enough to a point where her agonized cries died down to small whimpers.

“Poor Rainbow Dash,” Twilight thought as she let the events that had transpired play over in her head. As she looked around the room, the looks on her friends’ faces suggested that they all seemed to be thinking the same thing she was.

Personally, the unicorn couldn’t imagine what Rainbow Dash was going through, though she certainly had a pretty good idea. Still, she didn’t want to even think about it. Not being able to fly would be hard for any pegasus, but for Rainbow Dash? It would be more or less crippling for her. Her whole life basically revolved around the sport, not to mention it was her special talent. And if you didn’t have that what did you have? Her mind started to wonder what it would be like to live without her horn, unable to perform magic, her own special talent. She shuddered in horror. Her whole productive world would come to a crashing halt.

Shaking her head, she busied herself with looking at the clock’s slow-moving hands once again.

“Do you think Dashie will be alright?” Pinkie Pie asked. Twilight saw her kicking her back legs against the chair she was currently seated in.

“Are you hearing yourself?” Applejack asked incredulously, trying to bring some light-hearted humor to the dreary scene. “This is Rainbow Dash we’re talkin’ about! The ‘awesomest pony in Equestria’! That pony’s walked away just fine from all sorts of tight spots. She’ll be okay.” Applejack was scanning the room with a blank look on her face. There was something in the earth pony’s voice that made Twilight unsure just who she was trying to convince.

“…I don’t know,” Pinkie said uncertainly. “She seemed…pretty upset.”

“PRETTY upset? Pretty upset is an understatement! Even with a bandage over her eyes, she was pretty dead-on with her hooves,” Rarity said, leaning back in her chair as she talked. “I’m sorry, Applejack, dear, but I’m going to have to agree with Pinkie in this situation. Oh, can you imagine how the poor darling is feeling? What do you think, Twilight?”

Twilight didn’t answer at first. She had been took caught up in her own thoughts to catch any of the details that had flown in one ear and out the other.

“Twilight?” Rarity said once again.

“Wha-?” she blinked, looking up quickly.

Rarity snorted. “I said what do you think about Rainbow Dash.”

“Oh, um…” She couldn’t think of what to say for a while. A better way to describe it was she couldn’t find a way to put what she was thinking into words. “Well, I think that it’s going to take quite a while to get used to it. For us and for her,” Twilight said, returning her attention to the clock.

Deep sighs were exchanged as the room fell silent once again.

Time marched on slowly and quietly, Twilight noted. It seemed as though they had spent hours and hours on end waiting for any news concerning their friend, but it had only been about half an hour. Still, no matter what time it was, nothing about their friend had presented itself to them, much to the lavender unicorn’s annoyance. Finally, after getting bored with looking at the clock, she looked around the room, suddenly interested in what her friends were doing. Pinkie Pie’s hoof was tapping against the ground and the earth pony had a thoughtful look on her face. Rarity had pulled a hoof file out from…somewhere (then again, Twilight figured the fashionista was never without one anyway) and was using her magic to work on her front left hoof. Applejack had her stetson over her eyes and was slouched back in her chair, most likely sleeping. It was then that Twilight realized just how tired she really was. Just as she was about to shut her eyes, the sound of double doors opening and hoofsteps trotting toward them stopped her intent of catching a few winks. Muttering something unintelligible under her breath, she nudged Applejack, who sat beside her.

“Whoza, whuzit?” Applejack sputtered, flailing her front hooves in all which ways and scrambling to sit up. Her frantically turning head stopped when she saw Nurse Redheart coming towards them. Her mouth formed into an ‘o’ shape. She calmly placed her hat back squarely on her head and sat up in her chair.

The two others had been alerted by Applejack and had seen the nurse coming up to them. They sat up a little straighter. Twilight guessed they were just as eager as she was to hear any news about their blind friend.

“Well, it took a while,” Nurse Redheart started as she stood in front of the four ponies, “but we managed to calm her down and run some final tests.”

“Tests?” Twilight echoed, concerned by what the nurse meant.

“Just some final concerns about her sight and her over-all health,” Redheart assured. “She’s very lucky you know.”

“We know,” Applejack smiled.

“Is Dashie gonna be okay?” Pinkie asked, some of the usual poofiness in her mane inflating with hopefulness.

“Yes, she’s going to be just fine.”

They all breathed out a large sigh of relief.

“Visiting hours are over and right now she’s getting some rest. It is my personal opinion that you all go home and do the same,” Redheart offered kindly.

“Right. Thank you so much,” Rarity said gratefully.

“Anytime,” Nurse Redheart replied as she turned away and once again left the waiting room to the four friends.

As soon as she was gone, Twilight turned and made her way out of the hospital. A cool blast of air hit her face as she opened the doors with her magic. It was refreshing, to say the least, as she breathed in the chilly air. After being in the hospital for what seemed like forever, the welcoming sight of Ponyville made her smile.

The sun was just up in the sky, meaning that it was probably still fairly early in the morning. Perfect. She lifted a hoof to start walking but that was cut short when a voice called out to her.

“Twilight!”

She turned around to see Applejack running towards her, followed closely behind by Rarity and Pinkie Pie.

“Where are you going?” the farm pony asked.

“Fluttershy’s. I need to speak with her,” she answered quickly.

“Maybe that’s not such a good idea. You know how close she and Dashie are,” Pinkie said hesitantly.

“I know, I know. It’s just…she’s going to have to find out sooner or later. And if you ask me, it’s probably better for all of us, her included, if she finds out sooner,” Twilight countered, facing the pink pony.

Pinkie Pie considered this for a few moments. After the look of consideration had passed, it was replaced by a look of compassionate acceptance. “You’re right, Twilight. I mean, if one of MY best friend got blinded by some meany-pants dragon trying to protect me, I’d wanna know right away if they were okay!” Pinkie said, her usual attitude returning to her.

“Uh, Pinkie Pie? Isn’t Rainbow Dash already one of your best friends?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Duh! If she wasn’t why would I be here?” Pinkie exclaimed.

Applejack let out an exasperated sigh and turned back to Twilight. “Jus’ go easy on ‘er, okay? You know how she is.”

“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. Oh! Can one of you come find me when we can see Rainbow Dash again?” Twilight asked, starting to walk in the direction of Fluttershy’s cottage.

“Of course,” Rarity answered immediately. Her eyes then widened. “Oh dear, I almost forgot. My parents are bringing Sweetie Belle over for the weekend. I have to go.” The white unicorn briskly trotted away, looking back at the little group. “Goodbye! I’ll call you, Twilight!” With that, she was gone.

Pinkie started walking away as well. “Bye guys! I have to help the Cakes take care of the twins. They have a HUGE order to take care of and- oh! Applejack, I need you too!”

“What the b-!?” The farm pony was cut off by her fellow earth pony grabbing her hat off her head and running with it.

“Pinkie! Git back here! Ugh, see ya later, Twi,” Applejack said in a hurry as she started booking it down the road after Pinkie Pie. Twilight watched them leave, and amused glint in her eyes as she heard cries of “Give mah hat back!” echo in the distance.

After the departure of her friends she made her own exit. She wasn’t quite looking forward to her little trip, but it was something she felt had to be done. And Twilight, being the proactive mare that she was, was determined to do just that. She only hoped the shy mare she was going to see would be willing to co-operate with her.

The walk to the small cottage was pleasant enough. Celestia’s sun was shining brightly in the sky, the leaves on the trees whistled as the soft spring breeze blew through them. She heard birds chirp happily in the distance and only wished she could be as happy as they seemed to be at the moment. Life just wasn’t like that, she reminded herself sadly. Still, even with that depressing bit of reality, she managed to keep her focus on the scenery around her. Her pessimistic nature marched on however. It seemed that no matter how hard she tried to keep it at a tolerable minimum, it still managed to invade her subconscious.

Soon enough, Twilight found herself face to face with Fluttershy’s humble abode. She took a deep breath and headed to the front door. With only a moment’s hesitation, she reached out a hoof and knocked on the moderately-sized wooden door.

She heard an ‘eep’, followed by some small rustles.

“Wh…who is it?” a timid voice asked.

“It’s Twilight,” she asked in a deadpan tone.

A gasp was then heard. “Uh…Fluttershy’s not…h-home right now. Please leave a message after the beep,” the voice said quickly, barely hovering above a whisper. “Um, if that’s not too much trouble for you, that is,” was quickly added on.

“Come on, Fluttershy, I know you’re in there,” she said. Tapping her hoof lightly against the soil, she spoke up again. “It’s about Rainbow Dash. She woke up today.”

A few tense moments passed between them. Then, the door was opened a crack. Twilight saw a cyan eye look out at her.

“Can I please come in?” Twilight pleaded softly.

The eye blinked sadly before the door, to Twilight’s relief, was opened fully, revealing a yellow mare with a bubblegum pink mane, otherwise known as Fluttershy or just the pony she wanted to see. Fluttershy moved to the side and nodded her head towards the inside of the cottage. Twilight returned the nod gratefully and stepped inside the welcoming house. She had been inside the place a few times before and had figured out she liked it more than her other friends’ houses. Their houses were always too busy or she barely visited them. Fluttershy’s house was always quiet, free from almost any noise of the small town just beside them and only held the welcoming sounds of nature that were chiming through the cottage.

A bird hopped onto her back as soon as she stepped in. She chuckled as she shook it off. Her eyes and Fluttershy’s met for longer than intended and things began to slowly succumb to awkwardness. Twilight averted her gaze quickly and kept walking further into the house, not looking back at her pegasus friend to avoid uncomfortable looks.

They walked through the humble home until they came to a relatively large room that had an airy feel to it and the contents of that room was a couch and a few chairs scattered about in what looked like no distinct order or pattern as far as she could tell. Twilight looked back to see Fluttershy gesturing towards a comfy-looking chair next to the couch. She took the hint, walked over quickly and sitting down. Fluttershy followed suit, making her way to the couch and delicately placing herself on one of its lush cushions, drawing her front hooves in underneath her.

The awkward silence from earlier had firmly settled itself into the room, and neither of the two ponies dared to break it. Twilight thought desperately for a way to start the inevitable conversation. But so far, her mind had turned in a blank.

“Come on, Twilight. You just have to start it. You can do this,” she encouraged herself inwardly When she decided that she was ready enough, she opened her mouth hesitantly, struggling to get the words that were waiting to be said past the lump in her throat.

“So…” she started.

“So,” Fluttershy repeated quietly.

“…look, I know you don’t want to talk about-”

“No, no, it’s okay. Um…so you said…she woke up today?” Fluttershy asked, finally looking up at the unicorn.

“Oh, uh, yes, she did,” Twilight replied. It wasn’t much of a conversation, but it was most definitely a start.

“How…how was it?” Fluttershy seemed to become more inverted as each word slipped out of her mouth.

“She was…it was alright…at first,” Twilight sighed, the floor becoming very interesting all of a sudden.

“At first?” Fluttershy’s voice took a sudden jump into concern as she listened to Twilight’s retelling of the series of unfortunate events that had transpired not too long ago.

“Oh, she’s fine. She just kind of…oh, what’s the word?” Twilight mumbled, tapping her hoof to her mouth in thought.

“Exploded?” Fluttershy suggested.

“Yeah, that’s it,” the unicorn smiled, nodding in approval.

Fluttershy sighed and looked down in what appeared to be shame. “Oh, I just wish I could have been there,” she said quietly.

“And that’s the point. Why WEREN’T you there? She needed you! You’re her best friend!” Twilight exclaimed, beginning to stand, but it was Fluttershy’s next statement that kept her in her seat.

“Because I was scared!” Fluttershy cried, a sudden ferocity welling up in her eyes. She snapped her head up and looked Twilight straight in the eye.

Twilight swallowed and waiting for Fluttershy to continue.

“You didn’t see what happened! You weren’t there when that dragon came, when he tried to kill us! Twilight, she stepped in front of the fire for me. She became BLIND for ME! It’s all my fault! Now she hates me and it’s all my fault!” the yellow pegasus screamed. At some point during her outburst, the pegasus had started sobbing. It was only now that Twilight noticed this, and she quickly pulled her friend into a tight hug, letting Fluttershy cry her eyes out on her shoulder. Mumbles of “I’m sorry” and “it’s all my fault” came from Fluttershy, mixing with her watery sobs that sputtered from her every few seconds. Seeing her like this made Twilight’s heart ache with sympathy. She wished she could do more, but right now the comforting hug was all she could offer the pegasus.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, Fluttershy crying and Twilight holding her gently, occasionally rubbing her back in an effort to soothe her. Fluttershy’s pet bunny Angel had hopped in on them, but with the state Fluttershy was in and a stern look from Twilight, he had quickly and quietly left the room.

“It’s okay, Fluttershy, it’s okay. Rainbow Dash is okay,” Twilight soothed.

“But she’s not, is she?” was all she got in response.

Twilight couldn’t think of anything to say.

“Why couldn’t it have been me? She doesn’t deserve this,” Fluttershy whispered.

The unicorn’s expression hardened. She pulled Fluttershy off her shoulder and held the pegasus in front of her, ignoring the shocked look on Fluttershy’s face.

“Fluttershy, don’t you dare think that. Rainbow made the decision to save you herself, and I think she knew the consequences of her actions when she did it. Imagine how she would feel if she heard that. I know for a fact that she wouldn’t want you to cry over her, and I know that she doesn’t blame you for this,” Twilight told her. For a minute she thought she might’ve said too much when Fluttershy’s already teary eyes started to well up again, but that quickly disappeared when the shy pegasus gave her a weak smile.

“You’re right, Twilight,” Fluttershy said reassuringly, perking up. “I’m sorry I got so emotional back there.”

“It’s okay, Fluttershy,” Twilight answered, giving her a smile. “Hey, would you like to see Rainbow Dash? I’m sure-”

“No, no, that’s fine. I have to take care of my animal friends and that usually keeps me very busy,” Fluttershy said quickly, stepping up from the couch. Twilight did the same.

“Oh…okay. I guess I’ll just be going now. I wouldn't want to keep you from your work, after all,” the unicorn said, turning in the direction of the door and walking to it. Fluttershy followed a few steps behind her. Twilight took note of the pegasus’ quick, almost nervous steps as they walked. It seemed like that once they reached the door Fluttershy was almost relieved.

“I’m so glad we had this talk, Fluttershy” Twilight said, standing just outside the entrance of the cottage.

“Um, yes. I’m glad too,” Fluttershy answered, her eyes flickering nervously towards the inside of the house.

“Um…I guess I’ll just be going now. I’ll tell Rainbow Dash you said hi. Err…Bye,” she said, turning and walking away.

Twilight heard a quiet farewell from what she guessed was the pegasus and her mouth curled into a small satisfied smile.

What she wasn’t aware of was that once she was out of earshot, small sobs echoed from the direction of the small cottage on the edge of the Everfree Forest.

Blame

Chapter three: Blame

After leaving Fluttershy’s cottage, Twilight made her way down into Ponyville, where things seemed as normal as they had ever been. The village was happy and, in turn, that made her happy. Still the dark cloud jeering “Rainbow Dash is blind!” hung over her head.

Even with the early hour of the day, the small town was bustling with activity. Many of the residents were already outside, going about their business, but they stopped and politely waved a hoof in greeting to Twilight when they saw her, which she returned in the same manner.

As she walked through the quaint streets, she tried to keep her mind off Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

Fluttershy..

How awkward was that conversation? It was almost like they were two strangers trying way too hard to make small talk. Twilight shuddered, shaking her head and wishing that life had a rewind button and an erase button. All she wanted to do was banish the thoughts clouding her conscious to a very faraway place. Like the moon, for instance. Or maybe she wanted to lock them in a dungeon? Maybe lock them in a dungeon in the place that she banished them to? That sounded good.

She tried to keep herself occupied with less burdening thoughts. How were her other friends doing? When did the books in the library have to be restocked? Did she have any assignments for Princess Celestia that were due? Twilight gulped. She sure hoped not. Speaking of Princess Celestia, did she know about Rainbow Dash’s current condition? Surely the alicorn had heard something about it, Twilight figured. Still, the unicorn decided she might as well send a letter anyway, just in case her teacher was uninformed.

It wasn’t long before the welcoming sight of her own home was in front of her, and not a moment too soon. She smiled, eager to flop down on her bed and take a nap. Lighting up her horn, she swung the door open and stepped inside.

“Twilight!” she heard Spike’s voice exclaim eagerly.

The baby dragon ran excitedly up to her and slammed into her side, scooping her up into an embrace.

Twilight, while happy to see her number one assistant, wished that he would stop hugging her so tightly.

“Spike!” she gasped. “Not so tight!”

“Oh, sorry,” he apologized sheepishly. He let go of Twilight and took a step back, giving her space. “It’s just that, you haven’t been home very often this week, since…”

“Yes, and I’m sorry about that. It’s just, I’ve been so worried about her,” Twilight sighed.

“Wait, is Rainbow Dash okay?” he asked quickly, his eyes widening in concern.

Twilight gave him a reassuring smile. “Yes, she’s fine,” she said. “I hope…” she added on silently.

Spike let out a breath of relief, wiping his hand over his forehead. “That’s good. You had me worried for a second there, Twilight,” he said, chuckling.

Twilight rolled her eyes and made her way up to the bedroom, wanting more than ever to take a nap. She had been up almost all night at the hospital, waiting for Rainbow Dash to wake up, or for something to happen, as she had been most of the week. Come to think of it, she estimated that she hadn’t had more than five hours of sleep through the whole, terrifying week Rainbow Dash had been fighting for her life. Eager to get some rest, she made her way up the stairs to her bedroom.

“Oh, Twilight?” Spike called up to her.

The unicorn turned back to the dragon and looked at him with tired eyes. It seemed every pony wanted to stop her from sleeping today.

“Yes, Spike?” she asked impatiently.

“The new shipment of Daring Do came in yesterday, and I was just wondering where you wanted me to put them,” Spike told her. He seemed to understand her impatience, though, as he spoke quickly and without hesitation.

Twilight thought for a moment. That series would go with the other copies, of course. It did give her an idea, though. Maybe she would take one of the new books to - scratch that thought. It seemed Rainbow Dash’s lack of sight was going to take more time to adjust to than she had anticipated.

“Just put it with the other copies,” she instructed. A thought then occurred. “Oh, and can you order a copy of “Daring Do and The Sapphire Stone” in braille? Or, at least some form of the book you can listen to?” Twilight requested.

Spike gave her a questioning look, but that gradually softened. He nodded brightly. “Sure thing, Twilight,” he agreed, finally turning away. He walked up to a small table in the center of the room and picked up a scroll from one of the table’s drawers. The dragon unrolled it once it was on the flat surface. Spike picked up the large quill from the ink pot that rested on the far corner of the desk and put the tip on the top of the scroll and began writing her instruction down.

Twilight nodded quietly to herself and quickly trotted upstairs to her room, not wanting to have any more unwanted distractions. Once she stepped in, she immediately shut the door behind her. Without any hesitation, she flopped ungracefully onto her bed and closed her eyes, ready to shut out the world. Mercifully, a dreamless state of unconsciousness rushed up to her.

When she awoke, she found herself on her back with her legs spread-eagled out on either side of her body. She blinked once, not sure how her body had ended up this way. Even then, and despite her uncomfortable position, she felt more well-rested than she had felt in a while. She found that her mind was much less foggy than it had been before she had fallen asleep and it was easier to put thoughts together and process them. She rolled over and hopped down from the bed. Luckily, her legs didn’t buckle underneath her when she hit the ground. She stretched where she stood, speeding up the process of getting blood flowing back through her limbs. The unicorn shook her head and yawned, making a small squeaking sound as she did so. Since she didn’t have a clock in her room, she glanced at the window and saw that the sun was high up in the sky.

“It’s nearly noon, if it isn’t already past that,” she said to herself. A small panicky feeling prickled in the base of her stomach. Had Rarity already come by and she missed it? Hopefully that wasn’t the case.

Taking a few steps forward, she reached a small drawer where she stored some extra scrolls. Taking a random one in her magic, she unrolled the scroll and took the quill that was in the ink pot on her desk with her magic as well. She decided that it would be best if she didn’t dictate this particular letter to Spike. Twilight felt a certain responsibility towards the subject. She was the pony who brought Rainbow Dash back from the dead, but she had also blinded her, after all. This knowledge weighed down upon her shoulders heavily. But, it was a choice between Rainbow Dash being gone forever and her being blind for life. For the unicorn, the choice was crystal clear. However, if she put herself in the pegasus’ horseshoes, it might as well been death for her.

Taking a deep breath, she put quill to paper and started writing.

After a long while of productivity, she was finally pleased with the results of her letter to the Princess. She rolled it up neatly and sealed it. Putting the quill back in its resting place, she held the scroll in her magic and made her way downstairs to the main floor of the library.

To her surprise, a feminine voice greeted her as soon as she came downstairs.

“Twilight! There you are!” Rarity said, trotting up to her and giving her an affectionate hug.

“Oh, hello, Rarity,” she answered, looking from her fellow unicorn to Spike, who simply shrugged his shoulders.

“Oh, darling it’s so nice to see you awake,” Rarity smiled, releasing Twilight from her grasp and flashing a ladylike smile.

“Wait, you knew I was sleeping?” Twilight asked incredulously. She felt very self-conscious all of a sudden.

“A better question would be who didn’t. You were snoring so loud half of Canterlot probably heard you-” Spike’s mouth was suddenly transformed into a large zipper and was promptly closed, courtesy of Twilight.

“I think we’ve heard quite enough, Spike,” Twilight said, chuckling nervously. Without warning, she pushed the letter she was holding into Spike’s chest. He jumped and clutched it tightly against him. With one hand he unzipped his mouth and gave the unicorn a very unamused look.

“I need you to send that to Princess Celestia right away,” she instructed.

The little dragon grumbled something Twilight couldn’t quite make out under his breath but did what Twilight requested of him. He took a deep breath and the scroll burned away in the bright, green flame.

“…could you actually hear me?” Twilight asked Rarity, her ears flicking back against her head in embarrassment.

“Well…would it make you feel better if I said no?” Rarity asked, chuckling sheepishly.

Twilight felt a brilliant heat rise in her cheeks. In fear of learning something else embarrassing she did in her sleep, she quickly changed the subject.

“Can we see Rainbow Dash now?” she asked.

Rarity blinked once in surprise. “Yes, of course.That’s why I came here,” she stated in a matter-of-fact- tone.

Twilight nodded. “Of course,” she thought to herself, mentally slapping her hoof to her forehead. Not wanting to waste any more time, she headed to the door and stopped once she got there, turning her head back at Rarity.

“Are we going?” Twilight said, opening the door and walking out.

Rarity rolled her eyes in a good natured fashion and quickly trotted after her friend. However, she looked quickly back inside the library. “Goodbye, Spikey-Wikey! Thank you for the tea!” she called to the dragon. He returned the wave more excitedly than he would care to admit.

“No problem, Rarity!” he answered, smiling from ear to ear. The dragon turned away from the door for a few moments, but something he had stored in the recesses of his mind popped back up. Not wanting to forget again, he turned around.

“Hey, Rarity! I-” His exclamation was stopped when he saw that the object of his affections was nowhere in sight. He sighed dejectedly and closed the door in defeat.

A few yards away from the library, Rarity and Twilight were making their way down to Ponyville Hospital.

“Did you talk to Fluttershy, Twilight?” Rarity asked.

Twilight stayed silent, her mind scrambling for an appropriate response.

“Twilight?” the white unicorn echoed, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes…I did talk to her,” Twilight answered slowly.

“Well, how was it?” Rarity inquired impatiently.

“It was…awkward.” That was the only word that came her mind to describe the situation that had taken place.

“Awkward?” Rarity replied, wanting to know the details of the past conversation. “How so?” The seamstress noticed Twilight’s steps seemed to become heavier, like she had the weight of the entire world resting upon her shoulders. It was then that they stopped altogether. Rarity halted beside her.

“It was just…it was almost like she became shier than she was before,” Twilight sighed. “Rarity, she blames herself for what happened to Rainbow Dash.”

Rarity smiled, compassion crossing her graceful features. “Twilight, look at me,” she told her.

Twilight reluctantly did so.

“In the time I have had the pleasure of knowing Fluttershy, I can assure you that she’s much stronger than she seems. She’ll get through this, she just needs some friendly reassurance,” Rarity promised her friend. She didn’t doubt her words, not in the slightest, she just hoped that her shy friend would be able to pull through this hard time. That she was skeptic about, however. But, Twilight didn’t need to know that.

“Perhaps…” Rarity scrunched up her face in thought. Then she brightened up. “Perhaps I’ll invite her to the spa tomorrow! Yes, that would be lovely. Besides, I’m in need of a hooficure,” she said, bringing her right front hoof to her face and studying it carefully.

Twilight looked at her friend, considering what the other unicorn had said carefully. It seemed that Rarity was right. Twilight easily overlooked it sometimes, but Fluttershy was indeed a strong pony, given the right support. However, she still felt that it was going to take a long while before any real progress was going to be made.

“I think that’s a great idea, Rarity. It’ll…be good for her to know that her friends are there for her, and we don’t blame her for this,” Twilight said, nodding her approval. “Because we all know who that title belongs to.”

They started walking again and made very light conversation the rest of the way, and it seemed the mood had brightened significantly, compared to when they had left the library. But that chipper state of mind came to a grinding halt when they finally reached the hospital.

The large building stood there, proud as ever, in front of them. It cast an imposing shadow that made the two unicorns cringe slightly. Twilight had never really liked hospitals. Her mind slowly wandered to a time long before she came to Ponyville, when she was still in Canterlot. She had to visit Canterlot Memorial Hospital when her brother had broken a limb when he was in training to become a Royal Guard. The place was full of suffering ponies and reeked of gauze and antiseptic. As a filly, she had always felt sympathetic for the ponies housed there, but never wanted to be in there herself. Granted, she didn’t believe any pony wanted to be in there. After her brother had recovered, she had urged him time and time again to be more careful so he wouldn’t (and more importantly she wouldn’t) have to go back there again. Luckily, Shining Armor had listened his little sisters’ pleas and Twilight was saved from any more hospital visits.

Now though, it seemed she had no choice. She had to see Rainbow Dash. What kind of a friend would she be if she didn’t visit in the pegasus’ time of need because of her own fears? Twilight swallowed noisily.

“Are you quite alright, dear?” Rarity asked, looking at Twilight with concern.

Twilight caught herself in an instant. “Of course, never better. What gave you that idea?” she laughed nervously, plastering on a clearly fake smile.

“You’ve gotten about two shades paler and you’re positively shaking in your horseshoes. That ought to be a good indicator,” Rarity answered, raising a brow.

The lavender unicorn had been so caught up with how much she hated the building that she hadn’t noticed how her inner thoughts affected her appearance. She shook her head to clear her head of those thoughts and smiled sheepishly.

“I’m sorry; I don’t like hospitals very much,” she explained.

“It’s quite alright, darling. I’m not much of a fan either,” Rarity answered, winking.

With this shared bit of information, Twilight felt more at ease. It was nice to have some pony who shared the same views as you sometimes.

A bit more reluctantly than she would have liked, she and Rarity walked up to the hospital’s double doors and opened them, quickly stepping inside. The inside looked the same as when they had left, except with more ponies that were seated in the waiting room. Twilight had seen most of them walking around the town, but didn’t know them personally. Some were ponies she hadn’t even seen before. However, she paid them no heed, instead focusing on the desk that was against the back wall of the room.

Seated in the desk was Nurse Redheart. When the double doors had produced a clicking sound when the unicorns opened them, aforementioned nurse glanced up and smiled when she saw the two familiar ponies enter. The two walked up to the desk, eager to get on with seeing their friend.

“You girls are here to see Miss Dash, is that correct?” Nurse Redheart asked, sitting up a bit straighter in her chair.

Twilight rolled her eyes internally. Why else would they be there?

“Yes,” they both answered.

The nurse looked to her left, then to her right before she got up out of her chair. She walked around the desk and stood before the two unicorns.

“Come with me,” Redheart said, starting to walk down a long, narrow hallway. Twilight and Rarity follow anxiously. They both knew where their friend’s room was, but if they were being led by Nurse Redheart herself, something must’ve happened. Still, they kept quiet, hoping that some clarity would be given to the situation present.

It didn’t take too long to get to the room, but once they got there, they were stopped by Redheart from entering. They shared a look as the nurse began speaking.

“I assume that you both remember Miss Dashs’ little episode from this morning?” she asked.

Two nods proved her assumption correct.

“Well, after you all left she demanded that we leave the room. We complied and she’s been quiet since” Redheart told them.

“Yes, and?” Twilight asked impatiently. She bobbed her head up to try and see over Redheart’s shoulder, wanting to see if there was a way she could get past the nurse.

“And I’m just warning you that if she asks you to leave, it’s probably best that you do,” the nurse instructed.

Twilight nodded. Although she didn’t quite agree with it, she understood the suggestion. Rainbow Dash had lost almost everything dear to her, it would be ideal that she wanted to have some time to grieve. Hopefully that period of time wouldn’t be too long, bust she didn’t hold her breath for that. As she looked at Rarity she saw the look of defiance and doubt that crossed her features. It was very subtle, but it still showed. The nurse must have noticed this as well.

“Mind you, it IS just a suggestion,” she said. “Take as long as you need to.” With that, she took her leave.

Rarity snorted and rolled her eyes, but Twilight responded with a sharp look. The white unicorn turned her eyes meaningfully to the nurse that continued walking down the long hallway, but Twilight was having none of it.

“She’s right. We have to let Dash have her time to grieve,” Twilight told her friend.

“Of course,” Rarity sighed begrudgingly in compliance.

Twilight’s voice softened. “And we can’t let her know about Fluttershy. Not right now at least,” she instructed, reaching out a hoof to open the door.

Rarity nodded and stepped back.

Twilight took this as the signal to open the door. Taking a deep breath, she pushed her hoof against the flat surface. The small creaking sound it produced as she opened it slowly made her wince for an instant, but she paid no attention to it. Instead, she focused her mind on what the room before her held. Without any further hesitation, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Paradise

Chapter four: Paradise

She was blind.

That thought echoed through Rainbow Dash’s mind relentlessly. She was blind. That meant she couldn’t see. To fly you needed to see, and she couldn’t do that anymore. Her whole life was in ruins. In the split second that she had jumped in front of Fluttershy everything had changed, and it seemed that those changes could not be undone. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew that no amount of wishing, wanting, dreaming, begging, or hoping could ever bring her sight back.

What would she do now? She wasn’t able to do her job, she wasn’t able to get to her home, hell, she doubted she would be able to hover without any help. In short, she couldn’t do anything anymore! Now, all she was going to need was help. Unless she magically started seeing through her hooves, she was going to have to be led around for the rest of her life. For someone as independent as she was, that was the absolute worst thing that could possibly happen. She grit her teeth as every little detail started to pile up on her. It was beginning to make her dizzy, and she felt herself grow numb from the rest of the world. The only thing she felt was an unbearable anger burning within her.

Ponies were going to start pitying her now. If there was one thing she couldn’t stand, it was when she was pitied. She didn’t need any pity! She was Rainbow Dash! The awesomest pony in Equestria! Or at least she was, until this happened. No, she was still as awesome as ever, no little case of sight loss could stop that…right?

She lifted her hooves in an exasperated manner, desperate for something to do, and desperate for something else to think about. As she slowly moved her hooves across the blanket that lay across her abdomen and chest, she was surprised at how detailed it felt to her. It was almost like every little fiber of the sheet jumped out at her, and the small strands that stood out of place brushed against the bottom of her hoof.

She also felt something else. But unlike the blanket, it felt like it was sticking into her. Curiously, she raised her right hoof up to her left. To her surprise, there was a small tube poking into her. She didn’t waste any time wondering what was in the tube though. Interested in what her hooves could now feel, she took a large inhale through her nose and reached both of her hooves up to where her unseeing eyes lay. Underneath her hooves she felt a large bandage. She followed the bandage’s path with her hooves and found out that it covered her eyes and wrapped around her head tightly. Great. Just another thing to remind her of her problem.

Flinging her front legs back down to her sides, she let out an irritated sigh. What was her life worth living now? What was SHE worth now? She couldn’t do anything now. All she would be to her friends was a burden. Maybe if would be better for all of them if she just dropped off the face of Equestria.

Wait a second. She thought back to her last hospital visit when she had broken her wing. Wasn’t there a lamp on the table just beside the bed? Curious, she reached a hoof outward to the right, feeling around while doing so. It was weird to not just see the lamp that was supposedly just sitting there, but she was determined to find it with or without her sight.

Finally, her fumbling hooves came across a cold, spherical object. Satisfied, she moved her sensitive hooves slowly up the object. Suddenly she came up to a burning heat that sent her retracting her hooves away from the lamp quickly. Hissing in pain, she quickly grappled the body of the lamp and felt around. As she came across a large button in the center, she pushed it and earned a small “click” after she did so. Cautiously, she moved her hooves upward again. Luckily, she didn’t feel the burning heat soak into her skin. However, there was still a dim lick of warmth radiating from the bulb. But she could tolerate that.

She kept her hoof hovering over it for a few minutes, contemplating things. It was one of the only times in her life she had ever sat down and actually THOUGHT. Then again, she had a lot of time, and a lot of things to think about now.

As she sat there, pondering about her life, another click was heard. She quickly reverted back to her original position and flung her front legs back down to her sides.

“Hello, Rainbow,” Twilight’s voice said.

She let her muscles relax. “Hey, Twi,” she said wearily.

“My, my, I never DID get used to these curtains,” she heard Rarity’s voice comment.

“Hi, Rarity,” she muttered quietly.

“Hmmm…perhaps I should – oh, hello, darling. How are you feeling?” Rarity asked as her hooves made a clicking sound as she stepped against the tiles of the floor.

“Just great! Considering, ya know, I can’t see ever again,” Rainbow Dash grumbled bitterly, crossing her front legs over her chest.

“Ermm…yes, of course,” the unicorn said awkwardly. “I’m terribly sorry about that.”

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Ah, forget it. It’s fine,” she said. The pegasus could feel the uncomfortable feeling in the air radiating throughout the room. Was this going to be how it was from now on? Awkward and uncomfortable to even have a simple conversation with her friends?

“Um…” Twilight’s voice wavered. Rainbow Dash could tell that the unicorn was trying to think of something to say. She knew it wasn’t all that fair, but she wished that they would spit out what they were thinking into the open where she could hear it. It seemed like they were trying to take it easy on her; they were PITYING her. Why couldn’t they treat her like they had before this whole stupid thing had happened? She didn’t need to be treated like a foal! She didn’t need everything to be sugar-coated for her! She didn’t need their damn pity! She didn’t need –! She stopped herself. Making indents in the blankets with her hooves, trying to control her temper, she stayed silent for a few moments.

“So, how have things been going with you guys?” she asked, hoping a real conversation could be made. She swore she was going to be physically sick if this namby-pamby-oh-I’m-so-sorry-you’re-blind crap continued any longer.

“Oh you should see-” Rainbow winced at the word “my new designs! They are absolutely marvelous!” Rarity gushed. By the sound of her voice, the white seamstress was completely engulfed in her own little world.

“Rarity!” Twilight’s tone of voice made Rainbow Dash think that Twilight had caught onto Rarity’s little slip up.

“What?” came the questioning reply.

“Well, I’d love to SEE them, but I really can’t DO that,” Rainbow chuckled bitterly.

“Rarity’s voice faltered as she realized her mistake a bit too late. “Oh…! Oh, darling, I’m so, so, so, so sorry!” she apologized rapidly. “I-I didn’t realize-!”

“No…i-it’s alright,” Rainbow Dash sighed. “It’s…it’s just gonna take a while to get used to, you know?” She felt her lower lip quivering, but quickly sucked in a breath through her teeth.

“Hey! I just got some new copies of Daring Do,” Twilight said quickly, breaking the grey mood that hung over the room like a storm cloud, threatening to rain over their heads. “Maybe I could bring one over and read it to you sometime?” she offered brightly.

“Sure, Twilight,” she agreed. “That’d be great.” She couldn’t even read her favorite book series without help!

The time marched on rather quickly as the three friends made conversation. It was less awkward than it had been at the start, but there were still a few questionable moments. Overall though, it seemed almost like any other day. Rainbow Dash felt herself relax considerably as time went on and, by the sound of their voices, Rarity and Twilight had as well. But even with the comfortable atmosphere that had formed, there was one thing she had to know. The thought gave her an uncomfortable feeling, but she didn’t think anything of it.

“Hey, how’s Fluttershy doing anyway?” she asked. “I haven’t heard much of her lately.”

Rarity didn’t skip a beat with her answer. “She’s doing just fine, dear. There’s no need to worry about that,” the unicorn said.

There was something in Rarity’s tone that made Rainbow Dash not quite sure she was telling the truth. However, she didn’t question it at the moment, she would save her questions for later. But, at least the pony she gave her life and sight for was safe. Suddenly, that small prickle of feeling she had experienced earlier started making itself known in her chest. Was that what she thought it was? At the mention of Fluttershy’s very name the strong sensation had started, she just hadn’t seemed to notice until now. It felt like…no, of course it wasn’t that. She shook it off quickly.

“Oh…that’s great,” she said slowly. “Umm…” She let out a long, fake yawn. “Hey, I’m really, really tired all of a sudden. Phew. I need to take a nap,” she said, stretching her front legs out exaggeratedly.

Twilight started to say something but her voice seemed to die in her throat. “Well…um, okay,” she said uncertainly. “Are you sure you don’t need-”

“Yes, I’m sure. You can go now,” Rainbow Dash answered a bit too quickly.

“Of course. Come along, Twilight,” Rarity said. Judging from the sound, she must have grabbed Twilight by the tail with her magic.

“Goodbye now, Rainbow Dash!” Rarity called out.

“But, Rari-” The door slammed shut before Twilight could finish.

Rainbow Dash let out a noisy sigh once she was sure she was alone. She thought back to the feeling she had experienced earlier. Every time she thought about Fluttershy, that same feeling bloomed in her chest. It made her grit her teeth together as she examined it more closely. She had felt it many times before, more than she would like to admit. However, she had never associated with one of her closest friends before. But it wasn’t like she wanted to feel that way about Fluttershy, she just couldn’t quite help it. As she tried to get her mind off the subject, her thoughts gradually reverted back to earlier, before Twilight and Rarity had come into her room. Were those really her thoughts? It seemed unreal to her. Then again, everything lately had seemed a bit unreal to the pegasus.

Stubbornly, she turned onto her side and pulled the sheets over her head. As she lay there, and the more she thought about, she finally gave in and admitted it to herself.

She blamed Fluttershy for what had happened to her.

Why hadn’t she moved!? Why!? That was her only question. If it wasn’t for her none of this would’ve happened! If Fluttershy had just moved out of the way when she had the chance, she would still be able to see; she would still be able to live. But no! Fluttershy just HAD to be the scaredy-pony she always was and stay there, scared out of her wits and, more importantly, her common sense.

These haunting, anger-filled thoughts echoed through her mind like a drum, pounding against her subconscious. Fortunately though, even with these thoughts still very much alive in her mind, she drifted off into a fitful sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“I still think we should have stayed with her,” Twilight grumbled bitterly, walking down the hospital hallway alongside Rarity.

“Maybe so. But, it’s for the best. Beauty sleep IS essential for one’s complexion after all,” Rarity said, flipping her perfectly done mane out of her eyes.

Twilight narrowed her eyes skeptically. She didn’t think for a second that wanting to catch up on sleep was the whole reason behind Rainbow Dash’s behavior, no matter how much the pegasus loved sleep normally. However, she didn’t voice her opinion at the moment. If she did, she had a feeling Rarity would turn back and barge into Rainbow’s room, looking for answers and that was the last thing she wanted to happen. Instead, she settled on saying something else.

“Thanks for doing that earlier,” she said.

“For doing what exactly?” Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow.

“For saying what you said about Fluttershy,” Twilight explained, giving her fellow unicorn a thankful look.

“Think nothing of it. I was just doing what was right at the time. That is its own thanks,” she replied. “But, you’re quite welcome,” she added, winking knowingly.

They kept walking down the long hallway, and as soon as they stepped back into the waiting room, Nurse Redheart came up to them.

“I’m sorry to bother you two, but has Rainbow Dash mentioned any immediate family she might have to you?” Nurse Redheart asked, looking concerned. “We went through her records but she has no contacts listed.”

The two shared a look. Why hadn’t the nurse mentioned this to them before?

“No…she’s never said anything to us,” Twilight told her skeptically. She saw the nurse narrow her eyes and look at the ground in thought. “Why?”

Nurse Redheart let out a heavy sigh. “In the case of an unexpected emergency and we have to operate, we have to have consent from a family member before we are able do that,” she explained.

Rarity nodded. “Of course. We’ll see to that,” she said, giving Twilight a small nudge.

Twilight caught onto Rarity’s little hints. Casting a small glance at aforementioned unicorn, she added, “Yes, what she said.”

“Thank you, girls,” Redheart said gratefully. After that, she turned and trotted away from them, most likely returning to her work.

After she was gone, Rarity asked,” Do you think Princess Celestia will have any idea who Rainbow’s family is? Perhaps you could ask her the next time you send her a letter?” Rarity wondered, looking at Twilight pleadingly.

"Well…uh…of course I could do that,” the lavender unicorn nodded. Speaking of which, she thought back to the letter she had sent earlier today. Why hadn’t Celestia responded with the speed she usually possessed when it came to Twilight’s letters? Did something happen? It wasn’t likely, considering the calmness of the day. Usually when a state of crisis was upon them...which wasn’t very often thankfully...some attention was drawn to it, but this day had been positively plain, save for a few small details.

“Actually, I sent a letter to her today,” Twilight said. “But she hasn’t answered yet.”

“Well, I’m sure that she will soon. You just have to be a little patient,” Rarity answered.

Twilight reluctantly nodded.

Rarity smiled. “Wonderful. Then we have nothing to worry about,” she said kindly. “Shall we be going then?”

The magician nodded, eager to get out of the sterile hospital atmosphere she hated so much. She quickly trotted out of the hospital with Rarity following close behind her. As soon as she was past the doors, she breathed in the outside air and slowed her pace. She looked behind her and saw that Rarity was mysteriously gone. But wasn’t she – oh, wait, there she was. The white unicorn had already started walking in the direction of the town. Twilight followed quickly, catching up to Rarity in a matter of seconds.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“I’m planning to stop by Sugarcube Corner to see how Pinkie’s doing,” Rarity explained. “Maybe I’ll purchase something to eat while I’m there.” She looked up, thinking about the items that she was bound to purchase. Sugarcube Corner was known for its delicious treats, and almost every pony went there. Even Rarity, who had a legendary streak for making her opinion of “fatty foods will ruin my figure” very much known around town, went there from time to time. “Would you like to join me?”

“Maybe some other time,” Twilight said. “I’m still waiting for an answer from Princess Celestia on that letter and I don’t want to miss it.”

“Of course. Well, you know where to find me in case you happen to change your mind,” she said in farewell, starting in the direction of the bakery and sweet shop. “Ta!” she called over her shoulder.

Twilight waved her friend off, only stopping when the other unicorn was out of sight. Following Rarity’s example, she walked forward. She took her time walking through Ponyville, enjoying the sunshine that radiated down onto the dirt roads of Ponyville. Celestia had done a good job today. It wasn’t too hot and it wasn’t too bright. Another thing to reinforce that on the outside it was a perfect day.

When she got to the Library, she found, to her surprise, that Spike wasn’t there. She raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Spike was almost always here, except if he was at Rarity’s (who was probably at Sugarcube Corner by now) or out doing his own business.

“Spike!” she called out.

No answer.

Anxiously, she quickly trotted up the stairs, hoping to find the dragon in the upper level of the house in a tree. But as she opened the door, it wasn’t Spike who she saw standing there.

In her bedroom was Princess Celestia, standing in all her majestic glory. She had a thoughtful look plastered on her graceful features that made Twilight unsure whether she should be concerned or scared. Or maybe both. When she saw Twilight, however, that look turned into content calmness.

“Princess Celestia?” she exclaimed, looking surprised at her mentor’s sudden appearance. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen the princess in the Library before, it was just that Princess Celestia usually gave her a little bit of warning before popping up like this.

“Hello, Twilight Sparkle. I received your letter,” the princess answered. She nodded her head, gesturing Twilight to come over.

Twilight obeyed, walking up to the alicorn and taking a seat beside her. The princess sat down on a purple colored cushion lying underneath her.

“I’m assuming you know why I’m here,” Celestia said as she sat, a serious look crossing her face.

Twilight nodded. “Yes, princess.”

Celestia smiled in satisfaction. “Good.” Taking a deep breath, she began her explanation. “I’m quite sorry about Rainbow Dash’s loss, and I offer her my sincerest condolences. It’s quite a shame for any pony to lose their sight, especially under the circumstances that occurred. But, for Rainbow Dash I could imagine that it can’t be easy to adjust to, or to accept.” She raised an eyebrow as Twilight looked down, but continued regardless. “However, since Rainbow Dash is the bearer of the Element of Loyalty, this is rather concerning.”

Twilight could see the alicorn’s point. The Elements of Harmony were Equestria’s first line of defense. If one of the bearers was unable to use their Element and some devastating event happened suddenly, like Discord returning, then there could be some serious problems for all of Equestria.

“But, I’m sure that Rainbow Dash will still be able to use her Element,” Twilight argued, frowning.

“Perhaps…” Princess Celestia thought for a few moments. “But how loyal can you be to others if you aren’t loyal to yourself?” she whispered, dropping her voice so low that Twilight could barely hear it.

Twilight stayed silent, her mouth gaping open as she tried to form her thoughts into words.

“I suppose you would like to know where Spike is?” Celestia asked suddenly.

Twilight blinked. “Er…yes, where is he?” she asked in concern.

“It seemed he had an errand to run,” Princess Celestia answered.

Twilight lowered her eyes in confusion. Why hadn’t Spike mentioned this to her earlier? Or maybe he had, but with everything going on lately, she must have forgotten. That seemed plausible.

“Oh…” she trailed off.

Celestia wrapped one of her wings around the unicorn, leaning down and nuzzling her gently. “Do not worry, my faithful student. Everything will be fine,” she told her comfortingly.

Twilight sighed pessimistically. “I hope so, Princess.”

She leaned into the loving embrace of her teacher. It seemed that the hug was all it took for the barriers of denial and emotion she had so carefully built up to shatter into a million pieces. Tears started leaking from her eyes one by one, and she made absolutely no effort to stop them. However, her tears weren’t hysteric sobs of pain, they were simply her emotions flowing out of her in a rather organized manner. In a sense, she was almost glad to release her emotions all at once. She didn’t think it would be good for her health if she kept them in any longer. All of a sudden, she felt the wing wrap around her tighter than before. The princess must have felt the tears drip down onto her coat. Twilight was happy for the comfort. It made everything else seem less…scary, she guessed she would put it.

They stayed like that for a long time, but Twilight could care less about that. All too quickly, Celestia removed her wing, causing Twilight to jump in surprise.

“I’m sorry to say this, but I must leave now, Twilight. There are things I need to attend to that can’t be avoided,” Princess Celestia said sadly, standing up.

Twilight nodded. “Yes, I understand,” she replied, standing up as well. As she did so, she remembered something that was asked of her not too long ago. “Oh! I almost forgot! Do you know if Rainbow Dash has any immediate family around? Like her parents or a grandparent, by any chance?” she asked.

Celestia thought about the unicorn’s question for a moment. “I can’t name any off the top of my head, but I’ll be sure to check.”

“Thank you, Princess,” Twilight answered gratefully, taking a step back from the alicorn.

“You’re quite welcome, Twilight.” With that, she walked to the balcony and hopped on top of one of the railings. “Now then, I’ll be off.” She turned her head back towards Twilight and gave her a small smile.

“Goodbye, my faithful student,” she said in farewell. She spread her wings in a flourish and just like that, she was only a small speck in the clear blue sky.

Honesty

Chapter five: Honesty

Sugarcube corner.

The atmosphere was quiet around the cheerful bakery, even though ponies were walking by the shop every two seconds, Rarity noted, chattering to themselves quietly. The chatter and chirping on the inside, however, was a different story altogether. It was happy, fun, and carefree, just like it always was. Rarity could also smell the sweet aroma of cupcakes and other baked goods drifting from the open window, and she could almost taste the sweet treats that were held within the building. Hardly daring to wait any longer, she took a few steps forward to open the door and –

“Pinkie Pie!”

Rarity let out an un-ladylike squawk as a loud crashing sound was heard, followed by more shouts, all coming from the same source.

“Stop ‘im!”

“Don’t you mean – Pumpkin Cake, no! Don’t chew on that!”

Without hesitation, Rarity rushed into the store. Looking around, she saw most the ponies inside looking up to the ceiling in curiosity, while some of them were muttering suspiciously to the ponies around them. She also saw Mr. Cake hurry upstairs with a worried look on his face.

“What’s going on?” Rarity asked, trotting up to Mrs. Cake, who was anxiously hopping in place.

“Oh, I don’t know. It just happened all of a sudden,” Mrs. Cake answered.

“Well that didn’t answer anything,” Rarity thought. But, if you want an answer, you’ve got to find it yourself, as they say. Not wasting another moment, she went up the stairs, following Mr. Cake.

“I’ll be back in a moment!” she called out over her shoulder. As she reached the top of the staircase, she barely had time to duck before a large stuffed monkey flew past her head and onto the step behind her.

“What in the world?” she wondered out loud as she held the monkey in her magic.

“Pound Cake! Stop that!” Mr. Cake’s voice called out worriedly from the room just across from where she stood. Judging by the sound of his voice, she could tell that if she didn’t get in there quickly, there would be a very large possibility that there would be a large hole where Sugarcube Corner once stood. Quickly, she opened the door and walked into the room. As she got in, and saw the scene with her own two eyes, she wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t what was in front of her.

It was similar to a bar fight, Rarity noticed. (She had seen a few of those in her time, although she would never admit it and was incredibly hesitant to go in one of those uncouth buildings again) Stuffed animals were flying everywhere in no particular order and blankets, pillows, and the likes of which were strewn around the cluttered room haphazardly. The baby pegasus, Pound Cake, was flying in circles above the three earth ponies’ heads. His sister, Pumpkin Cake, joined him, except she was in the air by levitating herself. Honestly, Rarity had no idea how such a small, inexperienced foal was able to perform such a feat for her tender age. But, there were bigger matters at hoof.

Mr. Cake and Pinkie Pie were looking incredibly flustered, and Applejack looked like she was about ready to hit something. Figuring she should stop what was bound to happen, she lit up her horn and held everything where it was, effectively stopping the chaos.

The three ponies all turned bewildered eyes on the unicorn and a shocked silence settled itself into the room. Even the two foals were silent in shock. However, it came to no pony’s surprise that Pinkie Pie was the first one to break the silence.

“Rarity!” Pinkie exclaimed happily.

Rarity acknowledged Pinkie with a small nod and, with a small flick of her head, neatly set everything back in its proper place. When the materials were all safely put away, she carefully moved the two surprised foals back to their cribs, much to their dismay.

“Well, that was easy,” Applejack said. “Thanks fer that.”

“Anytime,” Rarity answered. She walked further into the room and stood between Mr. Cake and Pinkie Pie. “Now, will some pony please tell me what happened?”

“Oh, oh, oh! Pick me!” Pinkie squealed, thrusting her hoof into the air.

“Errr…yes, Pinkie?” Rarity answered, smiling uncertainly.

“Well, me and Applejack were just here watching the twins, and they were taking a nap, but then they woke up! We were ready for that, of course, but Pumpkin started chewing on stuff and Pound started pounding. So we tried to stop them but Pound started flying and Pumpkin started using her magic and we couldn’t stop them. And then you two showed up!” Pinkie Pie said in one breath.

Rarity got lost at the first sentence, but she was generously estimating on that guess. Still, she gave a polite grin. “Yes, and then the…uhh…could you explain that again? A bit…slower this time?”

Applejack face hoofed. “What she means is that we were havin’ a bit of trouble until ya’ll showed up,” she said.

“Exactly!” Pinkie affirmed, nodding vigorously.

“…” Mr. Cake looked at each of the mares in turn, not quite sure what to do. “Uhmm…thank you, Rarity.”

“You’re quite welcome. And, since I’m here, may I speak to Applejack and Pinkie Pie for just a moment?” Rarity asked, looking at the stallion sweetly. “Mare stuff,” she added on.

Mr. Cake nodded. “Oh course.” As he turned to leave he called out over his shoulder, “Thanks again, girls!” With that, he disappeared from sight.

Alone with her two friends, she began to speak. “How have you two been doing?” she asked, circling around Pinkie and standing in front of the crib which held Pumpkin Cake.

“I’ve been doing just great!” Pinkie said, perhaps a bit too quickly.

Rarity and Applejack looked unconvinced. “Uh-huh,” they said in unison.

“Well…” Applejack started after a slight pause. “I’ve been doin’…Ah honestly wish Ah could say Ah was fine,” she sighed, lowering her eyes and taking a sudden interest in the floor. “L-look, Ah’m really sorry, but I have ta go.” With that, she took off, running out of the room.

Rarity narrowed her eyes. She turned back to Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie, I’m sorry. I -”

“You can go,” Pinkie said, smiling.

Rarity couldn’t be sure, but was her lower lip quivering? “Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yes.”

The unicorn gave her friend a worried look. Knowing Pinkie, something was definitely wrong. She promised herself she would be back to check up on this matter later. Without another word, she let herself out of the brightly colored room. She made her way down the stairs and when she reached the bottom, she saw Mr. and Mrs. Cake huddled in a corner, whispering quietly to each other.

“Excuse me,” she interrupted, coming in between the couple. “Did you happen to see which way Applejack went?”
Mrs. Cake pointed a hoof toward the door. “She went out the door and to the right. Oh, she certainly looked upset,” she told her.

Rarity nodded, then looked cautiously in both directions, first the left, then the right. Finally, she leaned her head forward and whispered something in Mrs. Cake’s ear. After she was finished, she heard Mrs. Cake make a small gasping sound. She then turned her head away from Rarity and whispered something, most likely what Rarity had just told her, into her husband’s ear. Mr. Cake had the same reaction as his wife, a small exclamation escaping from his throat and his mouth forming into a small ‘o’.

On a single invisible signal shared by the three of them, Rarity took her leave. She walked out the door quickly and, once she was outside, she turned her head to her right. At first, she thought she had missed her, but out of the corner of her eye she saw the faintest glimpse of a blond tail turning into another street. Just as she thought the day couldn’t get any more exciting.

She took off after Applejack, speeding up her pace until she reached a delicate canter, closing the distance between herself and Applejack fairly quickly, and not to mention efficiently. Applejack, of course, spotted her easily. After all, it wasn’t like she was trying to hide herself anyway. When the earth pony saw Rarity chasing her, she did exactly what the unicorn was expecting, she ran faster. Rarity picked up her pace as well, but still carefully picked where she placed her hooves. Just because she was doing something that involved running on dirt didn’t mean that she couldn’t keep her hooves clean while doing so. However, it didn’t help to close the distance between the two.

The earth pony and the unicorn kept running, one being chased and the other doing the chasing. Figuring that she had had enough of this pointless, at least in her opinion, activity, she called out, “Applejack! Stop!”

“No!” came the stubborn reply. “You quit chasin’ me!”

“I will do no such thing!” she replied. “I need to talk to you about Rain-”

“Shut your trap and quit following me!” Applejack shouted, her voice on the verge of screaming. While doing this, she managed to run faster, and attract the attention of the ponies around them.

Rarity couldn’t care less about what ponies thought of the strange scene, but, she did wonder if her hair was presentable today. She was even tempted to stop by a nearby store that had a mirror and make sure her hair was up to par with her high standards. However, she shook those nasty temptations out of mind figuratively. This was for the greater good, she told herself. As much as it pained her to say it, her hair would just have to wait.

Suddenly, Applejack made a sharp turn to the left. Rarity made the turn as well, although a bit slower than Applejack, and then the chase continued. Even though she didn’t like getting her hooves dirty, she had no qualms with running after some pony to help a friend. However, she wondered how long it was going to last. Luckily for her, she didn’t have to run for as long as she had expected.

Once Applejack had led her to the very southern edge of Sweet Apple Acres, she stopped her stride abruptly, her hooves grinding to a halt. Since she was still a few paces behind Applejack, Rarity had less trouble stopping herself, but she still felt her hooves bounce along the gravel underneath them as she stopped her slow sprint.

“Well, thank you for stopping, A-” She stopped when she saw the venomous look on the earth pony’s face.

“There. Ya happy?” Applejack spat.

Rarity glared back at her.

“Why yes. I am, thank you very much,” she answered slowly. “Now, would you be so kind to explain why you were running?”
Applejack stayed silent. All that Rarity received as an answer was a hateful glare. Maybe she didn’t hear her.

“I said, would you please-”

“Ah heard what you said!”

“Well, then why did you run?”

“Because!”

“Because why!?”

“Because I…! Because…” Applejack trailed off, her gaze faltering as she thought of something to say. “I was scared,” she said in a barely audible tone. It was unfortunate that Rarity didn’t hear her.

“What was that?”

“I said I was scared,” she mumbled, a bit louder this time.

“You’re going to have to speak louder, darling,” Rarity said.

“I. Was. Scared,” she said, finally audible to the unicorn’s ears.

Rarity blinked. Well that wasn’t what she had been expecting. “That’s nothing to be ashamed of, darling.”

“So, are ya saying you’re not?” Applejack said accusingly, her spiteful glare slowly and surely returning.

“I…I’m not quite sure I know what you mean,” Rarity said uncertainly.

“Nothing’s ever gonna be the same! Rainbow Dash is BLIND! She ain’t never gonna fly again and-”

“I hate to interrupt, but Rainbow Dash will still be able to fly.”

“But she’s never gonna fly the same as before! Everything’s changing, and it’s changing way too fast fer mah tastes,” Applejack said, starting to tear up, a rarity for the strong pony. “Don’t you see, Rarity? Ah’m…Ah just don’t want things to change…and Ah’m worried about ‘er.”

“I think I speak for all of us when I say I am worried about her as well, but you know how Rainbow Dash is, she’ll be back on her hooves in ten seconds flat,” Rarity said comfortingly, taking a few steps closer to Applejack and giving her an affectionate nuzzle.

“Maybe…but…it’s not gonna be easy. Not at all. It’s not gonna be easy ever again,” Applejack muttered, taking her stetson off her head and fidgeting with it.

Rarity gave her an empathetic look. She knew how the earth pony was feeling, and, like her, didn’t enjoy how things were changing so rapidly. As much as she liked organized chaos, this was much too chaotic for any pony to manageably deal with and still keep their sanity in the process. Still, she could make it work, she could keep it together. She had to, for every pony’s sake.

It was Applejack’s voice that brought her back to reality.

“Look…Ah’d love to stay and chat some more, but Ah really have to get some work done,” Applejack said, placing her hat back on her head.

Rarity nodded. “I understand. But, if you ever need some pony to talk to, please don’t hesitate to stop by,” she said kindly.

Applejack smiled in return. She quickly turned away from Rarity and headed into the field behind Rarity.

Rarity watched her go, internally patting herself on the back. After Applejack was out of sight, she made her own way back to Ponyville. She had done her job, but that conversation had put her mind into action, thoughts forming rapidly in her mind. Rainbow Dash still had her wings, and therefore she would still be able to fly. For some reason, every pony seemed to be forgetting that fact. Perhaps the part that stood out to every pony was that she just couldn’t do what she used to do, and her flying would be a fraction of what it normally was. Still, maybe there was a way she could fly without any help. Rarity had heard of a few ways blind pegasi could fly without any guidance from another pony, but it took a while to master. Come to think of it, Rarity had never really looked into the subject fully. Maybe this would be her excuse to research more on the subject, especially if it would do anything to help her ailing friend.

With this new goal firmly planted into her mind, she headed towards the town she was proud to call home. Now that book on pegasus wings and aerodynamics she had lying around in some corner of her closet would finally come in handy. But first, she had to get a snack.

Happiness

Chapter six: Happiness

After the odd scenario involving the cake twins was dealt with, Sugarcube Corner had resumed being the happy place it always was. Everything seemed to revert back to its normal state.

For some things at least.

Pinkie Pie sat upstairs in the twins’ room, turning an empty gaze to the wall opposite the one she was leaning against. Her poufy hair was completely deflated and hanging across her face like a dark pink curtain, and her shining blue eyes were red, puffy, and gleaming with fresh tears just waiting to escape her eyelids and roll down her tear-stained face. She sniffed loudly as another tear slowly rolled down her moist cheeks.

The two foals that sat in their cribs looked at her sadly. They wanted to do something, but they were unsure of what they could do anymore. Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake had already tried to get the pink pony’s attention numerous times, but each of their desperate attempts had been blatantly ignored by Pinkie Pie. So there they sat, looking at the pink pony in quiet sympathy.

Why did this have to happen? That was Pinkie Pie’s only question. She knew that life was unfair, and that it could throw unexpected twists and turns at you, but Dashie being blind for the rest of her life? Okay, life, that was going the slightest bit too far! She groaned sadly. In her mind, there was no reason to smile right now. She was trying to find one, she REALLY was. However, no reasons came to her mind at the moment. It was ironic, wasn’t it? The pony who told everyone to smile, couldn’t find a reason to do it herself, Pinkie thought to herself bitterly.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door she had closed when Rarity and Applejack had left. She moaned in annoyance. The last thing she wanted to deal with right now was another pony, but she had a reputation as the happiest pony in Ponyville to maintain, right? She wiped her face with her hoof quickly and plastered on a clearly fake smile. That was easy enough. But the one thing she couldn’t seem to do was give her hair its signature look. That was the main thing that worried her. Maybe she could play it off as a new mane style. Yeah, that could work, she could totally pull it off. She always was a good actress if she said so herself. Pinkie Pie made a few humming noises to make sure her voice was as chirpy as ever, and not that cracking sound it usually was when she had cried for a long period of time.

“It’s open!” Her voice cracked. Damn it.

“Pinkie Pie? Are you all right in there, dearie?” Mrs. Cake’s pleasant voice called in as her head popped into the room. Her eyes widened when she saw Pinkie Pie.

A few awkward moments of silence passed between them.

“Oh…uh, hiya, Mrs. Cake!” she said happily. Luckily for her, her voice was devoid of anymore cracking sounds.

“Pinkie Pie…are you doing okay, dear?” Mrs. Cake asked, a concerned tone taking over her voice.

“Of course!” Pinkie Pie assured the older pony quickly, plastering on an even bigger smile than before. “What makes you think that I wasn’t?”

“Well, for one thing your hair is – ”

“Oh, I just thought I’d try something different than what I normally go for! Do you like it?” she asked eagerly, shrugging Mrs. Cake’s question off faster than you could say chimmy cherry changas.

Mrs. Cake looked taken aback for a moment, but that look of surprise was quickly replaced by a look of concern. “Umm…yes, it’s very nice, dear. But, can I talk to you?” she asked, walking further into the room. She took careful care to close the door behind her. “It won’t take more than a few minutes.”

The pink pony backed up a bit, getting a bit nervous that her little secret would be discovered as Mrs. Cake came closer to her.

“Uhh…yeah, okay…sure thing,” she agreed, looking in all directions except the older pony’s eyes.

Mrs. Cake looked a bit hesitant to start the inevitable conversation, but she told herself that this couldn’t be avoided. She knew that the younger pony was holding quite a bit in, and she was just barricading herself in from the outside world. That wasn’t healthy for any pony to deal with, least of all on your own, and she just hoped that Pinkie Pie would come to realize that. She just needed a push in the right direction, and Mrs. Cake was willing to be that push if it meant helping the pony she cared for so much.

“Rarity told me about…well, about Rainbow Dash, and - ”

Pinkie Pie suddenly got defensive, walking threateningly towards Mrs. Cake. “Oh she DID, did she? What else did she tell you? HMMM?” she accused. By the time she had finished, she had backed Mrs. Cake up to the wall opposite of them and was pushing her nose up against Mrs. Cake’s.

Mrs. Cake was reluctant to answer after the pink pony’s display. “She didn’t tell me anything else, Pinkie,” she assured.

After hearing Mrs. Cake’s comforting voice, Pinkie Pie realized what she was doing, and instantly regretted it. She backed up more than enough to give Mrs. Cake her personal space and looked down at the ground in shame.

“Sorry, Mrs. Cake,” she mumbled
.
“It’s quite all right, dearie,” Mrs. Cake told her soothingly. She cautiously took a few steps closer to the younger pony. Thankfully, Pinkie Pie made no attempts to back up once again. “Now, I know you’re feeling sad, but - ”

“Who said I was sad? I’m not sad!” Pinkie Pie yelped quickly, looking up wildly and bobbing her head in all directions. She winced at the sound of her own voice. If it wasn’t obvious that she had a problem before, it was certainly obvious now.

Mrs. Cake looked at her knowingly, and Pinkie Pie folded in like a cheap table. The walls she had so cleverly built up to shield her emotions from the outside world were starting to crumble, and tears started to leak out of her eyes slowly.

“Okay, fine. I’m sad,” she admitted bitterly.

Mrs. Cake sighed in sympathy and walked over to Pinkie. Aforementioned pony looked back down to the ground once again and the tears starting flowing from her eyes faster.

The blue pony smiled sadly and held a hoof around Pinkie Pie’s heaving shoulders. “It’s okay for every pony to feel sad once in a while,” she said comfortingly. However, the reaction she got was certainly not one that she had expected.

“But I can’t!” Pinkie cried, slamming herself against the wall and leaning against it. She slid down the wall slowly and landed on her rump with a dull thud.

Mrs. Cake heard small gasps from the crib where her foals lay, but paid the sounds no heed. Right now, she focused her undivided attention to the wailing pony beside her. She sat down and asked, “Now who in the wide world of Equestria said that?”

“Every pony! I’m the Element of Laughter, so I have to be happy all the time! If I don’t then I won’t be doing my duty properly, and then ponies won’t like me anymore!” she sobbed. Her wails were getting louder as she continued, but she didn’t care. She just tucked her head into her front legs and held it there, as if her limbs could provide a shield from the judgment of the outside world. However, that wish remained just that: a foolish wish created by her insecurities. “Ponies like me because I throw parties and I’m happy and I make every pony else happy too! If ponies knew I was all saddy-waddy, then they would stop liking me! And I don’t want any pony to stop liking me!” By the end of her rant she was completely in hysterics. She clutched her face in her front hooves and her body was shaking violently with her never-ending sobs.

While Pinkie Pie was doubled over, Mrs. Cake was soothingly rubbing her back. “Oh, Pinkie Pie…that’s not true at all,” she said.

Pinkie Pie wasn’t having any of that. “But it is!” she countered.

“I’m seeing you cry, but do I think any less of you?” Mrs. Cake asked.

Pinkie pie looked up at the older pony, her eyes red and moist from all the tears. “Do you?” she asked sadly.

“Of course not, dearie,” Mrs. Cake smiled. “And neither will any pony.”

“You promise?” Pinkie asked, still not convinced.

Mrs. Cake sighed and sat up on her haunches. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” she said, going through the motions of the promise that was named after the pink pony herself. It was only when she reached her hoof to her eye and touched it that she winced. After she was finished she put her hoof back down on the floor once again.
Pinkie Pie gave a small smile and wiped her nose with a hoof, giggling while doing so.

“Are you feeling any better now, Pinkie?” Mrs. Cake asked.

“Yeah…a LOT better,” Pinkie sniffed. Suddenly, she pulled Mrs. Cake into a tight embrace, folding her front legs around the older pony and squeezing her. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Cake.”

“Anytime, dearie,” Mrs. Cake smiled, returning the hug just as tightly. She was both happy, and just a bit surprised when Pinkie Pie’s mane suddenly fluffed up once again. But, it was certainly nice to have the usual Pinkie Pie back.

After a few more minutes of hugging, Mrs. Cake finally let go, much to Pinkie Pie’s disapproval.

“Mr. Cake will probably be wondering where I am. Is it all right if I go now, dear?” Mrs. Cake asked.

“Sure! You go right ahead!” Pinkie encouraged.

Mrs. Cake looked hesitant, but smiled to the pony beside her. She slowly stood up and made her way to the door. It seemed she had done her job, but Pinkie Pie was a very convincing actress, she had learned that on many occasions. So before she opened the door to leave, she looked back one last time.

“Are you sure you don’t need me anymore?” she asked.

“I’m super-duper sure!” Pinkie said, hopping to her hooves. She bounced to the door and held it open for Mrs. Cake.

“Well…okay. But call me if you need anything,” Mrs. Cake said. Finally she walked out of the door Pinkie was holding and made her way down the staircase leading to the main floor of Sugarcube Corner.

Pinkie Pie saw her out, watching the older pony gratefully as Mrs. Cake walked down the stairs and back to the store. She felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards Mrs. Cake. Mrs. Cake had helped pull her out of spiralling depression after all. It wasn’t completely gone, however. She still felt horrible for Dashie, and even worse that she could do barely anything to help her. But Mrs. Cake’s efforts had dampened that feeling of helplessness considerably.

She shook her head in amusement. What a silly filly she was. Just because she’s the Element of Laughter didn’t mean that she can’t be sad at all. She now knew that ponies couldn’t be happy all the time; it just wasn’t possible, even for her. It just seemed to take her a little bit longer to realize this simple fact. But, better late than never, as the expression went. She looked at the twins, who were both looking at her worriedly, and walked up to them.

“Don’t worry, you guys,” she assured them, smiling a small smile just in case the two weren’t entirely convinced. “I’m fine.”

They both smiled in return and clapped their hooves together, while happy noises came out of their mouths. Their antics made her smile even bigger, but that wasn’t the whole reason. She had made not one, but two ponies smile. In fact, it was one of the first times she thought she had genuinely brightened up some ponies’ day this week, which was more than enough for her.

Speaking of this week, she had just realized that she hadn’t thrown a single party, which was quite unusual for her. She had been much too busy worrying about Dashie to throw any parties. But that was going to change. And it was going to change very soon indeed. She would throw the best party ever for her friend! It may take a while to plan for and prepare, but if she knew her standards (which she knew very well, if she said so herself), then it would be the best party ever! It would be the party of all parties!

“What do you guys think? Should I throw a party for Dashie? Do you think she’ll like that?” Pinkie Pie asked the twins.

They both smiled and nodded vigorously, signaling their approval of Pinkie Pie’s proposal. Pinkie smiled in glee.

“Good! I was hoping you would like it! And I’m sure Dashie’ll like it too!” Pinkie smiled, clapping her hooves together. She stopped her hooves and gave each of them a pat on the head. “You guys are the best, you know that?”

Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake smiled in approval. Oh, they knew that all right.

The pink pony sighed. “Well, I guess I should get back to work,” she said, walking over to the door. Just before she closed it, she called over her shoulder, “See you guys later!”

She came to a stop just before she reached the staircase. Was Mrs. Cake really right? Would the ponies down there still like her? She was sure they had heard her wails, but she had no idea how they had reacted to them. Still, she figured she might as well face the music while she still had at least a little bit of dignity left. With her head held high, she hopped down the steps.

Her entrance appeared to be seemingly ignored by the ponies in Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie wasn’t quite used to being ignored when she came into a room, but it actually wasn’t so bad. Besides, it wasn’t like she was trying to get noticed anyways.

“So far so good,” she thought as she made it to the bottom of the staircase without attracting any attention. Suddenly, Mr. Cake appeared in front of her. He had a comforting smile on his face that set Pinkie Pie’s startled mind at ease.

“Feeling better, Pinkie?” he asked kindly.

“You bet, Mr. Cake!” she answered. The ponies must have noticed her by now. With some hesitation, she looked around the store. To her delight (and just a bit of luck) all the ponies in the room were smiling at her. Some even gave the pink pony a welcoming wave when she locked eyes with them. She breathed out a noisy sigh of relief. Mrs. Cake had been right, thank Celestia.

What she had said to Mr. Cake about her feeling better was the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, she promised that to herself. She was finally happy again. After a long week of disappointment, anxiousness, and all around sorrow, she was finally happy. However, the big black cloud that was called depression still loomed over the deepest parts of her subconscious, just waiting to strike when the perfect moment presented made itself clear. But she could handle it. She was sure of it.

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. “Hey, Mr. Cake, do you think…” She whispered the last part of her plan in the stallion’s ear. Pinkie wanted to be super secretive with this one particular party. No pony could know until everything was absolutely perfect. If some pony knew ahead of time, then it could spoil the whole element of surprise, and the whole thing would be left in ruins, and she couldn’t have that.

After he was told of Pinkie Pie’s brilliant plan, Mr. Cake smiled and gave her a nod of approval. “I think that’s a great idea, Pinkie,” he said supportively. “I’m sure she’ll love it.”

“Great! I’ll have to start planning right away!” she said. “But first…” She gave her first genuine Pinkie-Pie smile of the week. “Need any help?”

Oranges to Apples

Chapter seven: Oranges to Apples

“Ms. Dash?”

Rainbow Dash groaned and used her hooves to grapple the edges of the pillow and fold them over her head. There was no way any pony was going to wake her up from this nap. Who cared if she was asleep for a whole week, she still needed it! The sweet embrace of sleep was one of her favorite things, after all. However, the pony who was disturbing her didn’t seem to notice or exactly care for that matter.

“Ms. Dash?” the voice said again, a bit more forcibly this time around. This time, along with the sound, came a hoof that shook her shoulder. Irritably, she tried swatting it away, but all she felt was air as she swiped her hoof back and forth. Still, she had to admit the voice was better than the constant, rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor that kept ringing in her ears relentlessly.

Groaning, she finally answered,” I’m up, I’m up…” and moved herself slowly into a sitting position. Since she couldn’t quite figure out where the voice was coming from, she leaned back and held her head straight, her eyes set on the direction right in front of her. But, if she could take a guess, she would say that it was coming from her right.

“Lunch time,” the voice, Nurse Redheart’s voice to be more precise, called out from her right.

Ha, she was right. It was to be expected though. Rainbow Dash always guessed correctly. However, the little celebration of hers was obliterated when the thought of hospital food crossed her mind. Celestia how she hated that stuff. The last time she was here and had to eat their food, she could just barely force it down her throat. Right now, the absolute last thing she want to do was eat more of it. For a moment she was thinking about just telling the nurse she wasn’t hungry, but she couldn’t starve, now could she?

Surprisingly, a loud clank was heard and something rather heavy was placed onto her back legs, a tray most likely. She heard a chair pull up to the edge of her bed as well.

“Now, I’m going to have to help you eat so - ”

“No! I mean…um…no, I don’t need any help, thanks.”

“Ms. Dash, you won’t be able to see the food. And if you make a mess, then that could lead to some minor problems,” Nurse Redheart said firmly, standing by her position.

Rainbow felt a large heat rise in her face. This might just be the most humiliating thing she had ever experienced. Now she couldn’t eat by herself? What could be next? On second though, it might be better to leave that certain question unanswered. However, she understood what the nurse was saying. It might just be better to swallow her pride and accept the help. Then again…no. She was NOT going to be treated like a foal!

“Can’t you just…I dunno…tell me where everything is?” she pleaded, almost begging not to be fed. What was left of her reputation was on the line! She couldn’t give in now!

A small silence passed between them, and Rainbow assumed that the nurse was thinking about letting the pegasus have her way. But, it seemed that the odds were not exactly in her favor. Then again, they hadn’t really been on her side recently.

“I’m sorry, but certain…precautions say that I must,” Redheart said apologetically. From the sounds that came to Rainbow’s ears, Nurse Redheart had taken a seat in the chair beside her bed. “Maybe next time.”

So much for eating by herself.

She barely listened when Nurse Redheart told her what was on the tray and where each item was. But, she did catch snippets of the explanation and when she did she didn’t particularly like what she heard. All of it was just trashy hospital food that barely tasted like anything. And sure enough, as she started eating it, she was proven correct. The food was hard to get down, and being fed like a foal just added insult to injury. Now she was absolutely sure this was the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to her. She just hoped no pony was watching. However, by the pleasing silence that surrounded them, it seemed that the two ponies were alone.

After what seemed like twelve centuries plus a year, Nurse Redheart gave a small sound of approval and the spoon that had been shoved repeatedly into her mouth disappeared.

Rainbow Dash smacked her lips together a few times, happy that the foreign object was finally out of her mouth.

“Okay, Ms. Dash. You’re all done,” she said happily. Little did Rainbow Dash know that the Nurse felt almost the same way about feeding her. She didn’t particularly like force feeding patients, especially when they were so desperate to not have this belittling procedure done. And for some pony like Rainbow Dash, she felt a huge awkwardness that came with it, adding on to the already humiliating process. The only difference between her and the pegasus was a huge pool of sympathy forming in the earth pony’s gut for Rainbow Dash. But, she had little time to pay attention to such feelings.

Rainbow Dash breathed out a large sigh of relief. “Thank Celestia…” she mumbled, leaning back against the pillow. She heard the chair move back a small ways away from her and footsteps heading towards what she guessed was the door. But, before the door opened, she heard Nurse Redheart speak once again.

“Oh, and another thing. There’s a glass of orange juice on the counter just to your right, in case you’d like it,’ the nurse told her.

Rainbow Dash licked her lips. “Right. Thanks,” she said hesitantly.

“You’re quite welcome. Call us if you need anything,” Nurse Redheart said.

The door then clicked closed, leaving Rainbow Dash alone once again. She was just about to lay back down against the cozy bedspread when she just noticed how dry her throat really was. Not to mention the residue of the food she had just eaten was still stuck in her throat. So, very carefully, she leaned over to her right and felt around. She had to be particularly careful with this seemingly simple task. If there was one thing she didn’t want to do right at that particular moment it was spill the liquid. There was no doubt it would cause an unbearably sticky mess, both to her and the floor, and it would take more trouble cleaning up than it was worth. However, just as she was about to give up, her fumbling hooves knocked against something cold and spherical. Quickly, she grabbed it with her two hooves, making sure she didn’t spill the contents of the glass. As soon as it was steadied, she wasted no time with putting it to her mouth and letting the cool liquid wash away the foul taste of the hospital food.

When the sweet juice touched her taste buds, she was utterly surprised to find that it was actually pretty good. It wasn’t bitter, tasteless, or warm. The small glass of juice was certainly a rarity in this kind of setting, and she intended to savor every drop she was given. But, when she finally did finish it, she felt like it had been swallowed a bit too quickly for her tastes. Still, she would probably be able to ask Nurse Redheart or some other nurse or doctor for another glass, so it wasn’t even that big of a deal.

What really perplexed her was the way she thought of the juice. It was just that. A glass of (very good) orange juice. Why did she react in the way she did? To any other pony, it would just be a regular beverage, but to her it was different for some reason. She skimmed her hoof along the glass. Funny, the juice reminded her of AJ’s apple cider for some reason.

Oh…

That was it.

She missed her friends. The orange juice had reminded her of them, and she only wished that they were here right now, talking with her, keeping her company, or just particularly being with her. She could honestly care less what they would be doing, she just wanted some company. She hated being alone. Right now she was regretting sending Twilight and Rarity off so early. Maybe if she hadn’t been so pushy they would have stayed. But, there was nothing she could do now.

And there she sat, leaning her head against the backboard of the bed and pondering about useless and not so useless things. Like juice, her friends, and flying. Oh how she missed flying. How she missed that luxurious feeling of the wind brushing through her ruffled feathers as she flew. How she missed that rush of adrenaline she always got when she took that first leap into the air, her back legs pushing off the ground and her wings taking over, plunging her face first into her true home, the endless blue sky above her. Never again would she fly, never again would she perform daring stunts of aerial acrobatics, never again would she produce another Sonic Rainboom, or break the visible light spectrum. Never again would she defy the laws of what every pony thought was possible.

Maybe she would miss that most of all.

Breaking the laws of physics. Oh how she had enjoyed proving those ponies who doubted her wrong. The look of disbelief on their faces when she had made the impossible possible brought her pride, joy, and even amusement to admit their defeat to her. What she wouldn’t give to see the looks on their faces one more time, just one more time, if only for a brief glance.

Funny how the things you take for granted everyday of your life are the things that matter the most.

She started in surprise when she heard the door click open again, her thoughts grinding to a halt. Who could it be this time? She braced herself as the unknown pony walked into the room.

“Are you finished?” Nurse Redheart’s soothing voice filled the air.

She let out a relieved breath and relaxed as she heard the comforting, not to mention familiar, sound. “Yeah…the orange juice was good,” she said.

Nurse Redheart chuckled. “I see.”

Rainbow Dash then remembered something she had forgot to mention to the nurse earlier. “Hey, do you know when I can leave?” Rainbow Dash asked. When the nurse didn’t answer right away she thought that she had accidentally offended her in some way. “N-not that this place isn’t cool or anything-”

“It’s quite alright, Ms. Dash,” Nurse Redheart chuckled in an amused fashion. Her tone once again grew serious. “Well…if you keep recovering at the rate you are now, I’d say…” Nurse Redheart thought about her answer for a moment or two. “Tomorrow afternoon? Early the next day?”

Rainbow Dash let out a small sound that seemed eerily familiar to the word ‘yes’.

“But, first thing’s first. Do you know where you’ll be staying after you’re released?”

Rainbow Dash froze. If she was being honest with herself, she hadn’t exactly thought that far ahead yet. “Erm…no,” she admitted quietly, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

“I see…I see…” Redheart trailed off, thinking to herself quietly. She spoke once again, her voice brightening with optimism. “Well, there’s no need to worry, Ms. Dash. I’m sure that if worse comes to worst we can find you somewhere to stay,” she promised.

“Thanks,” Rainbow smiled gratefully.

“You’re very welcome, my dear. Now…” There was something about her tone that Rainbow Dash didn’t quite like. It was serious, and it made it sound like some pony had just died, Celestia forbid. “I’m just wondering something.”

Rainbow could feel herself becoming defensive with every second that passed. “Shoot,” she said cautiously.

“For future references, we need to know if you have any immediate family around at the time? Care to help us?” the nurse asked.

The pegasus gulped. Immediate family? Her parents? She shook her head violently. There was no way she was going to think about that now. “I…I don’t want to talk about it,” she answered hesitantly. At the moment, she was doing a very good impression of Fluttershy, leaning her head down and fiddling with the sheets bundled up in her hooves.

Nurse Redheart made a small distraught moan, but it died in her throat about as quickly as it had come up.

“I understand,” she said disappointedly.

For the…second or third time today, she heard hoof steps shuffle to the door before it slammed shut. Groaning, she wondered if she truly had any privacy here. Because right now it certainly didn’t seem like it. She turned onto her right side and flopped her head against the pillow. She wasn’t going to reveal where her parents were to these ponies. They didn’t need to know, so she wouldn’t tell them. It was as simple as that. She trusted these ponies about as far as she could throw them, and that wasn’t saying much. Besides, she didn’t need any more problems right now, thank you very much.

Struggling to get her mind off the unwanted subject, she thought about where she might possibly stay. Since her house was above ground, it was all but unreachable to her. At the moment, she was homeless. And not to mention jobless. But, she could figure it out as it came to her, no problem.

Rarity’s place was more or less always busy with new and old customers, and more likely than now she would probably be used as a living mannequin all day, so that was out. Pinkie Pie was always throwing parties and being random and…well…it was Pinkie Pie. What did she honestly expect? She decided it would be for the best if she didn’t stay with her pink earth pony friend. One could only take so much Pinkie Pie after all. She liked Applejack’s place well enough, so that was definitely a possibility. Fluttershy’s…she was out of the question at the moment.

That only left Twilight, the pony who had saved her from the hands of death itself. She felt almost an unending sense of gratitude towards the unicorn, there was absolutely no getting around that fact. But, there were some more practical reasons she could stay with her. Her place would probably have the most peace and quiet, something she desperately seemed to need. But, who said those were the only reasons? She had been meaning to spend more time with the unicorn. This could be her chance. The very thought brought a small but radiating warmth to her face, but she quickly pushed it down.

That settled it then. Next time Twilight came over, she would ask her about a place to stay. If Twilight couldn’t have her over for whatever reason, she would ask Applejack. If neither of them could…well she would figure that out when it came to that.

But for now…it was time to catch up on her nap.

Empty Eye Sockets

Chapter eight: Empty Eye Sockets

“I’m home!” Spike’s voice called from the main floor of the Library beneath Twilight.

Twilight looked up from the book she was reading irritably. It was about time he got home. But she was just getting to the good part, there was no way she could put this book down now. Even with that fact, she managed to put the book down on her bed, putting the bookmark in to mark her page. She was very tempted to keep reading, but things had to be done. Besides, she had something to tell him. Something that was very important.

Twilight quickly trotted down the stairs to see Spike standing in the doorway with a few plastic bags in his claws. He also had a large white box that was balanced perfectly on top of his head. For a moment, Twilight was flabbergasted. How in the hell did he manage that? Then she saw his scales were flattened by the weight of the box. She pursed her lips together in annoyance. Letting it go, she met him halfway and pulled the box off his head with her magic.

“Oh, hey, Twilight! I bought…” Seeing her venomous expression as she placed the box on the kitchen counter made him think twice about finishing the sentence. If there was one thing he didn’t want to do today, it would have to be making Twilight mad. She was already moody from earlier, and it would probably be for the best if he didn’t add to that. So, with that in mind, he quickly ran into the kitchen after her and opened the box. What she saw was a dozen delicious looking, pink frosting covered cupcakes.

“Cupcakes?” he offered, putting the bags he was holding down on the floor beside him.

Twilight held her unamused expression for only a few more moments before sighing and shaking her head in annoyance. She could tell that Spike was incredibly awkward in this strange situation.

“Where were you?” she asked, taking a particularly delicious looking cupcake in her magic and nibbling on it. These were good. She finished the rest in around four bites, making quick work of the delicacy.

“Oh, just out shopping,” Spike shrugged. He slowly began taking various items out of the bags one by one. These items varied from milk, to quills (like she needed any more of those), to scissors, and some other items she recognized but didn’t particularly care for.

“Well, you certainly went all out on your shopping,” she commented. She decided to make herself useful and put the milk in the fridge, as well as putting the quills with all her others.

“Hey, we were out of milk. Besides, I needed some scissors,” Spike defended, grabbing a cupcake and taking a bite from it. His face lit up as he ate it in, at the most, two bites. “Mmmm…” he mumbled in pleasure as he swallowed greedily.

“Don’t worry about it, Spike. Princess Celestia said you were out running some errands,” Twilight explained.

“That reminds me…” Spike said quietly, turning to face Twilight. “What did she want anyways? She seemed to be in kind of a hurry.”

“Oh, she just wanted to discuss some things that had to do with the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight answered simply.

Spike looked a bit disappointed. “Ah well. Makes sense,” he shrugged.

Rolling her eyes, she suddenly spotted something that lay in one of the bags. Spike must have forgot to put it in the fridge or wherever it was supposed to go. Lighting up her horn, she took the item out. To her surprise, it was…

“Hayfries?” she said in curiosity. She picked another item out. “Bananas?”

“Yep. I knew we were running out, so I figured I would get some more.”

The unicorn nodded in approval before putting both items in the fridge. She turned back to Spike and gave him a brief nuzzle. “I can always count on you, Spike,” she said kindly.

Spike gave a smug smile, crossing his arms over his chest. “Yeah, I know,” he said happily. “Number one assistant, remember?”

Twilight pulled her face away and rolled her eyes in amusement. Then, her expression became rather serious. Spike saw this and gulped in anticipation. What did she want this time?

“Spike, I need to ask you something very important,” she said, producing the atmosphere of a drill sergeant.

“Ask away, Twilight sir!” Spike answered, giving the unicorn an enthusiastic salute and standing to face her at attention.

Twilight rolled her eyes at her assistant’s actions. Soon enough, she got right down into business.

“Well, as you already know, Rainbow Dash was attacked by a dragon, right?” she reviewed to him. By the look on his face, he seemed to be a bit confused as to what Twilight was getting at.

“Right…and?” he asked uncertainly.

“AND, you’re a dragon. Therefore, I want you…”

“Yes?”

“To…”

“Yes?”

“Go and…”

“Go and what?” Spike grumbled in anticipation. He hated all this stalling. “Get down to the point, Twilight!”

“Hold your horses, Spike. I was just getting to that,” Twilight said. “What I want you to do is go and find the dragon that did it.”
After she said that, Spike could feel himself deflate. That certainly wasn’t what he had been expecting.

“What!? Are you serious, Twilight!?” Spike exclaimed incredulously, holding his hands over his head in shock. Of all the crazy ideas Twilight had to come up with…

“Yes, I am quite serious, Spike,” Twilight answered. When Spike looked at her like she had lobsters crawling out of her ears, she raised an eyebrow at him. What was his problem? In a huff, she began pacing in front of him. While she did so, she began to explain her incredibly brilliant plot.

“Look, a dragon doesn’t get away with blinding a pony, much less killing one. Not here. Justice needs to be served and I want answers. I’m sure some ponies will as well. So, who better to get those answers from a dragon than another dragon, am I right?” Twilight asked eagerly. She stopped her quick pace and turned to face Spike once again. Unfortunately, he still looked rather unsure of her plan, and was quite possibly questioning her sanity at the moment.

“Umm…I don’t know, Twilight,” he said skeptically, rubbing his hand against the back of his head in nervous confusion. Suddenly, a realization came to him. “Did Princess Celestia set you up to this?” he asked, wanting to know if his suspicions were correct.

“Nope. I thought of it myself while you were out,” Twilight said smugly, proud of herself. Sighing, she walked closer to Spike and looked at him with pleading eyes. “Please, Spike. This is really, really important to me. And, if not for me, then do it for Rainbow Dash. Just…please?”

Spike looked at her eyes in sadness. She was so annoying when she did that.

“Come on, Twilight…you know that…” he trailed off, considering the offer. There were pros and cons laid out for miles, that much was obvious. But what good would come out of this? What difference would he actually make by agreeing to this crazy idea? That question seemed to be a bit harder for him to figure out. Still, maybe he could find the answer along the way. And he HAD been wanting to go on some adventures lately...

“…fine,” he sighed begrudgingly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Twilight’s eyes lit up in joy as the baby dragon agreed. “Oh yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Spike!” she exclaimed, scooping spike up in her front legs and embracing him tightly. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“IF!”

She stopped her hugging abruptly, dropped him onto the floor, and looked at him questioningly.

“I’ll only go if Princess Celestia says it’s okay,” Spike said firmly.

Twilight Sparkle thought about what Spike had said thoroughly in her mind for a few moments. That seemed like a rational compromise. He was still saying ‘yes’, after all. And she didn’t want to go against her dear teacher, especially if the princess disapproved of her (brilliant) idea. That was the absolute last thing she wanted to do. But what did she have to be worried about? Of course Princess Celestia would think her proposal was great. She knew that her teacher had complete and total faith in her.

Suddenly, her mind was struck with a strange sense of deja vù. Hadn’t she said something like that before? And wasn’t it…oh yeah. The Summer Sun Celebration. That’s where it happened.

She shook her head. This time it would be different, this time Princess Celestia would agree with her. Without a doubt in her kind, she looked back to Spike.

“Deal,” she agreed, holding out her hoof for Spike to shake.

Spike took it and the deal was set.

“So, I’ll send her my offer when I send my next friendship report,” Twilight promised. “Thanks again, Spike.”

“You’re welcome, Twilight,” Spike replied. “Now…” He stole a glance at the lumpy bags still lying on the floor of the library. “I gotta finish unpacking these.”

Twilight nodded. She then turned around to face the stairs and began to climb up them. When she reached the top, she turned back to Spike and called out over her shoulder, “Can you heat up some hay fries for dinner?”

“Alright. Do you want some now?” Spike asked.

“No, I’m not hungry right now,” Twilight told him. Before she finally disappeared into the sanctuary she called a room, she called back down to Spike, “Thanks again, Spike. You’re the best.”

Spike rolled his eyes in a good-natured fashion and called back to up her, “You’re welcome!”

Finally, after the lengthy conversation, Twilight made it back to her room in peace. As she trotted slowly back to her bed, she replayed the exchange over and over again in her head. It hadn’t gone exactly how she had pictured it going, but it was still pretty close nonetheless. Still, she didn’t have any need to worry about her plan. Spike had agreed, and step one was complete. Now she just needed to start on step two, getting Princess Celestia’s approval. But that wouldn’t be all that hard to complete, she told herself.

She decided it would be best if she didn’t worry about it any longer. To do that, she had an option that was guaranteed to work without fail.

Reading.

She hopped onto her bed and held the book in her magic. Upon closer examination, she was about two-thirds of the way through the novel. It wasn’t as fast as her usual progress when it came to novels, she admitted, but she had read about four books before this, and it was rather long…

She could worry about that later. All she wanted to do now was get back to the page she was on and get lost in the words the many pages held for her. She would let the concept of time escape her as she read on and on and on. That usually happened when she read books that she enjoyed. And that just so happened to be almost every book she had ever come across.

However, before indulging herself with the delicious prose the book had to offer, she began to think about her letter. It wouldn’t be quite as important as the one she had sent earlier about Rainbow Dash’s condition, but it would still be pretty important. If she wanted to pull this off (which she would with flying colors) then she would have to subtle. There was a very fine line between asking your teacher something and begging your teacher for something, and if she didn’t want to jump over that line like a ballerina, she would have to be careful with this. Perhaps, she thought, it could be a little side note that came after the letter itself. That sounded good for now, at least. She would think more into the matter when she was sending her next friendship report. There, she had accomplished her small goal for the day.

Smiling to herself, she opened the book.

“Iron Wing scrambled away just in time to escape the blade that was stabbed into the dirt where his throat had been just a moment ago. Once he got to his hooves he galloped down the streets of the small town where he was currently residing, desperate to get away from the mysterious assailant hot on his hooves. As he ran, he was careful to avoid the ponies clustering around him, but one or two times he found himself pushing unfortunate ponies out of his way.

Onward and onward he dashed through the puzzled crowds of ponies that littered the streets, looking for something, anything to delay his attacker. However, luck was not on his side. The surprised shouts of the ponies behind told him that the assailant was gaining on him. So, why not beat speed with speed? With that thought in mind, he started to get faster, pushing his already tired legs close to their breaking point.

Like a brown blur he ran down the streets, his attacker still trailing closely behind him. Things were going well for him so far. His stride had not failed him and he was still on his feet, which was a good thing. The worst thing that could have possibly happened right at that moment was if his stride faltered and he plummeted into the dirt. But there was no way that was going to happen.

Suddenly, his front right hoof collided with an unknown bit of debris in his path, which sent him sprawling into the dirt, landing face first.

Luck was really not on his side today.

He spit the dirt out from his mouth and scrambled to regain his bearings. As he stumbled his way onto his hooves, a heavy weight slammed into him and held him to the ground on his back in a very vulnerable position. Grunting and struggling, he tried with all his might to release himself from the vice-like grasp, but to no avail. He remained trapped between the assailants hooves and the ground beneath him. As he struggled, he looked up to see piercing yellow eyes staring back at his own.

He felt his heart stop. He knew those eyes…he swore he knew them. But that was impossible…he was dead. Iron Wing saw him die.

Didn’t he?

The mysterious, or not so mysterious, pony stared back at him. He was just standing there. Menacingly. Iron Wing just wished that the attacker would get killing him over with now that he had the chance. The waiting was just torturous…

And actually quite awkward.

Desperate for something else to look at other than the haunting yellow orbs, he looked down. To his surprise, he saw a long, red, ugly scar that ran down the length of his belly and reached its end at his inner thigh. He narrowed his eyes in confusion but was caught off guard when he heard the assailant speak.

WARNING: GRAPHIC PARTS AHEAD

“So you’ve seen it then, huh?” the dark, thin voice said.

He moved his eyes up just in time for a small hoof-held blade to stab his right eye.

“Guess we’ll just have to fix that.”

The burning ember of pain that was in his eye only grew worse and worse as the pain rocketed through his body. His screams of utter agony were ear shattering to any pony who happened to hear it. Unfortunately though, no pony was around to do that. The only pony he was aware of being close to him was the cloaked assailant on top of him, holding a knife in his eye. But all those thoughts disappeared as the pain kept coursing relentlessly through his body, shaking him to his very core. The pain was utterly unbearable and unlike anything he had ever felt. To put it simply, it felt almost like a million fire ants were crawling in his eye, eating it, tearing it, and ripping it to shreds.

Just as he thought it couldn’t get any worse he felt the knife dig deeper into his wounded eye socket. What was even worse, was he could feel the sharp object twisting around. Blood was pouring profusely from his heavy wound and he could feel the veins in his eye break and shatter upon impact with the knife. It almost reminded him of a hot knife surfing easily through butter.

His primal instincts kicked in and he started kicking and struggling wildly, flailing his front legs in any direction they could. There was nothing he wanted more in this world at that moment than to get this pony off of him and the knife out of his eye. However, it seemed that all his frantic struggling accomplished was the knife sinking deeper into his eye.

Great, he had just made his assailant’s job easier.

The blood was flowing down his face and he could feel the sticky liquid pooling around the back of his head. He realized that if he didn’t get out of this soon, he would most likely die of blood loss. But he couldn’t let that happen. He needed to get out of this. He needed to survive!

The struggle continued for a few more minutes. Much to Iron Wing’s misfortune, it seemed that this was a losing battle for him. His screams still continued, but they were steadily growing weaker as his strength was sapped away with the blood that poured out of his wound.

“This is the end,” he thought grimly. “Oh, Celestia I’m dying. I’m dying.”

But he then felt relief. The knife had been released from his eye socket, thank heavens. However, it still burned like the sun, but, luckily, he no longer felt the flaring pain that had been there just a moment before.

His right eye was positively ruined, that he was sure of. Luckily for him, he still had his other eye. As his one good eye looked around wildly, it came to a halt when he saw the attacker raise the knife menacingly above his left eye.

That was it then, he supposed. All he could do now was brace himself for a slow and painful death. As he did so, he suddenly felt the attacker thrown off of him.

But…how was that possible ?Weren’t they the only ponies around?

There was no time to worry about that now, he told himself. He scrambled away from the site of his assault as fast and as gracelessly as he could. Who needed grace when you could live another day, right? When he figured he was far enough away, he held his injured eye with his right front hoof, shielding its ugly truth from the outside world.

To his surprise, he saw a small earth pony holding his attacker down with all their might. Utterly confused by where this strange pony had come from, he realized that more important matters were at hoof. He was about to warn his savior about the knife, but he suddenly saw it lying uselessly only five feet, give or take, from where he was laying. Without so much as a second thought, he grabbed the knife stained with his own blood in his free hoof. Upon close examination, he noted that it was quite an odd weapon. It was small, didn’t have a very sharp blade, and oozed the aura of not being able to do much damage. And yet…

He grimaced as he thought more about it. However, he was only reminded of it more when he felt the blood still pouring swiftly out of his eye socket.

The harmless little knife had done so much…”

Twilight Sparkle closed the book quickly, not even glancing at what page she had left off at. She hurriedly put it back on the shelf from whence it came. As soon as her magic released her book, she began to feel sick to her stomach. Books never affected her this much, but it looked like she had just found the one exception to that.

Desperately wanting something else to do, she grabbed a quill and a scroll from her shelves and put them down in front of her. She wanted something else running through her mind. Anything but…that. However, nothing came to distract her as that scene played over and over again…but as time went on, Iron Wing slowly turned smaller and produced a rainbow mane…

She shook her head frantically and firmly stared at the blank scroll in front of her. Twilight would write. She would write. That’s what she was going to do. However, the words that usually came so easily to her were blocked by the image of Rainbow Dash’s limp body, charred, burnt, and utterly dead.

Thus Begins The Journey...

Chapter nine: Thus Begins The Journey…

“Now where did I put it?” Rarity asked herself, throwing an article of clothing over her head as she searched for the book she had promised herself she would find.

She had buried her head in her closet about twenty minutes ago to look for that book she knew would help Rainbow Dash. But, as the minutes passed and more things were emptied out of her closet, it appeared that luck didn’t appear to be on her side today. And, to make matters worse, her bedroom was getting messier by the second. Her usual organization strategies were completely blown out of proportion by the ever-growing pile of junk she had strewn around the room in her search. Unfinished dresses were flung carelessly over mannequins, accessories were on window sills, and books and magazines were in places they had no place being. Out of all the messes she had ever made, this one was by far one of the worst. Even Discord, Celestia forbid he ever returned, wouldn’t quite know what to do with all this chaos. Still, it did show how far she was going to help a friend and she could always clean it up later.

As she leaned deeper into her messy closet, a fond memory resurfaced to her subconscious. It was when she was just a filly. She had just received her cutie mark, and she was eager to put her special talent to good use. The young filly had been snooping around her mother’s things, trying to find something that might possibly help her with her newest creation. Rarity hadn’t meant any harm, and certainly didn’t want to cause any trouble; she, like all other fillies her age, was just curious. Luckily for her, she was able to stay out of trouble and had found something…rather interesting.

“Pegasus Wings And Other Things,” the title of the blue book decorated with clouds read. “A Guide To The Very Basics Of Pegasi And Aerodynamics.”

It was an eye-catching title, to say the least, with flashy art work to match. Even though she thought the cover was imaginative, what use did she have for it?

Just as she was about to put it back where she had found it, a thought came to her. For her to become a true designer, she needed to be well-versed with all body types ponies had to offer. Unicorns and earth ponies weren’t that different in size and structure, although there were some minute differences, she thought. But what about pegasi? She assumed that they were practically the same, but she could definitely look into the subject a little bit more, just to be sure. And who knew? Maybe one day this book would be her saving grace.

“Saving grace indeed,” she thought as she flung another dress over her head.

As her mind dug deeper into the suppressed memory, she began to remember what she did with the book the night she had found it. It was almost like it happened just yesterday.

She had read the book eagerly throughout the night. Even though she was tired in the morning, she was convinced it was worth it. It turned out that it was, in fact, worth it. She had an idea of how pegasus bodies worked and how to design dresses for them. Now all she needed practice. However, so much knowledge had been crammed into her head that it was actually quite unbelievable. Never before had she realized just how sensitive wings were, or how each individual feather and muscle worked in sync to make some of the most graceful movements imaginable. It was almost too much for her young, underdeveloped brain. But, she could deal with it, she told herself.

There was only one concern she had. What would other ponies think? A unicorn having a book about pegasi? It was rather odd, but Rarity could care less. She believed that she could use this book one day. She just knew it.

Looking back at it now, it had certainly been a bounty of good luck that she happened to come across that book. Now, all she needed to do was channel that luck again. But she still didn’t quite understand one thing.

Why did her mother even have that book in the first place?

The more she thought about it, the less sense it made.

At this point, she was getting rather frustrated. The book couldn’t have just grown two legs and walked away! It had to be in there.

“I know I put it in here somewhere…” she mumbled irritably.

“Put what in here somewhere?” a squeaky voice interrupted her, causing her current train of thought to come to a crashing halt.

Of course…

She turned her head around to see the cutie mark crusaders standing expectantly in the doorway of Rarity’s bedroom. Suppressing a groan, she moved her head back to the closet.

“Of all the times you could have interrupted, Sweetie Belle…” Rarity grumbled inwardly. Without looking back at them, she called out, “just a book, Sweetie Belle.”

For the sake of a change of scenery, she turned away from the closet and began to inspect the books on the floor. Maybe she had accidentally missed it and thrown it on the ground by accident. That seemed logical, she supposed.

“What kind of book?” Scootaloo asked eagerly, flapping her miniscule wings.

“Just a book about pegasuses - pegasi,” she answered simply, quickly becoming distracted by the many books lying across the floor.

“Pegasuses? What would you – ?” Applebloom started.

“Pega-SI,” Sweetie Belle interrupted, emphasizing the last syllable of the word.

“…” Applebloom looked unimpressed with her friend, but continued with her question anyway. “Why would you need a book on PEGASI?” As she finished the last word, she turned back to Sweetie Belle struck her tongue out at her friend, who was quick to return it.

Rarity sighed irritably and looked at the three fillies. It seemed that they had begun to clump into her room and were presently standing just in front of her. For a brief moment she wondered how they did that, but decided to let it go. This book business might have been getting to her a bit more than she had first expected.

“Oh, oh, oh! Is it for Fluttershy?” Sweetie Belle guessed eagerly. She was sitting down on her back haunches and was excitedly holding her right front leg erect in the air.

Rarity rolled her eyes in annoyance. “No, Sweetie Belle. It is not for Fluttershy,” she answered, continuing her search.

“Is it for Pinkie Pie?” Scootaloo asked. Her tone of voice was just as eager as Sweetie Belle’s.

“She’s not even a pegasus, you do-do!”

“Girls.”

“Stop calling me that!”

“Girls…”

“Well maybe if it weren’t so true then I wouldn’t – ”

“Girls, please!” Rarity exclaimed, stopping the argument instantly. Two guilty pairs of eyes stared back at her firm ones.

“Sorry, Rarity…” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle replied quietly, lowering their heads slightly.

“It’s quite alright, girls. Now…” Her voice trailed off at she looked at Scootaloo.

Oh no…

She was so distracted with everything that had gone on the past few days that she had forgotten about Scootaloo. In fact, every pony had seemed to have forgotten about the little pegasus. The little pegasus practically worshipped the ground Rainbow Dash walked on. To Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash was the absolute best thing that had ever graced Equestria itself. What would happen when she found out that her idol was blind? Rarity shuddered inwardly, dreading what the little pegasus might do with that knowledge.

She was tempted to get it over with right then and there and tell her about it, but that might not have been the best decision at the moment. Thinking quickly, she formulated a plan. It wasn’t a very good plan, mind you, but it was still a plan nonetheless. Now all she had to do was execute that plan. It shouldn’t be too hard, she told herself.

“Scootaloo, Applebloom…” she began cautiously. “Can you please…how shall I put this…could you two possibly step outside the boutique for just a few minutes?” she requested. Step number one was complete.

The three fillies looked at her with curious eyes. “Why?” they all seemed to be thinking.

“I just remembered that I have a very important client coming in and I need Sweetie Belle to help me clean this mess up before she gets here,” she answered quickly. It was just a little white lie. But she was a very good liar, if she said so herself.

“Well, we could help,” Applebloom offered, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

“No, no, that’s not necessary. I just need Sweetie Belle’s help,” Rarity assured the two confused fillies. “But thank you for the offer.”

“Aww…” Scootaloo and Applebloom moaned sadly.

“Do we really have to?” Scootaloo asked miserably, looking up at Rarity with pleading eyes. Rarity felt herself become a bit disheartened. Just how did she expect to say no to that face?

“No. You have to do this, Rarity. You’ve said no to this kind of thing before…” she told herself firmly, remembering all the times Sweetie Belle had made that face and she had refused whatever it was that her little sister wanted. Convincing herself that this decision was for the greater good, she continued.

“Yes, I’m afraid that you two have to go,” Rarity confirmed gently. The tone in her voice told the two that the matter was not open for any further discussion.

Both fillies looked at each other and nodded. Slowly, they turned around and walked out of the room sadly. By their slow, small strides, it seemed as though each step they took was a huge burden. Rarity felt a bit guilty knowing that she was the reason for their misery, but was firmly planted in her belief that this had to be done. As soon as they were out of sight and she had heard the front door to the boutique slam shut, she slammed her own door shut and faced Sweetie Belle. Her younger sister had a confused expression plastered on her face and looked at Rarity quizzically.

“What was that for?” Sweetie Belle asked suspiciously. “I don’t remember you having any clients coming in today.”

“You’re right. I don’t have any pony coming in today, but I needed to get them out of here for the time being,” Rarity said, looking at Sweetie Belle.

Upon seeing her sister’s serious gaze, Sweetie Belle gulped and braced herself for whatever news Rarity was about to tell her.

Before she started, Rarity let out a long sigh. “Do you promise not to tell Scootaloo or Applebloom after I tell you this?” she asked. “Especially Scootaloo?”

“Why shouldn’t I tell them?” Sweetie Belle asked cautiously, dawning a curious expression.

“Just trust me on this, Sweetie Belle. Please.”

“Fine…”

“Thank you. Now,” Rarity began. “Did you hear about Rainbow Dash at all this week?”

Sweetie Belle looked confused. “No…why? What happened to her? Is she okay?” she asked, becoming increasingly worried for Rainbow Dash.

Rarity inhaled deeply through her nose then exhaled through her mouth. This might take a bit more explaining than it was worth.

“I’ll be getting to that shortly. But first, do you know what the term ‘blind’ means?” she asked patiently. She was uncertain that Sweetie Belle actually knew what the concept meant. Her sister had probably heard of it before, but she could be wrong.

“Um…” Sweetie Belle narrowed her eyes in thought as she contemplated the word her sister had given her. “It means…you can’t…hear?” she guessed uncertainly.

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Good guess, Sweetie Belle. The term you’re thinking of would be deaf. Being blind means that you can’t see,” she explained slowly.

Sweetie Belle’s mouth formed into a little ‘o’ shape and she nodded.

“Oh…okay…” she mumbled quietly. She furrowed her brow for a brief moment ad looked back at her older sister. “But…what does that have to do with Rainbow Dash?” she asked, not quite connecting the dots.

“Well…” She might as well get this over with. “Last week there was an event that happened at Fluttershy’s, one thing led to another, and now Rainbow Dash is…”

Something in Sweetie Belle’s mind clicked and the pieces all fell into place for her. “You mean…Rainbow Dash can’t see?” she asked in disbelief, her eyes widening.

“Yes. I’m afraid that is correct,” Rarity confirmed sadly.

“But…she’s going to get better, right?” Sweetie Belle asked hopefully. Rarity longed for her sister’s innocent obliviousness. It would be so nice if she could have that feeling of joy that only came with youth, that wonderful carelessness about the world with no concept of worries or sorrow. Before her mind drifted off however, she caught herself and kept her attention where it was needed at that moment.

“I’m afraid she won’t be, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity sighed, shaking her head.

The young unicorn blinked once, her eyes starting to water. Rarity’s sisterly instincts kicked in and she quickly wrapped her sister up into a gentle hug. As she did so, Sweetie Belle made no objection and allowed herself to be cradled by her big sister. Nothing about this situation seemed fair to her. Rainbow Dash not being able to see again? Sweetie Belle could hardly believe it. For a few seconds, she didn’t believe it, it must be some kind of cruel joke, she told herself. But, as much as she told herself that, she knew that it was unfortunately true.

“But…that’s not fair…” she mumbled, pushing her head into her sisters chest. “Poor Rainbow Dash…”

Rarity held onto her sister tightly. “I know, dear…I know,” she soothed, stroking her hoof through her sister’s mane comfortingly.

They stayed like that for a while. Every minute or so Rarity could hear Sweetie Belle sniffle into her front legs. She cringed inwardly as the tears stained her perfect coat, but she could always take a long shower after. Besides, it wasn’t very messy right now. Therefore, it wouldn’t take as long to clean up. If she was helping her sister feel better, then what was a small stain on her coat? Surprisingly, between the sniffles, Rarity heard a small mumble.

“But there’s one thing I don’t understand,” Sweetie Belle said uncertainly.

“And what is that?” Rarity replied, looking down at her sister. Her green eyes were tearful, but other than that they looked perfectly normal.

“Why didn’t you tell Scootaloo and Applebloom?” Sweetie belle asked.

“Because it simply wasn’t my place to tell them,” Rarity answered simply, wiping her sister’s eyes gently. “But don’t worry, they’ll be told when the time is right. I’m just telling you now so it won’t come as so much of a shock later on.” She gently let Sweetie Belle out of her front legs and resumed her search.

“Oooooh!” Sweetie Belle gasped, realizing something Rarity hadn’t seemed to tell her. “Is THAT why you’re looking for that book?” she asked.

Rarity turned her head around and winked at her sister playfully, proving her sister’s statement correct. Sweetie Belle responded to the gesture by smiling widely. Rarity smiled. Her sister was so cute sometimes. But, she could think about that later. For now, she just had to find that book. Speaking of that, maybe her sister could help her with that.

“Sweetie Belle?” she asked.

“Yes, Rarity?” the filly replied eagerly, trotting up to her sister’s side.

“If you happen to find a book called “Pegasus Wings And Other Things” would you be so kind as to give it to me?” she asked. “It has a blue cover.” That part was added on in case Sweetie Bell needed her to be a bit more descriptive with her offer.

Her sister, much to her relief, nodded vigorously. “Of course!” she agreed.

“Thank you so much,” Rarity said gratefully, pulling her sister into another, shorter, hug. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“You’re welcome, Rarity!” Sweetie Belle said, hugging her sister back tightly. She let go after a few moments and looked at the elder unicorn with pleading eyes. “Can I go now? Scootaloo, Applebloom, and I are trying to get our cutie marks in lion taming!” she said excitedly.

Rarity felt her body freeze at the mention of Sweetie Belle’s idea. She gazed dangerously down at Sweetie Belle and narrowed her eyes. The cutie mark crusaders had come up with some moronic ideas in the past, but this blew them all out of the water.

“How about no.”

“But…”

“No.”

“Okay…” Sweetie Belle said begrudgingly. She plodded sullenly to the door, but suddenly brightened up when she reached it. “Oh! I know! Cutie mark crusaders crocodile hunters yay!”

Rarity felt the fur on the back of her neck stand on end. She pivoted on one of her front hooves and turned to face the door where Sweetie Belle had just been. Unfortunately for her, it seemed that her younger sister had vanished into thin air. She grumbled in annoyance. Scratch that lion tamer…thing…that they were thinking of previously. This new idea was, by far, the stupidest thing her sister had come up with. But, there were probably a lot more to come.

She was about to go back to her search, when images of worst case scenarios danced around in her mind relentlessly. Maybe she should go…no, Applejack could handle all the dirty work if it came to that…still…

On second thought, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Quickly cantering through the door of her room, she rapidly made her way down the long hallway. As she was doing so, scenes of her sister getting eaten by a hungry crocodile in numerous ways played in her mind over and over again. And if she knew Sweetie Belle, those scenes would most likely become reality if some pony didn’t intervene quickly. Unfortunately, it seemed that the responsibility to make sure the fillies were kept out of trouble rested squarely on her shoulders.

As she reached the end of the hall and was just about to run down the steps in front of her, she seemed to have missed the small puddle of water just resting at the top of the stairs. If she didn’t know any better, it looked like it was placed there just so she could trip on it.

And that was exactly what she did.

“Oh, horse apples,” she grumbled in annoyance as she toppled down the small flight of steps.

It didn’t hurt exactly, she was rather used to it. She had fallen down this particular staircase many times before (more times than she would care to admit), so as she finished tumbling down in the least graceful way possible, she was able to dust herself off immediately and kept running after her sister.

It was just as she reached the front door of Carousel Boutique that she saw her sisters curly, pink and purple tail flick around the door from the corner of her eye.

“Girls!” Rarity heard her sister say eagerly as she finally reached the outside world. The two other members of the cutie mark crusaders were now in her line of vision.

“Forget the lion tamer idea! Let’s go -!” Sweetie Belle’s sentence was cut off when her big sister closed her mouth with her magic.

“To the library!” Rarity butted in, smiling widely.

“The library?” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, who was now free of the bonds closing her mouth, echoed incredulously.

“What’s so great about a dumb old library?” Scootaloo grumbled.

“Why, Scootaloo, lots of things!” Rarity assured, pushing the fillies in the direction of aforementioned place. “Besides, I need to see if they have a book I’m looking for.”

“Oh! Is it the book for Rain -?” Sweetie Belle’s mouth was abruptly shut once again, courtesy of her big sister.

“YES, Sweetie Belle. That’s the one,” Rarity said crossly, eyeing her sister in a disappointed manner. Once Sweetie Belle had shrugged her shoulders apologetically, Rarity let go of her magical grasp.

“Come along now, girls,” Rarity said. “There’s not a moment to spare.” The girls nodded, rather reluctantly, but to Rarity it was their signal of approval. Soon, they were off.

The alabaster unicorn’s thoughts quickly turned grim as they walked to their destination. Sweetie Belle and her friends were whispering loudly to each other about pointless things, such as ideas for getting their cutie marks, but Rarity was able to tune their conversation out. What if Twilight didn’t have the book she was looking for? What would she do then? She knew she was being rather silly, but it was always good to be prepared, she told herself. And besides, what kind of library didn’t have one particular book you were looking for?

Yes…

One.

Particular.

Book.

A New Perspective

Chapter ten: A New Perspective

For the last hour or so, Rainbow Dash had busied herself with getting used to her own body again. A week in a coma wasn’t good for any pony’s figure, and she certainly wasn’t an exception. Even if she was blind, she still needed to keep herself in shape, and feeling sorry for herself all of the time that she was going to remain in the hospital just wasn’t going to do it.

Since she was sure she probably wouldn’t be allowed to get out of her bed, she did simple things like touching the tips of her back hooves with her front ones, basically anything that involved movement without leaving her bed. While doing this, she found that nothing else of hers was injured or damaged in anyway. That was most definitely a good thing, since she wanted to get out of this stupid hospital as soon as physically possible.

The only other thing that would have made it better was if the bandages over her eyes would come off. She had thought about taking them off herself, but quickly decided against it. The bandages were probably there for a reason, after all. And it was probably a very good reason too.

Still, it felt good to move again, even if it was very limited. She hated not being active, and sitting in that bed doing nothing gave her a solid reminder as to why she hated it so much. As an athlete, she couldn’t stand not doing anything for long periods of time. She had to be moving in some form or another, and even though she could not see didn’t mean that she could not move, and move she would. And, the moving around gave her something else to do as well. It gave her the excuse not to think.

While she was just lying there, she began to think. She thought about various things, but when she was thinking, her thoughts usually drifted towards feeling sorry for herself or something along those lines.
She hated that feeling. No matter who it was, she couldn’t stand some pony feeling sorry for her. It made her feel awkward, weak, and like she owed some pony or something stupid like that. And she didn’t want to think about that. Instead, she thought about other things. She thought about just how lucky she was to be alive right now. She thought about her friends. She thought about how lucky she was to have friends like them. Not many ponies could say that they had friends that would stick with you through thick and thin, but she was one of the few that could say that, and she was grateful for it.

She chuckled softly. It was funny how humble she was starting to become.

Usually her thoughts were about her dreams or about flying, but since she didn’t quite have those anymore, she now had to think about other things. And she didn’t particularly like what her options were.

Dying to get her mind off sentimental junk, she decided that it was time for her to get out of bed. Screw the doctors! Even if it was just for a few seconds, she needed to stand on her own four legs. And she was going to do it.

Cautiously, she removed the thin covers from the lower half of her body and sighed as the cool air hit her legs and abdomen. She was careful to keep one front hoof on the bed so that, if need be, she could jump back onto it. Hoisting her back legs upwards and to the right, she now found herself in a sitting position. Her back hooves were hanging just above the floor beneath her, and they were ready to stand again.

Not wanting to waste any more of her precious alone time, she quickly let her body slide to the floor and landed unsteadily on three of her hooves. Her hooves wobbled under her miniscule weight and threatened to buckle underneath her a few times, but she kept herself steady. She was not going to fall from standing. That would be totally uncool. Though, she could understand why her legs were so weak. Frankly, it annoyed her, but she just had to deal with it whether she liked it or not. Once she had stood there for a few more moments, she felt her hooves get used to her body weight again. She bounced on them a few times, just to make sure that they weren’t going to betray her and make her fall to the ground. Luckily, they were steady.

Well, she could stand, that was good. Now for walking. Cautiously, she removed her front hoof from the hospital bed and put it on the floor. Since she couldn’t see, she didn’t exactly know where the bed was, and that was somewhat of a problem. Shrugging her shoulders, she decided she would take a wild guess when it came back to getting into bed. All she wanted to do right now was walk. Maybe run. Maybe…

She was getting ahead of herself.

“Okay…” she thought to herself, taking a few steps forward. The cold linoleum felt weird to the bottom of her hooves, not to mention it was rather slippery, so it was hard to get a sense of where she was at first. But, she was soon able to navigate herself around the little room she was in without bumping into anything.

“So far so…OUCH! Okay, who the hay put that wall there?” Grumbling, she brought her hoof up to rub her nose, trying to dull the ache the large wall had given her.

Scratch that idea.

As she kept walking around cautiously, she realized just how weird it was to walk without seeing where you were going. She had never really thought about walking before, she simply did it. But now she was finding out that she had to think about where she put her hoof whenever she took a step forward. She was also finding out that she was having trouble balancing. Rainbow Dash honestly didn’t have a clue why that was happening, she only hoped that her balance would return to her soon.

Fortunately for her, her balance did come back, but it took a bit more walking around for it to do so. By this point, she had explored her surroundings, and now she was at what she guessed was another hospital bed. Similar to the room that she had been in the last time she had to stay at the hospital, there were two beds with a large white curtain separating them. But, this time there was no pony in the other bed. For a moment, she was almost disheartened by this, but she quickly realized that no distractions from a would-be roommate would lead to more naptime for her.

She was about to go back to her own bed, when she heard something from behind her. It sounded almost like...

“Ms. Dash?”

Well, her wings worked.

As soon as she heard Nurse Redheart’s voice, she jumped about five feet in the air and stayed there, using her wings to hover slightly above the ground. The earth pony had…startled her. Yeah, that was it.

But, amidst the stunned surprise, it was nice to flap her wings after so long. The appendages had become dormant, and it was time to wake them up once again. And on the bright side, she had found out that she could hover without any help.

“Did I scare you?” came Nurse Redheart’s apologetic voice from behind her. “I’m sorry if I did. I was just checking up on you.”

Rainbow Dash turned around in midair to face the direction where nurse Redheart was. “You didn’t scare me. You just…surprised me,” she said coolly, crossing her forelegs over her chest in a huff.

The nurse smirked and Rainbow Dash heard footsteps coming closer to her. The sounds were hard to pick up to the average pony, since Nurse Redheart was rather light on her hooves, but to the pegasus they were as clear as day. She chalked it up to those rumors about losing one sense and another becoming more enhanced being true, and that theory just happened to work for her. It seemed logical enough, and it explained why she was able to pick up small noises coming from down the hall in the middle of the night. Funny, they almost sounded like…

“What are you doing out of bed?” the nurse asked, her voice taking on a rather concerned tone. “I didn’t think you were quite ready for that yet.”

“Oh, I was PLENTY ready, believe me. And I was just stretching my legs. Gotta keep up my strength, you know?” Rainbow told her, floating carefully back down to the ground. However, she didn’t completely perfect her landing and was almost sent sprawling onto the hard, linoleum floor. Luckily for her, Nurse Redheart caught her just before that happened.

“Careful…” Nurse Redheart said quietly, carefully easing herself next to Rainbow’s side to support her.

Rainbow Dash carefully folded a wing across the earth pony’s back. “Thanks…I was just heading back to bed anyways.”

“I’m sure,” the nurse replied as she helped lead the pegasus back to the bed on the other side of the room. As soon as Rainbow Dash was sure she was close enough, she hopped back onto the bed, unconsciously opening her wings as she did so. She quickly got comfortable and pulled the covers back on top of her lower body.

“Hey, nurse?” she started as she got settled in.

“Yes, Ms. Dash?” Nurse Redheart replied.

“When can these bandages come off?” she asked curiously. “They’re itchy.”

A small chuckle came from Nurse Redheart’s throat. It was quiet, but still detectable to her sensitive ears. Rainbow Dash frowned and crossed her front legs over her chest.

“Well they are…” she mumbled bitterly.

“I believe you, Ms. Dash,” Nurse Redheart assured kindly. “I’ll check with the doctor to see if I can take them off; I’ll be back in just a second.” With that, the door clicked shut and Rainbow Dash was, once again, the only pony present in the room.

She smiled inwardly to herself. Hopefully, those bandages would be able to come off, and, even better, it would allow her to blink again. From very early on she had noticed that her eyes had been closed while under the bandages. And, since the linen was wrapped tightly around, she hadn’t been able to open them. But, she was rather looking forward to opening them, in a weird way. Most ponies would find her anticipation a little bit foolish, but she didn’t really care. Sadly it wouldn’t make much of a difference for her vision. She wasn’t blind to that. And she didn’t want to believe in false hope. The only thing that would do was build her up, and then put her back down again, sending her crashing to the ground in a hard, metaphorical way. If anything, that was the last thing she wanted. Still, it would be a huge relief to be able to blink again, or to move her eyes at all.

Like the nurse had promised, she returned only a few minutes later. Rainbow Dash hoped that she was bringing good news with her. It seemed like it, judging from the way the nurse pranced into the room.

“Well, Ms. Dash, I talked it over with the doctor and he said that if I thought the affected area is healed enough, then we can take the bandages off,” she told her cheerfully.

“Finally,” she breathed out impatiently. She knew that they weren’t off yet, or if they could even come off at all, but she felt a large sense of relief. At least she had tried. The pegasus could barely sit still as the nurse came over to her and began to poke and prod at her face, right where her unseeing eyes were.

“Have you been feeling any pain in this area lately?” Nurse Redheart asked.

Rainbow Dash snorted. “No. It’s just been itchy…that’s a good thing, right?” she asked cautiously.

“Yes, that’s a very good thing,” Nurse Redheart assured, poking at another area on her right side. She winced as she felt the sharp sting of the nurse’s hoof connect with her wrapped eye. “It means that it’s healing properly.”

“Great. The sooner I can get these stupid things off, the better,” Rainbow said, gritting her teeth. She wasn’t quite enjoying this. For an mere inspection of her face, it felt much more like a raid into her personal space. Rainbow Dash never liked ponies touching parts of her body, and this was threatening to push her over the edge. She was tempted to shout out that she needed her space, but she decided against it, and just barely managed to contain herself as the nurse finished her examination.

After what seemed like forever, Nurse Redheart finally quit touching her. She sighed in instantaneous relief and felt butterflies flutter in her stomach as she awaited the results.

“So? Can they come off?” she asked eagerly, hardly daring to breathe.

“I’m happy to say that they can,” Nurse Redheart smiled.

She pumped a hoof into the air. Thank Celestia!

“Yes!” Rainbow Dash whispered happily to herself.

The nurse chuckled and the pegasus felt a hoof grab gently onto the back of her head. She was confused for a moment, but then she realized that the only thing the nurse was doing at the moment was doing her a huge favor. So, there she sat, patiently awaiting the moment when her eyes would be free of their accursed bindings. Finally, that moment came.

The first thing she did after she felt herself released from the bandages was blink.

Oh, sweet, merciful Celestia did it feel good to blink.

Both of her hooves shot up like bullets to her eye sockets and she inspected them thoroughly. The skin around them felt a bit squishy, maybe even a little bit raw and the fur around those bits were matted and dirty, but it was certainly a wonderful feeling to have fresh air circling around the deprived body parts again.

“Yes, the skin is healing nicely and there doesn’t seem to be any permanent scaring,” Nurse Redheart told her. Permanent scarring? What was she talking about? Oh yeah, the dragon attack. How could she have forgotten?

“Blink for me again please?” Nurse Redheart asked, pulling her thoughts back to the current situation.

She did so without question.

“Good,” the nurse said. “Everything looks perfectly normal. You’re healing fairly quickly.”

“Of course I am,” Rainbow smiled smugly, waving her hoof in the air dismissively.

“Oh, and before I forget, I was able to get in contact with Ms. Twilight, and the arrangements are all settled for you to stay with her,” Nurse Redheart told her. “She’ll be picking you up tomorrow morning.”

Rainbow Dash felt herself let out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding in. It felt good to have some security for the near future. She was getting out of this hospital tomorrow and she now had a place to stay. Even better, that place was with Twilight Sparkle. Her mind wandered off to different situations. What would it be like living with an egghead like Twilight? She was totally awesome to have around as a friend, but what would it be like being around the unicorn for twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week as some form of a roommate? It couldn’t be that bad. And Spike was going to be there with her as well. Besides, she liked hanging out with Twilight. Just the thought of the unicorn sent a small flutter up to her stomach. Suddenly, and without her consent, snapshots of the lavender unicorn flew through her mind. She felt her heart start fluttering out of control. There was something about Twilight that she just couldn’t put her hoof on, but she was certain that she liked it. She liked it much more than she probably should, but she didn’t exactly care.

“Ms. Dash? Hello?” Nurse Redheart’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts for the second time today. She shook her head and cursed her imagination. Stupid brain.

Stupid sexy Twilight…

Did she really just think of that?

Oh yes. She did.

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright? You’re looking a bit flushed,” Nurse Redheart told her. She didn’t need to see to know that the nurse was probably giving her strangest look at that moment, But, she couldn’t really blame her.

“Oh yeah, yeah, yeah…I’m fine. It’s just hot in here,” she lied, quickly taking control of the small blush on her sky blue cheeks.

Nurse Redheart was quiet for a few moments. What could the nurse possibly be thinking of now?

“Here, I’ll open a window,” she said. A few hoofsteps later, as well a small click, a cool breeze swept quickly into the room. Rainbow Dash breathed the cool air in greedily and sat back, feeling relaxed.

“Is that better?” Nurse Redheart asked, her voice coming from beside her.

“A lot better. Thanks a lot,” Rainbow Dash said, her head tilting in the direction of the nurse’s voice slowly.

“It’s quite alright,” the nurse assured. “I’ll leave you alone now, but I’ll be sure to tell you if anything comes up.” After the sentence was spoken, Nurse Redheart left the room.

Rainbow Dash smirked. She wasn’t quite sure she liked the sound of “if anything comes up” anymore. That phrase always seemed to bring something bad with it. At this point in time however, she was all too used to bad news and worst case scenarios, and she was prepared for more. A small part of her heart was yearning for some last minute good news, but she pushed it aside quickly. She had been too used to bad news in her life to be that naïve. But, hey, it wasn’t like the world was ending, right?

She let out a small chuckle at her own stupidity and arched her back in a small stretch. At least with the bandages off she looked normal, and there was really no way to tell that she was blind. Then again, she couldn’t say that with absolute certainty, and for all she knew, her disability could be stunningly obvious to the outside world. Hopefully that wasn’t true.

With nothing else to do, she let her mind drift back to Twilight, this time with her approval. Thoughts consisting of the unicorn lingered in her mind much longer than she had initially intended. Why was she feeling this way? What part did her unicorn friend play in the weird feeling of her heart? At first she had thought it was just an overwhelming sense of gratitude, but it seemed that it was so much more than that. Stupid Twilight. Even when she wasn’t trying to think about…those things, she was still compelled by some unseen force to contemplate over SOMETHING that involved the unicorn. It was weird and stupid.

Just like Twilight.

Yep. Just like stupid, sexy Twilight.

As Luck Would Have It

Chapter eleven: As Luck Would Have It

Dripping the quill in the ink pot resting on her desk one last time, Twilight nodded to herself approvingly.

She had spent the last few hours making the rough draft of the letter that was asking permission for Spike to go to the dragon lands on the mission to find the dragon who had blinded Rainbow Dash. It had to be perfect if she wanted Princess Celestia to approve her idea. Dragons were dangerous, and sending a baby to find a probably dangerous adult was an incredibly risky idea, even for her. However, she had faith in Spike. Her assistant could take care of himself.

Sometimes…

She looked over her work carefully. It was fine for now, but she would still have to work on it. But, that was just one part of it. On the other hoof, this letter was a large form of escapism for her. She had tried to tell herself many times that it wasn’t, but, ultimately, she knew that it was. After her fateful encounter with that book, she wanted something, anything to get her mind off Rainbow Dash’s dead body. Luckily for her, this was just the ticket for her to do so. However, the small idea had turned out to be a full-fledged project for her, as most things usually did. It was a good thing that she enjoyed projects.

But, it was challenging and time consuming. She hadn’t exactly written something like this before, but that was because she had never needed to. Now it was different. And, after all, there was a first time for everything. But, for a first time, she thought she did rather well. Now, she just needed to finish it, and find a time when she could send it to the princess.

Also, there were a few distractions she had faced while writing the letter. Such as the hospital sending her a letter asking her where Rainbow Dash would be staying after she was released from the hospital. Without hesitation she had responded by telling them that she would house her blind friend. She was sure that she was just doing what all good friends would do. And, if she chose to look at it the easy way, it would almost be like a permanent slumber party, except she was sure that Rainbow wouldn’t want to do anything her book on slumber parties suggested, like makeovers. She rolled her eyes. It didn’t take a genius to know that some pony like Rainbow Dash wouldn’t enjoy that kind of thing.

But, with Rainbow Dash moving in, it wouldn’t be all fun and games. While still being a friend, she would also become a caretaker, in a sense. Being blind limited the things the pegasus would be able to do on her own, so Twilight would have to help her with those things. It wasn’t going to be easy, for either of them, but Twilight was up to the challenge, she just hoped that Rainbow Dash was as well. Besides, she was actually looking forward to Rainbow Dash coming to stay with her. It would certainly make things more interesting around the library, that was for sure.

Putting the letter neatly into an empty drawer, her interest was suddenly piqued by an unexpected sound coming from outside of the library.

“You first.”

“No, you first.”

“NO…I INSIST that you go in first.”

Puzzled by the conversation coming from outside, Twilight walked up to the front door quickly. She lit up her horn, and the door soon responded to that by swinging open. Not surprisingly, Applejack and Rarity were bickering just outside the door. Just behind them were the cutie mark crusaders, who each had various looks on their faces. Applebloom was trying to get her sister’s attention, Sweetie Belle looked hesitant, and Scootaloo looked like she was about to slap the two arguing mares. Twilight rolled her eyes and waited for the two to stop.

“NOOO, you can – oh, hey, Twilight,” Applejack said, realizing that Twilight was holding the door open for them. She invited herself into the library, hardly noticing Twilight’s disapproving look.

Rarity followed Applejack into the tree house with the cutie mark crusaders just behind her. Once they were all in, Twilight shut the door with her magic.

“Hello, Twilight. How are you doing on this fine day?” Rarity asked the unicorn.

“Oh, I’m doing fine. I was just…” She was stopped as Rarity nudged her in the elbow and pointed her eyes meaningfully towards the three fillies.

Twilight’s eyes widened in realization. She made a small nodding gesture and quickly changed the subject.

“So, what are you here for?” she asked quickly, hoping the change of subject was not too abrupt for the young fillies to become suspicious. Luckily, they seemed to be talking amongst themselves and were not paying any attention to her.

“Oh, I’m just looking for a book. Could I possibly look around the library for it?” Rarity asked pleadingly. “I’m afraid that I’m not able to find it at the moment and I was hoping that you would have it.” Rarity began to help herself out by pulling random books off random shelves in the hopes that the book would magically appear to her. Unfortunately, none of them seemed to be the one that she was looking for.

“Of course you can,” Twilight nodded, walking over to where Rarity was standing. “What book are you looking for?” she asked.

Rarity was quickly to look cautiously at the Cutie Mark Crusaders to make sure that they weren’t listening. Once she was sure that it was safe to continue, she turned back to Twilight.

“I’m looking for a book that will most likely help Rainbow Dash,” she told her quietly, barely keeping her voice above a whisper just in case unwanted ears were listening in on the conversation.

Twilight’s eyes widened. Why hadn’t she thought of that? Without hesitation, she nodded quickly. “Oh, okay, well, I think I can…”

“What was that you said about Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo interrupted, suddenly materializing in between the two unicorns.

What Rarity and Twilight hadn’t noticed was that they were speaking just a bit too loud, and the cutie mark crusaders were apparently finished with their earlier conversation. And, as they all knew, when Scootaloo caught wind of her idol’s name, she was bound to investigate any news regarding Rainbow Dash. Unfortunately for them, that was exactly what she did on this occasion, even though they were hoping that she wouldn’t.

Twilight and Rarity both looked at each other nervously. What should they say? What should they do? Just as Twilight was opening her mouth to say some half-thought out excuse, Applejack miraculously came to their rescue.

The farm pony had made the quick decision to pull on the filly’s purple tail to her get away from her two unicorn friends. She let her go in the middle of her two friends, and then proceeded to chastise the orange pegasus.

“Has any pony ever told ya that it’s rude ta eavesdrop on other ponies when they’re tryin’ ta talk about something that ain’t none of your business?” Applejack scolded, looking the filly in the eye.

Scootaloo seemed to wilt under Applejack’s gaze as she taught her a lesson on courtesy and manners. Her ears were flattened against her head and her eyes were staring intently at the floor.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized sheepishly. “I just heard Rainbow Dash’s name and I wanted to see what they were talking about…”

“It’s okay, Scootaloo,” Twilight assured. “I appreciate your enthusiasm, but Applejack is right. It’s rude to snoop in on other ponies business, especially if you’re not supposed to listen to them.” She picked her words carefully on the last sentence. There was no need to cause unwanted suspicion on Scootaloo’s part.

“Okay…but…how IS Rainbow Dash, anyway?” she asked once again.

Twilight, surprisingly, saw Sweetie Belle’s expression grow sad. Rarity must have told her, she thought. There was no other explanation that made sense other than that. Twilight grew skeptical. She wouldn’t have told the little filly so soon, but Sweetie Belle wasn’t her sister. Still, it would save a lot of heartbreak for her later.

Applebloom’s expression matched that of Scootaloo’s. Applejack must not have told her younger sister yet. Speaking of Applejack, the earth pony was shaking her head dangerously and mouthing the word ‘no’ over and over again. Taking the hint, she turned back to the cutie mark crusaders.

“She’s doing just fine,” Twilight told them convincingly. Hopefully the two uninformed fillies would buy her lie. Unfortunately, the two still looked unconvinced. Twilight began to get nervous. What else could she say to convince them? Luckily, Applejack came to her rescue. Again.

“Why don’t you three run along and let the big ponies talk?” Applejack said, already scooting the three closer towards the door of the library. She was mostly pushing Applebloom and Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle was just tagging along for the free ride.

“But what about Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo argued, fighting against the older pony.

“Yeah!’ Applebloom agreed.

"You’ll find out soon enough,” Applejack told them, finally pushing them to the door. She opened it quickly and pushed them outside. “Now, move along and go…do…whatever it is that ya like ta do. Bye now.” With that, she slammed the door shut. She heard the beginning of protests, but they were quickly replaced with the sound of hooves walking away. Pleased with herself, she turned back to her friends.

“Thank you for that, Applejack,” Twilight said.

“No problem, Twilight,” Applejack smiled.

After that little piece of conversation was finished, the atmosphere in the room gradually turned into a comfortable silence. Twilight looked at both Applejack and Rarity, who had taken a break from her search to join her friends in the middle of the floor, and saw thoughtful expressions on both of their faces. She figured that they were both thinking the same thing she was, and were just figuring out a way to start a conversation. However, just as Applejack opened her mouth, Rarity had finished her sentence.

“I told Sweetie Belle about Rainbow Dash,” the unicorn said simply.

“We could tell,” Applejack snorted. After Rarity had shot her a look that had “I’m going to stab you with my horn,” written all over her face, she became serious. “But, why in the same hay would you go an’ do that?” she asked, looking unimpressed at Rarity’s decision.

“Because, Applejack, it’s much better for some pony of Sweetie Belle’s age to hear about this sooner, in my opinion,” Rarity explained, pointing her nose upwards.

Applejack snorted. The farmer still had a confused expression on her face. It was clear to the two unicorns that she didn’t quite agree with what Rarity was trying to tell her.

Twilight decided to step into the conversation. “Think of it this way, Applejack,” she began, “if some pony you cared about was injured, would you rather be told sooner or later?”

For a few moments, Applejack held her skeptical expression as she was thinking what Twilight had said over. But, after careful consideration, the expression slowly fell from her face and she nodded reluctantly.

“Ah guess Ah know what ya mean…but they’re still fillies; they won’t be able to understand,” Applejack argued.

“I beg to differ. When I told Sweetie Belle, she seemed to understand after I explained the concept to her,” Rarity said, putting in her two cents. She still stood by her position in the argument, and it seemed that none of Applejack’s statements would hinder that.

“I have to agree with Rarity, Applejack,” Twilight said. She grew a bit sympathetic when she saw Applejack’s expression darken. “I’m sorry, Applejack. But, those fillies are smart. They’re going to find out sooner or later. And, wouldn’t it be better for them if they knew how to deal with something like this?”

The farm pony sighed reluctantly. She knew that the two unicorns were right, her pride just didn’t quite want to admit it. She hated how things were changing so quickly. There was nothing she wanted more than for everything to go back to normal. She figured that not telling her sister was the last thing that really held together the illusion that everything was as it should be, and that Rainbow Dash wasn’t blind, and that everything was normal. But, that just couldn’t be anymore, and she knew it. She swallowed the lump in her throat and faced her two friends.

“Ah guess Ah can’t argue with that…” she gave in begrudgingly. “Tell ya what, Ah’ll tell Applebloom tonight.”

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Applejack,” she said gratefully.

“Don’t mention it,” the farmer muttered darkly.

There was something in Applejack’s tone that she wasn’t quite sure of, but Twilight still felt a large weight being lifted from her shoulders. They had finally made Applejack listen to their reasoning, even if she wasn’t too happy about it. Then, suddenly, another, much larger chunk of responsibility weighed down upon her.

“Girls…” she began, getting her friends attention. “Some pony needs to tell Scootaloo.”

Applejack and Rarity’s eyes widened. That seemed to be the detail they had both forgotten in the brief moment that she had been in the library.

“Do you two know her parents?” Twilight asked.

Applejack was the first to respond. “Ah don’t even know if she HAS parents,” she said pessimistically.

Twilight looked stricken for a few moments. Not having parents? That would certainly be hard to deal with. Although, it made sense when she looked at it. If she didn’t have role models around for her every day, then why not look for a new one in another pony?

The little pegasus would surely be heartbroken when she heard about Rainbow Dash. Who could be the one to deliver the dark deed of delivering the news? Just as she was about to ask if her friends had any ideas, the thought came to her.

“I should tell her,” Twilight said after the pregnant pause.

“But…what about her…”

“I’ll look into her parents. If I can’t find them, then I’ll tell her myself,” Twilight promised. “Some pony has to do it, right?”

Rarity nodded in agreement, along with Applejack, the latter looking a bit hesitant.

“Well, Ah could tell ‘er, if ya want…” Applejack offered slowly. Judging from the look on her face, Twilight could clearly tell that farm pony wanted to do anything but. Not wanting to put that burden on her friend, she shook her head.

“No, I can do this,” Twilight assured. “But, thank you for offering.”

Applejack let out a breath of relief and let her tense muscles relax. “Thanks, Twilight,” she said evenly.

Twilight responded by giving the earth pony a small nod. She then looked at both of her friends the way a drill sergeant would when he was giving an order.

“So it’s settled. I’ll tell Scootaloo tomorrow. Is that okay with you two?” she asked. Her two friends both gave her a small nod in their agreement.

Feeling better now that she had dealt with the matter, she began to think of new topic for conversations.

“So, you said you were looking for a book?” Twilight asked Rarity.

“Yes, I am,” Rarity answered, beginning to look through the numerous shelves of the library once again. “Personally, I believe that it will help Rainbow Dash considerably.”

Twilight raised an eye brow and joined Rarity at the shelves. From the corner of her eye, she saw Applejack come over to where the two unicorns were standing. On Applejack’s face was a look that was somewhere in between confusion and amusement. It was almost comical to Twilight, especially the way the earth pony’s lips scrunched together.

“So…what kind of book are you looking for, Rarity?” Twilight asked. She watched as Rarity set the books that she had already looked at into a neat pile on the ground.

“No…no…no…” Rarity mumbled as she went through the books one by one, carefully looking at the titles. “Oh, I’m just looking for a book on aerodynamics,” she said dismissively, barely turning her head in her friend’s direction.

Twilight and Applejack exchanged glances of curiosity. However, it was Applejack who voiced what they were both thinking.

“Why are ya looking for a book like that?” Applejack wondered out loud. “Didn’t you hear the doctor? She ain’t never gonna fly again…” Applejack looked down sadly, her bangs hanging over her eyes just enough to cover them.

Rarity rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. “Actually, she CAN fly, just not as well as she used to now that she can’t see where she’s going. What I’m trying to do is help her find a way where she can navigate reliably in the air by herself. The book should explain a way to do just that…” she trailed off, getting caught up in looking at book after book after book.

Twilight’s eyes lit in in delight. “Rarity! That’s brilliant!” she exclaimed joyfully. She ran to the nearest bookshelf and turned back to her Unicorn friend.

“What’s the book called?” she asked impatiently. Now that she had discovered a way to help her friend, she wanted to find that book as soon as possible.

“Pegasus wings and other things,” Rarity recalled automatically. “A guide to the very basics of pegasi and aerodynamics.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes carefully as she began to look for the book, scrolling down the rows of shelves and looking at the titles of each book she pulled out.

“Ha! Why would ya have a book like that?” Applejack teased, trotting closer to Rarity.

“For your information, it was for dress making,” Rarity answered coolly, not once looking at her earth pony friend.

Applejack scoffed and trotted around the unicorn with a thoughtful look on her face. “Well, if it’ll help Rainbow, then Ah’m in,” she said, beginning to look through the shelves herself.

“I think I have it somewhere here in the Library. I mean, I’ve read almost every book in here at some point or another, I just don’t know where it is at the moment. But, the title does seem familiar,” she said, mostly to herself.

A small sigh was released from behind her. “Thank you again, Twilight. It really means a lot to me,” Rarity smiled.

“You’re quite welcome; I’m more than happy to help…” Twilight answered. While it was true that she was happy to help Rarity out with finding this book, she was also helping Rainbow Dash gain some of her independence back. She missed seeing the cerulean pegasus soar through the skies above Ponyville. But, more importantly, she was sure that finding this book would help Rainbow Dash in a way that none of them could ever imagine. It would help her fly again. That thought alone brought a smile to Twilight’s face.

But, there was always the factor of whether Rainbow would cooperate with the idea or not. It would take an enormous amount of effort and patience for some pony to learn how to fly using nothing but drafts of air and thermals. And for some pony like Rainbow Dash, who didn’t have a lot of patience to start with, it would prove to be a most difficult challenge. But, she had faith in her friend, and Rainbow Dash was most definitely up for a challenge. Especially if the challenge would be able to help her fly again. Yes…seeing Rainbow fly again…

As she got caught up in her day dream about Rainbow Dash, she was unaware that a small blush was rising up to her cheeks. She wouldn’t have noticed it if it wasn’t for Applejack pointing it out.

“Twi…are you alright?” Applejack snickered, a knowing look plastered on her face.

Twilight raised her eyebrow. “I’m fine. What made you think I wasn’t?” she asked in confusion.

“Yer blushing.”

She frowned and shook her head. The thoughts about Rainbow Dash were forcibly shaken away.

“Yeah…I’m fine. Just thinking about something…’ she said.

“’Bout what?” Applejack pressed on.

“About stuff.”

“What kind of stuff?”

“Stuff!’

“Like your brother’s hindquarters kind o’ stuff?”

“Shut up!”

Twilight gave Applejack a glance laced with venom and returned to her search. After a few more books, she came across something interesting. The spine of the book was a light sky blue, almost like that of Rainbow Dash’s fur. Interested, she picked it up with her magic. She looked at the cloud-decorated cover and the gold words that made up the title.

“Pegasus Wings and Other Things: A Guide To The Very Basics Of Pegasi and Aerodynamics.”

The Empty Room

Chapter twelve: The Empty Room

In the rays of dull sunlight shining down onto the gravel of Ponyville’s streets, Twilight Sparkle trotted ever onwards toward the hospital.

This was an interesting day for the unicorn. For it was the day that Rainbow Dash would be coming home with her, and she was rather excited about it. She could imagine that Rainbow was excited to get out of the cramped room, and Twilight would be happy to see her friend on a regular basis again. Not only that, but she was anxious to have some company. After moving to Ponyville, she had become more open, and valued the company of other ponies. But, she still enjoyed some solitude with a good book from time to time. Spike was out doing his own thing most days, and ponies coming to the library were becoming scarce. That was probably because summertime was quickly approaching. Ponies were out and about having fun, and the last thing that they probably wanted to do was stay cooped up indoors with a book. How ponies managed to do this was beyond Twilight’s range of understanding, and that was quite a feat. Even though she loved her friends, she loved books too, and the thought of reading one on a warm summer day was all too pleasant for her. But, some ponies just thought differently.

After finding the book Rarity had requested, she stayed up all night to read it, in the hopes of becoming well-versed in pegasus wings. Luckily, the book had done its job quite well. Twilight now knew how she was going to help Rainbow Dash, and now she just needed to pull it off.

Another thing the book had mentioned was, to her surprise, blind pegasi.

“If a pegasus should become blind due to an unfortunate incident, then be warned that individual may become reclusive, distant, and antisocial, especially if flying was a major part of that pony’s life.”

Gee, book. Thanks for stating something that she already knew.

“However, the various methods listed in this book will explain how to help that pony deal with their disability, and even, to an extent, regain their ability to fly.”

And explain it did. From air currents to feathers, that book had it all. But, to the books credit, it had done her a huge amount of good, much to her relief. Rarity was right, this book would help Rainbow Dash, that Twilight was sure of. It was almost like an experiment. Except there was one inconsistent variable within the equation.

Rainbow Dash.

Would Rainbow Dash cooperate? Would the methods mentioned in the book even work? What if it was all just a bunch of lies? Well, it probably wouldn’t be published if it was, but still. There was no guarantee, but she had to try.

The time seemed to fly by as she quickly trotted into the hospital through the front doors. It was the same old sight to her as she walked in, the same old desk at the front of the room, the same old chairs lined up against the sides, there was really nothing interesting about the dreary room at all. The only thing that even held her attention was the different ponies that would come in day after day to visit their loved ones. Much like she was doing.

Today there were only four ponies in the waiting room. Three looked like they were there together, and one was slightly off to the side, kicking his back hooves under the chair he was seated in and looking bored out of his mind. Twilight couldn’t blame him. Hospitals weren’t really interesting places.

Barely sparing a glance at her fellow hospital-goers, she strode over to the desk at the front of the room. There was some pony other than Nurse Redheart seated at the comfy-looking chair today. That wasn’t all that surprising though. Many nurses rotated shifts when they were waiting that dreadfully long week for Rainbow Dash to wake up, so she was used to it, although she was reluctant to admit it. She had had enough hospital visits to last a lifetime and beyond.

The replacement was a bored looking earth pony who had her head stuck in some files. Twilight wasn’t very impressed by the nurse. In her opinion, whatever pony that was at the desk should at least pretend to be interested in their work, but she could imagine that working at a hospital took a toll on any pony’s sense of excitement.

“Excuse me?” she called out once she had reached the desk.

The young nurse barely spared her a glance. “Yes? What can I do for you?”

“I’m here to pick up some pony,” she answered.

Now the nurse looked up at her.

The look was uncomfortable, but Twilight acted like she barely noticed. She was here for Rainbow Dash’s sake. But, no matter how many times she told herself that, it was hard to avoid the chill running down her spine as the unnamed nurse glared at her, investigating her. It felt like the nurse was making sure she was worthy for a gladiator battle, or something like that.

“Name.”

“Pardon?”

“I need your name.”

“Oh. Sorry.” The look the nurse gave Twilight was not that of an amused pony. Deciding she should make it easier on both of them, she began to give the answers the nurse was looking for.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle. I’m here to pick up Rainbow Dash,” she said, adding the last part in to save the nurse’s valuable time.

“Ah, yes. Redheart mentioned that you would be picking her up this morning,” the nurse said, finally smiling. However, the smile was not friendly, nor was it something Twilight liked. It was small and cynical. Twilight would be happy when it wasn’t focused on her any longer. The nurse’s head disappeared from Twilight’s vision as she began to look for something under the desk. It took her quite a while to find whatever she was looking for, because, about five minutes later, the nurse’s head returned with a piece of paper and a pen. She spat it down on the desk and looked back at Twilight.

“Sign here,” she said in a bored fashion, nudging the pen towards Twilight.

Twilight looked at it, quickly reading the paper over. “What’s it for?”

“Just legal things. It says that you accept the fact that Rainbow Dash is in your care and yadda, yadda, yadda. It’s not my job to read these things, you know,” the nurse said, curling her mouth into a distasteful snarl.

Twilight eyed the nurse cautiously. The sooner she left this mare behind, the better she would feel. To speed up that process, she took the pen in her magic and signed her name neatly on the line designated for just that. As soon as she finished, she set the pen back down onto the desk.

“Thank you,” the nurse said, rolling the pen back towards her and looking over the piece of paper carefully. She then got up out of the desk and stood up before Twilight.

“Follow me please,” she requested. She waved another nurse over, most likely to take her place at the desk. It seemed fair enough to Twilight. Wouldn’t want to leave the waiting room unattended. The main thing that confused her was why the nurse had gotten up from the desk in the first place. She already knew where her friend’s room was, and she didn’t need to be led around. She sighed in annoyance. For some reason, she was getting very irritated today. She knew that it wasn’t right, but she still felt the strong feeling anxiousness and annoyance rising up in her stomach every time something seemed off to her. Maybe it was just because she was anxious to see Rainbow Dash and wanted to speed things along. That seemed too utterly plausible.

“I know where her room is,” Twilight began, wanting to get to the bottom of the matter.

“Oh, I’m sure. I’m just doing some last minute preparations so she can leave,” the nurse answered, beginning to walk down the hall leading to Rainbow Dash’s room.

Twilight’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape. She quickly trotted forward and began to walk parallel to the nurse. The two said nothing as they walked down the hall. It wasn’t a completely awkward silence, but it was certainly uncomfortable. But, the nurse seemed rather content to not have to talk to her, and, Twilight had to admit, she did too. It was one thing to talk to a friend, but another thing to talk to a pony that she didn’t feel comfortable with. So, they kept silent.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached Rainbow Dash’s room. Without hesitation, Twilight grabbed the doorknob with her magic and opened the door. The first thing she saw was, of course Rainbow Dash, but this time, the pegasus had the bandages off her eyes. Now, all that remained in her eyes was a dull, glazed-over look. Twilight’s heart fell to her stomach in sadness. It made the fact that her friend was blind even more omni-present than it had been before. The once vibrant magenta had turned dull, and the spark that had once taken up the iris and the pupil was gone. Everything about them looked dead, but she tried not to let that get to her.

“Hey, Rainbow,” she called out.

The blind pony jumped a bit in surprise, but called out, “Hey, Twilight.”

Twilight walked up to the bed touched Rainbow’s hoof lightly with her own.

“Ready to go?” she asked cheerfully.

“You have no idea,” Rainbow muttered back jokingly, her mouth forming into a weary smile.

Twilight let out a small chuckle before she heard a small groaning sound from behind her. She rolled her eyes and turned her head in the nurse’s direction. And, sure enough, there she was, tapping her front hoof and eyeing her with an evil expression.

“Well, I just have to get the doctor. I’ll be back in a minute,” the nurse said, almost skipping out of the room and shutting the door behind her.

Twilight stuck her tongue out at the open door and mimicked the nurse rudely.

“What was that all about?” Rainbow Dash asked, raising her eyebrow in confusion.

“Just some pony who needs an attitude adjustment…” Twilight muttered. But, maybe it wasn’t just the nurse who needed to lighten up. She sighed dejectedly and turned back to her friend. “So, how are you?” she asked, hoping to start a decent conversation.

“Pretty good…I’m kinda tired though,” Rainbow answered, looking down a bit. “I haven’t been sleeping all that well…” By the tone of her voice, Twilight thought that the pegasus was trying to tell her something.

“Oh? Do you want to talk about it at all?” she asked cautiously, deciding to tread lightly with this particular subject.

“Nah, I’m sure it’ll go away sooner or later,” Rainbow Dash replied, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

Why did Twilight have a sneaking suspicion that Rainbow Dash wasn’t telling her the whole situation? However, it wouldn’t surprise her if that was indeed the case. But, she decided not to press the issue any further. She would let Rainbow tell her on her own time. For now, she could wait.

“If you’re sure,” she said simply. “So, you got those bandages off, huh?”

“Yep. Good thing too. Stupid things were driving me nuts,” the pegasus replied, seemingly happy for the change of subject.

Twilight giggled briefly and nodded, even though she knew Rainbow Dash wouldn’t be able to see the action.
“When can we get out of this place?” Rainbow asked.

“As soon as the nurse comes back,” Twilight answered.

“Well, she better hurry it up,” Rainbow groaned, leaning back into her bed and crossing her front legs over her chest in annoyance. Twilight could understand what the pegasus was feeling right about now. If she was in her friend’s position, she would be feeling the same way. Impatient and anxious to get back to the outside world again. Luckily, that would be coming very soon.

“Ah, Ms. Sparkle. Good to see you again,” a masculine voice said from across the room.

To her relief, it wasn’t the nurse that came in the room. It was the doctor that tended to Rainbow Dash the last time she was in the hospital. He walked into the room and stood beside the unicorn.

“Good to see you too,” she answered. “So, is she ready to go home?” Twilight noticed that one of Rainbow’s ears perked up when she said this, as if she was interested in something. But, it was hard to read what the blind pony was feeling just from subtle body language. Still, if anything, it was rather amusing. The pegasus’ head had been directed up at the ceiling of the room, so she couldn’t see what expression her face held. Twilight could imagine it, though. Stoic, smug, and just a bit interested. However, she was snapped out of her train of thought by the doctor’s voice.

“I believe so. Everything is looking good,” he replied, investigating Rainbow Dash once more. But, as soon as he touched her hooves…

“Hey, hooves off, buddy.”

“Quite sorry, Ms. Dash,” he apologized before turning back to Twilight. “You two can leave whenever you’re ready. Good day, and take care of yourself now, Rainbow Dash.”

“Whatever.”

The doctor snorted and gave his last goodbye to Twilight before wandering out of the room. After Twilight watched him leave, she looked back at her friend. To her surprise, Rainbow Dash was already inching herself out of the bed. With a small gasp, Twilight rushed to her friend’s side. However, just before she touched Rainbow, she stopped. This was Rainbow Dash she was looking at. Not some foal that needed a helping hoof all the time.

“Do you need any help?” she asked, backing up to her original position.

“No, I’m fine,” Rainbow Dash answered, getting out of the bed on her own. After she was on all fours, she turned her head in Twilight’s direction. “Okay, now I might need a little help.”

The unicorn chuckled and walked over to Rainbow Dash. Once she stood beside her, Rainbow Dash opened her wing and laid it against Twilight’s back. Once she felt the feathered appendage, Twilight felt a rush of…something shoot through her from the tip of her horn to the bottom of her hooves. It felt a little like electricity, but she would imagine that electricity would hurt a lot more than what she felt right now. If she had to describe it, it was like….enjoyable electricity? No, that wasn’t right either.

She shook her head and focused on helping her friend.

“Are you ready?” Twilight asked.

“Of course I am,” Rainbow Dash answered, taking a deep breath.

Without another word, they began walking quickly down the hall. Twilight could honestly say that she wasn’t surprised with how fast they were moving. It was Rainbow Dash, after all. But, she chalked it mostly up to the pegasus being excited to get out of the building she was housed in for the last week and two days. As they made their way down the hall, Twilight noticed a few ponies giving them odd looks. She assumed that Rainbow Dash noticed them as well, because she could feel the pegasus beside her tense up as they passed each judgmental stare. It was then that she realized they weren’t giving her the glares, they were giving them to Rainbow Dash. A wave of sympathy washed over her.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered to the pegasus as they reached the end of the hallway. “We’re almost there.”

A small grunt was all she got in response.

The same nurse from before gave them a sympathetic look as they passed her, much to Twilight’s surprise. She nodded in return once before finally exiting the building.

As soon as Rainbow Dash felt the fresh air on her body, she brightened up. Her mouth curled into a small smile and Twilight noticed that she had a spring in her step that wasn’t there when they were in the dreary hospital. But, it vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked curiously as they walked further down the road leading to the center of the town.

“…” The hardened expression on the pegasus’ face refused to give away any details about what exactly she was feeling at the moment. “Nothing. Can we get going now?” she asked quickly, her ears flickering about.

Twilight felt disappointed for a few seconds. But, she decided to let it go for the time being. What mattered now was getting to library. They both knew the way there by heart, so Rainbow didn’t really need to be led to there, but, as they got closer, the pegasus began to get faster. Twilight wondered why, but then she saw the way that the ponies around them stared at them. Their faces reflected shock, confusion, and pity. One emotion of which she knew Rainbow hated.

“Is she…?”

“I think she is.”

That’s when the whispers started.

“Is that why she disappeared for a week?”

“Why is she being led around?”

“Don’t stare, dear.”

“Oh, the poor thing.”

“I feel bad for her.”

Twilight felt Rainbow Dash becoming tenser and tenser as they passed through the hard wall of pity. She saw the pegasus was gritting her teeth and a few tears escaping from her tightly shut eyes. Twilight moved herself closer to the blind pegasus, almost acting like a shield, and whispered in her ear, “We’re almost at the Library.”

“I know,” Rainbow hissed, her ears flattening against her skull. Her voice sounded strained, as if it pained her just to get the words out so Twilight could hear them. And, by the sound of her voice, it was obvious to Twilight that Rainbow Dash didn’t want to talk anymore.

Abiding by her friend’s wishes, the unicorn stayed silent.

It was a relief to both of them when they finally got to the library. As soon as Twilight shut the door, Rainbow Dash snapped her wing back to its resting place and backed away from the door. A deep frown had formed on her face and Twilight could clearly tell that she had been silently crying by the moisture on the pegasus’ cheeks. This was quite a surprise to her, since Rainbow Dash rarely cried. In fact, Twilight didn’t think she had ever seen Rainbow Dash cry. If it wasn’t for this, Twilight might have thought that Rainbow Dash just didn’t have any tear ducts. But, like most things, she was proven wrong. It just went to show how deeply the little walk had hit her.

“Oh, Dash…” she said, trotting up to her ailing friend. She attempted to give her a hug, but her hooves were quickly stopped by Rainbow Dash’s own.

“I’m fine. I just got a little emotional there…sorry, that was really uncool,” Rainbow Dash blurted out, wiping her eyes with her front hooves.

“It wasn’t uncool, Rainbow. Every pony gets a little emotional sometimes,” Twilight assured. Just then, the conversation was halted by Spike waltzing into the room.

“Rainbow Dash! You’re back!” Spike cried, running up to the pegasus and hugging her front leg.

Rainbow grunted a bit as he latched onto her leg, but smiled nonetheless. “Hey, Spike,” she smiled.

“Oh man, Rainbow, I missed you so much! It was really lonely without you,” the baby dragon babbled, letting go of her leg and standing in front of her. But, his sentence stopped when he saw her eyes. His smile fell from his face and his body seemed to droop downward. “So, you really are…blind?” he asked cautiously.

Twilight felt the need to face hoof.

“Yep, I’m blind,” Rainbow sighed. She looked like she wanted to slap him, not that Twilight could blame her, though. She was in the same metaphorical boat. “But, I’m still the coolest pony in Equestria. No dumb disability is gonna change that,” she added on, puffing out her chest as she said this.

Spike didn’t look so sure of that.

“Um, Spike, could you take Rainbow Dash to her room please?” Twilight requested quickly, sensing the awkwardness in the room.

“You got me a room?” Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

“Yeah! You should have seen her the other day, running around trying to get organized. Ordered a bed and everything,” Spike told her, much to Twilight’s dismay. Rainbow Dash blushed and smiled wearily.

“I could have just slept on the couch, ya know,” Rainbow Dash said, laughing nervously. “But, thanks, Twilight.”

“No problem, Rainbow,” Twilight answered.

“Come on, I’ll take you to it,” Spike said, putting a hand on Rainbow’s shoulder. She nodded and let her wing wrap around Spike’s back as he led her slowly to the upper floor of the Library. Twilight watched them go nervously, biting her lip as she watched them go up the stairs. She almost bit through it when Rainbow Dash tripped and was about to fall face first on the stair that she was on. Luckily, she caught herself and resumed walking, laughing the rest of the way about how she was going to hate stairs from now on. Eventually, and with a few more slips, they made their way to the upper level of the Library.

Twilight released a sigh of relief as she watched them safely go into the guest room. Well, it was Rainbow Dash’s room now, so she supposed that she couldn’t call it that anymore. But, at least it was being lived in, instead of being an empty room that annoyed her most of the time. Come to think of it, Spike had been wanting to do something with that room for a while now. Well, at least he got his wish.

With nothing else to do, Twilight walked to her desk and picked up, “Pegasus Wings And Other Things” and turned to the page she had bookmarked. It was one that described a way to help a blind individual fly by air currents. She had decided that this was the best way that she could help Rainbow fly again. It was, by far, the easiest, but it was also the one that would help Rainbow Dash most of all. Taking another look up the stairs, she sat down on her back haunches, put her face on the table and began to read.

The Dark Descent

Chapter fourteen: The Dark Descent

After being comfortably settled into her new room, she finally heard Spike exhale deeply, and somewhat wearily.

“So, is that everything you need?” the baby dragon asked her. She could hear his footsteps walking closer to her, and she made no effort to keep away from him. In fact, she was quite happy for the sound..

“Yeah, that’s good, Spike,” she smiled, smiling in his general direction. “Thanks a lot.”

Spike laughed quietly. “No problem, Rainbow… I’m just happy that you’re alright.”

Rainbow Dash pricked her ears in interest. There was something about his voice that seemed…different from his usually happy tone. It sounded a bit like regret, or maybe sorrow? She couldn’t tell. But, she thought it was kind of weird nonetheless.

“Ah, I would have been alright anyways,” she shrugged boastfully, puffing out her chest in mock triumph. “Not even a dragon can keep this pony down.”

She listened closely for Spike’s reaction, but all she got from him was an uncomfortable silence. Rainbow Dash sighed and let the air in her chest go quietly. So much for that idea. What was with every pony these days? They were acting so weird. Was something on her face, or in her mane? It was a shame that she couldn’t see whatever was obscuring her natural awesomeness. But, even so, she HAD died…

Had every pony worried for her that much?

Just as the thought was beginning to truly sink in, Spike interrupted her thoughts.

“Maybe…” Spike answered uncertainly. The sound afterwards sounded like shuffling to Rainbow Dash’s ears. “Well, Twilight’s probably got something for me to do; I should get going before she gets mad,” he said awkwardly.

Rainbow Dash nodded in understanding. “Okay, cool.”

“Thanks,” Spike said. His footsteps became more distant as he, most likely walked towards the door of the room. “Call if you need anything.”

“I will!” Rainbow Dash called back as she heard the door slammed shut.

Well, there she was again, she thought to herself quietly. In silence and solitude. She was starting to become used to the concept that was previously so foreign to her. It was just so quiet…and lonely.

In a strange way, she was always by herself. She knew that other ponies were around her, it was just that her dark, sightless world felt empty to her, like she was the only one in existence. Rainbow Dash could hear ponies’ voices, but they sounded distant and artificial, like they didn’t exist, or they were just a figment of her imagination. And, as close as the voices were to her, they would disappear again, leaving her in unimaginable darkness.

She sighed and hung her head. That was it then. No matter what had happened, and no matter how much support she got, she would always be alone.

It was then that she truly wondered just how she was going to move on from this. She had been acting so calm lately, but on the inside, she could feel her emotions starting to come to the surface. Rainbow Dash could feel the pain and loneliness within her clearly now, as they were not hindered by morphine or the hope that her friends might come to visit her sometime. In general, there was always something to distract her in the hospital. But here was different. Here was where she couldn’t get distracted.

She hated that.

But, here also gave her a strong sense of comfort. Here was where she had support and comfort, here was not antiseptic and formal like the hospital she had been in previously. Here was home. She had a home. That fact alone was comforting. And, what made it even better was that she was with Twilight.

Twilight…

There! She was thinking about it again!

The pony that had saved her had been in her mind for a while, and had not wanted to get out, no matter how many times she had tried to think about something else. But, with nothing else to think about, she let her mind think about the unicorn over and over again.

She remembered, to popular disbelief, many things, and Twilight was no exception to this rule. Rainbow Dash remembered when she had first bumped into her purple friend. It was a chance encounter, that was for sure, but she was happy that it had happened.

Oh, how happy she was.

All their times together were times that she would hold forever in her heart. She felt herself growing happier each time she was around Twilight, even more so than her other friends, for some odd reason. Rainbow Dash knew that she wasn’t being very fair, but she couldn’t help what she was feeling. The unicorn was just so nice, and sweet, and maybe even awesome at rare times, few and far between. But, being the rather oblivious pony that she was, she hadn’t really paid that much attention to it. She was always too busy practicing for the Wonderbolts. An awesome pony like her couldn’t pay attention to her strange, stupid feelings and practice at the same time. It was hard to do. And she wasn’t very good at multitasking.

But now, after Twilight’s actions the night of the attack, she found that those feelings were coming back, stronger than ever before. It was indescribable, almost like invisible butterflies were floating around in her stomach and wouldn’t go away. And every minute spent thinking about the unicorn made them even more violent. It made her feel jumpy and nervous, almost vulnerable.

She wasn’t sure if she liked it.

Just then, as she leaned back to sit on the bed, she realized that she had no idea where that bed was. Spike hadn’t shown her it. She figured this out the hard way when her rump landed on the floor with a fleshy thud. Groaning, she rolled her eyes. There was no way she was going to shout down to Spike saying that she needed help finding the bed. No way. That was totally uncool. And she was NOT uncool.

So, she did the next best thing. That included getting up, walking around, and bumping into too many things for her to count before she actually felt the surface of the bed on the tip of her hoof. She sighed in relief and hopped into it. When she did, she found that the mattress and sheets were rather comfy, much different than what she had first expected. They were soft and warm and had a faint smell of…lavender? Ironically, it smelt a lot like Twilight.

Why was life trying to be so mean to her?

As quickly as the strange, euphoric feeling had come along, it passed just as quickly, leaving her with another feeling. This time it was too utterly familiar.

Boredom.

It just hit her that Spike had left her with nothing to do. And now he was gone. Probably downstairs where he couldn’t hear her shout even if he tried. It was at times like these when she wished she thought things through more. But, what’s done is done, right? Still, what would she do? There were two options available to her, as far as she could tell.

Option A, do nothing and think about Twilight some more.

Or option B, take another nap.

Napping was her first choice.

She laid down and gently leaned her head on the pillow. Much like the rest of the bed, the pillow was soft, as if it had just recently been washed, and held the faint, relaxing smell of lavender. She didn’t have a problem with that, of course, she just thought it was weird that Twilight would use such a scent. Then again, it was Twilight she was talking about. She could never really understand that egghead.

Maybe that was why she was so hard to get out of her mind.

She, involuntarily, wanted to know more about the apparently mysterious egghead. Even though they had been friends for a long time now, and probably knew everything about each other already, she still wanted to know more about her magical friend. What was her favorite book? Why did she like the color purple so much? Did astronomy interest her? There were so many things…

And, what was more, every time she closed her eyes, Twilight was there. The image was slow and blurry at first, like a dull ember, but now that ember was turning into a low flame, and that flame was beginning to spark. Right now she was beginning to regret not acting on those feelings, or putting them out altogether. But, she had to wait until she became a cripple, didn’t she?

Rainbow Dash grumbled loudly. What was she becoming? A sap? So not cool.

But, maybe Twilight wouldn’t mind a sap.

With that comforting thought nestled safely in her mind, she pulled the covers over top of her and began the long hardship of trying to fall asleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Twilight always had to be prepared for everything, but Spike interrupting her from a rather peaceful nap was not one of them.

“Book fort!? Are you there, book fort!?” she sputtered gracelessly, shaking her head in all directions available to her neck.

“Book fort?” Spike echoed curiously, looking at her as if she had grown a second head. She could tell he was trying to hold back laughter.

Twilight’s eyes widened and she groaned wearily. “What are you doing, Spike?” she asked in annoyance. “I thought I told you to help Rainbow Dash.”

“I did,’ Spike told her, crossing his arms over his chest. “She’s fine.”

Twilight still looked rather unsure. “You made sure? She didn’t need anything or…”

“Jeez, Twilight! Yes, Rainbow Dash is fine. I’m positive about that,” Spike said, stopping her sentence and forcing her to stay silent until he finished his own. “I know that she’s, like, your best friend and all, but you really need to loosen up. She’s not helpless, you know.”

The unicorn sighed and nodded, getting up from her sitting position and slowly walking over to her assistant. She gave him a smile. “You’re right, Spike. I should have more faith in my friends. Especially in Rainbow Dash. I’m sorry I snapped at you,” she said apologetically. She used her magic to close the book she was now currently finished with, and put it back on the shelf in its proper place.

“It’s okay, Twilight,” Spike said softly. “I know she…well…”

“That’s just it, Spike. She died.” The look on Twilight’s face was dark, almost devoid entirely of any emotion. “That was one of the scariest times of my life, Spike. I almost lost a friend, and I don’t want to have that happen again,” she said sadly, not even bothering to look Spike in the eye.

Spike opened his mouth to speak, but something within him kept it shut. Whatever he happened to say would probably just make the unicorn feel worse, so he just thought it was best to agree with her for the time being.

“Spike…” Twilight began after a long pause of silence.

“Yeah, Twilight?” Spike answered cautiously.

“When do you think I should tell Rainbow about that idea?” she asked, finally looking at him in the eye.

“What idea?”

Twilight grumbled quietly to herself. If there was one thing she didn’t like, it was repeating herself. “The idea to get Rainbow Dash flying again,” she told him shortly.

“Oh…THAT one,” Spike realized, putting a finger up to his chin in thought. “Well, you probably should do it soon,” he said, wondering what direction this conversation would take. By the first few words, he could tell it was probably going to go in one he wanted nothing to do with. But, still he trudged on.

“I know. There are just some things that I have to deal with first,” Twilight explained quickly, barely stopping to take a breath in between her sentences.

“Like what?” Spike asked suspiciously.

“LIKE, I first have to talk to Rarity about this, and then I’ll have to send that offer to Princess Celestia,” Twilight said. “And I want to make sure if it’s okay with Rainbow Dash before we do this.”

Spike looked shocked for a moment, but then burst out laughing for some reason Twilight was not aware of. She gave him a glare laced with venom, but knew that he was right. Why would Rainbow Dash NOT want to fly. It was pretty stupid, she admitted, but she would rather be safe than sorry. Twilight was positive that her friend knew the risks associated with trying something like this, but she still wanted to be sure. There was no way she would lose Rainbow Dash.

Not after all this.

“No offense, Twilight,” Spike got out between snorts and giggles. “But this seems really stupid. Did you forget who we’re talking about here?”

Twilight rolled her eyes in response. “Yes, yes, Spike. Don’t rub it in. Just trust me on this one, okay?” she pleaded.

Spike’s laughter had finally died down enough for him to nod and respond, “Okay, okay. Whatever you say, Twilight.” After that, he walked into the kitchen, leaving a dumbfounded Twilight Sparkle behind him.

“Wait, where are you going?” she asked.

“I’m hungry,” came the simple response.

Twilight sighed and said nothing more to her assistant. She loved him, but Spike could be a real pain in the flank sometimes. Twilight turned around calmly and, to her surprise, found a little slip of paper lying on the desk, just underneath where that book she was just reading used to be. She eyed it suspiciously, picked it up, and levitated it just in front of her so that she could clearly read whatever it said.

“Pick up order from…leather store?” Twilight read aloud. “What could that possibly mean…Oh right!” she said, putting the slip of paper back on the desk and rushing into the kitchen. When she got there, she saw Spike standing just by the fridge, taking an item out of it.

“I’m going out,” she said quickly.

“Okay. Where to?” Spike asked, not looking up from the fridge and whatever it was that he was doing.

“Just to the store to get something I ordered,” Twilight answered nonchalantly, already walking out of the kitchen. “I’ll be back soon.”

She heard a small “okay” from Spike. That satisfied her, and she was about to take her leave, when she remembered a small thing. Without thinking, she turned around and trotted up the stairs to the guest room where Rainbow Dash was staying.

When she opened up the door, she smiled as soon as she saw her friend’s sleeping form. It might have been hard to tell she was sleeping for some ponies, but Twilight could hear the snores that came from the pegasus. Actually, it was really hard NOT to hear them, when she thought about it.

Rainbow Dash was turned away from her and Twilight could see her chest move up and down in slow, steady rhythms.

In a strange way, Rainbow Dash looked rather cute when she was sleeping. She looked so peaceful…

Twilight stopped herself when she realized that Rainbow Dash would probably slap her if she knew Twilight thought she was cute.

A somber thought came to Twilight’s mind. She was going to put her dear friend through one of the most embarrassing and humiliating things a pony could be put through. There was no doubt that Rainbow Dash would probably hate her for a little while, but this way was the only way that Rainbow Dash could move around efficiently. Besides, resting her wing on Twilight’s back had to be at least uncomfortable. But, then again, she didn’t have wings, so she didn’t know.

She had made the decision to do this about two days ago, when Rainbow Dash first woke up and the nurse had told her that Rainbow Dash needed some place to stay. She had wanted to pick it up earlier, but fate just didn’t seem to allow that.

But maybe that was for the best.

“I’m sorry…” she whispered quietly. She knew that Rainbow Dash wouldn’t hear her, but it made her feel a little bit better about what she was going to do.

Sighing, she finally closed the door and her friends sleeping form was lost to her. Without another word, she quickly trotted back down the stairs and made her way out the door.

It seemed that a lot of ponies were inside at this time of day, since she was one of the only ones on the street walking around. That alone made her a little bit angry with herself. Maybe if she had just waited a little bit longer she could have spared Rainbow Dash from the earlier torment. But, on the bright side, at least they had gotten that out of the way.

The rest of the way to her destination was rather plain, luckily. She really didn’t need any pony to distract her right at this moment, all she wanted to do was get to the leather store, just on the outskirts of town, and finish her errand. But, since it was one of the only stores not in the market place, it took longer to get there, and wasn’t really that convenient for her. Still, it gave her the benefit of solitude, and the store wouldn’t be that busy. She would be able to get in and get out without any problem.

Then, she finally saw it. The small black building that held her order. And, just as she had expected, it was vacant. In fact, there wasn’t a pony in sight. If there was, then they would probably be inside at the moment. Speaking of that, that was what she should be doing.

And that was what she did. She walked forward and when she opened the door, a small bell rang out, and the stallion who was behind the counter looked up from his paper cup in a bored fashion. But when he saw Twilight come in, his eyes lit up in surprise and he sat up a little straighter in his chair.

“Hello, ma’am,” he said in a low, accented voice. “What can I do ya for?”

“Oh, hello. I’m just here to pick up an order I put in a day or two ago,” she told him, coming fully up the counter.

“Okie-doke. Can I have your name please?” he asked, putting his head under the counter and waiting for her to respond.

“It should be under Twilight Sparkle,” she said nervously, biting her lip in anxious anticipation. Unconsciously she began to tap her front hoof as he looked through the files under the counter. From the vacancy of the store she was experiencing, they must have a pretty small filing cabinet. So why was it taking so long then? But, when he popped back up, it was only about thirty seconds later.

“Ah, here it is,” the stallion said, pulling the item up from underneath and plopping it back down onto the counter in front of them.

She gasped as she looked at it for the first time. It looked…perfect. Or as perfect as it could get based on what the item actually was. That was the only way to describe it. But, the full reality came crashing down upon as well. It took her a moment to swallow the lump in her throat before she finally replied back to the awaiting stallion.

“Thank you…so much,” she said quietly.

“No problem, Ms. Sparkle. I’m always happy to do something like this, even though it's made artificially. As you could probably tell, we don’t get a lot of customers around these parts, so doing this was quite some fun,” he laughed, but then he got serious as he continued. “I heard about what happened to your friend there; the one that’s gonna need this, I’m presuming?”

Twilight felt a small blush appear on her cheeks. “How did you know?” she asked suspiciously.

“Word travels fast around here, Ms. Sparkle, but I figure that you might know that by now,” he said jokingly.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “More than you would think,” she laughed right alongside him.

After that little exchange, the stallion’s face molded back into a straight expression. “You know, you’re quite the lucky mare to have a friend like that,” he told her, keeping his voice low, even though no other pony was in the shop.

Twilight sighed happily. “I know.”

The stallion gave her a pleasant smile and wrapped her purchase into a bag. Once he was finished, he took it in his mouth and gave it to her. Instead of using her mouth to grab it from him, she wrapped it in her magic and began backing away from the counter.

“Thank you again, sir,” she said, beginning to open the door to let herself out.

“Anytime,” he replied kindly.

She smiled one last time, and finally shut the door. A small bell rang out before it closed fully.

Twilight sighed and began making her way home. Like the trip to get to the store, the trip back to the library was the same, just the other way. Except this time it seemed like there were even less ponies on the street than before.

It didn’t take her very long to get home, thankfully. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Spike eating something at the table and reading a book of some sort. She couldn’t tell what it was from her position. But, he put the book down once he saw her.

“Hey, Twilight. Did you get what you were looking for?” he asked, putting the book down and walking up to her.

“Yep,” Twilight answered, floating the book back to the table and setting it down on the flat surface. She walked over to it with Spike following. When they were there, which was a short walk considering how slowly they went, Twilight turned to Spike.

“Did Rainbow Dash call you?” she asked curiously.

“Nope, she’s still up in her room.”

“Good.”

“Hey, what’s in the bag, anyway?” Spike asked, trying to get his hands on Twilight’s package.

“Be patient and I’ll show you,” Twilight laughed, levitating it away from him.

Spike begrudgingly stopped grabbing and crossed them against his chest, eagerly waiting for Twilight to open the bag. The unicorn winked at him and slowly began unwrapping it. When she was finished, and Spike saw it for the first time, his jaw literally dropped to the floor.

“What are you going to use that for?” Spike asked once Twilight shut his jaw.

“I’m going to use it for Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said distractedly, focusing on looking at the object from various angles.

Spike’s voice sounded unsure. “Are you sure that this is a good idea, Twilight?” he asked worriedly, biting his lip as he waited for Twilight’s answer.

Twilight sighed sadly. She turned to face him, and he could now fully see how unsure she really was on the inside.

“I have to hope it is.”

Without another word, she put the brown false-leather collar back on the table and trotted upstairs.

Promises

Chapter fifteen: Promises

As time went on, Twilight was beginning to feel more productive. She had done many things in the several days that Rainbow Dash had been living with her, and she enjoyed those things as well, adding a bright feeling of satisfaction. And, somehow, she sensed that her blind friend was beginning to feel it too.

The pair had been experimenting with a few things to help Rainbow Dash cope with her sudden disability. Twilight had ordered a few copies of various Daring Do books in braille and, once learning braille herself (that didn’t take very long, mind you), started to teach it to Rainbow Dash. Luckily, the pegasus had picked it up quickly, and was now going to more challenging subjects. She still needed some translation from Twilight from time to time, but overall she was becoming much more fluent, something Twilight was very proud of.

But, it hadn’t been easy, and there seemed to be more bad times than there were good times. Rainbow Dash’s stubborn nature was hard to deal with, and sometimes made Twilight question her judgment on taking the pegasus into her home. Meals were never easy, nor was trying to get her to go out in public. Sometimes Rainbow Dash would make Twilight’s life easy, but it was almost never without a fight.

On another depressing note, the faux-collar that Twilight had bought was always present in the back of her mind, just waiting for another chance to be brought up. But, when she had first asked Rainbow Dash about the collar, it always made her cringe, and force those thoughts back down into the abyss of her subconscious.

“No! I’m NOT wearing…THAT thing, Twilight!”

“Please, Rainbow? I promise that it will help.”

“NO!”

“Why not?”

“What do I look like to you, Twilight? A dog that needs walking every bucking day? I’m not helpless, Twilight, so stop thinking I am!”

The conversation had stopped there, for Twilight was too hesitant to continue it any further.

So, she did what she thought was best. Twilight let the idea go. But, just in case Rainbow MIGHT, by small chance, happen to change her mind, she kept the collar in her drawer. And there it sat, beginning to collect dust.
And there Twilight sat, beginning to feel anxious.

Rainbow Dash had gone to take a shower about twenty minutes ago, and she hadn’t responded to Twilight when she called. But, as she said many times, Rainbow Dash could take care of herself. Still, there were so many things that could go wrong! Rainbow Dash could slip and fall, hurt herself, or even worse! The possibilities nagged at the edges of Twilight’s mind, and she couldn’t bear it any longer. It was almost like having a foal of her own, except with a slight age difference.

She trotted quickly to the bathroom and knocked on the door impatiently.

“Who’s there?” came a raspy voice from behind the closed door.

“It’s Twilight!” she responded. Well, at least Rainbow Dash was okay.

“What do you want?” Rainbow Dash asked, her voice muffled by the drips of water from the shower. “I’m a little busy!”

The unicorn rolled her eyes in annoyance. Rainbow Dash was usually like this.

“Are you all right in there?” she shouted back questioningly. Twilight leaned her ear up against the door to see if she could hear a response better, but, to her surprise, she didn’t hear anything besides the pitter-patter of the shower.

“Umm…” Rainbow Dash mumbled, seemingly struggling to get the words out.

“Do you need any help?” Twilight asked worriedly. Not wanting to wait any longer, she cautiously opened the door, and stepped inside just enough so that she could see the inside of her bathroom. Luckily, the curtain around the shower was closed, and no part of Rainbow Dash could be seen except the silhouette behind the curtain.

“Nope! I’m just fine! No help here!” she said nervously. Her tone sounded strange, but not too unfamiliar to Twilight. “And could you please give me some privacy?”

Twilight’s jaw dropped.

“Privacy? I can’t see you, and you can’t – wait, how did you even know I was in here?” the unicorn asked in disbelief.

“I heard you. Duh.” Even though there was a curtain masking the expression of the pegasus’ face, Twilight didn’t need to see it to know what it was. But, even so, Twilight had taken a lot of care to make sure that she opened the door as silently as possible. It came as a surprise to her that Rainbow Dash could detect that. Then again, she had read that once one sense was lost, the others became more enhanced.

Was that a positive or a negative thing?

She couldn’t tell.

“Oh…well, are you sure you don’t need anything?” she asked once again.

There was a slight pause that went on much too long. Twilight felt something bubble up in her stomach when her friend didn’t answer her. It was anxiousness, yes, but not quite. It was also worry too, as well as just a small bit of…she couldn’t describe it. The feeling was getting to her, and egging her on to make sure that Rainbow Dash was alright, and not let her leave until she had done just that.

“Twilight?” Rainbow Dash’s hesitant voice asked.

“Yes?” she answered, taking a step closer to the shower.

“Can you help me?” The question sounded almost painful, but Twilight could understand why.

The unicorn smiled gently and walked over. Just as she was about to grab the shower curtain with her magic, she made sure that it was okay with her friend. Luckily, albeit reluctantly, Rainbow Dash agreed. Without further ado, she lit up her horn, and the curtain quickly opened, revealing a very wet, and very lost looking Rainbow Dash.

“What do you need help with, Rainbow?” she asked, climbing into the bathtub behind her friend. The water felt nice to her, but she groaned inwardly as her lower body became soaked.

To her surprise, all the pegasus needed help with was washing her wings, saying that she couldn’t reach them. Even though it was a fairly simple task, Twilight thought, Rainbow Dash was having trouble with it. But, that was okay. Twilight was always happy to help a friend, even with the most trivial tasks. Actually, this wasn’t the first time Rainbow Dash had needed help with something like this. So, Twilight was used to it, in a small peculiar way.

She slowly and gingerly picked up the soap with her magic and was just about to touch Rainbow Dash, when the pegasus stopped her.

“What is it?” Twilight asked.

“Can you do it…gently?” Rainbow asked tensely, her muscles becoming rigid. “And can you tell me when you’re going to touch ‘em?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, but complied. She held the soap just about the wings, and began the countdown requested by the blind pegasus.

“Okay, three…” She moved the soap an inch closer. “Two…” Twilight watched Rainbow Dash brace herself. “One.”

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was going crazy on the inside. No matter how many times Twilight had done this, or ever would do this, she just thought it was weird. She didn’t care who was doing it, she didn’t like ponies touching her. Period. It was uncomfortable and awkward, especially when you were dealing with something as sensitive as pegasus wings. But, as Twilight kept massaging the soft appendages with the smooth bar of soap, she began to remember why she seemed to trust the unicorn so much. Twilight knew where to go when it came to her wings, and how hard to push to get her feathers clean enough.

Not to mention as time went on and she became more relaxed, it felt awesome.

She sighed a little too loudly as Twilight cleaned her wings delicately.

“Rainbow Dash, how does that feel?” Twilight asked, not stopping the procedure.

“Feels awesome, Twi,” Rainbow replied placidly.

A small chuckle came from Twilight before Rainbow Dash felt hooves being placed on her back, just below her wings. She let out a small gasp, but that quickly disappeared, and she allowed herself to become relaxed again. For a moment, she thought she would doze off, but there was one thing stopping that from happening.

The water pouring down on her felt hot on her skin, and very unfamiliar. It wasn’t like water that came from clouds at all. This water was condensed, and heavy. She was used to clouds and fresh rainwater, not this stuff. It didn’t feel right to her, but she told herself to deal with it. She had to get used to this being part of her daily routine from now on. No exceptions. But, there were a few good things about it. The water was relaxing, and not to mention hot. It was almost like a blanket, in a sense. A very wet blanket. If she wanted to, she could probably fall asleep right there and then.

Nah. She didn’t feeling like drowning.

Then, Twilight’s voice brought her back to alertness.

“Alright, I think we’re done here,” the unicorn said to her. Twilight’s voice sounded approving. She must have done a good job.

“Thanks a lot, Twi,” Rainbow Dash answered gratefully.

“You’re quite welcome,” Twilight chuckled. She carefully climbed out of the tub and stood just beside it. The droplets on her soaked body dripped onto the floor, and she just noticed that the lower half of her body was soaked from the water in the tub. She could feel herself becoming more and more anxious as she watched Rainbow Dash stand up. Twilight knew that she was being silly. What was she worried about anyway? Well, there were those occasional times when Rainbow Dash slipped and landed flat on her face. Whenever that happened, Twilight’s assistance was needed more often than not. She stood rigid, ready to spring into action if need be.

Her heart almost stopped when Rainbow Dash began slipping.

She pounced forward and steadied the pegasus quickly, grasping her front hooves around the pegasus’ abdomen. Twilight didn’t want to use her magic for this kind of task. She had done that once, and Rainbow Dash had not responded well. Though, Twilight couldn’t exactly blame her sightless friend for that.

Rainbow Dash gasped harshly as the hooves grappled themselves around her, but she was thankful for them. At least she didn’t fall on her face. However, the hooves brought another problem, though. Rainbow Dash was in Twilight’s front legs at the moment. And that was awkward.

Really awkward.

She scrambled back into a standing position, freeing herself from Twilight’s grasp. By the messy movements made by Twilight, Rainbow Dash could tell that the unicorn wasn’t exactly prepared for her hasty exit.

“Uh…so, what’s up?” Rainbow Dash asked, changing the subject quickly.

Twilight took a moment to respond. “Well, nothing at the moment,” she said. “I was just waiting for you to come out of the shower before I started doing anything.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Huh. Oh, watch out.”

“Wait, what – ?”

Before Twilight could finish, Rainbow Dash began to shake her body rapidly to dry herself off. It worked, but it also succeeded in getting the excess droplets on the unicorn beside her. Rainbow Dash herself didn’t notice at first, but it became apparent when a low grumble came from beside her.

“Hey, I told you to watch out,” Rainbow Dash shrugged.

A groan resounded from the unicorn.

“It’s fine, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “Can you put your wing over me?” she asked. “We’re just going downstairs.”

Rainbow Dash complied, and just a second after, she heard a small click. Then, Twilight began walking forward ever so slightly. Rainbow Dash began walking as well, and let Twilight lead her to the lower level of the library. It was a rather quiet walk, and not to mention slow. She was tempted to tell her friend to speed it up, but kept her mouth closed. The last thing she needed was for her to break her neck by falling down the stairs.

With Twilight’s minor assistance, the pair walked down the stairs and into…whatever room they just happened to be.

“So, uh…is Spike home?” Rainbow Dash wondered curiously as Twilight walked forward just a bit more.

“Can you take your wing off me please?” Twilight asked. “The couch is just behind you.”

The pegasus’ muzzle twisted in confusion, but as she took a few steps backwards, she found a solid mass behind her, just as Twilight had said. Not thinking of where she might land, she hopped upwards and onto the couch. The couch responded with a satisfying squeak, and she let herself relax into it. Luckily for her, this particular couch just so happened to be her favorite one in the library. Twilight must have figured that out by now. And, they were in the room just by the kitchen, or so Twilight had told her.

“Spike’s out…gem shopping or something,” Twilight finished. A few seconds later, she was sitting beside Rainbow Dash on the cozy couch. “I don’t know, he was in a bit of a hurry.”

“Eh, whatever,” Rainbow Dash shrugged.

“Oh, that reminds me!” Twilight said suddenly.

The shrill exclamation made Rainbow Dash gasp quietly, though Twilight didn’t seem to hear it.

“Remind you of what?” the pegasus asked.

“I came up with an idea a few days ago that I went over with Spike,” Twilight began carefully. “Personally, I think it’s a good idea, but Spike’s a little hesitant towards it. But, I don’t really blame him.”

“Okay. And what is that?” she asked.

“Well, I was thinking of sending him to find the dragon that…well, you know…did that to you,” Twilight said. Her voice was growing…self-conscious, for some reason, but Rainbow Dash barely concentrated on that.

Twilight wanted to do what? Send a poor, little, helpless baby dragon after some big scary dragon that almost did her in? Did this egghead finally crack?

“Wait, wait, wait, what?” she asked incredulously. “You want to send a baby dragon into some really huge dragon’s cave or whatever? I know I’m not one to judge, but that’s really dangerous! And not to mention he’s had SO much luck with dragons before!”

“Yes, I know, but think of it like this,” Twilight pleaded, not giving up just yet, “we can’t just have a huge killing machine running around Equestria! He may hurt other ponies, and magic might not be there to save some of them.”

Despite all of Twilight’s efforts, Rainbow Dash was not seemingly swayed. Getting tired of this, Twilight said with an air of authority, “Look, Spike is much older now than he was when the Dragon Migration happened, and he’s also much more responsible. He can take care of himself out there.”

Rainbow Dash crossed her front legs over her chest stubbornly, but her head was pointing downwards and she had a thoughtful look on her face. She was thinking, and Twilight could tell what exactly she was thinking about. All it would take was just a bit more prompting…

“Rainbow, what’s stopping you?” she asked quietly.

“…I dunno…I’m just worried for the little guy, I guess,” the pegasus explained. She sighed and looked up once more. “This dragon means business, and I don’t want any pony to get as messed up as I was, and, I don’t want Spike to either. And if that happens, and the dragons goes crazy, you won’t be around to save him. If you make him do this, you could lose him, Twilight. I want you to know that.”

Twilight said nothing at first. Of course she knew that. How could she not?

“I know,” she answered. “But I also know that he can succeed at this. You just have to give him a chance.”

Rainbow Dash pursed her lips and leaned her head back against the cushion. She was going to regret this.

Big time.

“Alright, it’s fine with me,” she agreed begrudgingly. “Are you sure he’s okay with this?”

“Yes,” we agreed that I would send the offer to Princess Celestia, and if she approved, then he would be able to go,” Twilight informed. To her displeasure, Rainbow Dash began laughing. “What’s so funny?” she asked.

“You really think the princess is gonna let Spike go?” Rainbow Dash said in between bouts of laughter.

“Hey! Princess Celestia has complete trust in me! Of course she will!” Twilight defended. Though, she was beginning to think that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all. But, they had made it to the final stage of the plan, and Twilight would not back out when they had gotten so far. “All I have to do now is send it when Spike gets home.”

“If you say so, Twi,” the pegasus answered, waving her hoof dismissively. “Hey, have you got any new Daring Do’s yet? I just finished the last one last night.”

Twilight blinked in disbelief. “You’re done it already? That was fast.”

“Uh, yeah; it wasn’t that hard to do, ya know,” Rainbow Dash said matter-of-factly. “I mean, I had a teeny bit of trouble with it, but nothing’s too hard for me. But you already knew that.”

“Of course…” Twilight muttered. Getting up from the couch, she began to scour the shelves in search of the next book in the series.

“Which book did you finish?” she called over her shoulder.

“Uhh…Daring Do and The Monkey’s Manor,” Rainbow Dash called back uncertainly.

Ah, the eighth book in the series. Now she just needed to find the ninth book.

After a few more seconds of searching, she found her prize. She plucked in into her magical grasp and flicked through it. Mostly to make sure it was in braille, but if it wasn’t she could just read it out loud. She didn’t think Rainbow Dash would mind that too much. Just as she thought, it was indeed the next one, and it was in braille. Smiling to herself, she trotted back to the couch.

“Here,” she said, dropping the book in Rainbow Dash’s lap.

“That didn’t take too long,” Rainbow Dash commented breezily as Twilight sat down.

“Well, the book was pretty easy to find,” Twilight said as Rainbow Dash put her hoof to the cover and, even though she couldn’t see it, looking down at it. She moved her hoof carefully and slowly along the cover, making sure to feel every character there.

“Daring Do…and the…” she mumbled as she moved her hoof along. “…Serpent’s Scale. Cool. This is the next book in the series, right?”

“Yes,” Twilight nodded. “Even I haven’t read it yet.”

“Well…do you want to read it with me?” Rainbow Dash offered warily, biting her lip.

Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise, and her calm demeanor vanished. Rainbow Dash had never offered something like this before. She usually brought the books up to her room and read them quietly to herself. It was weird to think that Rainbow would want her company. But, why waste a perfectly good offer?

“Okay,” Twilight answered, her voice cracking with the last syllable. “Oh, why don’t I get the one in actual print; it’ll be much easier,” she offered, beginning to stand up.

“Sounds cool,” Rainbow Dash nodded, looking away from the unicorn for a moment to put the book carefully down on the floor.

Twilight had spared them a few moments of looking when she grabbed the right book off the shelf with her magic and brought it over to them. But, as she began, Rainbow Dash yawned and stretched her wing across Twilight’s back in what was most likely a cramp, or something like that. Twilight stopped, and let the cover gather premature dust. It was unfortunate for her that Rainbow Dash noticed this.

“Are you okay, Twi?” she asked, folding her wing neatly onto her back.

She had noticed something. It was rather small, and insignificant, but she berated herself for it anyway. How could she have been so stupid? What had she been thinking when she had ordered that collar? Rainbow Dash was right. The pegasus was not a pet, and the collar would most likely cause more trouble than it was worth. What did she want to do, humiliate Rainbow Dash to the point where she would no longer go outside, or show her face in Ponyville at all?

No.

She couldn’t do that.

“Twilight?” Rainbow Dash echoed.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Rainbow. I was just thinking of something. And, right now I need to go do something. I’ll be right back.” With that, she focused, and teleported up to her room. The first stop she made was the drawer just beside her bed.

Upon opening said drawer, she grasped the collar in her magic and took one last look at it. It was well made, yes, and VERY expensive, but it just wasn’t worth it. And it scared her to think that she had ever thought it was worth all that trouble in the first place.

Without another word, she tossed it in the garbage bin on the other side of the room and walked back downstairs to where Rainbow Dash was waiting for her.

“What were you doing?” the pegasus asked as Twilight sat down and picked up the book.

“…taking care of some business,” she smiled, turning the first few pages over until they hit page number one. “You ready?”

“You bet,” Rainbow Dash responded calmly.

Chuckling, Twilight turned to the first page and began to read. And from beside her, she felt Rainbow Dash wrap her wing around her back once again. Twilight smiled and kept reading.

Farewell

Chapter sixteen: Farewell

The tapping of Twilight’s hooves stamping across the hard library floor was annoying to Rainbow Dash and Spike, to say the least. At first, it wasn’t so bad, but after fifteen minutes or so, annoying had transformed into downright unbearable.

“Twilight,” Rainbow called out to Twilight in annoyance. “Stop pacing!”

“I’m sorry, Rainbow,” Twilight apologized meekly. “I’m just anxious.”

“Well, could you stop being so noisy about it?” Spike asked, joining the conversation. “You sent that letter to Princess Celestia a while ago; a reply should be coming soon.”

“I know, Spike. But she’s never been this late before!” Twilight fretted, finally putting a halt to her pacing. This time, she opted for sitting down on her back haunches and putting her front legs over her head in worry.

“Uh, it’s only been fifteen minutes,” Spike deadpanned.

“Actually, it’s been eighteen minutes and forty-two seconds,” Twilight corrected.

“Why am I not surprised?” Spike asked himself rhetorically.

Eighteen minutes and forty-two seconds ago, Twilight had sent the letter proposing her idea to send Spike to the dragon lands to Princess Celestia. The piece of writing had been proofread and edited several times over, much to poor Spike’s distaste, just to make sure that it was devoid of any mistakes. This offer was incredibly important to Twilight, and she could not afford to miss her chance with this. When she had first sent it, she had been confident, but that feeling was slowly leaking away as every minute went by. Now, at the eighteen minute mark, that confidence from before had vanished completely. Rainbow Dash and Spike had suffered from that by watching, and listening in Rainbow Dash’s case, to the unicorn pace around the room in endless, nervous circles.

“Ooh, what could Princess Celestia be doing?” Twilight wondered nervously, flailing her arms about. “What if she’s…”

“Jeez, Twilight! Take a chill pill or something!” Rainbow Dash complained. “I’m sure Princess Celestia is answering you and yadda, yadda, yadda, but could you stop giving me a headache?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Twilight answered, sounding sheepish. “Okay, I’ll stop. I’m just wondering what could be taking her so…Spike, are you okay there?”

“What’s he doing?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“He looks like he’s going to…”

A small puff of green smoke emitted from the baby dragon’s mouth violently, and a scroll appeared on the floor after the last of the green flames had blown away.

“Wait, never mind, it’s here.”

“Hey, Twilight could you…?” Spike began.

“Shh!” Twilight interrupted.

“Sheesh,” Spike shrugged. Then, he turned around and walked to the kitchen, not saying another word to the two mares.

Without wasting another moment of her valuable time, Twilight picked up the letter with her magic and opened it quickly, the ribbon holding it together ripping off swiftly. Her stomach was turning and twisting and turning again. This was almost unbearable. What did Celestia say? She had to find out, and she had to find out now.

So, she read on.

“From the desk of Princess Celestia of Equestria,

Dear Twilight, while I am completely aware of what you intend to do, the offer that you have proposed to me is dangerous and, in my eyes, unnecessary.

Dragons, as you know, are very dangerous. Ponies have tried to make peace agreements with them throughout the centuries I have been ruling this country, but none have prevailed due to the hostile nature of the dragons. You know I trust you, Twilight, but this is a very risky idea that may end in some unfortunate results. I know that you care about Rainbow Dash, but I honestly don’t think that this is the right thing to do. I have my reasons for why I say this, but I cannot disclose them to you at this time.

Therefore, I cannot allow you to send Spike to go searching for the dragon that killed and blinded Rainbow Dash.

I’m sorry.

Yours,

Princess Celestia.”

That was it.

That was all it said.

She had to read it over and over again until it was committed to memory before the words written on the parchment began to sink in. How had this happened? At first, she was dumbfounded, but then it began to make sense to her. Too much sense. She shook her head and dropped her magical hold on the scroll, letting it fall to the floor uselessly, much like how she was feeling at the moment.

“So, what’d she say?” Rainbow, who had not seen Twilight’s miserable reaction, asked.

“She…she said no,” Twilight answered in disbelief.

Rainbow Dash was silent for a few moments. Then, she shrugged. “Darn…and I was kind of hoping…”
“Hoping for what?” Twilight asked, her interest piqued.

“I guess for Spike to go find that dragon,” Rainbow Dash told her uncertainly. “I’d like to go give that big jerk a piece of my mind, but since I can’t really do that, I was kinda hoping that Spike could do it for me.”

That came as a bit of a surprise for the unicorn. At first, Rainbow Dash had seemed disapproving of the idea, but now…what had come about that had made her change that decision? Twilight seemed to get the feeling that she wouldn’t lose too much sleep over that question.

“Really?” Twilight asked.

“Really.” Rainbow Dash suddenly put her ears down and winced, like she was in pain.

“Rainbow!” Twilight gasped, trotting over and kneeling down in front of her friend. “Are you alright?” she asked rapidly.
It took Rainbow Dash just a few seconds to come around. “Yeah, I’m fine…Twilight? What are you doing?”

The unicorn had busied herself with poking at Rainbow Dash to see if she could find out what the problem was, if there was one. Fortunately, she couldn’t find anything. Still, it was always better to be safe, rather than sorry.

“Are you feeling hot? Cold? Do you have any aches or pains?” the unicorn asked rapidly, barely leaving any time for Rainbow Dash to think the questions over.

“No, no, and no,” Rainbow Dash said, rolling her dull eyes and pushing Twilight’s hooves off her body. “Could you stop worrying so much? I’m fine.” Deep down, something inside her contradicted what she just said, even though Rainbow Dash herself would never admit it to any pony.

“You’re right, Rainbow. I guess I’ve just been so…nervous lately,” Twilight apologized.
“You can say that again,” Rainbow Dash muttered.

Rainbow Dash was just lucky Twilight didn’t hear that little comment.

“Look, I’m okay, Twilight, I’m just…I dunno,” Rainbow Dash began hesitantly. It seemed that she was unsure of what to say, or at least that was how the sentence sounded to Twilight.

“You don’t know what?” Twilight pressed on, sitting in front of the pegasus.

“Uh…”

“So, what did the letter say?” another voice joined in.

Twilight turned her head to see Spike standing in the doorway, holding a bucket of ice cream in one claw, and a large spoon in the other. She groaned. Hadn’t she told him about eating too much ice cream already? She grabbed the two items with her magic and teleported herself into the kitchen, earning a surprised gasp from the unsuspecting Rainbow Dash.

“Aww, Twilight!” Spike protested, running into the kitchen after her.

“I told you, Spike,” Twilight said, involuntarily starting a game of ‘keep away’ with the little dragon. “No ice cream for a while. You know what happened last time.”

Spike stopped in his tracks, a noticeable blush appearing on his cheeks. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Don’t remind me,” he grumbled, catching Twilight off guard and grabbing the ice cream from her while she was distracted. He put it in the fridge and slammed the door shut.

Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Hey, guys?” Rainbow Dash’s voice called out from the other room. “Did you ditch me – Ow! Stupid…wall, or whatever the heck that was…”

The unicorn jumped and trotted back to Rainbow Dash. At first, she couldn’t seem to see her, but then she saw her, bumping into the wall just outside the kitchen. The situation was comical, and lifted a huge weight off Twilight’s shoulders.
She let out a small chuckle at the scene in front of her.

“Hey! I heard that!” Rainbow Dash accused, ceasing her wall-bumping and glaring venomously at Twilight.

The unicorn sighed and walked over to Rainbow Dash, stopping when she was just beside the pegasus.

“Come on, Spike’s in the kitchen waiting for us,” the unicorn said, her voice giving away just the teeniest hint of laughter.

“’Kay,” Rainbow Dash shrugged. She unfurled her right wing and let it lay across Twilight’s back. It was still kind of weird to attach herself (for lack of a better description) to a friend like this. Come to think of it, she hadn’t done this with any of her relatives or any of her friends before. But, then again, that was because she didn’t need to. Now, this action was a necessity for her. On the bright side, it was rather comfortable.

“Well?” Spike asked again as he saw the two mares walk in.

“Well what?” Rainbow Dash echoed when Twilight stopped. She curled her wing back to its resting position and walked about two steps further into the kitchen.

“Well, can I go or not?” Spike repeated.

“I’m sorry, Spike,” Twilight said before Rainbow Dash could reply. “Princess Celestia said no.”

“Bummer,” Spike sighed, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. “Maybe next time, Twilight.”

“Yeah…next time,” Twilight muttered distantly, looking at the night sky in a small circular window just beside the fridge. The moon was full and the stars were bright, brighter than they had been in the last few days. That was odd, she thought to herself, but she didn’t think any more into it than that. Instead, she turned to look at her two housemates, both of which were in the middle of a conversation already.

“Can you get the ice cream for me, Rainbow?” Spike asked pleadingly. “While Twilight’s not looking.”

“Dude, that stuff’s really bad for you. It tastes good, but it’s still pretty bad,” Rainbow Dash commented. “If you eat too much, you’re gonna get fatter than you already are.” Jokingly, she poked him in the stomach. It was a good thing she was close enough to do it, otherwise that would lead to an incredibly embarrassing situation for the pegasus.

“Hey! I’m not fat!” Spike protested. “I’m just…”

Rainbow Dash coughed into her hoof, but made the word ‘fat’ very clear.

“…can you just get me the ice cream?” Spike asked.

“Do you think I can?” Rainbow Dash deadpanned, her left eye twitching dangerously.

“Oh yeah,” Spike remembered. “Sorry, Rainbow.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Eh, no biggie,” she said to him.

Spike sighed in relief. He looked at Twilight to see that she was gazing at them with an amused expression on her face for some reason he could not fathom. Then, his eyes wandered past her to the window itself. It was, to his surprise, nighttime. The last time he looked out the window, the sun had still been in the sky. That was weird how time flew by so fast when one was occupied. Suddenly, he found that he was stifling a yawn, and he realized just how tired he was. Suddenly, that yawn escaped him.

“Phew, I’m tired,” he commented, giving up his search for the ice cream that he had wanted earlier. “Well, I’m going to bed.” With that, he walked placidly upstairs, not waiting for any comments the two mares might make.

“Night!” he called over his shoulder.

“Huh…” Twilight muttered as she watched him disappear into the upper level of the library.

“What?” Rainbow Dash asked, suddenly curious.

“It’s never usually that easy to get him into bed,” she commented, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, that reminds me, are you tired, Rainbow?” she asked her friend.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Eh, I can stay up a little later,” she said.

“Great,” the unicorn smiled, trotting over to her friend. “Hungry?”

A small glimmer of doubt flickered across Rainbow Dash’s face, and it was easy to imagine why. The majority of the times when she ate were when Twilight had to feed her, and that wasn’t fun for either of them, for different reasons. For Twilight, it was almost painful to see her close friend in a state of helplessness such as that, and for Rainbow Dash it was just downright humiliating. What pony, in her right mind, wanted to be fed like a foal? Certainly not Rainbow Dash, the coolest pony in Equestria, and spoon feeding was most definitely not cool.

“Uh…not really, Twi,” she said, although her growling stomach disagreed.

“Nobody’s here, Rainbow,” Twilight assured as Rainbow Dash draped a wing across her back once again.

“I know, I know,” the pegasus answered as she let Twilight lead her to the nearby table. “I just don’t like being…ya know, fed.”

“I understand, but you have to eat sometime, right?” Twilight said. She led her blind friend to the table and let the pegasus take a seat in the wooden chair. “And you haven’t had anything in a while.”

“…fine,” Rainbow Dash gave in, propping her elbows up on the table and putting her head in her front hooves. “Can you just get me something I can eat myself?”

“Of course,” Twilight nodded, walking over to the cabinet and opening it. The drawer contained an assortment of junk food that Spike ate. Twilight ate some of it too, but not as much as Spike. Speaking of which, the choices in the cabinet were getting smaller and smaller, thanks to Rainbow Dash joining the party. She, like Twilight, didn’t eat as much as Spike did, but there were times when she was like a bottomless pit.

The only thing she thought Rainbow Dash would like was a large bag of chips, big enough for two ponies to share. Shrugging, she held the bag in her magic and walked over to the table. Setting the bag down, she saw Rainbow Dash’s ears swivel forwards.

“What’s that?” the pegasus asked.

“Chips,” Twilight answered. “Is that alright?”

“Uh-huh,” Rainbow Dash replied, nodding her head in approval.

“Great,” Twilight smiled, opening the bag with a small pop! She turned the opening towards Rainbow Dash and instructed the pegasus on where to put her hoof. Rainbow Dash picked it up quickly enough. Twilight used her magic to take a few chips for herself. Soon, all that any pony could hear in the kitchen was the quiet crunching of fried potatoes.

“Hey, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash started between a hoof-full of chips.

“Yes?”

“Thanks.”

“Thanks?” Twilight repeated in curiosity. “For what? I didn’t do anything.”

“For, ya know, taking me in and doing all of this for me,” Rainbow Dash said. Her ears were back and her face was turned away from Twilight. “I don’t think any pony else would have done this for me, and I’m really thankful that you did.”

“Well, you’re welcome, Rainbow,” Twilight smiled, grinning at Rainbow Dash’s sheepish expression. “But, I’m sure any one of the girls would have done the same.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right…” Rainbow Dash said uncertainly. “But I’m glad that you did.”

Was that…a blush on Rainbow Dash’s cheeks? Twilight couldn’t tell in the dimly lit kitchen. But, she felt a small blossom of heat rise up in her own cheeks. What did Rainbow Dash mean by that? Did the pegasus value HER company over their other friends? It seemed like it. But why did Rainbow Dash feel that way? Twilight was so ordinary, and boring. She was sure that any one of their other friends could keep the pegasus much more entertained than she ever could. No wonder she didn’t have any friends when she was in Canterlot. But…in a way, Twilight was happy that Rainbow Dash said that. It made her feel…special. She was tempted to say that she enjoyed the pegasus’ company as well, but she decided against it. Rainbow Dash was already embarrassed as it was, Twilight didn’t need to add on to that.

“Umm, thanks, Rainbow,” Twilight said uncertainly. She was about to grab another chip with her magical grasp, but found that the bag was empty. “Huh, looks like we’re out of chips.”

“We are?” Rainbow Dash asked. “No wonder the bag felt empty.”

Twilight let out a snort of laughter and threw the bag in the garbage without looking where she was aiming. A small whooshing sound told her that she had aimed accurately. She smiled in satisfaction, then turned back to Rainbow Dash.

“So, do you want to do anything?” she asked the pegasus.

“Err…Um, I’m feeling tired,” Rainbow Dash said quickly, getting up out of the chair and hovering in mid-air. “I’m just gonna hit the hay.”

“Oh, right,” Twilight stammered. It took her a few seconds to process Rainbow Dash’s request, but nonetheless, she walked over to Rainbow Dash and called, “Can you stop hovering for a second?”

“Sure,” Rainbow Dash obliged, landing softly, but keeping one wing unfurled so Twilight could latch herself onto it. “Sorry.”
“Thank you,” Twilight smiled.

As the two made their way upstairs, Twilight couldn’t keep her mind off what Rainbow Dash had said earlier. The simple sentence had been so much more than that to Twilight, for some odd reason. Now that she thought about it, Rainbow Dash had been acting…strange lately. Her behavior when she was around Twilight was different from what she was used to. Somehow, the pegasus had been jumpy, if that was possible. Maybe it was just because she couldn’t see, but Rainbow Dash had passed that stage long ago, as far as Twilight was concerned. This time, there was another reason for her behavior, but Twilight just couldn’t figure out what it was.

The second they reached Rainbow Dash’s room, the pegasus was relieved, but Twilight could tell that she was doing her best not to let it show.

“Thanks a lot, Twi,” Rainbow Dash breathed out, just starting to close the door.

“No problem,” Twilight answered. “Oh, and Rainbow Dash?”

“Yeah?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“You said you wanted Spike to go and find that dragon, right?” Twilight wondered out loud.

Rainbow Dash’s face contorted into a confused expression. “Yeah, why?”

“I was just wondering. Goodnight.” Twilight said, closing the door for Rainbow Dash with her magic.

On the other side of the door, Rainbow Dash jumped back as she heard the door slam in her face. She hadn’t been expecting that. Twilight usually let her close the door. But, there was really nothing that she could do about it now.

As carefully as she could, she inched her way forward on the small pathway that she had committed to her memory. It was a short journey, and rather easy once she had done it a few times. She smiled smugly. Even though she had set it out for herself a while ago, and it was rather short, she still felt a small blossom of pride. This was one of the few things she could do on her own, but it still had a downside. She had been able to do so many things before this whole mess had occurred, now she was lucky if she could make it to the bathroom on her own. Rainbow Dash grumbled to herself bitterly as she hopped onto the bed.

She wasn’t particularly cold, so she kept the blankets off. Then she noticed she wasn’t particularly tired either. It was kind of funny, in a sad ironic way. She was doing so many things to try and avoid embarrassing moments with Twilight, like saying she was tired when she really wasn’t. Every time she was near the unicorn, she felt less confident in herself. There was always a nagging little voice in the back of her head that kept telling her that she would mess up and do something wrong in front of Twilight, thus ruining her reputation forever. That feeling made her incredibly nervous, and she was at a loss for a reason why.

Even if she wasn’t tired, she still closed her eyes and let her breathing even out. Then, she left her mind to its own devices.
Meanwhile, Twilight was thinking very similar thoughts.

Why was she letting one little thing that Rainbow Dash said get to her so much? She pondered that question over and over again as she sat on the couch until she had nitpicked it down to the very last detail. But, now she had another topic on her mind.

Spike.

And that damn dragon.

Why had Princess Celestia rejected her idea? Wait, she didn’t want that answered. Why she had thought it was a good idea in the first place was a much better question. She had just been so caught up with trying to help Rainbow Dash that she must not have been thinking logically. But…even if the princess had refused to agree with her, the idea was still very much present in her mind. She wanted answers, and she knew that Rainbow Dash wanted them too. This would have been the perfect opportunity, she thought as she let her head rest on the back of the couch.

And it still was…

She hopped up off the couch and ran upstairs to her bedroom where Spike was sleeping. Twilight opened the door quickly and trotted up to the peaceful looking dragon. What she was about to do left her with a bad taste in her mouth, but she still continued on with it. Without a second thought, she gently nudged Spike awake.

“Spike,” she whispered as she gave the dragon a rude awakening.

Aforementioned dragon grumbled and turned the other way, hoping to get away from whatever it was that was trying to get him up from his dream about Rarity and her beautiful white backside.

When Twilight saw that her assistant wasn’t getting up, she frowned and hissed out, “Spike! Get up!”

“Grr…go away!” Spike protested pathetically, flailing his arms in an attempt to get Twilight away from him.

“This is important, Spike!” Twilight kept at it.

“It better be…” the dragon grumbled in annoyance, finally sitting up the little basket he slept in. “What do you want, Twilight?”

“I want you to go find that dragon, Spike.”

Spike blinked in confusion. Had he heard that right? He was probably dreaming; Twilight Sparkle would never disobey Princess Celestia. Yep, there was no question about it. He was dreaming.

“Very funny, Twilight,” Spike laughed out bitterly. “Now what’s the real reason you woke me up?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and waiting for Twilight’s answer.

“That IS the reason, Spike,” Twilight said once again. “I want you to find that dragon, even if Princess Celestia won’t allow it.” By the tone of her voice, Spike knew that Twilight was telling the truth. But, even so, he still couldn’t believe it. There was just no way that Twilight would do something like this. There was just no way…

“B-but, Twilight! Princess Celestia said that-”

“I know what Princess Celestia said! I’M saying that you need to go!” Twilight pleaded, not giving in just yet. She needed to do this. Not just for her, but for Rainbow Dash. And, the more she thought about it, the more she felt that this was the right decision. Princess Celestia had sent six mares to deal with a dragon before, why would this be any different?

“…” Spike’s expression was one that reflected shock. He found it hard to speak for a few moments. “Why are you letting me go when Princess Celestia said no?”

“Because, Spike, Rainbow Dash needs you to go, and so do I,” Twilight explained. “Think of all the good that can come from this; if you go and talk to this dragon, then it might be able to help a lot of ponies. And it can give Rainbow Dash answers as to why this happened.” The unicorn sat down on her back haunches when Spike still looked unconvinced. What was it going to take for him to say yes?

“Please, Spike?”

“Do you really want me to go?” Spike asked, pulling the covers off him and sitting in front of Twilight.

She had thought about that question over and over again through the countless days. Twilight knew the answer to that clearly, now she just needed to put it into words.

“I...I don’t want to, Spike, but I know that I have to,” Twilight answered slowly. “I know what can go wrong, Spike, and the last thing I want is for that to happen.” Just the thought of the baby dragon, hurt and alone, was enough to scare her out of her wits, and the image of him…she didn’t want to think about it anymore. But, she knew she had to, as much as she hated it. She had to do this.

That seemed to scare Spike as well. “Twilight...”

Before he could finish, he was swept up into Twilight’s front hooves in a tight hug. That was weird, he commented internally as he was squeezed by the unicorn. Twilight rarely hugged him. But, he was thankful for the embrace. It showed him just how much he meant to Twilight, and he returned it, hopefully showing her just how much she meant to him.

The hug lasted for a few minutes, but when they both pulled apart, the decision was made.

“I can go, Twilight,” Spike said as he stood in front of Twilight. “I can find that dragon.”

“Good. Start packing, Spike,” Twilight said.

Spike gave her a salute, and then went to work.

Twilight smiled sadly. There was just one more thing she needed to do before she sent him off. She concentrated on Rainbow Dash’s room for a few moments and, in a flash of light, found herself standing in the middle of it. What she wasn’t expecting was for a loud scream of surprise to escape from Rainbow Dash’s mouth.

“Jeez, Twilight!” the pegasus breathed out heavily, clasping a hoof over her chest. “Don’t DO that!”

“I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash, but can you come with me for a moment?” she asked.

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow curiously as she hopped off the bed and hovered in mid-air.

“Okay, where are you?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Don’t move; I’ll come to you,” Twilight said, backing up so the she was just parallel with the hovering pegasus. “Okay, come down.”

The pegasus did just that. It came as a surprise to have Twilight’s body right next to her when she landed, but that silent shock only lasted a few unnoticeable seconds. After the shock subsided, a dull warmth was all that was left. However, she didn’t get to enjoy that as Twilight gently pulled her somewhere. She couldn’t tell where they were going, all she knew was that it was down the wide hallway and to the right. Maybe they were going to Twilight’s room, but they could always be going somewhere else.

“What are you bringing Rainbow Dash here for?” Spike’s voice asked.

So she was right. They were indeed in Twilight’s room.

“She’s the only one who knows what that dragon looks like,” Twilight answered.

Wait, what?

“If you’re going to find him, then it might be helpful if you knew what you’re looking for.”

“Wait, you’re actually sending him to find that dragon?” Rainbow Dash interrupted incredulously. “Didn’t Princess Celestia say no to that?”

“Yeah, but Twilight’s doing it anyway,” Spike answered for the unicorn.

“But why?” Rainbow Dash asked again, still not quite able to believe what she was hearing.

“I’ll explain it to you later, Rainbow,” Twilight told her. “Right now I need you to tell us everything you can remember about what the dragon looked like.”

That brought Rainbow Dash’s mind to a halt. What did that dragon even look like? She wasn’t exactly sure she could remember. All she remembered was fire, and pain. But, she tried anyway. The details came to her in foggy visions. The dragon was red…she remembered that, and the wings were huge, as well as the teeth, and the eyes…

Those eyes still haunted her nightmares. They were the deepest scarlet, with hard black irises that were cut into slits. Those eyes just gazed at her, endlessly, almost as if they were peering into her very soul, and exposing her for all the world to see. She hated them the most. Sometimes, she swore she could see them when she closed her eyes, even though she was blind. It was just pure torture.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and began to describe the dragon to the two. It wasn’t exactly the best description available. But it seemed to be enough. After a few minutes, Twilight told her that what she described would be enough for Spike find the dragon. Rainbow Dash was secretly glad. She didn’t want to think about the beast any longer than necessary. He already haunted her thoughts enough.

A few minutes later, the three found themselves just in front of the library door. Spike was holding a small bag of his belongings and was waiting anxiously as Twilight finished her lecture on what not to do in the wilderness.

“And remember, always stay hydrated and…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, Twilight,” Spike interrupted, stopping her in the middle of the sentence. “I know all that stuff already.”

“I’m sure you do, Spike,” Twilight said sadly. She gaze her assistant one last hug before opening the door for him.

“Okay, are you ready?” she asked.

Spike nodded determinedly. But, before he walked out the door, he gave Rainbow Dash a hug as well. But unlike Twilight, this hug lasted a bit longer.

“Stay safe, okay?” Rainbow Dash asked, holding onto him with a front hoof.

“I will,” Spike answered. “Don’t bump into too many things.”

“Shut up.”

With that, Spike decided that it was time for him to get going. He let go of the blind pegasus and turned his body so he was facing the outside world. When he looked outside, he saw that the moon was still high in the sky. At first he wondered why he was making this journey at night, but then realized that no pony would suspect anything if they didn’t see it for themselves. He held up the lantern Twilight had given him and took a step outside. Spike turned around to wave goodbye to the two mares before he finally set off.

He disappeared from sight in a matter of seconds.

Twilight felt tears well up in her eyes as she watched him go. This was the first time he would be somewhere without her to keep watch over him. It was nerve wracking, she thought as she closed the door with her magic and sat down on her haunches.

“Is he gone?” Rainbow Dash asked quietly.

“Yes,” Twilight breathed out shakily. “He’s gone.”

Silence settled itself in the room and, all at once, the room was quiet, except for the sound of Twilight’s heavy breathing.

“Are you okay?” Rainbow Dash asked uncertainly as she set down as well.

Was she okay? Twilight wasn’t sure. She wanted to believe she was, but she found that hard to do. Spike was alone, and he would be alone when he faced a terrifying dragon, much bigger and stronger than him, that killed one of the strongest ponies she knew. There wouldn’t be any pony there to help him if he got into trouble, or if he got hurt, or if he got sick, or if he got…

That was it.

She could hear her breaths come out in ragged gasps and she felt tears run down her face.

Twilight wasn’t okay.

The unicorn felt some pony move closer to her and pull her into the forelegs. She realized that it was Rainbow Dash. The pegasus must have heard her mental agony. Twilight didn’t waste any time with accepting her friend’s sign of comfort and sympathy. She threw herself into Rainbow Dash’s embrace and began crying even harder
.
“Shh…it’s okay,” Rainbow Dash soothed, her scratchy voice comforting all of a sudden.

“No it’s n-not!” Twilight disagreed as she buried her face in Rainbow Dash’s chest fur. “What-what if something h-happens t-t-t-to him an-and I’m not t-there! I’ll never f-forgive myself!”

“Nothing’s going to happen to him, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash assured, her hoof stroking Twilight’s usually neat mane. “I promise you.”

Somehow, those three words brought her a small amount of comfort. Spike would be okay. Nothing would happen. He would be okay. She kept repeating that until she was sick of hearing herself say it.

The two mares stayed like that, one wrapped in the other’s embrace, for the rest of the night, seeking comfort each other’s presence until they finally let themselves drift into unconsciousness.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Wakey-wakey!” a shrill voice told Rainbow Dash as she felt herself wake up. “You don’t want to sleep all day, do you?”

“Tone it down there, girl,” a heavily accented voice scolded the first one. “There ain’t no use in wakin’ up every pony in Equestria.”

Rainbow Dash groaned as she shook her head. Just then, as she brought a hoof up to rub the sleep out of her sightless eyes, she noticed that something was missing.

Literally.

She gasped as she realized Twilight was no longer in her front legs, and she was no longer on the library floor in front of the door. This time, she found herself waking up in…Twilight’s bed, was it? What had happened last night? Then, she shook her head, and focused instead on her two friends, two friends that she had not seen – heard from in a while.

“Ugh…Applejack, Pinkie? That you?” she asked roughly.

“Yeppers!” Pinkie Pie replied. “We thought we’d come up and say hello! So, hello!”

“Gee, thanks,” Rainbow Dash muttered.

“Aww, there’s no need ta be so grumpy there, Dash,” Applejack said, joining in on the conversation. “The gal missed ya, we all did.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Rainbow Dash shrugged, stretching her front legs into the air and getting the flood flowing back into them. “So, what’s up? And where’s Twilight?”

“I’m right here,” Twilight said from just outside the doorway. The unicorn walked in and helped Rainbow Dash get out of bed.

“Are you hungry?” Twilight asked her friend as she led her back downstairs to the kitchen.

“Yeah, what’s for breakfast?” she asked, licking her lips.

“Pancakes!” Pinkie Pie interrupted from in front of them. “I made them myself!”

Rainbow Dash smiled amusedly. She had realized just then how much she had missed her other friends. Twilight was fun and all, but there was nothing quite like hanging out with her four other buddies. She, with Twilight’s help, sat herself down at the table. From the sound of it, Applejack and Twilight joined her. Pinkie was doing something else apparently.

“That sounds great, Pinkie,” she called from the table.

“So, what have ya been up to, RD?” Applejack asked, making light conversation.

“Eh, nothing much, just the same old awesome stuff,” she answered jokingly. “Everything’s a whole lot darker though.”

This evoked a chuckle from the farmpony. When Applejack laughed, she was surprised by how glad she was to hear that sound again. She hadn’t heard from her in a while, and it felt awesome to be spending time with them. As soon as Pinkie Pie served the pancakes, the four ponies began to talk about the past events. Nothing had been going on that was particularly important, much to Rainbow Dash’s pleasure. She would have hated it if something life-changing had happened and she had not been around to see it. Well, she wouldn’t have been able to see it anyway, so…

She stopped herself.

“Did you tell them about Spike?” Rainbow Dash whispered to Twilight after she made sure she was talking to the right pony.

“No,” Twilight whispered back.

That was probably for the best.

“Hey, where’s Rarity?” she asked, swallowing her mouthful of food and changing the subject of the conversation.

“Oh, she’s with Fluttershy down by Ghastly Gorge,” Twilight told her.

“They’re getting ready for-!” Pinkie’s exclamation was stopped when Applejack stuck her hoof in her pink friends mouth.

“Don’t wanna ruin the surprise, Pinkie,” the farm pony told her.

“Hey, I didn’t,” Pinkie Pie shrugged as Applejack took her hoof out of the pink pony’s mouth. “You did.”

“Can you two stop talking about it!”

“Sorry.”

“Wait, what surprise?” Rainbow Dash asked, suddenly curious. She could feel the tension in the room come to a boiling point, before Pinkie Pie finally spilled the beans.

“We’re helping you fly again, Dashie!” she burst out excitedly.

Rainbow Dash felt herself freeze. They were trying to do what? They were trying to do the impossible, that’s what. She couldn’t fly like she used to anymore, no matter how much she wanted to. Those days were over, and she didn’t need any more reminders. Why couldn’t they see that? She put her head down and her ears flattened themselves against her skull in anger. She appreciated what her friends were trying to do, she just didn’t need any pity from them.

“If I can’t bucking see, how do you expect me to fly?” she growled out.

The three were silent for a few moments, but then Twilight spoke up.

“Rainbow, we found a book that…”

“Book shmook! A stupid book isn’t gonna help me fly again, Twilight!”

“Listen! The book talked about how blind pegasi can fly again, and we believe that you’ll be able to use it to help you! Think about it, this could be your only chance to fly! Do you really want to waste it?”

Did she really want to waste it? No, she didn’t. She would do anything to fly again. Unknown to the others, she had been going crazy lately. Her wings would twitch with need, and she couldn’t help fulfill that. She wanted nothing else but to feel the wind once again rush through her mane, tossing it this way and that. She wanted to feel the rush of adrenaline that always came when she was barrel-rolling her way through the air one hundred feet above the hard, unforgiving ground. She wanted to feel that freedom again. She had just forgotten that for a while.

“…tell me more about this flying idea,” she requested after a lengthy pause.

And so they did. They told her everything on the long walk to Ghastly Gorge. After a long detailed explanation, and many questions, Rainbow Dash finally thought that it was a good idea. Hey, it was worth a shot, and it sounded logical enough. She had never really thought about it before, but now she realized just how important air currents were. Now, she could use them to help navigate on her own. In short, she would be able to fly again.

Hopefully, after some work. But, no challenge was too big for Rainbow Dash to handle.

As soon as they reached their little training facility, or whatever it was that Pinkie Pie had called it, the blind pegasus was tackled by some force that she was unaware of.

“Oh, darling!” Rarity’s voice shrieked as the unicorn pulled her into a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you again! You look well.”

“Thanks, Rares,” she replied as Rarity finally let go of her. “It’s good to see…uh, hear you too.”

Rarity found that funny for some reason. Rainbow Dash felt her lips purse themselves together, and she tried not to make some snobby comment about it.

“Did the girls tell you about that idea we had?” the alabaster unicorn asked. “The one to get you flying again?”

“Yeah, they told me,” Rainbow Dash nodded, tapping her front hoof as she heard the three others come around the pair.

“Wonderful! Then there simply isn’t another moment to spare!” Rarity smiled in her delicate tone. She clapped her hooves together. “Fluttershy! Can you come here please? We’re starting.”

Rainbow Dash felt her world come to a crashing halt for the second time that day. Oh no…not now. She didn’t want to deal with this now! Rainbow Dash felt an anxious bubble rise up in her chest, and her heart sank all the way to the bottom of her hooves. Could this day get any worse than it already was?

“Where is she?” Rainbow Dash asked nervously, flicking her head in all directions.

“Uhh, I’m right here,” a shy voice said.

Rainbow Dash stopped her violent head turning, and turned herself in the direction of her oldest friend. She felt her breathing stop as she heard Fluttershy take a deep breath.

“H-hello, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy smiled nervously. “It-it’s good to see you again.”

Rainbow's Wave

Chapter seventeen: Rainbow’s Wave

Time seemed to painfully slow down as Rainbow Dash heard her oldest friend’s voice for the first time in…she didn’t even know how long. But even so, she hoped that she wouldn’t have to hear that voice this soon. She was just starting to get her confidence back. She couldn’t deal with something like this!

The pegasus knew that she would have to face Fluttershy sometime, but now? Why now? Out of all the times her friends could have picked, it had to be now for her to see Fluttershy? Couldn’t they have at least asked her if she was ready for this? Instead, they just assumed that she was. She wouldn’t blame her friends for being ignorant to that fact, but she was certainly annoyed at them.

Speaking of blame…

“Rainbow Dash…? Are you a-alright?” Fluttershy asked, her soft voice once again infiltrating Rainbow Dash’s unwilling eardrums.

“Yeah…I’m just fine,” Rainbow Dash spat out once she found her voice. She was surprised at how much malice there was in her own voice. Rainbow Dash was mad, there was no denying that, but she didn’t expect herself to be that angry.

There were only a few times in her life when she wanted to punch some pony in the face as much as she did right then, but she just couldn’t. For two reasons. One, she couldn’t aim, and two…no matter how mad she was at Fluttershy, she just couldn’t hit her. But that didn’t mean that she was just going to make up with her right then and there. No. There were certain reasons why she couldn’t, and Fluttershy seemed to be very aware of those reasons herself.

“Um…I…” Fluttershy began awkwardly.

“You what?” Rainbow Dash ground out. She could feel her teeth grit together as she waited for Fluttershy to come out and say whatever it was that she had to say.

“Well, I just wanted to…”

“Okay!” Twilight interrupted, coming in between the two pegasi. “Why don’t we get started? Rainbow Dash, can you come with me please?”

“Sure, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash agreed, wrapping her wing around Twilight’s back. But, before she completely went off with her unicorn friend, she cast a spiteful look over her shoulder where, hopefully, the pegasus could see it.

Fluttershy could see it very clearly and yet she wished that she couldn’t. The shy pegasus let out a sad sigh, wishing that things would go back to the way they were before the accident. Everything was just so messed up now, she thought to herself as she heard Rarity come and stand beside her.

“I told you she hates me,” Fluttershy sighed, staring intently at the ground.

For once, Rarity was at somewhat of a loss. Maybe she was wrong about Rainbow Dash.

“I…I’m sure she’s just saying that as a…” Rarity grumbled as she tried to think of what she could possibly say to make Fluttershy feel better.

“It’s okay, Rarity…I-I don’t blame her for it,” Fluttershy grumbled bitterly. “In fact, if I were her, I would hate me too.”

The look she gave Rarity was one of the saddest things the unicorn thought she had ever seen. It was so full of longing, but so full of sadness and self-loathing. There wasn’t one thing she could think of that made her heart rip itself inside out more than this look her shy friend gave her. And in that moment of sadness, there was another feeling that was produced. The burning feeling of determination. With Celestia as her witness, she would get the two pegasi together as friends again.

“Oh, come now, Fluttershy, let’s go see what the girls are saying,” Rarity offered, trying to get Fluttershy’s mind off her current problem. She put her front hoof out as an offer for Fluttershy to go ahead of her. “Shall we?”

After a bit of prompting, Fluttershy finally retaliated. The pegasus slowly walked up to the four other ponies gathered in a half circle around Twilight and a bill board that had seemed to magically appear out of nowhere, probably thanks to Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy stood beside Applejack, who was standing to the far right of Rainbow Dash. If anything was clear, it was that Fluttershy didn’t want to take her chances and was staying as far away from Rainbow Dash as she could.

Rarity sighed bitterly as she joined Fluttershy and watched the purple unicorn go over what needed to be done to get their blind friend flying once again.

“Now,” Twilight began. “Once you get up into the air, Rainbow Dash, you need to find…”

To Rarity, the words that spun out Twilight’s mouth at a professional level were lost to her. They weren’t her instructions, after all. Still, she tried. There was no need to be rude. But she found it hard to concentrate with another crisis on her hooves. How was she going to get two pegasi, two of which who have been friends for a very long time, to talk to each other again? From the earlier look on Rainbow Dash’s face, it was clear that she wanted nothing to do with her old friend. But, Fluttershy seemed to be the exact opposite. She could see it in her eyes that she wanted things to be right again. Just as she was pursing her lips in thought, Fluttershy’s voice invaded her concentration.

“Do you think she’ll be able to do it?” Fluttershy asked quietly as the two watched Rainbow walk with Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie over to the wide open field just behind them.

“Do what?” Rarity asked.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened for a moment until she shook her head. “You weren’t listening, were you, Rarity?” she asked knowingly.

Rarity sighed. “No, I’m afraid I wasn’t, dear. I was just so caught up in my own thoughts.”

“What kind of thoughts?” Fluttershy asked, suddenly curious as the two followed their friends just a few meters ahead of them.

“I was just thinking of possible ways to help you and Rainbow Dash…well, kiss and make up, so to speak,” the unicorn said, beginning to make the first steps towards their other friends.

“Oh…” Fluttershy answered, putting her head down once again as they walked. Rarity was astonished at how the pegasus didn’t trip over her long pink hair. “You don’t have to do that, Rarity. Although, I-I do appreciate the effort you’re putting into it….it’s just…” Fluttershy trailed off.

“It’s just what?” Rarity pressed on.

“I already told you…Rainbow Dash hates me,” Fluttershy sighed longingly. She looked up and stared at the pegasus, who was just getting careful instructions from Twilight. Fluttershy felt a stinging pain in her chest as she watched the two happily converse. For a few moments, she wished that she could be in that position. And what made it worse was that she would have been. She would have been…if only she hadn’t been such a cowardly door mat. “It’s not like she’ll ever want to be my friend again.”

“And, as I already told you, I’m sure that there’s a way we can help you two get back together,” Rarity encouraged lightly. “Now, you go over and listen to what Twilight has to say, and I’ll handle the rest.” With that, the white unicorn trotted away daintily, leaving Fluttershy behind again.

“Hey, Fluttershy!” a shrill voice suddenly exclaimed from behind her.

Fluttershy jumped about five feet in the air and let out an audible scream. As she was in the air, she began flapping her wings just so she could get away from the absolutely terrifying creature behind her. Then, as she turned around, she saw that it was only Pinkie Pie. She rolled her eyes internally. That was one thing she should have known.

“Oh, um…hello, Pinkie Pie,’ Fluttershy whispered as she landed on her hooves gracefully. “What are you doing?”

“Eh, I was just hanging around and listening to Twilight, when I saw that you and Rarity weren’t with us. So I looked around and saw you standing here! You looked all saddy-waddy, and I came over here to cheer you up!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she hopped in place.

“Well, I uh…” Fluttershy began uncertainly, lowering her ears as she watched her pink friend hop up and down. “Thanks you for trying…Pinkie, but I just can’t be cheered up…”

Pinkie Pie gasped a bit too loudly for Fluttershy’s taste. “Can’t be cheered up?” the party pony echoed incredulously. “Well, that’s crazy talk! Actually, if it was crazy talk, it would sound something more along the lines of, ‘gbblaadaablegh hebleegggdahebleg bleghbleghblegh blelelelagahalelel - !”

“Um, I get it, Pinkie,” Fluttershy said nervously, stopping her friend in mid…sentence.

“Well, that’s good! I wouldn’t want to have to explain that to you again,” Pinkie Pie giggled at something Fluttershy was unaware of. “It was already hard enough to say the first time! Anyway, what do you need help with? I’m sure your Auntie Pinkie Pie here can help you really quick!”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to,” Fluttershy laughed nervously, taking a few steps backwards.

“Of course I do!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, hopping closer. “I like cheering my friends up, and YOU-” She pointed at Fluttershy for emphasis. “-are no exception to that. Please?”

“…fine, if it will make you happy,” Fluttershy sighed.

“Great!” Pinkie Pie smiled, clapping her front hooves together. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie’s ears went back, and she stopped bouncing. Now it was Fluttershy’s turn to be concerned.

“Are you okay, Pinkie Pie?” she asked hesitantly.

“I’m not pressuring you, am I?” Pinkie Pie asked worriedly, sitting down on her back haunches. “Because if I am, I’m sorry, I’m just trying to…”

“Oh, no, don’t worry, Pinkie,” Fluttershy assured kindly. “I really appreciate you trying to help me with this. But, you see, Rarity’s trying and…”

“Great!” Pinkie Pie squealed, hugging onto her shy friend tightly. “Now, just tell Pinkie Pie what’s wrong and…”

“Fluttershy! Pinkie! Get yer butts over here!”

“Coming, Applejack!” Pinkie Pie called back cheerfully. Then, she turned to Fluttershy. “Come on, Fluttershy! We need to go over there and…” As the pink pony was just about to grab her friend’s hoof, she noticed the utterly terrified expression Fluttershy’s face.

“No, I-I-I couldn’t…not over there,” the pegasus squeaked out. She started to bite her lip and back away. There wasn’t any way that she was going over there. Not with Rainbow Dash and everything. She was just too scared. She was always just too scared, and that was what got her into this mess in the first place. And she knew that no matter how much she wanted to, she just couldn’t change that.

As Pinkie Pie moved in to encourage Fluttershy to get going, something inside her told her that what she was planning to do wouldn’t be a very good idea. The pegasus was clearly scared out of her wits by the prospect of going over there to watch Rainbow Dash. What kind of friend would she be if she forced Fluttershy to do something she didn’t want to? Not a very good one, that’s what!

“Hey, Fluttershy?” Pinkie Pie began softly.

“Y-yes, Pinkie?” Fluttershy whimpered.

“Do you want me to stay with you and we can watch Rainbow Dash from here?” Pinkie Pie smiled as Fluttershy’s look of fear transformed into a look of honest curiosity.

“B-but, don’t you want to watch Rainbow Dash with the girls?” Fluttershy asked cautiously. “I know how much Rainbow Dash means to you, and I would hate to cause a rift between you two just because I’m too scared to go and talk to her…”

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy! I’m totally okay with it!” Pinkie assured, taking a seat on the dirt below her. “Besides, even if I’m not watching her with the others, I’m still watching her with you, and that’s much more awesome. And you’re not too scared to go up and talk to her.”

“I’m not?” Fluttershy echoed.

“No, you silly filly!” Pinkie nodded, lightly tapping the pegasus on the nose with her hoof. “You talked to her before, right? Now you just need to do it again!”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Okay, Rainbow,” Twilight began, looking her friend over a few times. “Do you think you’re ready to do this? If not, we can always try again some other day.”

“You worry too much, Twi,” Rainbow Dash laughed breezily, snapping the goggles into place. “I’m ALWAYS ready. I needed to stretch my wings anyways.”

“If you’re sure…”

The lecture was done, the preparations were set, and now all Rainbow Dash needed to do was fly a bit. That wouldn’t be too hard though, Twilight thought to herself. She was just flying blind for the first time right beside a potentially dangerous gorge that would spell disaster for them if the blind pegasus just so happened to fall into it…

On second thought, why did they come here again?

The unicorn shook her head to rid herself of such thoughts. She knew that Rainbow Dash was going to do just fine. Twilight knew that Rainbow Dash was paying attention during the time when she was explaining how they were going to do this. She also knew that the pegasus wasn’t stupid, no matter how many contradicting things she did. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t risk something like this, especially since it involved a way to get her back up in the sky.

Her sky.

Something about seeing Rainbow Dash fly again, if only for a moment, brought something up in her that she could not explain, no matter how many times she had tried. She knew that it was getting a bit old and clichéd, but she couldn’t help it. Twilight felt a rush of joy whenever she thought of Rainbow Dash flying…or Rainbow Dash at all. There was just something about the pegasus that brought a smile to her face. Perhaps it was her attitude, perhaps it was the way she carried herself, perhaps it was…

She had to force her thoughts to come to a halt to stop a blush from physically showing on her face. There was no need to cause suspicion around her friends.

Suddenly, a gust of wind from Rainbow Dash’s wings brought her back to reality. She looked to see Rainbow Dash hovering just above her head.

“How does it feel?” she called up to her.

“Feels awesome!” Rainbow Dash answered excitedly. Even from the ground Twilight could hear the determination in her voice. “Can I go now?”

“You know what to do when you’re up there, right, dear?” Rarity made sure, looking up at her friend with an expression that matched Applejacks. Worry.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Catch the thermals and the updrafts and blah, blah, blah. I got this, Rares.”

“We know, Dash,” Applejack said reassuringly. “We just want ya ta be careful.”

Rainbow Dash’s confident smile seemed to vanish for a moment. It wasn’t that noticeable to any pony who wasn’t looking for it, but to Twilight it was as clear as Celestia’s sun. That alone filled her with worry. But, she had to cling onto the hope that Rainbow Dash would indeed be safe up there.

“Don’t worry, guys,” the pegasus smirked. “I will be.”

With that, Twilight felt that it was time to begin.

“Alright, Rainbow. Now, I want you to stay close to the ground this time,” the unicorn said.

Rainbow Dash nodded in response and began flapping her wings forward, making just enough momentum for her to move. The pegasus felt a smile light up on her face. Even though it was miniscule compared to what she was usually used to, she was glad to have the wind kissing her feathers once again. At this level, she didn’t feel any updrafts that might cause her problems, but that was probably a good thing for now.

“So, I’m flying,” Rainbow Dash stated. “What now?” She heard footsteps from beneath her and assumed that the three mares were following her.

“Now, you should probably get used to using just your wings for navigation,” Twilight said matter-of-factly. “Can you fly a bit faster?”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. Of course she could fly faster. With a simple nod of her head, she flapped her wings harder and, inch by inch, she began to get faster. At first, she had felt obligated to go only so fast that her friends could keep up with her, but as she started getting that familiar rush of adrenaline, she began to get faster and faster and faster. Her lips curled into a wicked grin as she sliced through the air. She could definitely pick up each current of air thrashing through her sensitive wings. It was a rather weird sensation at first, mostly because she had never paid attention to it. Now it was different. Very different. But she enjoyed different, if she said so herself.

However, it seemed that she was enjoying it a bit too much.

“Rainbow!” Twilight’s voice shouted.

“What?” she called back over her shoulder.

“Watch out for the -!”

SMACK!

“Tree…”

As she slid down the thick trunk of the tree she had crashed into, she felt an alarming sense of vertigo. Sure she had had crashes before, but not being able to see left her more disoriented than she had ever been. She felt the wood beneath her abdomen waste away until she landed on the ground. Once she was sure she was firmly planted, she plopped down onto her back and lay there, trying to regain her bearings.

“Rainbow!” Twilight’s frantic voice clawed its way into her subconscious.

All at once she felt hooves touching her. She shook them off and sat up carefully, shaking her head as she did so.

“Phew-wee! That was quite a tumble there, girl,” Applejack stated worriedly. “Are ya okay?” Rainbow Dash felt the farm pony’s hooves touch her shoulder. She was tempted to shrug it off, but she just didn’t seem to have the energy.

“Yeah,” a very disoriented Rainbow Dash answered. “I’m fine; I’ve had worse.”

Just then, she heard another set of hoofsteps coming over. She was about to ask who it was, but then she knew, and then she didn’t want to stay there any longer.

“I’m trying again,” she stated, getting back up in the air and taking off once more. This time, she was much more focused. The first time she had been too distracted by how good flying felt after such a long break. Now she was determined to do this without any help. She was determined to fly again.

And, over the next few hours, fly she did. For a little while, anyways. She crashed more times than she could count, and after each fall she could begin to feel her short temper start snapping. Why couldn’t she do this? It was so easy before, why wasn’t it easy now? But, even with the constant discouragement, she kept getting back up and trying again, getting higher and faster each time. And it helped that she had such supportive friends. Each time she fell, the four mares would encourage her. “Keep trying!” they would say. “You almost have it, Dashie!” Even Fluttershy, who hadn’t spoken to her since when they first began, was supporting her in her own little way. So, she kept trying. If not for herself, then for them. For her friends.

Slowly and surely, she was regaining her confidence back. This time, she thought as she was flying through the air with her friends running behind her, she wanted to go faster and higher. She wanted to navigate on her own and not bump into anything.

“Twilight,” she called down.

“Yes, Rainbow?” Twilight answered back. Rainbow Dash could hear her heavy breathing as she spoke.

“I’m gonna go higher,” Rainbow Dash said determinedly, already flapping her wings a bit harder as she prepared. “I’ll see you on the ground.”

Twilight didn’t get a chance to respond as, in a burst of incredible speed, Rainbow Dash took off into the blue sky.

“Well, there she goes,” Applejack commented, looking up as she tried to spot her cerulean friend.

“There she goes…” Twilight repeated longingly. If she was truthful with herself, she was absolutely petrified for her friend. Anything could go wrong up there, and who knew if there would be any time for them, the ponies on the ground, to react. With no other options, all she was left with was a burning hope that Rainbow Dash would be okay.

“Hey, Twilight?” Pinkie Pie asked suddenly.

"Yes, Pinkie?”

“Do you think she’ll be able to do it?” the pink earth pony asked as she eagerly watched Rainbow Dash zip through the skies. The Pegasus looked like she was doing fine; she was just going in a rather straight line, so it was hard to tell. But, she always had those off moments where she tripped up in the air and fell several feet downwards. Each time that happened, the mares would all gasp and lean forward with baited breath, but a few seconds later, Rainbow Dash would recover and she would get flying again.

“Do what?” Twilight responded, not taking her eyes off the sky for an instant.

“Fly again, like she used to. You know, go in competitions and all that fun stuff she used to do,” Pinkie Pie answered. The tone of voice she was using felt weird for Twilight. It wasn’t often that Pinkie Pie got right down into the deep meaning of something, but when she did, it was always an interesting experience for all of them.

“You know, Pinkie…” Twilight said as she watched her friend fly around. “Something tells me that it’s certainly possible.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

There were no barriers, there were no breaks, there were no safety nets. There was just her and her alone.

That scared her more than she would ever admit.

Rainbow Dash could feel herself getting more and more nervous as she flew across the wide open sky. She had taken Twilight’s advice and used everything she could to direct herself through the air efficiently. It wasn’t exactly hard, but it wasn’t easy either. Sometimes she would catch a current that would make her go up instead of down, or she would run into a cloud and that would launch her dangerously off course. She always had her legs out in front of her, just in case something unexpected should come up. But, even that was not secure enough.

She had heard about something that bats used to navigate. Echo…location, was it? Yeah, that was it. Echolocation sure sounded handy right about now, but unfortunately, she had no idea how to use it. But, it was certainly something to look into. Maybe she would ask Twilight for a book about it later. And, speaking of Twilight, she reminded herself that she had to thank the unicorn when she came down. If it wasn’t for her, then flying at all probably wouldn’t be possible.

It was funny, Twilight had done such amazing things in the past few weeks for her. There was just no way she would ever be able to repay her. Rainbow Dash also felt that a strong connection had formed between them, much stronger than she had ever thought possible. She chuckled quietly. That egghead was getting to her.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a strong updraft. She grunted as the draft hit her and blew her upwards a little ways, but that was no trouble for her. Rainbow Dash let her left wing tip forwards as she made a heavy bank to the right. She tucked her front feet in hesitantly and leaned forward just a touch. From the air around her body, there were no obstacles in her way, and there was nothing to stop her.

She could do this.

She just had to wait for the right moment.

Rainbow Dash glided onward for a while, banking to the left or right whenever she felt something in her way. She was impressed with herself. For the first time in about five hours, she felt confident in her flying abilities. And, she realized that she was truly flying again. The euphoria that coursed through her very soul was incomparable to anything she had ever felt. After such hopelessness, she had finally found her light at the end of the tunnel, and she finally felt like she could put up a fight again. She was filled to the brim with determination and energy, and she loved it. There it was, the hard thrill that hits you like a brick when you were flying like this, she had accomplished it.

And she wanted more. So much more.

With a silent prayer to Celestia, she tipped her wings upwards as she felt a strong draft hit her. With only a flap of her wings, she dashed upwards through the air and leaned backwards. In a flurry, she thrusted her front hooves out and banked to the right just as she was coming out of the loop. This motion sent her thrusting downwards at a fairly moderate speed. She wanted to go faster, but she decided not to risk it.

“No point in killing myself the first day I go flying,” she laughed inwardly. There would be other times for that, but now was not one of them.

Judging by her calculations, she had been up here for around…half an hour, maybe? She wasn’t really keeping time, she was just enjoying herself. The concept of time altogether vanished for the pegasus after a little while. There were only two things that existed to her at the moment. Flying, and the wondrous rush that coursed through her body. The wind felt good on her feathers and her mane, and she just wanted to stay up in the sky and never let it go again. Suddenly, she felt tears well up in her eyes as the burning feeling of joy flooded its way into her heart. Somehow, they felt good on her cheeks, unlike the many tears she had cried before. These were from pure happiness. Even though she didn’t cry, since it would be way too uncool, she was okay with letting these ones slip down her face.

She felt nothing but freedom as she weaved her way through the skies. Rainbow Dash felt sharp twinges of pain in her jaw from smiling too widely. For a long time, she had forgotten what flying felt like. Now she remembered, and she never wanted to forget again. Even though she was blind, and would still need Twilight’s help with mostly everything, she could still fly. She could still have this wondrous feeling of freedom that she loved so much. And she was never letting it go again, she promised.

But, all good things must come to an end.

As she spiraled downwards for a few seconds, she heard a voice from the ground below her.

“Rainbow Dash!” it called out.

Even with her advanced hearing, it took her a while to hear it. When she did, she carefully made her way downwards, just enough so that she was at a good hearing distance.

“RAINBOW DASH!” some pony called from beneath her.

“What?” she shouted back impatiently. She wanted to get back to flying as soon as possible.

“Come on down!”

Come on down? But she was having so much fun! What pony would take this happiness away from her again? But, then she realized that her friends were still waiting for her. Rainbow Dash smirked. She couldn’t keep them waiting forever. Reluctantly, she tipped her wings and flew downwards. As she did so, she realized something.

She had no idea where her friends were.

Rainbow Dash felt her heart sink. So much for getting down. She flung her hooves downward to try to see if she could land gently, but then she felt something right below her. And it was trying to grab onto her hoof.

“Rainbow!” Twilight’s voice beamed proudly. “I’ve got you, you can stop flying.”

That’s who it was.

She grabbed onto Twilight’s hoof with her own and swept the unicorn up into a hug once she had landed. There was a surprise gasp from Twilight as Rainbow Dash squeezed her.

“Thank you, Twilight!” she said gratefully.

“For what?” Twilight asked suddenly. Rainbow Dash’s grip on the unicorn was loosened as she started speaking again. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Of course you did! You helped me fly again,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“Aw, shoot, girl!” Applejack laughed. She felt a punch on her shoulder and whipped her head around to where Applejack was standing. “You flew all by yourself.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously. “Yeah, I guess I did, didn’t I?”

“You sure did, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie nodded excitedly. “We all saw you up there and you were like, ‘zoom! Zoom!’ and we were all like, ‘go, Dashie, go!’ and when you started doing those flips that was totally awesome!” Rainbow Dash couldn’t see Pinkie Pie’s hoof movements, but with all the sound effects she was making, they must have been good.

“Thanks, Pinkie,” she said in response.

“I have to agree, that was rather…dashing.” The mares all laughed at Rarity’s clever little pun, even Rainbow Dash herself.

“Thanks, guys,” Rainbow Dash laughed. “But, I seriously couldn’t have done it without you.” She felt the warm presence of her friends wrap themselves around her lovingly. But, there was one pony that was missing from all the mushy gunk that was going on right now. And that one pony was still on very thin ice with her at the moment. On one side, Fluttershy was her friend, and she should be able to forgive her. It’s not like she had meant for that dragon to come and attack her cottage, and it wasn’t like she meant for her to be blinded. It was really only an unfortunate series of events, not one pony’s fault. But, on the other, more emotional side, Rainbow Dash was barely a shadow of what she once was. Sure, she could fly, but that was just one thing. She couldn’t eat on her own, she couldn’t walk anywhere on her own, heck, she could barely take a shower on her own! Fluttershy had crippled her in more ways than she could ever comprehend, all because she was too scared to move out of the way.

So, Rainbow Dash was at a crossroads. She could either forgive her or not, but she still hadn’t made up her mind on what exactly she could do. And she didn’t get much time to think either.

“I know what this calls for!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“What?” Rainbow Dash echoed.

“Come to Sugarcube Corner! It’s over there!” Light hoofsteps told Rainbow Dash that her energetic friend was already on her way there. Of course.

“We’ll see ya over there, ‘kay, Rainbow?” Applejack’s voice asked cheerfully.

“’kay,” Rainbow Dash nodded. She smiled as she felt Twilight come over to her and stand parallel to her. “Thanks again, you guys.”

“You are quite welcome, darling,” Rarity smiled. She felt the unicorn give her a quick nuzzle. Then they were gone. Another set of hoofsteps followed them. She sighed; she knew who that was. Once the four others had all disappeared, only Twilight and Rainbow Dash were left.

“Hey, Twi?” Rainbow Dash said as she curled her wing comfortably over Twilight’s back.

“Yes?”

“You’re pretty awesome,” the pegasus teased. “You know that?”

A chuckle from Twilight would have been refreshing to her eardrums, if that was what actually happened. She was surprised when Twilight began to say something, but each time her voice was cut off by…something. It sounded like Twilight was almost nervous, but what could she be nervous about?

“T-thanks, Rainbow,” Twilight finally got out. “It…means a lot to me that you said that.”

Rainbow Dash blinked in surprise as Twilight began leading her to Sugarcube Corner, or that’s where she hoped they were going. She nodded once and all that was between them now was a soft, comfortable silence. But, Rainbow Dash didn’t need to talk. She was just happy with Twilight’s body being pressed to her own.

Maybe she was finally beginning to realize what Twilight meant to her.

The silence stayed for a while, and she could feel Twilight pressing herself up against her side. In turn, Rainbow Dash walked a little bit slower, just so that they could enjoy each other’s presence. It felt nice relying on Twilight, for once. But, just as she was getting comfortable, Twilight caught her off guard.

“Rainbow Dash, what do you think about Fluttershy?” Twilight asked suddenly.

In an instant, the comfort that she had felt before shattered.

“I…I really don’t know, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash answered after a long pause. “I’m still mad at her, Twi. Why do you ask?”

“Rarity was talking about it with me earlier when you were flying,” Twilight answered simply.

A small stab of betrayal pricked at Rainbow Dash’s heart. She couldn’t help it when she felt that her friends were talking about her behind her back. The pegasus couldn’t stand it when ponies did that.

“What does she want to know about it?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Rainbow, Fluttershy did nothing wrong, and you shouldn’t be mad at her for something she never did,” Twilight lectured. “It’s not fair, and as her friend, you should be able to forgive her.”

Rainbow Dash could barely believe what she was hearing. So now she was the offender? Now there were two things around here that weren’t fair.

“She blinded me, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed in a last ditch effort.

“But, that was the dragon that did that! Not Fluttershy,” Twilight answered defensively.

Rainbow Dash stopped suddenly, and it was her turn to surprise Twilight. The unicorn felt the wing slide off her back, and she was worried that she said something wrong. She didn’t want to make Rainbow Dash angry or sad. That was the last thing she wanted. She just couldn’t stand it.

“You don’t think I know that?” Rainbow Dash growled with her head down. “I know that I’m not being fair, okay? I’m really trying to forgive, Fluttershy, but how can I? She took everything away from me! She took away my sight, my independence, everything! I was going to join the Wonderbolts, but how can they accept a stupid blind pegasus who can’t even take a bucking shower by herself?” There were tears flowing down her cheeks as she spoke. They weren’t tears of joy or happiness, they were hot, salty, anger filled tears. Who cared if any pony saw them? She didn’t. “But then she took that away from me because she. Didn’t. Bucking. Move!”

From the silence that followed was devastating for Twilight. In retrospect, the unicorn realized that she was the one who pushed her friend to this point. If only she hadn’t asked about Fluttershy…

Without another word, she moved forward and held Rainbow Dash in an embrace. From there, the blind pegasus wrapped herself around Twilight and buried her head in Twilight’s chest. There it was safe. There she could shield herself from the cruel reality of the outside world. She felt a soft hoof stroke itself across her mane, much like she had done last night, when Twilight had been suffering much like she was at that moment. Twilight spoke soft words to her, and she accepted them silently.

“I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight whispered heavily past the lump in her throat. “I’m so sorry.”

“No…” the pegasus answered at last, pulling herself away from the comforting legs of her friend and wiping her eyes so all that was left of the tears were wet streaks on her cheeks. “No, I’m sorry that I…blew up like that. It was really uncool of me.”

“Don’t worry about it. You needed that,” Twilight smiled. She stood up and helped Rainbow Dash to her feet. “You talk to her when you feel ready, okay? Not because we tell you to.”

“Thanks, Twilight…” Rainbow Dash was more than happy at that moment. She was able to keep going, all because of Twilight. Then, her mind was assaulted with new images. Images of Twilight were replaced by something else. Something that she had forgotten a long time ago.

“TAAANNNKKKK!!!” she screamed, jumping up in the air and grabbing the top of her head with her hooves. How could she have forgotten about her precious pet? She wasn’t usually this forgetful, especially when it came to her pet. True, she forgot to feed him sometimes, but she always made up for it. What if he was…gone? Then it would be all her fault. She would never forgive herself if something happened to him.

“Where is he!? Where’s Tank!” She asked frantically, holding onto Twilight’s shoulders and shaking them harshly. “He’s okay, right? Please tell me he’s okay!”

“Yes, yes, Tank is just fine,” Twilight assured calmly, shrugging Rainbow Dash’s hooves off her shoulders. “Fluttershy took it upon herself to take care of him while you were in that coma. And she still is. The last time I saw him, he looked like he really missed you.”

Rainbow Dash just couldn’t be happier, or feel guiltier. Tank was okay! Thank Celestia for that. But, now she felt guilty for being so mad at Fluttershy. Here she was, acting so rude to Fluttershy when the other pegasus was taking care of the pet she had so faithfully neglected.

“Oh, thank Celestia,” Rainbow Dash breathed out, grabbing her chest with her front hooves in relief.

“Also, while we’re on this subject, have you thought about what we’re going to do about Scootaloo?” Twilight asked. If there was ever a time to bring up this subject, it was now.

“Oh…right,” Rainbow Dash sighed. She had forgotten all about her biggest fan, and little sister figure. A prick of guilt flung at her heart. If there was one pony who was probably freaking out about not seeing her in the last few days, it was definitely Scootaloo. If anything, the little pegasus deserved to be told of this more than any pony. “I can tell her.”

Twilight sounded surprised. “Are you sure? I can do it, if you want.”

“Yeah, I’m sure, Twi,” Rainbow Dash nodded. She put her wing across Twilight’s back and they resumed their journey. “If anything, the little squirt should be told by me. I don’t want her to stop thinking that…well…”

“Yes, I know,” Twilight smiled. “I’m sure she’ll be at Pinkie’s little…surprise. You can tell her then.”

“Oh boy, can’t wait,” Rainbow Dash smirked sarcastically.

No other words needed to be said from there on. The comforting presence of the other was enough for both of them. That was, until, Twilight suddenly stopped and told Rainbow Dash to prepare herself.

“Why?” Rainbow Dash asked jokingly. “Is some pony gonna come out and jump me or something?”

“That could definitely be a possibility,” Twilight answered slyly.

Should she tell her friend that her sentence was meant to be a joke?

“Okay, on the count of three, walk into the room just in front of you,” the unicorn said carefully. She saw Rainbow Dash nod to her. Then, she was ready.

“One, two...” Twilight chuckled softly as she saw Rainbow Dash prepare herself, perhaps a bit too much. Not wanting to make her wait any longer, the unicorn burst out, “Three!”

Rainbow Dash walked forward carefully. Suddenly, there was a loud unexpected pop.

“SURPRISE!”

Closure

Chapter eighteen: Closure

The very force of the shout was enough to send Rainbow Dash’s head spinning. For the first time she realized that she had never heard something that loud before. But, it also sent a message that only a scream that loud could send. She flattened her ears back against her skull and grimaced. There was no way for her to tell how many ponies were in the room exactly, but it seemed like there were a lot if they were able to produce a scream that loud. That was more of a curse than a blessing. Here she was, in a room full of so many ponies that pitied her, unable to escape. But something was definitely off with her statement.

She couldn’t sense any pity here. Unfortunately, there was no time to analyze that statement as the ponies began screaming again, a bit louder this time. Then, amidst the screams, she heard light hoofsteps trotting up to her cheerfully. She had no time to guess who it was though, as the pony in front of her did that for her.

“Hi, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie’s voice smiled eagerly. “What do you think?”

Rainbow Dash had to think for a moment. “About what?” she asked blankly.

“About the party!” came Pinkie Pie’s reply.

She should have known.

Rolling her eyes, she moved her head from side to side. There was no real reason for it, it just seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

“I’m sure it’s great, Pinks,” Rainbow Dash nodded. She shook her head as the overwhelmed feeling she had from before evaporated. “Thanks!”

A happy sigh came from in front of her, making Rainbow Dash raise her eyebrow at the sound.

“Wait, who’s all here?” she asked curiously.

“Well, there’s Mr. and Mrs. Cake, Rarity, Twilight, me, Applejack, you, of course, and Fluttershy. Also, Derpy’s here, and Big Macintosh, and Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom, and Scootaloo, Lyra, Bon Bon, Cloud Chaser, Flitter, Snowflake, Thunderlane, Cloud Kicker, and every pony else I could think of!” Pinkie Pie answered excitedly, barely taking a breath in between the names she had just belted out. “Oh! And we got Octavia and Vinyl Scratch all the way over from Canterlot! Isn’t that great?”

A large bubble of curiosity formed in Rainbow Dash’s mind. All of those ponies there for a party for her? But, why? She didn’t quite understand, but that wasn’t to say she wasn’t exactly grateful. Rainbow Dash appreciated all these ponies coming here at her expense, but it still didn’t make too much sense. After all, why would you come to a party celebrating a blind pegasus?

“Umm…thanks, every pony,” she smiled as best she could, tripping over her words at some points. “Really, it means a lot to me.”

“Oh, well it’s no trouble at all,” a masculine voice sounded out. By the sound of the voice, it must have been Mr. Cake. “We’re just glad that you’re feeling better, Rainbow Dash.”

“Eeyup,” she heard Big Macintosh’s voice agree. After that, she felt a huge hoof drape over her shoulder comfortingly.

“Alright, every pony, who’s ready to PARTY!?” Pinkie Pie shouted from right beside her. A resounding shout of excitement and agreement echoed through her eardrums. It seemed like things were about to get interesting.

She felt Twilight come even closer to her. In response, she folded her wing around Twilight’s back. Rainbow Dash couldn’t stop smiling when Pinkie Pie shouted at the DJ, most likely Vinyl Scratch, to crank up the music, and a burst of loud sound waves hit her ears. Every pony around her began to move away, thankfully. She was getting more than anxious surrounded by ponies she couldn’t see. And speaking of not seeing, it was a different experience being at a party but not being able to see anything that was happening. She had been to many parties in her lifetime, but this one was a different pill to swallow. However, with Twilight leading her way, it wasn’t so bad. She barely even ran into anything as an extra bonus. But there were still times when she had to hop around some pony or something that happened to be in her way. There were also times when her ears felt like they were going to explode. To some pony around her, the music probably wouldn’t be that loud, but to her and her enhanced hearing, it felt like some pony was taking a brick and smashing it against her head relentlessly.

However, even with the loud music and the constant obstacles that would fly into her way every few seconds, it was a pretty awesome party. For the first time in a few weeks, she was able to fit in. Nopony saw her as a blind cripple who should be pitied, they saw her just as she was before. Confident, competitive, cool Rainbow Dash. That was more than she could have asked for. Still, she knew that there would be so many ponies who didn’t see her as any of those things, but she had a feeling that she could handle it. If not, then what was a little butt kicking?

Throughout each moment of the party, she could feel Twilight right beside her. She could feel the unicorn’s warmth and she could feel the unicorn’s heartbeat. That heartbeat soothed her in an incredibly ridiculous way. As each beat pounded against her, she tried to match her heartbeat with Twilight’s. It was something to do and it was a challenge. And Rainbow Dash never backed down from a challenge.

“What are you doing?”

She shook her head and looked over to her right. Where Twilight was. That was weird, weren’t she and Applejack just talking?

“N-nothing,” she answered breezily, blowing her bangs out of her face and turning away. She felt Twilight shrug her shoulders and resume talking to Applejack.

Suddenly, she heard an unexpected voice from right beside her.

“Hello, Rainbow Dash. Wonderful party we’re having,” Rarity said right in her ear.

She bit down a cry of surprise and breathed deeply. There was no way she would admit it, but that scared her a whole lot more than she thought it would.

“Yeah,” she chuckled nervously, furrowing her eyebrow. “Sure is.”

“Are you alright, dear?” The tone of voice Rarity was using changed drastically. “You look a bit…flustered.”

“Flustered?” Rainbow Dash echoed. Her heart began racing. “What do ya mean? I ain’t flustered, I’m completely cool.” She crossed her front hoof in front of the other and pointed her nose up for reassurance. Then again, who was it that she was trying to reassure?

“I’m sure,” Rarity sighed. “Twilight?”

Wait.

“Do you think I could steal Rainbow away for just a few moments?” Rarity asked sweetly. “I just wanted to ask her something I forgot about earlier.”

What was she doing? Rainbow Dash was about protest, when Twilight answered for her.

“Oh, sure, Rarity,” the unicorn nodded, stepping away from Rainbow Dash. The warmth that had once been there vanished in an instant, leaving the pegasus feeling empty. She was about to move back to Twilight when Rarity slipped in beside her. Rainbow Dash groaned and let the unicorn lead her to somewhere in the upstairs level of Sugarcube Corner. She wasn’t exactly sure where they were, but it was certainly quieter.

“What do you want, Rarity?” Rainbow Dash snapped, stepping out from Rarity’s grasp and standing, hopefully, in front of her.

“Umm, I’m over here, darling,” Rarity’s confused voice told her.

Darn it.

She quickly turned around and repeated her sentence without hesitation.

“Well, Rainbow Dash, I was just wondering if something was happening between you and Twilight,” Rarity asked concernedly albeit knowingly.

Rainbow Dash felt her heart stop for a moment. What did Rarity mean by that? What did Rarity see between them? And why was she poking around in business that wasn’t meant to be poked around in? Before she even thought about what she was doing, she was in Rarity’s face accusingly and backing the unicorn up against a wall.

“What about it?” she growled. “So what if I…” She stopped herself suddenly. Rainbow Dash backed away and flopped down on her haunches in shame. Even from her position she could feel Rarity’s scrutinizing glare staring her down. “Uhh, sorry, Rarity,” she apologized quickly.

“It’s fine, darling,” Rarity answered wearily. “Just don’t do that again, please. It’s ruining my…” The unicorn trailed off once she saw that Rainbow Dash clearly didn’t care about how hot air ruined her complexion or anything of the sort. “Right…so, I suppose you’re wondering why I brought you here, yes?” she asked after a long pause.

“Duh,” Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes impatiently.

Rarity followed suite. “Yes, well, I was just wondering how things were going between you and Twilight,” the unicorn said, genuinely curious. But, there was a knowing little tone the lay underneath that Rainbow Dash didn’t exactly like. “You two seemed to have… bonded over the last few weeks, yes?”

“Yeah, what of it?” Rainbow Dash asked suspiciously.

“And I was just wondering what you think about her,” the unicorn said sweetly. A little too sweetly, if you happened to ask Rainbow Dash.

“What I think…hey, that’s none of your business!” Rainbow Dash retorted getting up and pointing her nose high into the air. “And what the hay were you trying to do back there?”

Rarity seemed confused, as any pony would be in her situation. “Back there? I’m not sure I quite understand what you’re trying to say Rainbow Dash.”

“You know, back there when you stuck your nose into me and Fluttershy’s business. When the hay did you get the right to do that? And you know what? Maybe I don’t WANT to make up with Fluttershy, ever think of that?” Rainbow Dash accused, turning away from Rarity once again. She could hear little gasps coming from the unicorn. It gave her a small sense of satisfaction that she had taken her friend by surprise. After all, it served her right.

“Now, Rainbow,” Rarity gasped out, hardly daring to believe what she was hearing. “Surely you don’t mean that.”

“Maybe I do,” Rainbow Dash answered. Then, her composure broke and she felt her rigid shoulders deflate. “Maybe…I…I just don’t know, Rarity. I really don’t. Things have been really weird lately.” She heard a chuckle from before behind her and some hoofsteps. After that a soft hoof touched her shoulder.

“I know, Rainbow,” Rarity nodded as she sat down beside her blind friend. “And I’m sorry that I looked into something that shouldn’t have been looked into. I knew that it wasn’t my business, but I suppose that I was just trying to help Fluttershy.”

Rainbow Dash smiled bitterly. She snorted and tossed her head up into the air.

“Of course you were,” she muttered under her breath.

“What was that?” Rarity asked.

“It’s just…it’s always Fluttershy that needs help,” Rainbow Dash complained weakly. “ It’s always, ‘Fluttershy was so sad’ and ‘Fluttershy’s so helpless’ and ‘come on guys, we need to help Fluttershy!’. I’m just getting tired of hearing that.” The pegasus put her head in her front hooves and stared at the floor, gritting her teeth. “I know I’m being a little harsh, but that’s really what got us into this mess in the first place; Fluttershy not being able to help herself.”

Rarity nodded in spite of herself. As much as she thought she was in the right in this situation, she was beginning to see some of the other matters that were at hoof here, some of which were more important than others.

“Yes, I see that now, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity chuckled. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

“Now, shall we return to our original topic?” Rarity suggested.

“Our original topic of what now?” Rainbow Dash didn’t seem to follow.

“You know…you and Twilight…” Rarity prompted gently.

Now the pegasus caught on. Even so, she didn’t really want to answer the question. It just seemed much too personal for any pony’s ears to hear. What she thought about Twilight was her business and her business alone. At first, she was inclined to tell Rarity to bug off and leave her alone, but she didn’t. There was no logical explanation as to why, but she just didn’t. There was something inside her nagging her to tell some pony about this, telling her that if she told some pony, then things would get a lot easier. One thing was for certain, she wasn’t sure how she felt about Twilight, but it was definitely more than friendship. Or at least, she wanted it to be. She wasn’t sure how her friend felt, but she sure hoped that Twilight felt the same way. But Rarity didn’t need to know that, and neither did any pony else. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath before tilting her head in Rarity’s direction.

“What do ya want to know?” she asked hesitantly.

“Well, do you feel something for her?” Rarity asked again.

“Nope! Not at all. I TOTALLY don’t feel anything for that egghead,” the pegasus said in one last attempt to assure Rarity that nothing was happening.

“You’re blushing, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity told her.

Her eyes widened and she buried her face with her hooves. Any hope of her concealing this was just thrown out the window.

“Fine! I like her! A lot!” she admitted shamefully. “I’m so confused, Rarity,” she said from in between her two front hooves. “I mean, she’s my friend and all, but I want to be more than that. It’s just really confusing. I’m always thinking about her and she’s helped me through this, and I…”

“Tell me,” Rarity shushed her in the middle of her sentence. “Do you feel this way because she helped you?” That question was certainly unexpected.

“What do you mean?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Since she helped you cope with being blind, are you developing these feeling because of what she did, or is there something else that makes you feel this way?” Rarity questioned.

For a moment, she couldn’t respond. That question made her think much more than she would like to.

“Well, I guess that’s part of it…” Rainbow Dash began, scrunching up her face and beginning to set her mind into overdrive. “But, I don’t know. There’s a lot more to it than just that. Twilight’s…really cool. She’s smart and funny, sometimes, and she’s really nice, you know? I’m not sure where I would be without her, and I want to make it up to her somehow. But, I don’t know…and I’m rambling, aren’t I?” Rainbow Dash laughed, looking up at the unicorn.

“Not at all,” Rarity assured kindly. “Please continue.”

“Great,” Rainbow Dash nodded. “Well, and then she’s really pretty, from what I remember anyways, and everything about her is just totally awesome.” She paused, thinking over what she should say next. “Now that I think about it, I’ve felt that way about her for a while now, I’ve just never really noticed until now. Does that make any sense?”

A quiet chuckle came out from Rarity’s mouth. “Yes it does, Rainbow,” the alabaster unicorn smiled. “And I do believe I know what the problem is.”

“You do?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

“I do,” Rarity repeated. After a long tension filled pause, she finally admitted, “It is in my professional opinion that you have a crush on Twilight Sparkle,” she said, barely pausing to take a breath.

Rainbow Dash smirked and her head flopped to the ground. She wasn’t sure what made it do that. It was either shame or embarrassment. She, the fastest and awesomest pony in Equestria, had a crush on Twilight, the biggest egghead in history? That was the stupidest thing she had ever heard. So what if Twilight was nice and sweet and totally awesome, she was an egghead! There was no way she had a crush on an egghead. But…she was beginning to believe that her statement might not be true.

“That’s stupid,” Rainbow Dash said defensively. “I don’t have a crush on Twilight.”

“You’re still blushing.”

“Will you stop that?”

“Fine, I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said. She scooted closer to the pegasus. “I’m just trying to help you.”

“Yeah, I know,” the pegasus sighed. “I’m just so…confused.”

“I think we all are in our own small way,” Rarity agreed. The tone of voice was laid back and thoughtful. In a strange way, it calmed Rainbow Dash in the midst of the loud music that drifted into her eardrums from downstairs. However, the next question Rarity asked of her was like she just dropped a bomb on the pegasus. “Now, why don’t you tell her what you just told me?”

“Are you crazy!?” Rainbow Dash accused, her wings popping up from their resting places. “What do expect me to do? Waltz right up to her and say, “Oh, hey, Twilight, I have a huge crush on you. Let’s make out!” Do you know how weird that would be?”

Rarity seemed taken aback. “Well, that’s not exactly how I meant for that to be taken, I just…”

“No, I’m not doing that! I want her to keep being my friend, not scare her out of it!” Rainbow Dash protested, shaking her head and trying to fight the blush that was steadily rising to her cheeks. It was actually a lie, most of it anyway. She wanted to tell Twilight how she felt, and she wanted Twilight to return those feelings. But, there was no way she was risking her friendship for some stupid crush.

“I understand,” Rarity submitted. “But who knows? Maybe Twilight feels the same way about you?”

That got Rainbow Dash’s undivided attention. “You think so?” she asked hopefully.

“There’s only one way to find out,” Rarity said encouragingly.

It was a good suggestion, but her attention was then returned to a long overdue errand that she needed done.

“…maybe later,” Rainbow Dash said absentmindedly. “There’s some things I have to do first.” Like having a long-needed chat with her number one fan. She began to stand up. It was weird not having Twilight right beside her wherever she went, but at least Rarity was a good substitute. She curled her wing over the unicorn’s back and they both walked back to the party, which was still in full swing.

“Rainbow Dash! There you are!” called the only voice that was able to send her head into a tizzy. “ I was wondering when you two would get back.” Rainbow Dash felt the unicorn slide around to her unoccupied side. The pegasus let go of Rarity and curled her other wing around Twilight.

“Indeed. Thank you for letting me borrow her; it’s been so long since we talked,” Rarity laughed. “Well, I’m off to talk to Applejack. Ta!” With that and some delicate hoofsteps, Rarity was gone.

“So, what did you two talk about?” Twilight asked unexpectedly.

“Uhh, what?” It took Rainbow Dash a few moments to find her voice. “Oh! We, uh, talked about…stuff?”

“Stuff,” Twilight repeated in an unamused fashion.

“Yeah, stuff. Can we, uh, go see Scootaloo?” Rainbow Dash asked, trying to get Twilight off the subject. Luckily, it seemed to do the trick. “I still need to talk to her.”

“Oh, sure,” Twilight agreed brightly. She walked forwards and Rainbow Dash followed obediently, albeit a little nervously. Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure what to think as she felt herself getting closer and closer to the filly. There was no way for her to know what Scootaloo thought of her now, or if she even knew that her idol was blind. That was, if she was still the filly’s idol. She gulped at the prospect of losing her biggest fan. It wouldn’t be the first time, but she certainly hated the idea as if it was. Suddenly, Twilight stopped. Rainbow Dash stopped too.

“I’ll go find her,” Twilight said suddenly. Rainbow Dash felt the unicorn slip away from her again. The subtle hoofsteps were fading and all she could hear were the small waves of electronic music. It may have been distracting to some, but for her it was a good way to concentrate, and to keep her mind off some certain things. She really had no idea what was going to happen next between her and Scootaloo. But, she couldn’t analyze it any further when a huge block flew into her and knocked her to the ground.

“Rainbow Dash, there you are! I was so worried that I would never ever see you again!” a filly’s voice wailed right in her ear. “You were gone for so long!”

She shook her head and sat up, and the block begrudgingly moved with her. Rainbow Dash felt a hoof grab onto her and pull her close. Then, she had no doubt as to who this was.

“Hey, Scoots,” she greeted. “That you?”

The filly sounded rather surprised. Rainbow Dash didn’t blame her for that. “Yeah, I’m right in front of you. ‘Course it’s me.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but chuckle at Scootaloo’s outburst. Unfortunately for her, Scootaloo heard this.

“What’s so funny?” Scootaloo pouted. Rainbow Dash could just imagine the look on her face right now. But, this wasn’t all fun and games, she had to remind herself of that. Once she told Scootaloo about this, then there was no doubt that the mood in the room would change drastically.

“Wait, can you see me?” Scootaloo asked cautiously.

Rainbow Dash sighed and took a deep breath. “No, I can’t see you. Sorry, Scoots,” she said. Well, that was one way to break the news.

“...then…then it’s true?” Scootaloo gasped quietly. “You’re blind, or whatever it’s called?” Rainbow Dash swore that she had never heard more crushed dreams in a sentence than what had just come out of Scootaloo’s mouth.

“Yeah, I’m blind,” Rainbow Dash nodded. Just thinking about what might happen next made her nervous. She heard Scootaloo try to say something, but more often than not she just heard sniffles coming from her number one fan. What was happening? “Scoots? You okay?” she asked hesitantly, moving a bit closer to the filly. Surprisingly, Scootaloo moved away.

“But…but, how can you be…blind?” Scootaloo asked numbly. “You can’t be. There’s no way! You’re too awesome to be blind! How are you going to fly? How are you going…how are you going to…” The orange filly trailed off in disbelief. The news was a hard pill to swallow, and she really had no idea what to think. Scootaloo had heard rumors around town about this, but she never suspected it to be true. Even when she asked her parents and they told her that it was true, she still refused to believe it. After all, how could Rainbow Dash be blind? She was way too cool for that!

“This has to be some prank, right?” Scootaloo gasped out helplessly. “You’re joking? You’ve got to be joking…”

“Sorry, squirt. It’s not a prank,” Rainbow Dash answered sadly. She expected some reaction out of Scootaloo, but this went way beyond that. The filly was straight up denying what had just been said to her face by Rainbow Dash herself. It made Rainbow Dash feel…weird. She couldn’t exactly explain it, but it felt like a mix of pity and empathy. She could identify with how the filly was feeling right now. She’d been in denial too for a little while, but Scootaloo was taking it much farther than she ever did.

“...” Scootaloo had been silent for a while, but Rainbow Dash could hear the muffled cries coming from her mouth. She wanted to say something, but she just wasn’t good at this. Situations where she had to be comforting made her feel really awkward more often than not. There was no way for her to know what to do, and everything she thought of would probably sound really stupid to both of them. Still, there was harm in trying, she thought as she opened her mouth to speak. Fortunately, Scootaloo did that for her.

“Can you still fly?” Scootaloo asked quietly.

“Yep,” Rainbow Dash answered. “I can still fly.”

“Without any help?” Scootaloo wondered out loud. She sounded astonished for some reason. Rainbow Dash shrugged inwardly, there was no point in ruining that.

“Uh-huh. Although, I did get a teeny bit of help from a few ponies.” She could have sworn she heard chuckling from behind her. “But when I was in the air, it was all me.”

“Really? I thought that blind ponies needed help with everything,” Scootaloo said curiously. Even though she was sure it was supposed to, the statement stung Rainbow Dash in a way that she couldn’t quite describe.

“That’s not true,” Rainbow Dash said quickly, and perhaps a bit too harshly. “Sure, I need help with a lot of things, but there are things I can do by myself too. Just because I can’t see doesn’t mean that I’m totally helpless.”

“I guess not…” There was some optimism in the young filly’s voice. It was a start, Rainbow Dash thought hopefully.

“But, what happened to you? And why didn’t you come find me? I could have been a big help! And I was really worried when I didn’t see you in like, forever!” Scootaloo complained loudly, her tiny wings flapping in frustration.

“I’m sure that you’re a very big help, squirt,” the pegasus assured carefully. “There were just some…things I needed to do first, that’s all. Look, I’m really sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner. I was just…you want to know a secret?” she asked quietly.

Scootaloo seemed to perk up a bit more. “What?”

“First, is there any pony around?” Rainbow Dash questioned. After a few moments, Rainbow Dash heard Scootaloo mumble, ‘no’. “Awesome. When I first found out that I was…well, blind, I was really scared, and…really angry.”

“You were scared?” Scootaloo echoed. “I know you’ve been scared before, but I…”

“Yeah, I was scared. You know why I was scared? Because I didn’t know what to do anymore. It was like, I thought my whole life was over, you know? That was it. My life was ruined, and I didn’t know how to handle it. So I got angry. When ponies get scared, they tend to take their fears out on other ponies, even when those ponies don’t deserve it…and I did that. I took my fears out on some ponies that didn’t deserve any of that. And I regret it. But, you know what that taught me?” Rainbow Dash asked as the small filly leaned closer.

“What?” Scootaloo asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Rainbow Dash paused for a moment, tilting her head back and letting her unseeing eyes stare at the ceiling. “It taught me many things, but it taught me that you have to take responsibility, and you can’t just blame bad stuff on other ponies; you have to take on some of that blame too. And just because you can’t do something other ponies can doesn’t mean that you’re helpless. You know what? I can do a lot of things other ponies can’t. And I’m still the coolest pony in Equestria.”

“I know that!” Scootaloo nodded supportively. “And what can you do that other ponies can’t?”

“I can sure hear a lot better, and I can read braille too. Not a lot of ponies can say they can do that,” Rainbow Dash said as an example. “You don’t need to see everything, kid.”

“I guess…” Scootaloo replied hesitantly. After that, the pair of pegasi were silent for a while, and neither of them dared to break it. Except for that one sentence. “Rainbow Dash?”

“Yeah, squirt?”

“Even though you’re blind, and you’ll probably be with Twilight or whoever most of the time…will you still…be my big sister?”

That question caught Rainbow Dash off guard. There was a longing pain in the filly’s voice that Rainbow Dash had heard somewhere before, however she couldn’t exactly remember where. Without a second thought, she scooped the filly up into her front legs and held her close to her chest. Scootaloo let out a surprised gasp, but quickly hugged the elder pegasus back. They sat there, holding each other in a comforting embrace, for who knew how long. The concept of time quickly drifted away from them. All that mattered was each other. It was funny, Rainbow Dash laughed inwardly as she held her ‘little sister’ tightly. Before she wouldn’t have been caught dead doing any of this mushy junk, but now she didn’t mind it so much. It was even a little…nice to be held by someone who cared for her so much. She had sure changed in such a short time span. But, maybe her eyes had gotten in the way of that.

“Yeah, squirt,” she whispered into the filly’s ear, answering her earlier question. “I will.”

Scootaloo said nothing, but responded by hugging Rainbow Dash tighter.

A little while later, Scootaloo found herself reluctantly squirming out of the tight hug. Rainbow Dash reluctantly let go as well. As much as they didn’t want the moment to end, there were still things that needed to be done by the both of them. But it certainly felt better to get this off their chests.

“I’m gonna go catch up with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo said quickly. She gave Rainbow Dash one last hug before speeding off. “Bye, Rainbow Dash!”

“See ya, kid,” Rainbow Dash laughed as the filly zoomed off. She was about to call for Twilight when she was interrupted.

“Well, wasn’t that heartwarming,” Twilight giggled from somewhere behind her.

“Don’t tell me you were watching that,” Rainbow Dash sighed wearily, turning around.

“Maybe just a little,” Twilight smiled.

“How much did you see?” Rainbow Dash asked, just for the heck of it.

“Maybe just the end of it,” Twilight answered jokingly. “Or was it three quarters of it?”

Rainbow Dash grimaced. That little traitor…

Wasting no more of their valuable time, the unicorn came over to her quickly, much to Rainbow Dash’s pleasure, and the pegasus lifted a wing around Twilight and pulled her close. She missed Twilight, even though she knew it sounded horribly clichéd and cheesy. But, at this point in time, she could care less. No pony was there to barge in on them, they were just alone. Then, Rarity’s little conversation came back to her.

“Why don’t you tell her?” she could hear Rarity say right in her ear. There was nothing to stop her, and it would probably feel really good to get this off her chest. Taking a deep breath, she began to speak. “Umm…Twilight?” she asked cautiously, but perhaps a little too quietly.

“Oh, Rainbow Dash, I just remembered that Fluttershy said she wanted to talk to you,” Twilight said.

Rainbow Dash felt herself deflate. Why did this have to come up again? She just didn’t want to deal with this. Now if the rest of her friends could only understand that. However, she knew that this needed to be dealt with whether she wanted to or not. Otherwise this whole thing could turn into something so much bigger, and so much more unwanted.

“Really?” Rainbow Dash spat out, groaning internally. “When did she tell you this?”

“Just a few minutes ago,” Twilight answered as Rainbow Dash clung onto her. The two walked back downstairs and into, what Rainbow Dash presumed, another room. The room was quiet, a little too quiet. But, that was broken when Twilight spoke again.

“You know, I really appreciate you doing this,” Twilight said to her as they walked. “It means a lot to all of us.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Rainbow Dash sighed. “I’m really just doing this for closure, and to get you lot off my case.”

“I understand.” Twilight sounded disappointed. That was a bit disheartening, Rainbow Dash thought to herself as she felt herself getting closer and closer to where Fluttershy was. This was certainly not a reunion she was going to be looking forward to. “But, do you know what you’re going to say to her?”

“…not really,” Rainbow Dash choked out bitterly. She could think of a million or so places that she would rather be than here, and she was beginning to protest against this, but it was much too late for that. There was another pony in the room they were in, she could feel it, and the tension was so thick Pinkie Pie could probably cut a square out of it and then say they were cupcakes.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll think of something. Good luck,” Twilight said encouragingly. With a soft nuzzle and a few quiet words of support, Twilight quickly trotted out of the room. It seemed that she wasn’t the only pony who wanted to escape the tension.

After Twilight left, the room suddenly fell silent, and Rainbow Dash didn’t like it.

“Hello?” she called out. “Is any pony there?”

“Yes, I-I’m here.”

She could have sworn that she had done this sometime before today. Even though she had only done it once, she was more than sick of it. The voice was just in front of her, making her inch away slowly. Rainbow Dash still had no desire to have any chats with Fluttershy or whatever it was that her friends wanted them to do. But, with no distractions and nothing to separate the two, it looked like this was exactly what they were going to do.

“That you, Fluttershy?” she asked reluctantly into the darkness.

“Umm…yes,” Fluttershy’s quiet voice answered quietly. Suddenly, she felt a wing wrap around her hesitantly. At first she shied away from the touch, but then she reluctantly accepted it. She still needed to move around, after all, even if that mobility was from some pony who she didn’t want anything to do with. Begrudgingly, Rainbow Dash let Fluttershy lead her to what seemed to be a couch. The two hopped onto it.

“So…Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy began.

“What?” the pegasus answered coldly, not even turning her head in Fluttershy’s direction.

“Umm…I really liked your flying back there,” Fluttershy told her. “That was really…umm, nice.”

As much as Rainbow Dash loved getting compliments, something about getting them from Fluttershy left her with an unsatisfying feeling in the pit of her stomach. She grumbled and coughed out a ‘thanks’. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for Fluttershy.

“Rainbow Dash, I’m…”

“You’re what?” Rainbow Dash repeated.

“I…” Fluttershy fell silent for more than a few seconds. Then, all she blurted out was, “I’m really sorry that this happened.”

That was it? She was sorry? Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped. So what if she was sorry? Sorry couldn’t turn back time, and sorry couldn’t make her see again. She heard sincerity in Fluttershy’s voice, but that just wasn’t enough for her. Rainbow Dash knew that time couldn’t be altered, and there was no chance at her getting her sight back, but she didn’t know if Fluttershy did. Did she really expect that if she said sorry everything would go away and things would go back to normal?

“Is that all?” Rainbow Dash asked, biting her lip to keep things that she would probably regret later in.

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked worriedly.

“So, you come up to me after you basically ruined my life, say sorry, and expect that to be the end of it?” Rainbow Dash spat, her wings popping up in anger. To her sadistic satisfaction, the unexpected display of rage got a start out of Fluttershy.

“Well, umm, I suppose I…” Fluttershy began, but she was unfortunately cut off by an enraged Rainbow Dash. “I suppose I did,” she finished shamefully.

That was it. She got off the couch in one angry leap and pushed her nose up against Fluttershy’s in rage.

“It doesn’t work like that, Fluttershy! I’m blind now! I can’t see and I’m never going to be able to see again! And it’s all because you were too much of a coward to move when that bucking dragon came!” Rainbow Dash snapped, getting right up in Fluttershy’s face. She could feel the ragged breaths coming from Fluttershy’s mouth, and she could feel the salty tears running down the other pegasus’ face as well. Frankly, she didn’t care. Not after all the pain she had to go through. “Do you have any idea how it feels when you’re the pity party of the entire town? No pony cares about what you were, all any pony cares about is what you are now, and because you blinded me, I’m nothing but a cripple! I can barely do anything by myself! Do you know how that feels, huh? Do you?!”

Fluttershy said nothing. But that didn’t mean that Rainbow Dash couldn’t hear the muffled sobs coming from the pegasus. For a moment all of that unbridled fury disappeared. Deep down, she didn’t want to make Fluttershy cry, but all of the emotions that had been piling up against Fluttershy came bubbling up to the surface and Rainbow Dash could no longer holder them back. Then, the rage came back as Fluttershy spoke again.

“Yes. I suppose I did wish…for something like that to happen,” Fluttershy admitted sheepishly, her voice overflowing with shame. “But, now I know that it can’t happen. You’re right, Rainbow Dash, I am a coward, and I try not to be, but…I just can’t.” To the yellow mare’s credit, Rainbow Dash stepped back and allowed her the space necessary to breath.

“I know that I should have moved, and I know this is all my fault,” Fluttershy cried out. “I was just so scared and I’m so sorry, Rainbow Dash! I know that probably doesn’t mean anything to you right now. I wish it did. I really do, but it doesn’t! And I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash! I’m so sorry…”

By the end of all that, Fluttershy had reduced to nothing but a sobbing husk. The heaves that came out of her mouth sounded so sad to Rainbow Dash. The quiet rage she had felt before leaked away slowly when she heard her oldest friend start sobbing. Ever the loyal one, she carefully picked her way over to where the sobbing pegasus lay and tapped her on the shoulder. She expected a reaction from the other pegasus, she just didn’t expect THIS kind of reaction. And, as crazy as it sounded, she felt guilty that she was the pony who caused it.

Without hesitation, Fluttershy pulled Rainbow Dash into her front hooves and sobbed into her shoulder. Rainbow Dash’s dull eyes widened as she felt the tears wet her fear. The raw emotion Fluttershy was pouring onto her was overwhelming, to say the least. She heard muffled cries and begs for forgiveness in between Fluttershy’s massive sobs. In truth, the situation was difficult for her to put together. It was more like a big blur than anything else. However, one element stood out in her mind.

Fluttershy was still her friend, even if she wasn’t ready to forgive her just yet. And right now, her friend needed comforting.

Slowly and hesitantly, she reached her front hooves out and wrapped them around Fluttershy’s midsection carefully. She felt tears begin to prick at the edges of her own eyes as she held her sobbing friend. But she held them back. She wouldn’t cry now. She still needed to keep up the image she had tried so desperately to reconstruct.

They stayed like that, and no pony interrupted them, thank Celestia. The room they were in must have had a door, and that door must have been closed. Or maybe soundproof. There was really no way for the cerulean pegasus to know for certain. But, it was definitely a good thing, for what pony would to see this scene? Two pegasi holding each other while one sobbed? As Pinkie Pie would say, boring! Still, even if it was somewhat boring for Rainbow Dash, it was still comforting, and provided her with what she needed. Closure. She was sure that Fluttershy thought of it differently, but to her it was just closure. She had talked to Fluttershy about this, and, with a bit of screaming and yelling, somewhat resolved it. Granted, it would take time for her to fully forgive Fluttershy. But she had a feeling that they could make it work.

Suddenly, and all too soon, she felt Fluttershy unwrap from her grasp. Rainbow Dash backed up a little to allow room for the pegasus to stand up.

“Thank you,” Fluttershy said, her voice still heavy from her earlier sobs.

Rainbow Dash smiled. “No problem.” Then, her tone got serious. “Fluttershy, I want you to know that we’re still friends, okay?”

There was no doubting what Fluttershy was feeling after she said that. Relief, optimism, joy, hope. It pained Rainbow Dash to put a damper on such happiness.

“But,” she began hesitantly.

“But?” Fluttershy echoed.

“But, I don’t think I’m ready to forgive you for what happened,” Rainbow Dash sighed.

“Oh…” She could just imagine the crestfallen look on Fluttershy’s face. Rainbow Dash could never stand it when the yellow pegasus was sad or upset, and no matter how mad she was with her, that would never change.

“Hey, cheer up, Fluttershy,” she said, inching closer to the disappointed pegasus. “Don’t cry again, please?”

“You’re right…” Fluttershy nodded glumly. “Thank you again, Rainbow Dash…I’m really glad you're my friend.”

Rainbow Dash smirked. “Yeah, I know,” she answered breezily. But, even though she brushed the comment off like it was nothing, she was glad that Fluttershy was so willing to still give their friendship another chance, even if she wasn’t. “Hey, do you want to get back to the party? It’ll be over if we stay down here any longer.”

“S-sure,” Fluttershy answered reluctantly. Rainbow Dash heard some little shuffles and gasped as she felt her pegasus friend lay a wing on her back. It was weird for her not to spread her wings when some pony was leading her around, but she would cope with it. It was really only for a short while, after all. Soon, the music was steadily getting louder as they walked forward. When they finally reached the main room of Sugarcube Corner, Rainbow Dash heard some pony call her name.

“There you are, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. She felt the pink pony embrace her tightly, taking her out of Fluttershy’s wing in one fell swoop. “I missed you!”

Rainbow Dash chuckled as Pinkie Pie squeezed her relentlessly. “Yeah…missed you too, Pinkie. How’s the party going?” the pegasus asked when Pinkie Pie finally let her go.

“It’s totally great! But you’re missing all the fun! Come on!” Pinkie Pie laughed, about to grab her hoof, but she was stopped by Fluttershy.

“Umm, Pinkie, I think it might be best if I lead her,” Fluttershy said, quickly scooping Rainbow Dash up in her wing once again.

“Oh, sure. That’s fine,” Pinkie Pie smiled.

Then they were off. Rainbow Dash listened to the happy chatter of various ponies as they walked, and acknowledged each of the ponies who said hello to her. As happy as she was to be the center of attention again, it was a new experience for her to have ponies gathered around her and not tell her that she was awesome every two seconds. But, at least it wasn’t a pity party like before.

By the end of the whole thing, Rainbow Dash had a complete and utter good time. She was so happy that she was surrounded by ponies who loved and supported her completely. Still, there were a few times in the night when she slipped up and made it look like she was helpless, but Twilight and the rest of her friends helped catch her when she did. Overall, it was one of the best parties she had been to in a while, and best of all, it was for her. That simple fact made it all the more enjoyable.

One by one, the ponies began leaving, but not without bidding Rainbow Dash goodnight and good luck before they did. She, in turn, thanked them for coming as well. In the span of just ten short minutes, she, her friends, and the cakes were the only ponies left. However, the cakes were upstairs putting their two foals to bed. So, that just left the six mares.

“Well, Ah think it’s about Ah hit the hay,” Applejack told them, a wide yawn dominating most of her face. “That was sure a great party, Pinkie.”

“Thanks, AJ!” Pinkie Pie acknowledged brightly.

The farm pony nodded, then took one last look at her friends before turning around and walking out the door. “Bye, gals!” she called over her shoulder.

They all waved goodbye as well. The others soon followed Applejack’s example. Once it was their turn to leave, right after Rarity and Fluttershy had said goodbye, Rainbow Dash leaned against Twilight as they began walking towards the door.

“Bye, Dashie,” Pinkie Pie said suddenly. “I’m really glad you came.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled nonchalantly. “No problem, Pinks,” she shrugged. “I really enjoyed it.” The smile on Pinkie Pie’s face must have been huge.

“Yes, thank you again, Pinkie,” Twilight said. All too suddenly, she began tugging the pegasus towards the door, but Rainbow Dash was happy to oblige. “We’re off too. Good night, Pinkie.”

“Night!” Pinkie Pie called out to the pair. “Don’t let the parasprites bite!”

There was a door slam soon after, and Pinkie Pie’s cheerful voice faded into the night.

As Twilight led her to their home, Rainbow Dash could feel herself becoming increasingly nervous. As much as she wanted to get home, she also wanted to tell Twilight how she felt, but she couldn’t seem get the words out. That wasn’t to say she didn’t try though. In fact, she had tried many times in the walk home, but every single attempt resulted in a constricted throat and Twilight asking her if she was okay, to which she would always respond with a choked ‘yes’. She cursed herself inwardly for being unable to utter a simple sentence.

“Well, we’re here,” Twilight said suddenly. “Home sweet home.”

“Already?” Rainbow Dash asked absentmindedly.

Twilight took that as something to be laughed at. The unicorn giggled for a few moments, then she led Rainbow Dash inside. Rainbow Dash kept her wing folded over Twilight’s back as the pair walked up the stairs into Rainbow Dash’s bedroom. The small trek was silent and nerve-wracking for Rainbow Dash, who wanted desperately to break the silence. There had just been too much of that for her lately. She was going to break it, she told herself, but that was much easier said than done. Luckily, Twilight broke it for her as the pegasus hopped onto her bed.

“That was a great party; Pinkie Pie really outdid herself on this one,” Twilight commented breezily as she joined Rainbow Dash up on the bed. “Don’t you think?”

“Yeah. I swear that she put something in the punch though,” the pegasus laughed, leaning her head back against the wall.

“Now that you mention it, the punch did have a weird after taste…” Twilight humored her quickly. They both shared a friendly laugh, then made light conversation about how the past days have been. It was only when Rainbow Dash asked a simple question that things began to get serious.

“It sure is quiet around here without Spike, huh, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked cautiously. She was treading in dangerous waters, that she was sure of, she just hoped she could stay afloat.

“Yeah…it sure is,” Twilight responded glumly. “He’s been gone for a while, hasn’t he?”

Rainbow Dash tried not to burst out laughing. “Twilight, it’s barely been a day.”

“Really?” Twilight squeaked out. There was something in Rainbow Dash’s mind that told her the unicorn’s face just turned a deep scarlet. “Well, it sure feels like it’s been a while.”

“Yeah…” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I wonder how the little guy’s doing.”

“I’m sure he’s doing fine, just fine,” Twilight hummed to herself worriedly. The bed began rocking, and Rainbow Dash got the feeling Twilight didn’t quite believe it herself.

“Twilight?” Rainbow Dash began, sitting up and putting a front hoof on her friend’s rigid shoulders. “Are you okay?”

Luckily for her, the unicorn took a deep breath. “Yes, I’m okay. I’m just…really worried about him. What if this wasn’t a good idea? What if…”

“Hey, Twilight, don’t go having another breakdown on me again, okay?” Rainbow Dash laughed breezily. Luckily, this lightened the mood considerably, and Rainbow Dash was able to work some consoling words into the conversation. “But don’t worry, he’ll be back before you know it.” Suddenly, she felt Twilight shrug her hoof away and, for a moment, thought she did something wrong. But that didn’t seem to be the case. In one swift motion, Twilight grabbed her blind friend by the shoulders and hugged her for a few quick moments.

“You always seem to know what to say, Rainbow,” Twilight laughed.

Rainbow Dash was about to question her sanity, but the tone Twilight was using sounded more than sincere. Did Twilight really mean that? She gulped and panicked when she felt Twilight let go of the embrace and began to get off the bed. What was she doing? She was wasting time, that’s what.

“Well, I should probably go and –”

“Wait!” Rainbow Dash interrupted, grabbing Twilight by the hoof just as the unicorn was hopping off.

Twilight hesitantly hopped back onto the bed beside her. “What is it, Rainbow? Is there something wrong?” she asked concernedly.

“You could say that…” Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath. Now that she had Twilight’s attention and it was just the two of them around, there was no excuse for her to not make the unicorn aware of the feelings she held for her. Besides, if she didn’t, she’d never hear the end of it from Rarity. Without further ado, she squeaked out, “I have to talk to you.”

“Okay,” Twilight answered warmly. “Go ahead.”

Rainbow Dash bit back a small chuckle. If only it would be that easy, Twilight, she thought. She had no idea what she was doing, but that never stopped her before. Taking a deep breath in, she began the long arduous process of confessing her feelings.

“Uh, I really don’t know how to say this…but…Twilight, you know that you’re my friend, right?” Rainbow Dash began.

“Of course,” Twilight replied without hesitation.

“And you’ll always be my friend, right…?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Definitely,” Twilight nodded immediately.

“Even If I had…uh…”

“Even if you had…?”

“Even if I had, oh I don’t know… let’s say…a huge crush on you.” The last part was spoken very quietly and very quickly, just in case Twilight wouldn’t be able to hear her. If she couldn’t, then she could just say that she forgot and that would be the end of it. Unfortunately, she wasn’t so lucky.

“Come again?” Twilight blurted out, her voice holding a tone of disbelief.

Here goes nothing, she thought as she took a shaky breath in.

“You know how you’ve been taking care of me for, like, ever now? I’m really grateful for that and everything, but…there’s something in there that’s a lot more than that, and I really…”

“Rainbow Dash…this doesn’t have anything to do with me saving you, does it?” Twilight asked, cutting her sentence to a premature end. To her surprise, Twilight sounded…heartbroken, almost. She certainly didn’t expect that to come out of the unicorn’s mouth so soon.

“No! Not at all! Well…maybe at the start it was, but now…now it’s different,” Rainbow Dash mumbled, struggling to get her words out.

“How so?” Twilight inquired.

Rainbow Dash grumbled to herself. It would sure be nice to see what expression Twilight was wearing right about now. But, she would just have to make do with the tone of her voice.

“I…I’m really not good at this thing, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash sighed. But, miraculously, the words started flowing out of her mouth at a rapid pace, hopefully not too rapid for Twilight though. “But, I just feel these things for you, and I really like them Twi. You make me really happy, and I want to make you happy too. You’re just…I can’t even begin to describe how amazing you are, Twilight. Inside and out. I just couldn’t see what was in front of my face the whole time until now. Yeah, it may have helped that you saved me and all that, but that’s just a circumstance, not the whole reason, you know? And I…” She was going to keep her speech up, but thought against it when she didn’t hear anything from Twilight. “…ugh, I’m making a fool out of myself, aren’t I?”

To her surprise and utmost relief, Twilight didn’t kick her out right then. Instead, she felt the unicorn slide up to her as she spoke.

“No,” Twilight said comfortingly. “I don’t think you are.”

“Really?” Rainbow Dash asked, her voice beaming with hope.

“Really,” Twilight repeated. “But…do you really mean all those things you said? About how you think I’m…”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash nodded, scratching the back of her head quickly. “I really do.”

She heard a faint chuckle from the unicorn. Briefly, she wondered why, but dismissed it. Things were going so much better than she had anticipated, there was no need to screw that up now. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh of relief as she felt Twilight lean up against her.

“So, is that why you’ve been acting nervous around me?” Twilight asked slyly.

That was a new one. Her wings popped upwards and she felt a huge burst of heat rise up to her cheeks. She quickly turned her head away anxiously and squeaked out, “Was I really that obvious?”

“Maybe…” Twilight answered slyly. Then, she heard a sigh. “But…I’m really flattered that you think about me in that way, Rainbow Dash. It’s just…well, it’s really quite new to me. I’ve never had any pony say that about me before.”

“I’m surprised,” Rainbow Dash blurted out. Luckily, this got a laugh from her friend.

“No, really! In Canterlot, no stallion would even come close to me! Well, except Shining Armor, but he’s my brother, so you can see why that didn’t work out,” Twilight told her. That got a short laugh out of both of them before Twilight continued on. “Rainbow Dash, you’re my friend, you may even be my best friend coming out of all this, but…”

Rainbow Dash listened with the most intensity she could muster, but as that last word flew out of Twilight’s mouth, she had to force herself to stay on the bed instead of jumping up and running straight out of the room. Twilight was totally going to turn her down and this was going to turn out to be a complete and total waste of time, she could feel it right now. But, that was okay, they would still be friends…hopefully. She tried to stay quiet as she listen for Twilight to continue, but, unfortunately, her fears got the best of her.

“You’re turning me down, aren’t you?” Rainbow Dash squeaked out shamefully, covering her head with her front hooves. Hopefully that would help Twilight not see the raging blush on her face. “I’m so sorry. This was a waste of time, and I’m so stupid and…”

“What?” Twilight gasped. “Oh no! Rainbow Dash! I’m not turning you down. I’m was just about to say that this is just a…rather new experience for me, and I’m probably not going to be very good at this... But, I’m willing to give it a try…especially if it’s for you.”

Rainbow Dash did a double take. She could feel her excitement building up to a point where she thought her heart might just explode out of her chest. Twilight was actually willing to give this a try, and just for her too. The very thought of that gave her an incredible sense of comfort and belonging. It seemed to be way too good to be true. The pegasus actually thought about kicking herself to see if this was a dream, but she quickly decided against that, for obvious reasons.

“And, I guess I’ve been feeling the same way for you too…” Twilight said, her sentence trailed off after the last word, and Rainbow Dash wondered why. “Although, I wasn’t sure exactly what the feeling was until you brought it up. There aren’t really many books on this kind of thing.” The unicorn laughed at her own joke, and Rainbow Dash did too. It was cute, after all. “You’re really amazing too, Rainbow Dash. I hope you know that.” By the end of her sentence, the two were leaning up against each other, and Rainbow Dash had even folded a wing overtop of Twilight’s back as a quiet display of affection. They were quiet for a little while after, just enjoying the presence of each other. But, even that was broken.

“So, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked as she slid closer to Twilight and leaned her head on the unicorn’s shoulder.

“Yes, Rainbow?” Twilight replied.

“Do you want to go out sometime?” The question seemed rather silly, and a little cheesy, but they both had to admit that it fit the mood pretty well.

“I would love to,” Twilight whispered happily. To Rainbow Dash’s surprise, the unicorn gave her a quick peck on the cheek. It was a small gesture, but it made Rainbow Dash blush harder than she had ever blushed.

“Awesome,” the pegasus smiled.

As the new couple sat there in silence, Rainbow Dash reflected on how much things had changed. From when she woke up that last morning when she could see, to when that dragon had come, to the very moment she was entrenched in, she thought about it. Everything seemed to have flipped upside down in a matter of seconds, and sometimes she still felt like she was in a dream, and at any moment she would wake up in her cloud bed, in her home up in the sky, and she would be able to see. The dragon attack wouldn’t have happened, and everything would be perfect once again.

But, there were also so many good things that had come from this. If some pony had told her that a few weeks ago, she most likely would have laughed and punched them in the face so hard they wouldn’t be able to stand back up again. Now though, she realized that life wasn’t just about flying and winning races all the time. As some wise old pony once said, it wasn’t about the destination, it was about the journey. She laughed at how cheesy that sounded.

“What’s so funny?” Twilight’s tired voice asked suddenly.

“Just thinking,” Rainbow Dash said. She stroked Twilight back with her wing once she realized that she had woken Twilight up from her light sleep. “Sorry about waking you up; didn’t realize you were sleeping.”

“It’s okay,” Twilight yawned quietly as she leaned her head against the pegasus. “Do you mind if I sleep here tonight?”

“Not at all,” Rainbow Dash happily responded.

“Thanks. Night,” Twilight said, leaning her head back up against the pegasus’ shoulders.

“Night, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash was silent afterwards as she listened for the sound of the unicorn’s heavy breathing. After a few minutes, she found it, and she was careful not to disturb it again.

So what if she couldn’t see and needed help with almost everything? She had great friends, and even a new relation to show for the journey she had just gone on. To some pony else, it wouldn’t seem like much, but to her it was monumental. It told her that she could conquer anything that might be thrown her way, even without her sight. And she would have her friend’s love and support, always.

Rainbow Dash closed her dull eyes and let her head lean on Twilight’s. She let her breathing slow as she felt the sweet embrace of unconsciousness begin to creep up to her. Rainbow Dash ceased her wing from stroking Twilight’s back, and opted for letting it rest there gently. It was probably going to be sore in the morning, but she could deal with that when the morning sun burst over the horizon.

Just before sleep carried her away to the never ending land of dreams, a thought tugged on her mind. A thought that she never dreamed she would think again.

Life was good.

Epilogue

Epilogue

“…Your loyal subject, Rainbow Dash. That sound good, Twi?”

“It’s perfect, Dash.”

Rainbow Dash sighed as she felt Twilight nuzzle her cheek affectionately. Over the last few weeks, the two had been growing closer and closer, and with their relationship growing stronger as each day passed, they could now officially call themselves a couple. But, as amazing as it had been to the both of them, it hadn’t been the easiest of experiences. Still, the pair had been through more trying times.

And, while their new relationship had blossomed, Rainbow Dash had been getting much better at flying blind. She had been awesome at it before, if she said so herself, but now she was even better, and that was all thanks to Twilight. Well, her other friends had helped as well, but Twilight had done the most. Each day they had kept working on what they had once thought to be impossible, and each day they kept improving at it. Rainbow Dash wasn’t perfect yet, and she was nowhere near at the level she once was, but she could happily say that she was steadily getting there. Even so, she still had those occasional times when she would miss something and end up with her face in a tree trunk or buried in a hole in the ground. But that didn’t stop her.

To add to the situation, Ponyville had started to accept that she was now blind, and they had begun to think much less of it than before. Now, it had become part of the norm. However, there were those occasional odd glances or the whispered remark. Luckily Rainbow Dash had learned not to pay too much attention to that minority.

Overall, things were returning to normal in Equestria (or as normal as they could be) and Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle couldn’t be happier.

Rainbow Dash sat carefully on her stomach, holding Tank in between her front hooves. She had been asked by Twilight if she could possibly write a letter to Princess Celestia about what she had learned throughout this whole experience. At first she had asked why.

“Because, Dash,” Twilight had said. “I’m sure that Princess Celestia would love to hear what you have to say about this little lesson on friendship.”

Ever the loyal one, the pegasus accepted. And, since she couldn’t exactly write one herself, Twilight had taken on the role of writing it whilst Rainbow Dash dictated what she wanted the letter to say. But, the unicorn was glad to do it.

“Wow, Dash,” Twilight said as she scanned over the scroll. “I didn’t know you could be so literate.”

“What can I say?” Rainbow Dash laughed, tossing her bangs off her face. “I’m full of surprises.”

Twilight grinned and moved a bit closer to Rainbow Dash. “I know,” she whispered slyly as she felt the wing of the blind pegasus wrap around her tenderly. “And that’s why I love you.”

The sentence sent a rush down Rainbow Dash’s spine. That became even more intense as she felt her fillyfriend nibble gently on her ear. Twilight did this sometimes, and it was always a pleasurable experience for Rainbow Dash. Not just because her ears were rather sensitive, but because it was a little gesture of Twilight’s feelings for her. All too soon, she felt the pressure from before disappear, but that wasn’t to say Twilight went anywhere.

“Well, that was painless enough. Now, all we have to do is send it,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Yeah…” Twilight agreed absentmindedly.

Rainbow Dash winced when she heard the silence that followed. Of course she said that. Of course she said the one thing that would cause Twilight to stay silent for an extensively long period of time. Quickly, she went into damage control mode.

“Uh, say, Twilight…do you want to do…something?” she asked quickly, hoping the awkward offer would break the tension.

Twilight glanced at the pegasus suspiciously for a few tense moments. But, she let the gaze drop almost as quickly as it had come around. She rolled the scroll up and put it on the desk just in front of the couch they were both seated in.

“No, not particularly,” Twilight assured. “Why do you ask?”

Rainbow Dash let out an audible sigh of relief and Twilight felt the pegasus deflate just a bit. It was actually amusing when she did that.

“No reason,” the pegasus answered breezily as she shrugged her shoulders. “Just thought it was getting cramped in here, that’s all.”

“Well, do you want to do something?” Twilight asked.

“Nah, I’m fine.”

Twilight decided to leave it at that. She let her head rest on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder carefully, just enjoying the company of her beloved. It was an odd thought that she was dating Rainbow Dash. Never did she think that they would ever go beyond friendship, but she was certainly glad that they had taken the chance. Rainbow Dash made her feel genuinely loved, and she adored the pegasus for that. But there were so many other reasons why she loved Rainbow Dash. If she wanted to, and if she had the desire to, she could probably write a book about what the many dazzling features the pegasus had to offer, but that could be saved for another day.

“Hey, Rainbow?” Twilight asked suddenly as she felt the pegasus rest her chin softly on her forehead.

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled softly and pulled her fillyfriend closer. No matter how cheesy this may have looked, or how cheesy it may have felt, it never got old to her.

“Love you too, Twi,” she replied softly, giving the unicorn a soft kiss on the forehead.

Just as silence had taken over the Library, a careful albeit excited knock was heard. Twilight groaned and gently got to her feet. Rainbow Dash helped her by lifting her wing up and stretching it. The sudden air from Twilight’s movements felt good to her sensitive feathers and she kept it outstretched even as she heard Twilight slowly walk away from her. She only put it down when she felt Tank gently nudge her chin. Rainbow Dash sighed and let him nuzzle it.

Tank had just recently been dropped off by Fluttershy at Rainbow Dash’s request. As far as the pegasus was concerned, it was much too long since she had last been with her faithful pet. She had silently swore that she would never neglect her pet again after such a long period of being away from him.

Soon, she heard a door slam and hoofsteps walking back to her.

“Who was it?” she asked curiously.

“Just the mail pony,” Twilight grumbled as she plopped back onto the couch and once again snuggled up to Rainbow Dash.

“He got backed up again?” Rainbow Dash wondered out loud. “What time is it?”

“About seven in the morning,” Twilight sighed. “The mail service usually comes around six.”

That was certainly interesting, but still not all that unexpected.

“Again?” Rainbow Dash asked as she pulled Twilight closer to her with her wing once again. “This is, like, the third time this week. And I still can’t believe you got me up this early.”

“It’s not that early,” Twilight grumbled.

She could feel the bitter annoyance radiating off Twilight in waves. For some pony who was used to being so organized and liked things to be both on time and right when they were delivered, the delays of the mail pony must be driving her crazy. It didn’t take a genius to know that.

“But, that’s the worst part of it,” Twilight replied in annoyance. She slapped her head into her front hooves and closed her eyes. “I would probably be a bit more understanding if this hadn’t become a regular thing for the mail service.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t keep in a lighthearted chuckle. Twilight, whether or not she believed it, was cute when she was agitated.

“Don’t worry,” Rainbow Dash soothed as she nuzzled Twilight’s cheek. “I’m sure that this is just a one-time thing; they’ll get back on time soon…hopefully.”

Unfortunately, Twilight didn’t seem to be swayed so easily.

“I’m not so sure, Rainbow,” Twilight told her skeptically. “From the patterns that they’ve shown this week, and not to mention last week and the week before that, the possibility that they’ll get any sense of time back is incredibly unlikely.”

The pegasus rolled her dull eyes and patted Twilight front hoof gently.

“Have you ever heard of speaking in plain English, Twilight?” she teased.

“Shut up,” Twilight replied.

Rainbow Dash laughed and moved her hoof away. She was thinking about suggesting that they go out and get some dinner from a local eatery. That always helped cheer Twilight up when she was irritable like this. There was no reason for it not to work now.

“Why don’t we…”

She was interrupted.

A sharp knock was heard.

“Oh come on!” Twilight groaned as she got up off the couch once again in an agitated rush. She raced over to the door, fully expecting the mail pony from before to come forward and admit that he had forgotten to give her something. Again. “If this is that stupid mail pony, Dash, Celestia help me I will…”

Twilight trailed off unexpectedly as Rainbow Dash heard the door swing open.

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow with curiosity when she didn’t hear an enraged Twilight tell the innocent mail pony to screw off.

“Hey, Twilight?” she called out. “Who’s at the door?”

“Oh, is that you, Rainbow?” a strange voice asked. “Didn’t think that you’d be up so early.”

Her jaw fell to the floor.

“So,” Spike asked nonchalantly as he stood in the doorway of the Library completely unharmed, save for a few minor scratches. “What’d I miss?”

Just Give Me A Reason

Chapter thirteen: Just Give Me A Reason

“Is everything alright, dear? You seem quieter than usual.”

Always being the one to keep her promises, Rarity had invited Fluttershy to the spa for a little get together. However, when Rarity had initially offered, the pegasus had declined, but after some careful prompts, Fluttershy had given in. After all, she had been inside her house long enough, the pegasus figured. Besides, there was no need to break the weekly tradition the two friends shared.

This particular tradition had been in place ever since Fluttershy had moved to Ponyville from Cloudsdale several years ago. Once every week they would get together for some relaxation at Aloe and Lotus’ spa. It had always been like that, except for last week. Last week they didn’t have any time for trips since their friend was in life-threatening condition for a few days, then in a coma for the next few days. It had taken a toll on both of them, not to mention their other friends, but Fluttershy had taken it the hardest. That was understandable. Who wouldn’t be sad if their oldest friend basically died then became blind, and they believed it was all their fault? Rarity knew she would feel horribly depressed. Still, that wasn’t an excuse to wallow in pity and not get out and do something.

She was one to talk, wasn’t she?

The two were sitting in the steam room of the building, and it had been much too quiet for Rarity’s tastes. In fact, it had been like that for most of the trip. Not that it wasn’t quiet usually, this time it was… more or less silent. Almost no words came out of Fluttershy’s mouth. In a way, it unnerved Rarity to see one of her best friends like this. But, it made her even more determined to make right what had been wronged.

“Fluttershy?” she asked again. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Um…” Fluttershy began, looking down at the ground intently.

Well, it was a start.

“Yes?” Rarity pressed on, hoping that she could prompt the answer out of her yellow friend. It had worked this morning, so it was worth a try.

“Um…I’m feeling fine, Rarity. Thank you for asking,” Fluttershy said. “And thank you for taking me to the spa…I know that you’re probably very busy, so it was very considerate of you to – ”

“No, no, it was my pleasure,” Rarity assured, gently touching her friend on the shoulder. Sadly, Fluttershy shied away from the touch just a bit, but seemed to tolerate it. “Besides, I’m not very busy right now; I made sure of that this week.”

Fluttershy knew what she was talking about, but Rarity couldn’t see her react to it. So, she decided to keep the conversation going to the best of her ability.

“How have you been lately? I imagine that staying inside your house for that long has really taken a toll on you,” she assumed. “Staying inside for too long is never good for any pony’s complexion; I mean, you’re just cooped up inside without any fresh air. Ugh, I could never do that…” Rarity rambled, turning this into a rather one-sided conversation.

Fluttershy didn’t really mind though. She never minded. As long as her friend was enjoying herself. But, while Rarity was going on and on about random things involving fashion and one’s figure, she decided to think for a little while, or at least until Rarity was done. She knew what Rarity had brought her here for. It was about Rainbow Dash. It was about getting her to talk to Rainbow Dash, something she had not done in over a week. To be frank, Fluttershy had just tried to avoid THINKING about Rainbow Dash for the week. She was ashamed over that fact. She should be there for her friend in this harsh time for her, but she just couldn’t make herself do it. Fluttershy had tried so hard, but she just couldn’t do it. She was too scared, she was just too scared to face the friend she had involuntarily killed, and then blinded.

“Fluttershy the scaredy-pony; she can’t even stand up and help her friend,” she thought bitterly.

“What do you think about that?” Rarity asked suddenly. She had her front legs crossed over her chest and had an irritated look on her face.

Fluttershy blushed. “Um…could you repeat that…?” she asked timidly. “If that’s not too much trouble for you, t-that is.”

Rarity sighed. “You weren’t listening, were you?” she asked matter-of-factly, as if she already knew the answer before Fluttershy even said anything.

“…no, I wasn’t,” Fluttershy sighed, biting her lip. “I’m sorry, Rarity, I’ve…just been so distracted recently. Maybe I need more sleep,” she suggested to herself, shrugging her shoulders and leaning back against the wall of the steam room. The cold wood felt awkward on her skin since the surroundings were so warm, but she quickly got used to the strange sensation.

“That’s quite alright, darling. I fully understand,” Rarity nodded, sitting back in the same manner that Fluttershy had. She jumped a bit, and Fluttershy guessed that she had felt the sudden coldness of the wood as well. The only difference was that Rarity joked about it. “Cold, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yes,” Fluttershy agreed, chuckling for just a moment. Then it occurred to her. That was the first time she had smiled this week. For some reason, she felt ashamed of herself.

“Now…you most likely know the reason I brought you here, correct? Other than to relax and catch up?” Rarity asked, getting straight down to the point of the little escapade. The unicorn had figured that the small talk had reached the end stage , and she set out to accomplish what she had originally come here for.

“Yes…” Fluttershy confirmed, audibly gulping in anticipation. Already she could just hear what kind of comments Rarity would make. She wasn’t ready for this, not by a long shot. However, she knew that she had to face this eventually, and now was just as good a time as any other. She couldn’t just avoid Rainbow Dash forever.

“Good,” Rarity smiled, though she seemed hesitant to continue. Fluttershy sighed, this was just going to be like the conversation she had with Twilight, wasn’t it? It would start out nice and friendly, but then it would end with some pony (most likely her) breaking down into tears and sobbing for all of five minutes or more. But, she went along with it. There was no use in failing another friend. With that thought in mind, she listened intently as Rarity began.

“Now, before I begin, I want to say that we all care for you, and that we love you, no matter what may have happened. And I’m sure that Rainbow Dash does not blame you for what happened. Even if she does, I am sure that she’ll be able to forgive you if you just talk to her, ” Rarity assured, scooting closer to her friend.

Fluttershy sighed. She found that hard to believe.

“I-I know…I just think she hates me now…” the pegasus muttered, moving her head away from her friend.

Rarity sighed heavily. She knew she had to take this slow, and to help Fluttershy through this dark time, but how she was going to do that escaped her. Even though she wasn’t quite sure how just was going to do this, she knew that it was going to take hard work, determination, and, above all, patience. But, she had a feeling that it was all going to pay off in the end if she just kept working at it.

“Of course she doesn’t. What makes you say that?” Rarity asked softly.

“Well…I took away everything important to her. I took away her flying, and her sight, and…and I killed her, Rarity. She’s only alive…because of Twilight…” Fluttershy sighed, her lower lip trembling with her efforts to keep her emotions locked together. This was becoming increasingly difficult for her, however. The entire week had tested her patience and emotions greatly, and they were all threatening to spill over the fragile dam she had so bravely built.

“Oh,” Rarity gasped, grasping the meaning of what Fluttershy was trying to say.

“And while Twilight was busy saving her…I…I did nothing. I just say there crying and-and useless, and scared out of my mind…I just didn’t know what to do…” By the time she was finished, her voice had trailed off into desperate whimpers, and she began shaking, her eyes filling to the brim with wet, salty tears. She remembered how helpless she felt, holding onto the hoof of the recently deceased Rainbow Dash while Twilight began to use the spell she said would save Rainbow Dash from utter destruction. She remembered those dead, dull eyes staring at her, torturing her with their horrid judgmental stares. She remembered how cold Rainbow’s limp hoof felt in her own.

She remembered just how terrified she was.

She remembered how much she wanted to run away, to leave this place and find a shelter to cry all her troubles away and shield her from the harsh reality that was life. But she also remembered how she couldn’t do that, how she wouldn’t do that. Rainbow Dash would never do that to her, so why should she do it? She had to be brave, she had to stay there with her closest friend.

She remembered everything so clearly.

But there was nothing more that she wanted than to just forget that whole disastrous night.

The whole time Fluttershy was caught up in her memories, Rarity had been sitting there, watching her patiently and silently. It had been news to her that Twilight had saved Rainbow Dash, and she was growing rather curious about that little tidbit of information, but she would ask Twilight about that later. As she sat there, she was given some rare insight as to what Fluttershy was truly feeling underneath the surface. By the way her lip was trembling, how her eyes were slowly starting to become red with tears, and how her cheeks were starting to moisten from the tears flowing down the pegasus’ face, it was starting to become clear to Rarity what exactly the pegasus was thinking. She was trying to be brave for all of them, but knew that she was fighting a losing battle. It was only a matter of time until the barricades came crashing down.

She had to fight against the urge to run up and sweep her shy friend into a hug right then and there. The unicorn wasn’t sure whether or not Fluttershy wanted to be touched, and Rarity would not make her friend uncomfortable by giving her something she didn’t want. So, she gave Fluttershy time.

So they stayed like that for a while. One friend trying hard not to cry her eyes out, and the other just trying to be a good friend. But, finally, Fluttershy took a deep breath and started to speak once again.

“I-I was just so…s-scared that Rainbow would die, and she DID. She DID die. And…and I couldn’t do anything…I-I’ve never ever been so terrified in my life, but I’ve never wanted to help some…some pony more than I did then, but I was scared that I would mess something up if I did,” Fluttershy gulped. Her front hooves were hovering above her cheeks and her eyes were screwed shut in what looked like concentration. “I tried to help before Twilight got there…but I...couldn’t do anything! I’ve never d-d-dealt with anything as serious as this before…so…I froze,” the pegasus said, crying heavily, but not sobbing quite yet.

Rarity slowly moved over and wrapped her front legs around the heaving pegasus. Luckily, Fluttershy seemed utterly grateful for the comforting embrace, and grabbed Rarity with all she had, desperate for something to cling onto. Rarity was more than happy to be that source of comfort for her dear friend.

“Is everything alright in here?” an accented voice called out, followed by a series of knocks on the door.

“Yes! Everything’s fine!” Rarity called back, not letting go of her crying friend.

After she said this, she heard something that resembled a ‘yes’ and some hoofsteps outside the door. Whoever was there must have gone away. Rarity sighed and turned back to Fluttershy. To her relief, the pegasus was wiping her eyes with her front right leg and sniffling quietly.

“Do you feel any better?” Rarity asked, reluctantly letting go of her friend.

Slowly and unsurely, Fluttershy nodded in confirmation.

“Yes…I think I feel a bit better,” Fluttershy said, smiling through the last residue of her tears.

Rarity smiled and scooped Fluttershy into another, much stronger, hug. “Oh, that’s wonderful, darling! I’m so proud of you.” The way she said that was much like the tone she used when Sweetie Belle did something incredibly cute. At least Fluttershy found it amusing.

“Thank you, Rarity,” Fluttershy smiled, returning the hug to the best of her ability in Rarity’s vice-like grip. Once the unicorn let go of her, Fluttershy took a deep breath.

“Ummm…how is Rainbow Dash anyway?” she asked nervously. “She is okay, right?”

Rarity had a bemused smile plastered on her face. “Yes, she’s just fine,” she assured. “I do believe that Twilight brought her home from the hospital today, actually.”

“Home? But, she can’t go up to her cloud house, can she?” Fluttershy asked, a bit confused.

Rarity raised her eyebrow, but that quickly vanished to wherever it had initially come from. “Oh, no. I’m sorry. What I meant was that Rainbow Dash will be staying with Twilight from…now on,” Rarity explained. It still felt weird whenever she said that. Things just seemed so different now, but that was perfectly justifiable.

Fluttershy gave a genuine smile. “That’s nice that she’s out of the hospital…she doesn’t like hospitals at all,” she said.

“I don’t blame her. Have you seen those curtains?” Rarity laughed. The unicorn smiled even more when Fluttershy joined in. It was nice to hear the shy pegasus laugh again after it being missing from her eardrums for so long.

“I hope she’ll be fine without flying. It meant so much to her…” Fluttershy said sadly after their little bout of laughter. She then gazed at her own wings with a thoughtful smile. Even those she didn’t use them like Rainbow Dash or most other pegasi did, she still valued them. They helped her tend to the birds and other sky-dwelling critters. She couldn’t imagine what would happen to those poor animals if she couldn’t get to them to help them.

Rarity coughed just once. She was getting tired of saying this so often. “Actually, she’s able to fly, just not as well as she used to. Besides, Twilight and I are thinking up ways to help her fly again,” she said. Fluttershy gasped and her mouth formed into a small ‘o’ shape.

“Wow…have you told her yet?” Fluttershy asked.

“Not just yet. We plan on doing that a little bit later. Perhaps…when she settles in a little bit more,” Rarity replied.

“That’s really kind of you, Rarity. I think she’ll like that very much,” Fluttershy smiled dreamily.

The unicorn nodded and was just about to change the subject, when she suddenly thought of something that would most likely benefit all of them. It was a longshot, but it was worth a try.

“Fluttershy?” she began.

“Yes, Rarity?” Fluttershy replied, gazing at the unicorn curiously.

“Do you think it would be possible if you helped us with this…project, of sorts?” Rarity asked cautiously. When Fluttershy’s surprised expression didn’t fall after a few seconds, she continued. “A pegasus like you will help immensely with this kind of thing. You have wings, something of which neither Twilight nor myself have, and you know Rainbow Dash better than all of us.”

Fluttershy looked like she was thinking it over.

“Please, Fluttershy? I know that you and Rainbow Dash aren’t on the best terms at the moment, but this could really benefit the both of you,” she urged, almost begging at this point. She was sure that this could work if they all tried to do it, but if Fluttershy didn’t approve of this, their chances of success might have just lowered a bit. But, to her happiness, Fluttershy nodded in agreement a few tense moments later.

“Okay, I’ll do it…but I’m not sure how much help I’ll be; you know I’m not that strong of a flyer,” Fluttershy said hesitantly, biting her lip and looking back down at the ground.

“Oh, thank you so much, Fluttershy!” Rarity smiled, looking relieved. “You have no idea how happy Twilight will be when she hears this, and let us not forget Rainbow Dash!” As she went on, she seemed to miss the look of pain that occurred whenever Rainbow Dash’s name was mentioned. It wasn’t incredibly noticeable, but it wasn’t quite unnoticeable either. Fluttershy was just trying her hardest not to let her friend notice it. When Rarity was finished, Fluttershy was smiling softly.

“That sounds wonderful, Rarity. I’m sure Rainbow will love it,” she nodded. Then, she got up off the bench she was sitting in. “Can we leave now? I think we’re a bit over our time limit.”

Rarity’s eyes widened. She gasped audibly and followed the pegasus’ example by standing up as well. “I do believe you’re right,” she said, lifting a hoof up to her face. “And I’m getting all pruny too…”

Fluttershy giggled softly. She turned around and pushed the door open softly. The rush of cold air that hit them as the door opened fully was overwhelming and freezing. But mostly freezing, even though it was room temperature. Then again, they had been in a hot, steamy room for over thirty minutes, so any pony in their situation would have thought it was cold. As they exited, Lotus came over to them.

“So, how was it? To your liking, yes?” the spa pony asked, taking the towels that were wrapped around the two ponies heads and putting them away quickly.

“Yes, it was lovely…t-thank you very much,” Fluttershy said, Rarity nodding in agreement.

“It was our pleasure, Ms. Fluttershy! Anything to help the customer, as we say,” Lotus smiled. “Are you two finished?”

“Yes, I believe we are,” Rarity said for both of them. Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “How many bits do I owe you?”

“Oh, zat will be…” Lotus thought, trotting over to the register and punching something in. After she had found whatever it was she was trying to find out, she turned back to them. “Zat will be twenty bits.”

Rarity nodded and took out the required amount of cash from her saddlebags lying neatly in the corner of the room. She gave them to Lotus and began making her way to the front of the spa with Fluttershy following closely behind her. As she opened the door she saw Lotus wave goodbye from the corner of her eye. She responded with a wave of her own, and soon they were back in the center square of Ponyville.

“Would you like to come over to the boutique for an early lunch?” Rarity asked, batting her long eyelashes innocently. “Sweetie Belle’s out with her friends and I’m awfully lonely.”

Fluttershy agreed without hesitation. “I’d love to, Rarity,” she said as they began walking towards their destination.

“Wonderful!” the unicorn replied, smiling happy to her.

They both chatted quietly as they walked slowly to Rarity’s boutique. But, as they passed one particular building, Fluttershy stopped suddenly and her ears shot back against her skull. Rarity was startled by the behavior the pegasus was showing her, but she quickly understood when she saw what Fluttershy was looking at.

There stood the Library, right in front of them. To any pony else on the street, this wouldn’t seem intimidating, but to Fluttershy it was. Because in that building stood the product of one of the biggest mistakes of her life. She couldn’t bear to look at it for more than a few more seconds, before quickly turning her head in the other direction and taking off at a trot towards Rarity’s boutique.

Surprised by her quick getaway, Rarity followed suite, though much more sloppily. However, Fluttershy was way ahead of her. So she had to speed up to a canter to catch up to the pegasus. When she finally caught up to her, Fluttershy had her head pointed straight and her eyes focused on where she was going.

“Are you alright, Fluttershy?” There was really no point in asking that since she already knew the answer.

“…I’ll feel much better when we get away from there,” Fluttershy answered quietly. “I’m just not ready yet.”

Rarity narrowed her eyebrow slightly as they reached the front door of the boutique. She held the door open for the pegasus, who gratefully stepped inside. After she had let herself in, Rarity closed the door and turned back to Fluttershy curiously.

“Darling, I’m afraid I have to ask…” she began hesitantly. “If you aren’t ready now, when will you be?”

Fluttershy looked caught off-guard for a few moments, but recovered quickly. After a long sigh, she finally spoke.

“I don’t know, Rarity. I just don’t know.”