Vaguely Familiar.

Chapters

Crab claws and bottles of rum.
Ruddy apple, ruddy cheek.
Dancing in the shallows of a river.
Willing to sell for one shilling.
The scream becomes a yawn.
Twinkle, twinkle all the night.
In splintered skeleton I roam.
A gasoline gut with a vaseline mind.
Pease porridge in the pot .
One night to speed up truth.
Iron and steel will bend and bow.
Wednesdays child

Crab claws and bottles of rum.

"I actually find it all quite fascinating. To think that Frau Flattery herself designed their off-season uniforms. Frau is no spring pigeon. You can't just hire the woman. The very idea they have that kind of clout is shocking. There's so much more to this aeronautic business than I previously thought."

"That's great n' all Rare but uh.....what does that have to do with Dash?"

Applejack had been called over for one of her midweek visits to the Carousel Boutique, which doubled as both a dressmaking facility and Rarity's home where she lived with her little sister. Rarity as usual was all dolled up, in a ruffled gown and yellow flowered hat. Applejack arrived as she often did, fast, bare, and somewhat annoyed. Over the last two hours Rarity had done nothing but chat about the magazine she had accidentally taken from Rainbow Dash's home. "Pony Pilot" wasn't exactly a popular or even particularly well written magazine, with a very small niche audience of ponies with a particular interest in aerial acrobatics, combat, and planes. But it was particularly nosy, able to glean info about practically any celebrity in the pegasus community. Perfectly apt for gossip, which was one of Rarity's favorite past-times. Applejack never really partook in gossip, but being a relatively quiet pony made her a very good listener. Which worked well since Rarity was quite fond of speaking and hearing herself speak. She lowered the magazine with an impatient pout on her face.

"Ugh! Don't you see, Applejack? The poor dear has lost her confidence entirely with this accident. Gone is the brash confident mare we once knew. Replaced by a traumatized and frightened filly who doesn't know if she'll ever fly again!"

"Yeah.....and.....?"

"She needs motivation. Something to get her spirits up. You know once her injuries heal she's going to just mope around on the couch afterwards feeling awful and scared."

"How do ya know she's scared?"

"When she got off the couch yesterday so that Pinkie and I could clean her wounds, there was this look in her eye. I may not have the doctorates of Twilight Sparkle but I know vertigo when I see it. I guarantee you if she tries to fly she's going to be more frightened than ever."

"Makes sense I suppose. If'n I had all my skin burnt off in a bullridin' accident I'd never wanna ride a bull again."

"I'm sure the bull wouldn't want to participate again either. Anyway, I have a have an idea to give Dash a little confidence boost. Pinkie Pie and I have already had a small talk with the Wonderbolts to arrange a little surprise for her. I'm going to design her a flight suit. Something sleek and sultry yet dangerous-looking. Something to hide her scars."

"She'd like that, I reckon. Remember that space suit she had you make for her when Hoity Toity came to town? That gave me a good laugh."

Rarity frowned. "I'd rather like to forget all those costumes."

"Well I already know what I'm gonna do to cheer her up." Applejack said, puffing out her chest and beaming proudly.

"Do tell, dear."

"I already asked Pinkie to have her come down to Sweet Apple Acres for dinner on Friday. Let her stay the night with me n' Pinkie n' Applebloom. Like a sleepover 'cept of course we don't get any sleep cause we're too busy talkin' and havin' fun."

"That sounds delightful, actually."

"Would you n' Sweetie wanna come too, Rare? Granny's gonna whip up some o' her famous deep fried pickles. Hoof-lickin' good."

"Save me a seat. Don't be surprised if I can't make it, however. I'm designing a whole weddings worth of dresses this week for the Summer Saddle Show in Canterlot. I regret taking the job and I haven't even started yet."

"Well shoot I'll save y'all some and bring 'em over next time I visit."

"Thank you, Applejack. That's very considerate of you."

Rarity picked the magazine back up again and began to read it aloud as she had before. Previously the unicorn hadn't much interest in the whole sports thing. Particularly when it came to pegasus sports. But finding out that it linked up to the fashion industry was enough to plant a seed of curiosity in her mind. Applejack for the most part couldn't care less about pegasus sports, or for that matter Rainbow's obsession with the Wonderbolts. In fact in Applejack's very honest opinion, Rainbow was a far more impressive flier than any of those smug celebrities. But she kept that sort of thought to herself. Far be it from her to rain on the parade of someone else or undermine the power of a childhood dream. She preferred to keep folks around her happy and peaceful. She leaned back in her chair, more than content to listen to the beautiful unicorn sitting across from her drone on for another hour.

******************************************

Blueberry pancakes are pretty great. That's the mantra that seemed to repeat itself over and over repeatedly inside the chaotic sea that was the mind of Pinkie Pie. Not that blueberry pancakes were the BEST pancakes but they were most certainly in the top 10. Possibly even the top 5. And the best part of them of course was the blueberries themselves, picked fresh from Sweet Apple Acres. While the first two pancakes had been rather humble, once Pinkie had fully understood just how good the berries were, the recipe had changed dramatically. Now the items were more fruit than dough and might as well simply have been fried patties of berry. Not that it was wrong, really. As the pink mare watched the stack of flapjacks slowly grow larger, she remembered something Mrs.Cake had told her once.

'The fastest way to a pony's heart is through their stomach.'

Truly sage wisdom. If there had ever been an award for philosophical brilliance, Mrs.Cake would have brought home every award. Truly there was nobody wiser than Mrs.Cake. She was simply the best there is. And with this philosophy in mind Pinkie decided she was going to ensure every meal Dash got while she was out of commission was fantastic. Nothing could chase the blues away quite like a good meal, and Pinkie was going to prove that as hard as she possibly could. After dropping a few berries to the floor to feed Tank, she balanced the plate of pancakes on the tip of her snout, skipping happily over the couch where Dash had been sleeping. The injure athlete had been awake for about half an hour, and strangely silent.

"What uh....are those?" Dash asked as she gawked at the plate of steaming blue rotationally symmetrical blobs that had placed in front of her.

"Pancakes!" Pinkie chirped. "Of the blueberry sort."

Dash leaned down and took a few bites of the steaming mess before lying onto her stomach and snorting. Pinkie cocked her head to the side as she watched.

"Don't like them?"

"I'm too tired to eat right now, Pinks."

"Do you want me to turn out the lights so you can sleep."

"That's not gonna help."

Dash pushed herself back into a sitting position again. With a small angry grunt she pulled at the cone on her neck, trying to wrench it free before giving out an exasperated sigh and falling back down.

"I can't sleep with this friggin'.....THING.....on me, Pinkie."

"Well...maybe we can try to arrange your pillows differently so you can be more comfortable? Or we could get you new pillows! Or or we could put the pillows into the cone so matter which direction you look there will be a pillow there."

"Pinkie this would probably upset the others but....I'm asking you please....as a friend...can you please please take this thing off my neck?"

Pinkie bit her lip. Now this was a request she wasn't sure if she could even legally fulfill. The doctors had been pretty specific about the intent of the cone. If she removed it they'd be very upset with her. And if Dash tried to bite her wings again after the cone had been removed all her friends would be even MORE upset with her. Pinkie sat in thought for a moment, weighing her options. In a way, perhaps removing the cone would bring Dash some comfort and help her mood brighten up. On the other hoof, maybe Dash WANTED to bite her wings again and this was her clever way of trying to access them by removing the one thing keeping her from nipping. It would be heartbreaking if that happened again.

"Dashie....if I do this can you promise me you wont try to hurt yourself again? Cause I think that you're supposed to keep this thing on until your thinking juices are less sad. And I don't want you to end up not being able to fly."

"I can't promise anything, pal." Dash said looking at the carpet. "I'm gonna be honest, I still....feel it. You know? I still feel like trying to tear them off. Even after all this. Rarity says I'm not crazy but....I don't think non-crazy ponies are supposed to have these thoughts. But I can't really make them go away."

Pinkie looked into Dash's eyes as she thought about it. At least Dash was being honest about the intent. There was nothing but frankness in those scarlet eyes. There was sadness there too, but that was to be expected at this point. Dark rings around her eyes showing truly just how tired she was. Pinkie nodded slightly before climbing around behind Rainbow Dash. The small round latch that kept the bent halves of the cone together sat a few inches up from the base. With as gentle of a motion as she could, Pinkie bit onto it, turning it to the side until a soft click could be heard. The seam on the back of the cone opened wide, and with a bit of scuffed fur and difficulty, the small end had been pulled around Dash's head. It fell with a soft plop onto the couch. Dash immediately stretched her head from her shoulders, bending it this way and that to be sure she felt comfortable again.

She flopped back onto the couch, letting out a small content sigh that she could once again snuggle up against the soft sheets without feeling the plastic monstrosity biting into her neck or pushing her cheek up against her lower eyelids.

"Thank you, Pinkie."

She let out a loud yawn. Pinkie tried her best not to smile. Watching Dash yawn was so cute. But this was a serious moment and it was time for a serious question. Pinkie climbed back around to the other side of the plate of pancakes, giving Dash a small prod on the forehead to garner her attention. The cyan mare's eyes flicked open as she glanced up into the very serious face of a very serious Pinkie Pie.

"Rainbow Dash I need you to answer me something." Pinkie commanded, using Dash's full name instead of the nickname she generally went with. A sure sign that Pink pony wasn't foolin' around. "Why did you do it, huh? Why'd you try tearing all your feathers out when we were just trying to keep you happy and safe? Didn't you think about us? How much it'd make us sad if you hurt yourself?"

"I'd already hurt so many ponies, Pinkie." Dash said in a low tone. "I injured ponies. Innocent ones. And it's all cause I didn't listen to AJ and Twilight. Now there's ponies in hospitals because of me. Ponies who might die because of me."

"How does tearing your feathers all out help them?"

"It doesn't. But I can prevent it from happening again. I've always been accident prone. Always been such a screw-up. But this is different, ya know? It's affecting others now. I can put an end to it and make sure I can't ever hurt anyone like that ever again."

"But you love flying! And it's your special talent!"

"So? Just because it's my special talent doesn't mean it's good." Dash rose to her hooves, feeling a small knot of anger rising from her stomach. "What if my talent was lighting ponies on fire? Or blowing things up?"

"You didn't hurt any pony on purpose, Dashie! And there's a big difference between being in an accident and trying to hurt ponies on purpose! You don't need to blame yourself for it!"

"OH? And why NOT exactly?" Dash found herself yelling but she didn't care at this point. She was tired of this baseless pity. "If I hadn't gone to the track that day, NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED! Everyone would still be happy. Spitfire would still have her job! That little girl wouldn't be in a coma! Celestia and Luna wouldn't have looked bad! Ponies wouldn't have had to witness such a horrible bunch of crap that I CAUSED."

"You wouldn't have been happy if you hadn't gone to race that day, Dashie! You love to race!"

"YOU THINK IM HAPPY NOW!?" Dash bellowed. "WITH THIS!?" She stretched out her wings to their full span, gaps in the feathers and wrappings no longer hidden under bandages.

"Stop yelling at me!"

"I'M NOT YELLING!"

"Yes you are! You are! You are!"

"Look at me, Pinkie! LOOK AT ME!" Dash screamed, tears falling from her eyes as she lost control. "At my age I should have a career. A mate. A foal of my own. Half my old friends all have kids now! And I haven't accomplished ANYTHING with my life! All I've done is fly around chasing my own tail for a stupid childhood dream that has DONE NOTHING but get others HURT! THAT'S ALL I'M EVER GONNA BE! I'M JUST A BIG STUPID LOSER!"

"But.....you've won so many awards for flying....don't those mean anything to you? How can you be a loser if you win things?" Pinkie was crying as well at this point. It was rare that she got yelled at. And it was never like this. She was terrified. Never had she seen Dash this angry.

"WHY SHOULD THEY?" Dash leaped off the couch, spreading her mangled wings and landing in front of her trophy case with a shout of pain. She turned and bucked the shelves with her back legs, sending the wooden slats splintering and tearing half of her gauze off. The trophies fell to the floor, clattering loudly. "NONE of these are worth ANYTHING!"

"Celestia gave you this one herself!" Pinkie squeaked holding up a small golden tiara that had two small golden wings on either side of it. "Don't you think that's special? The princess herself thought YOU deserved this, Dashie!"

"I DON'T DESERVE IT!" Dash shrieked, grabbing the tiara and throwing it angrily to the floor. "Rarity won that stupid Best Young Fliers contest that day. Not me."

"But you saved her life! And the Wonderbolts!"

"SO? WAS IT A 'SAVE THE WONDERBOLTS' CONTEST? No it was a contest on flying mastery and I was friggin AWFUL at it. Just like I am at everything! I'm awful at EVERYTHING, PINKIE! I'm tired of it. I'm tired of winning things I don't earn! I'M TIRED OF BEING AWFUL!"

Dash brought up her good foreleg and with a loud clang and a crunch had stomped on the tiara with what little strength she had left in her hooves, smashing it into a pile of bent golden shards.

"Oh no! Oh no, Dashie oh no!" Pinkie tearfully shoved Dash's leg off the smashed tiara. "You earned this! You really did, you should be proud of it!"

"It's not worth anything." Dash mumbled as she turned away and lay on her side on the floor, sobbing quietly. "I'm not worth anything."

"Don't think that way!" Pinkie gently knelt to the floor, leaning her head on Dash's side, feeling her friend's lungs exhale and shudder with every sob. "You're worth so much more than you think you do. You don't even know how much you mean to me. How much you mean to our friends. We couldn't function without you here and we'd all be so sad if you were gone. So please don't think that way! Don't think we'd be happier without you cause we wouldn't!"

"I wish....I wish I knew what I was meant to do."

Pinkie sat in thought for a moment. This was not the kind of situation she knew how to handle. Crying babies? Sure. A ruined social event or two? Easy. Those were fixable problems. Practical problems. But this was overwhelming. There didn't seem to be a logical way of helping her friend. And logic wasn't even something Pinkie was very good at. In her world 2+2= frogs and that was good enough. Her thoughts kept going back to how Dash's incredible flying abilities had always helped her feel safe and happy. How many times Dash's talent had protected their friends. Then it clicked. That was it. That was the issue.

"Hey Dashie? What do you think your cutie mark means?" Pinkie lifted herself up and sat in front of Dash so she could look into her friend's face.

"I got it when I did a Sonic Rainboom. It's a trick that nobody had managed to do for nearly a hundred years."

"Okay but what do you think it MEANS? Like....what did you think you were supposed to be doing with your life and stuff?"

"Flying? And being awesome at it I guess."

"You know what I think?" Pinkie whispered, stroking Dash's side. "I think you look at it the wrong way. When I was little and got my cutie mark I thought it meant that I was only good at parties. But as I grew up I realized it meant more than that. It meant I was supposed to keep the ponies around me happy! In whatever ways I could! I think that's why I got to be the Element of Laughter. Cause I love making my friends laugh!"

Dash continued staring glumly at the floor, but Pinkie could tell she had really gotten her attention.

"You only did the Sonic Rainboom in the first place cause you were trying to protect Fluttershy against bullies. And you helped all of us realize what our passions were because of it. I don't think your cutie mark is meant to say that you're the best flier ever, even though you probably are. I think it's meant to show that you use your strength and speed to protect us. You're so good at helping keep us safe and keeping the town looking nice with the weather team."

Dash turned her head so she could look into those blue eyes that bore into her. They were so hopeful yet sad all at once. In them she saw love and compassion that she felt she never deserved, but wanted nonetheless.

"You know alot of ponies think that you're a troublemaker. Or that you're lazy." Pinkie continued. "They don't appreciate what you do. But I do. And I know Fluttershy and the others do."

"So....you think I should be using my power to help others?"

"Yeah! You do it all the time anyway, Silly Filly! Do you remember the day I was really sad on my birthday and I locked myself inside my house? You used your strength to drag me out and made me happy! You always help make other ponies happy. And I know you like it. I know you like the admiration of others more than any awards or titles you've ever gotten. You help everyone even if they don't appreciate you for what you do! That's what Loyalty is! Celestia knew that about you before she even met you! Why not make that your special talent?"

Dash seemed lost in thought. It had never really occurred to her that she had misinterpreted her own symbol. Three colorful streaks of lightning beneath a white cloud.

"I get it....I'm like a cloud." Dash mumbled, her eyes brightening. "I float around and strike when I need to."

Pinkie nodded vigorously. "MMmm Hmm! And you're really helpful just like a cloud! You even live in a cloud!"

"Yeah, I do." Dash said, looking around the room. "I really hate this place. Dumb cloud house."

"You do? But it's so pretty! And you built most of it by yourself!"

"Yeah, I know. I should be proud of it. It was like my secret cave when I moved here. So I didn't have to be all chummy with other ponies too often. I didn't like talking or being too friendly back then."

"What changed?"

"I changed, thanks to Fluttershy and Applejack mostly. Made me come out of my shell. That's why I usually don't sleep up here. It's really quiet and lonely living in this cloud. I always thought I was so cool being all by myself. Like some quiet lone wolf hero from a comic book. But I'm all alone up here. I hate being alone. Sometimes I feel like.....it's a tower and I'm trapped at the top. Like a fairytale princess, ya know? Waiting around for some prince to rescue me from how lonely it is up here."

Pinkie sat for a moment letting this information process. It all made sense now. Dash never slept at home. She was always taking naps on low-flying clouds near the town, or in apple trees, or on roofs, or sometimes on tables outside of restaurants, much to the annoyance of the owners. Pinkie had always figured it was because Dash simply didn't feel like flying all the way back home when she was tired. But it was deeper than that. Dash was lonely, in a strange sort of way.

Pinkie felt a small bead of courage. If Dash felt like a lonely princess trapped in a tower than Pinkie should be her prince. A female prince didn't make sense but what fun was there in making sense?

"Dash..... I could be y-"

She didn't get to finish the sentence. The front door of the house suddenly clicked and swung open, admitting two new guests. Two familiar cream colored mares stepped through. An old friend and an honored veteran. They both looked down in confusion and shock at the scene before them. Rainbow Dash lay on the floor, pieces of wood and smashed trophies littering the floor, her face still moist with tears. Over her side lay Pinkie Pie, looking very tired and dejected. For a moment the two groups stared at each other, not quite certain how to react.

"Well...I hope we aren't interrupting anything." Spitfire chuckled, brushing back her fiery orange mane.

****************************************

Fluttershy, in her infinite wisdom at keeping things moderate and peaceful, managed to save the awkward situation with but a small mere suggestion. And within a few minutes, and a bit of cleanup, the four mares found themselves sitting around a table playing a cheerful unorganized game of the Settlers of Coltan. A popular board game where players hoarded resources to put little wooden castles onto the game board, which was a group of cardboard hexagons designed to resemble features from Equestria. It was the sort of game one didn't play when drinking as it could often lead to loud arguments and shouting. Pinkie Pie loved it and had brought it up with a few other games to Dash's place. It was a distracting enough game to keep them all occupied while Dash calmed down.

"Well, I think that I win." Spitfire announced, scanning over her deck of cards. "Actually I'm not sure. I THINK I win. Hey Miss Pie, take a look at my deck here and tell me if I got the resources to win this thing."

"Well I'm not SUPPOSED to look at your deck....but......" Pinkie stretched her neck several feet to take a quick gander at Spitfire's deck. "Yep! You win!"

"How...um...did she win?" Fluttershy asked, still unsure how the game functioned. Every player had several castles with roads criss-crossing across the continent except her. She had a single small house near the ocean with one road going right into the sea.

"Well see here Flutters... if she trades in her coal cards and her gold bits she can buy a mountain. And then she can make another road over it which gives her 20 victory points! Sealing the deal!"

Pinkie threw a bunch of confetti into the air. Where the confetti had come from was anyone's guess.

"How'd I do?" Dash mumbled, flipping through her deck of resource cards. "I'm still not even sure what I'm doing here."

"You came in second, Dashie!" Pinkie said giving Dash a small nuzzle on her shoulder, which Dash leaned away from as she always did. "And I'm sorry Flutters but......you came in last. But don't feel bad! It's kind of a luck-based game!"

"Oh I'm fine with not winning, Pinkie." Fluttershy replied. "I don't mind only having one castle and one road. This is the sort of kingdom I'd probably have if I was royalty anyway. Nice and quiet and secluded."

"What's this stuff that makes this honey and rose smell again, Miss Shy? I kinda like it." Spitfire asked, glancing at a small wooden bowl that appeared to have a stick and some pine-needles sticking out of it.

"It's incense." Fluttershy said with a sweet smile. "It's mostly plants and herbs mixed with amber. I thought it would help Dash relax. I make it for myself usually. Living with animals means my house usually smells rather...uh...hmm."

"It's very nice!" Pinkie said as she continued shuffling the decks of cards. "Could you make ones that smell like candy?"

There was a loud knock at the door, causing Fluttershy to startle and fall out of her chair. Spitfire sighed happily and got up.

"Finally, Soarin is here. Took him long enough." Spitfire went to go answer the door.

Dash dropped her deck and crawled under the table where Fluttershy was still recovering from her tumble. She grabbed Fluttershy by the shoulders and dragged her over.

"FLUTTERSHY!" Dash harshly whispered. "What in the hay? Why are the leaders of the Wonderbolts in my house?"

"You aren't happy with them visiting you?"

"Of course I am but.....how? How did you arrange this?"

"I didn't. Rarity and Pinkie did. They came to me because they didn't know where you lived."

Dash hopped back onto her seat, with Fluttershy slowly crawling back onto hers a moment later. Pinkie gave the two a quizzical look as Soarin and Spitfire joined the others at the table. He was dressed in the familiar uniform befitting a Wonderbolt. A deep royal blue jumpsuit, accented with yellow jagged yellow cuffs that matched the yellow zippered underbelly of the suit. The blue stallion flashed the mares what he thought was a very roguish smile. But he was just a bit too goofy for that. He was however, cool enough that nobody would ever call him out on it.

"Hello, ladies!" He glanced down at the game board. "What's this? New edition of Settlers of Coltan?"

"Yaaay!" Pinkie clacked her hooves together in a gesture of applause. "Someone besides me has heard of this game! I knew I wasn't alone!"

"Well. As long as we're all heeeere...." Spitfire sidelong glanced at Soarin, making a small nod as if to signal something. He looked at her dumbly for a moment before realization hit.

"Oh right! So.....Rainbow Dash....." he began.

Dash suddenly felt every cell in her body stop moving for a brief instant at the excitement of having the team leaders of the Wonderbolts in her house, addressing her by name. What an honor!

".....I heard you've been tearing your feathers out."

And immediately the feeling was gone and Dash wished she could crawl under the carpet and hide there for the rest of eternity. Or at least steal away Pinkie's strange ability to disappear entirely without anyone noticing. All eyes turned on Dash. They were friendly eyes, but they still stared with a strange look. Concern? Judgement? She couldn't really tell. She sank into her seat trying to concentrate really hard on one of the wooden castles in the board game, hoping maybe the non-existent deacons who lived within it would grant her sanctuary from this moment.

"Hey now, don't feel embarrassed. I ended up tearing out a bunch of mine, once."

Dash looked up. "Y....you did?"

"Oh yeah. In my younger days when I was trying out for the Royal Guard, I ended up taking some uh....performance enhancements to help my chances. What I didn't know what how that junk altered my state of mind. Bad mojo. When I ended up not getting the job, I just sort of lost it. Off the deep end, totally. Couldn't remember what happiness was like. Drank alot. Alienated my friends and family. Got in fights. Ended up tearing out every feather one night in some panic attack. Woke up in the hospital next to this angel." He gave Spitefire a wink, causing the yellow mare to blush.

"When I was a kid me and my sister would sometimes try to see which of us could fly the fastest. One morning I lost her when we were flying over a forest. It took two days until we found her. She'd crashed into a tree and they ended up having to remove her wing. I felt like it was my fault for the longest time. Every night I'd yank one feather out of my wing just to sort of...punish myself I guess. It took a long time until I was able to forgive myself and stop it." Spitfire opened one of her bright yellow wings, the evening sunlight glinting off of the perfectly preened feathers. "Every time I fly now, I do it for her."

"Dash....I know you probably feel really guilty right now about the accident. But hurting yourself isn't going to help you or anyone else get better." Soarin tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "When you hurt yourself you hurt everyone around you. There is nothing as painful as watching someone you love destroy their body. And I'm sure your friends love you very much."

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie both smiled and nodded towards Dash.

"The most important thing you need to know is that there is always someone who loves you unconditionally, Rainbow. And when you feel scared or sad you should let them know. You aren't alone when it comes to this sort of problem. Here." Spitfire pulled a small white card out from behind her ear. "This is a support group for ponies with long-term feather pulling problems. If you feel like you need help, just visit. You'll meet folks from all over Equestria who can help."

Dash accepted the card and looked up at her heroes. It was so strange that Soarin and Spitfire were both here in her home. Even stranger that they had just given her the pep-talk of a lifetime. In the past she'd had a hard time even managing to get in contact with these ponies. Now here they were in her home, concerned for her safety and even offering help. It was too much. She could feel that emotion she hated coming back. That painful lump in her throat rising, making her want to cry. She refused to, not here in front of her idols. With a gulp, she swallowed the feelings back down into her stomach.

"Th...thanks." Dash mumbled as she read the address on the card. "Hey um....I'm sorry that I got you fired from your job, Spitfire. I didn't.....I didn't think that...."

"I should be apologizing to you, honestly." Spitfire said rather nonchalantly. "If I hadn't been so cheap and installed safety nets around the rink earlier, this would never have been so bad. You wouldn't be so jacked up and I'd still have a job. It's my fault really for being careless with the funding Celestia gives us. Reap what you sow I guess. Besides, Soarin makes a good team captain. Awww look at him, he's blushing!"

Fluttershy had known Dash since they were barely able to walk. She could tell from the look on her friend's face that the mare was using every ounce of her energy to not fall apart right there. Emotions were raging underneath those contracted pupils, and the longer this conversation lasted, the harder it'd be for Dash to keep her composure.

"Would you...um...like to join us for another game, Mr.Soarin?" Fluttershy asked sweetly. "The box says the game works best with five players."

"Oh no no no! Believe me when I say that I would easily wipe the floor with you guys. I am an expert in this game. If there was a finishing school for it, I would have a PHD in victory points and cardboard road construction."

"Sounds like an excuse to me." Spitfire quipped, giving Soarin a small evil grin.

"Mmmk. You're on! If I win, you have to make lunch for the whole team for a week. And ordering pizza will not count."

"Sounds fine to me, baby. And if I win....hmm....oh ho if I win, you have to say my whole coronation speech for the next group of fresh cadets. And that includes Dash."

Dash looked up suddenly, her scarlet eyes wide with shock. "Me....you mean....that.....I....I'm....."

"Yeah, I pulled a few strings. You're officially enlisted in our voluntary reserve corps. Meaning you can come down and train with us when you please, and we call you in when we need helping hooves. It's not as cool as being a part of the main show team, I'm afraid. You still have to pass the physical, but I'm sure you'll do fine. I couldn't officially swear you in as a full member due to this whole....y'know....debacle. But you've got more heart than half the kids we conscript. Plus you saved my life, Dash. I had to do SOMETHING for you before I stepped down."

"Don't forget....." Soarin began, pulling a brown hefty paper bag out of his rucksack. "You get an official Wonderbolts uniform. The lightning stripes on it are red instead of yellow since you aren't a full-time member yet. But I'm sure you'll get promoted as long you work hard enough. Then you'll get the yellow one."

"B....but.....w...why? I cost you your job." Dash meekly asked, shivering as excitement and fear took hold of her. Her whole face going pale. "I...ruined...everything."

"You've defended our nation against Princess Luna when she was still a nutcase. You helped fight off Discord when he was firing beams of pure random around. You helped defend the Crystal Kingdom. You saved me and Soarin's lives and the life of your pretty friend. Your friends were more than eager to tell us some of the good deeds you've done around town. And for five years you've been coming to tryouts, doing your absolute best. I think you've more than earned it by now."

"I....I........" Dash could feel the tears starting to form, she tried to hide them with a respectful bow of her head so she could look at the floor. With a small gasp of air she managed to rasp out, "Thank you so much."

"You're quite welcome, Miss Dash. Noooooow if I recall...." Soarin dragged a chair up to the table and plopped his tush into it, rubbing his hooves together sinisterly as he eyed the board game. "I believe someone challenged me to a game of Settlers of Coltan. And Soarin does not back down from a challenge."

"Yeah!" Fluttershy squeaked out, clearing her tiny solitary castle from the game board. "If somebody tries to block, show them that you rock!"

Pinkie frowned. That particular slogan was one she'd hoped Fluttershy would never use again.

***********************************************

True to his word, and despite a large portion of the game being based around dice rolls, Soarin was indeed an expert. Only when the four other players actually worked together to land-lock his castles with roads were they able to defeat him. A detail he smugly bragged about. After a few games both he and Spitefire said their goodbyes, and with a few words of thanks and encouragement they departed from the floating cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville, eager to return to work back in Cloudsdale. Dash had remained very quiet throughout the game, and had numbly waved at the Wonderbolts as they flew off into the sky, leaving twin vapor trails behind them as they rose. As the two specks vanished into the magenta sky, Dash took a step back to admire the latex suit in her arms. Here it was, everything she'd ever wanted. Arriving, hoof-delivered, by her heroes. Right on the eve of her greatest failure.

She turned to see what her friends were up to. Her childhood companion Fluttershy was cleaning up the board game, saying something to Tank who was very interested in whatever was on the table, though he could not reach. Pinkie Pie had attempted to clean but grew bored nearly instantly and now was in the kitchen cooking up a large pot of pasta with some sort of creamy alfredo sauce. The smell of tarragon and oregano was soon filling up the house, mixing with the sweet honeysuckle aroma from the bowl of incense that still smouldered upon the mostly empty book shelf. Her friends had spent all day with her, even managed to have her heroes visit her in person, and she had no way of thanking them besides useless words. That painful feeling bubbled up inside of her stomach again, making its way into her throat. She quietly made her way over to the couch, and buried her face into the cushions again. Taking solace in the fact none of her friends would hear her this time. She hated them seeing her cry. Their faces full of pity. It only made it all worse.

"Hey Fluttershy!" Pinkie shouted from the kitchen. "Can turtles eat spaghetti?"

"I....well Tank is a tortoise, Pinkie." Fluttershy mused. "And I suppose he could eat some of the noodles."

Tank heard the words "eat" and "turtle" which was enough to make him free himself from Fluttershy's embrace and waddle over to sit with Dash, eagerly awaiting dinner. Not a particularly emotional creature, he did notice that his master seemed to be in distress. He let out a small grunt, hoping to catch her attention.

"Oh! Dash what's wrong?" Pinkie squeaked sadly as she rounded the corner with a steaming bowl of alfredo pasta balanced precariously on her rump. "Are you sad the Wonderbolts left? Or that you lost at the board game? Or do you just really dislike pasta? I can make something else! I could make sandwiches!"

"No...it's....nothing, Pinkie." Dash grumbled as she wiped her eyes with her arm fur. "I'm fine."

"Okie dokie....." Pinkie replied quietly. The tone of her voice conveyed she didn't believe Dash's lie one bit, but she wasn't going to push the issue. "Well here, eat up! I put lots of spices and love into this spaghetti so it should taste extra EXTRA good."

She pushed a smaller bowl next to the large one that had been placed in front of Dash.

"And here's one for you, Tank. Eat it all so you can grow up into a big strong turtle!"

"Tortoise." Fluttershy corrected.

"Do you want any, Flutters?" Pinkie sang, waving a third bowl under the pegasus's yellow muzzle. "It's really reeeaaallly gooooood!"

"I wish I could, Pinkie. But I haven't tended to any of my animals today." Fluttershy flew gracefully over to where Dash was, giving her friend a hug. "Try to feel better ok? I'll visit again as soon as I can."

"See ya, Shy." Dash said, although with her mouth full of pasta it sounded more like "SHEY A SHEEHHH".

"Oh Pinkie, can I talk to you....um....outside for a moment." Fluttershy asked as she floated through the front door, her pastel yellow wings swooshing gracefully.

Pinkie trotted merrily out to the front steps where her friend was sitting, a slightly worried look on her face. Not that it was out of the ordinary to see Fluttershy looking worried. She worried a lot. All the time, pretty much.

"Pinkie....." Fluttershy whispered. "Why is the cone off of Dash's neck? And why did she smash her trophies?"

"She said she couldn't sleep with it on." Pinkie confessed. "I wanted her to be as comfortable as possible. As for the trophies...um...she kinda got real upset but I calmed her down."

"Twilight's not going to like that but....ok." Fluttershy gave Pinkie a very serious glance. "Make sure you keep an eye on her. Dash can be very unpredictable."

Pinkie saluted. "Private Pinkamena has this sector secured, General Fluttershy!"

"Well alright." Fluttershy tried and failed not to giggle at Pinkie's mannerisms. "I'll see you two later."

The yellow pegasus dropped off the cloud, swirling downwards to the forest below, soon to return home and care for all the wild animals that looked to her for protection. In the small cloud cottage, the two ponies and the tortoise ate their pasta, feeling the exhaustion of such an emotionally busy day slowly weighing down upon them as day turned to night.

Ruddy apple, ruddy cheek.

Things get colder at certain altitudes, which is something earth ponies generally didn't notice unless they lived on mountains. Not that there was many of those. Pinkie was noticing it for the first time, now that it was night and she still wasn't asleep. Usually when Rainbow Dash had nodded off, Pinkie had immediately crawled into her warm sleeping bag. It was a very fluffy sleeping bag, and within it she always felt comfier than a bug in a rug. But tonight she wasn't sleeping, instead staying up to try to fix some of the mess from earlier. It was nearly pitch black in the room, what little light came from Luna's moon, casting its soft rays through the window and onto the dinner table which is where Pinkie sat, absorbed in the task at hoof and shivering in the cold.

Dash had not only managed to shatter her Best Young Flier's trophy, but quite a few of it's pieces had been bent now too. Now Pinkie was doing her best to put it back together with a small bottle of birch glue, pliers, and some rubber cement. She wished she had the fantastic workhorse know-how of Applejack. She could have fixed this thing in a matter of minutes. But for Pinkie it was a slow process as the hours ticked by. When the pile of golden shrapnel was finally somewhat resembling a tiara once more, Pinkie sat back in her chair to admire her work. Not bad for a pony who didn't normally fix things. She placed it onto one of the dressers on the other side of Dash's room, confident that her sleeping friend would be glad to see it repaired.

Pinkie glanced at Dash's bed, a very lumpy piece of furniture constructed almost entirely out of cumulus clouds. It stood at the far end of the room near a stained glass window covered in swirled designs. A large worn violet quilt was tossed over the cloud bed, clearly old, with rainbow lightning stripes woven into the calico and wool cloth. Pinkie glanced around the room, just to be sure nobody was watching before she hopped onto the bed. It was very soft and comfy. Maybe she could ask Dash if she could sleep here instead of her sleeping bag. The bed even smelled like Dash. Or at least it smelled like happy Dash. Sweat mixed with aloe. Not like how she smelled now. Like dried blood and smoke. And medicine.

"Wait why am I thinking about how Dashie smells? That's really weird! Even for me!" Pinkie suddenly asked aloud, rolling off the bed. It occurred to her such thoughts seemed inappropriate and banished them for the time being.

Next to the cloud bed sat a purple nightstand, with a tiny picture frame on top. Pinkie drew close, never having seen it before. It depicted Dash, Gilda, and Fluttershy when they were little kids back at Flight Camp. Fluttershy towered over the other two, a victim of early puberty, looking awkward and frightened with faint traces of acne on her face. Dash didn't look much different to how she did now. A little ruffian, with her uncombed mane and a fierce look in her eyes. Gilda was similar in the fierceness department, but as Pinkie and the others had learned, the griffin had a bit of a mean streak to her. Pinkie stared at the photo, wishing she could have spent her childhood with these three instead of at the depressing rock farm she'd been raised in. How much fun they could have had! Maybe she could have seen Dash perform the original sonic rainboom trick in person. Or maybe she could have helped Fluttershy be more outgoing as a kid. Or maybe Gilda wouldn't have disliked Pinkie as much. Or maybe...just maybe....Dash would have felt more comfortable around Pinkie and not pulled away whenever the pink mare tried to hug her. That always hurt.

"Why am I thinking about this stuff?" Pinkie asked aloud again. She turned towards the bed. "I blame you, cloud bed thing! You're filling my head with icky thoughts!"

The one-sided conversation with the furniture was suddenly broken by a wailed cry downstairs. Pinkie tripped over herself and she rushed out of the room. The bed was glad to be left alone again. Pinkie's hooves clattered loudly on the stairs as she tumbled down, barely avoiding falling over and probably breaking her neck. She slid to a stop in the darkness, hearing a sniffling in the void.

"Pinkie? Pinkie are you there!?" came the tiny frightened cry of Rainbow Dash.

"Yes, Dashie I'm here! What's wrong? Did you have another nightmare?" Pinkie fumbled around with her hooves trying to find a lantern or a flashlight. Even a firefly would be handy right now.

She felt a small bump against her back hoof, turning in the darkness to see Tank the tortoise holding a lantern in his beak. She lie the wick inside and picked it up in her mouth, nearly shouting in dismay at Dash. The injured mare was on her haunches, shaking terribly looking frightened. A small trickle of blood was dribbling down her mouth to her chest fluff, drawn from the clear bite marks on the carpal joint of her wing.

"Dashie! You PROMISED! You promised you weren't gonna do that anymore!" Pinkie cried, feeling a mixture of sorrow and anger make her voice raise several octaves.

"I...I..I didn't meant to!" Dash shouted. "I just woke up and I tasted blood in my mouth and...and...I'm sorry Pinkie! I really didn't know!"

"You're LYING!" Pinkie snarled, pointing an accusatory hoof. "You asked me to take off your coney thing cause you just wanted to hurt yourself again! You lied to me and now you're lying again!"

Dash's eyes filled with tears as she grabbed Pinkie by the shoulders and pulled the mare close, their snouts mere inches apart. "I'm NOT lying. I wouldn't lie to you, Pinkie."

Those scarlet eyes held truth. They had the same look as a cornered animal, or a small frightened child that knew it was in trouble. There was honesty in those eyes. And they clouded over as they filled with tears.

"Please help me, Pinkie. I don't want to do this anymore."

"Okay! Okay...shh shh shhhhh...." Pinkie pushed Dash back down into a lying position. "I believe you. Just...OH!....let me get you a bandage."

"Alright."

Pinkie wrapped a few cotton balls as tightly to the bite marks as she could with a gauze dressing. Dash shivered as the bandage was applied.

"Pinks....I....I don't know how to control it. I was asleep. What if I keep doing this while I sleep?"

The two sat in silence for a moment as Pinkie thought about it. She had an idea for a solution but it was one she knew Dash would probably be opposed to. Pinkie lay down on the sheets next to Dash and wrapped her arms around her injured friend's neck, doing her best not to disturb the bandages. Dash struggled immediately, trying to release herself from the embrace.

"Pinkie! Quit it!"

Pinkie furrowed her brow. "No! I'm not letting you hurt yourself again! I'll know if you try to do that again."

"This is just as bad as the cone!" Dash growled, suddenly feeling very bad. That wasn't very nice. Comparing Pinkie to that plastic monstrosity.

"Would you like me to make you wear the cone again?" Pinkie asked in as stern of a voice as she could muster, which was very difficult for her.

"Fine." Dash flopped her head back onto the sheets and closed her eyes.

An hour passed and Dash still couldn't sleep. She felt strange. Her whole neck tingled, particularly in the spots where Pinkie was touching her. She wasn't entirely sure if she liked the feeling or not. It felt too much like an impromptu hug for her liking. She glanced over at the pink mare at her side and felt a new strange emotion. Like an inner warmth she couldn't explain. Pinkie was asleep. Her dark pink eyelids were concealing her large blue eyes. Her small snout was moving up and down in time to her short breaths. Dash watched her slumber. It was weird watching Pinkie sleep, she thought. Pinkie seemed so.....cute....when she was asleep. Dash felt her heartrate speed up a bit as she stared at Pinkie. Why did this make her feel so uncomfortable? Why did Pinkie smell like peppermint? Suddenly: logic intervened!

Wait why am I thinking about Pinkie like this?

Stop it, Dash.

Stop staring at Pinkie.

You are gonna stop staring at her.......now. Now. Right now.

She's so nice to me. I wish...oh geez.

STOP IT.

Her hair looks comfy. I wonder what it feels like.

Probably like cotton.

Wait what?

STOP THINKING THIS WAY!

Why is my neck so dang warm?

Rarity thought she looked better with the ponytail.

What do you think?

Nah. Pinkie looks best like this.

All chubby and cute and....stuff.

You're still staring at her!

Okay gonna stop.....now. Going to sleep now.

I need to get this neck thing under control. Hmmmm.

If her whole body tingled like her neck, maybe it'd be less noticeable? Dash shifted her body sideways, letting the side of her body rub up against her bedside companion. The reaction was noticeable, as Dash felt a tingling warmth make its way from the contact and wash over her entire form. It was comforting in a strange sort of way she couldn't explain. It made her feel giddy, like she could use this energy to run around and laugh and not feel tired. And with that idea her thoughts became a jumble of colors and shapes as she finally drifted off to sleep.

***********************************************

"Well howdy do! Look who showed up!"

Dash and Pinkie came strolling up the dirt path to Sweet Apple Acres. Originally, they'd hoped that leaving a half hour early would be enough time for them to arrive, but Dash needed to rest every few minutes. She was recovering, but every footstep still sent a small eek of pain up through her body, even with the medication. On their own these didn't bother her much, but one after the other, step by step, they became unbearable. And she refused to let Pinkie carry her around like some sort of package. That was an affront to everything Dash had ever tried to do with her life.

Applejack had been at the gate to greet them as they arrived. And unlike Pinkie, the farm pony didn't take no for an answer when it came to helping out a hurt friend. Dash had spat out a few choice words of protest as Applejack had squeezed underneath Dash and lifted the injured mare onto her back, carrying her around.

"Don't ya fret, RD. I carry around much heavier things on a daily basis. Shoot! I had to carry Big Mac around when he hurt his leg last summer."

"Ugh! I'm hurt but I'm not a cripple!"

"Y'all are supposed to be stayin' off yer feet anyhow."

That had ended the conversation and Dash sat glumly on Applejack's back with her face in an annoyed pout and her arms crossed. Pinkie walked behind the two giggling at Dash's discomfort and how funny it was to see her being carried around by someone who was the same size she was.

Rarity arrived right after Pinkie and Dash had, and soon the three were sitting at the giant oak table inside the main barn of Sweet Apple Acres. Surrounded by friends and family. Applebloom, the youngest of the Apple family, kept staring at Rainbow's bandages, which made Rainbow feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Why are ya disguised as a mummy, miss Rainbow Dash?" Applebloom asked innocently. "It ain't Nightmare Night yet!"

Pinkie laughed so hard she fell out of her chair as Dash gave the tiny filly an evil grin.

"I look like this because I didn't listen to your big sister. So next time she tells you to do something, you should probably listen to her, or else you'll end up looking like........THIS!!!!"

Rainbow pulled aside the gauze on her belly, exposing the long red stitched laceration that traveled from her neck to her flank. Applebloom, Sweetie-Belle, and Spike all sat gaping at the gruesome injury while Rainbow puffed out her chest proudly at the reaction she got.

"Yeah! This also happens if you don't go to school and don't eat your vegetables...and uh...don't do your chores!" Rainbow continued. "You get these big bleedy holes in your body!"

"That doesn't make any sense at all, Rainbow!" Spike protested. "Twilight said you got hurt in a crash!"

"She's sparing your innocent mind from the awful truth, Spike." Rainbow replied, giving the dragon a pitiable look.

"You're going to give them nightmares, Rainbow." Rarity muttered, trying to hide her grin.

"You look exhausted, Rarity." Rainbow turned her attention to other matters. "What's been up with you?"

"Oh not much. I just sewed about 30 identical gowns tonight." the unicorn rolled her eyes. "At least the pay is good. How are you, by the way? Sorry I haven't visited again. Work, and such."

"I've been alright...I guess." Dash mumbled. "Erm.....I'm a Wonderbolt now....technically."

"Well YEEHAW! Congratulations there, Rainbow! Why didn't you tell us when y'all got here! I figured you'd be chattin' our ears off about how excited you were! Ya finally reached yer goal!" Applejack leaned over about to give Rainbow a hearty pat on the back, only to re-think it. That sort of thing might hurt her back stitches! So Applejack gave Rainbow an awkward pat on the head instead.

"Yeah I should have told you guys.....my mind's been....elsewhere." Dash mumbled, stealing a quick glance across the table at Pinkie, who looked away with a small smile.

"Hey Dash! Hey Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo shouted. The tiny filly was clambering onto Dash's lap, her large lavender eyes gleaming. "When are you gonna fly again? It's weird not seeing you flying!"

"I....hm. I don't know Scoots. I could probably fly now but....eh...."

"It'd probably hurt like the dickens." Applejack finished. "Don't go strainin' yerself, Rainbow."

"Believe me, after what I've been through, I'm in no huge rush to fly again." Dash muttered, causing Scootaloo to frown and return to her seat.

"Speaking of flying....Rainbow, dear. I made you a uniform you can wear around town, to hide your scars and bandages until you get back on your hooves." Rarity levitated a suitcase from near the barn doors and placed it next to Dash, opening it and hovering out a swanky latex jumpsuit. Dark grey with a red hoodie and two red stripes going along the sides. "It's pretty simple but I know you'd prefer something simple."

Dash immediately wiggled her way into the suit. It hurt like hell to squeeze her broken body into the thing, but she was a bit too excited to notice. With a pained grunt, she rose to her full height and gently flared her wings out of the holes in the back.

"How do I look?" Dash asked turning her head to try and get a good look at herself.

"Like some sorta comic book superhero." Applejack said, looking Dash up and down. "Pretty darn nifty. Folks would think twice before messin' with you in that getup."

"You look sooooo coooool!" Scootaloo screached, causing the other two fillies to cover their ears.

"Well it looks even better than my concept sketches." Rarity said around a mouthful of macaroni. "Of course, my sketches are usually a bit more stylized than the finished product."

"I want a suit like that!" Spike shouted.

"You look beautiful, Dashie." Pinkie said in a soft voice, looking away as Dash glanced at her.

"Darling, please just do me a favor and don't wear it while you eat." Rarity chided as she watched Pinkie turn slightly more pink. "It's still new and I'd hate for it to get ruined on the first night. I know you're going to tear it up eventually but I'd like it to last at least for a little while."

"Yeah, yeah." Dash pealed the suit around her shoulders and off her body. "Thanks, Rarity."

"You're quite welcome." Rarity replied with a nod.

The barn doors swung open with a loud rattle as a large platter came wheeling in pulled by an enormous red stallion. Big Mac was the elder brother of Applejack, though few would ever have guessed they were related. Applejack was talkative and relatively small as ponies go, whereas Big Macintosh was quiet and HUGE, looking more like a clydesdale than a pony. To his side sat a very wrinkly green nag with her white hair done up in a bun. She banged a spoon against a metal bowl under her arm as she entered to get everyone's attention.

"Soup's on everybody!!!! Me n' Mac here been slavin' away all day to make extra fried pickles this time around and there should be 'nough for all y'all, provided o' course that y'all share. Don't git yerself too full now cause me n' Mac got a couple of fresh apple pie's a-cookin' for tonight. Ain't that right, Mac?"

"Yup."

Granny Smith was the eldest of the Apples. Eldest as in ancient. Rumor was she lived before oxygen was even a popular thing for ponies to breathe. She'd also been one of the original residents of Ponyville, back when the bustling town was little more than a tiny quaint village that nobody cared about. She set about giving each guest a generous serving of fried pickles. The main course, of course. When they'd arrived, there had been a large bowl of cold macaroni salad waiting for them as an appetizer, filled with plenty of curry and paprika. If there was one thing Mrs.Smith knew, it was cooking. Ponies came far and wide to Sweet Apple Acres just to try some of her food. She'd passed her knowledge down to Applejack, just as her grandmother had passed knowledge down to her.

The barn was soon filled with laughter and happiness as the ponies within shared stories. It had been an interesting week for everyone, and the hours passed by as they chatted. But as the night continued, one by one the sleepy ponies retired from the table. Granny Smith went to bed, asking Big Macintosh not to let Applebloom stay up too late. The others decided to take the gathering outside so they could watch the moon make its way across the sky.

"Well as much as I'd love to lay in the filthy grass and tell ghost stories, I really should be getting home." Rarity quipped as she gathered her purse and case and began heading towards the gate.

"Rare, wait!" Applejack galloped across the lawn with a small package on her back. "Here, I told ya I'd save some pickles for ya. If you put a little butter on 'em before you heat 'em they should taste just as good."

"Oh thank you, Applejack. This probably saved my morning." Rarity fluttered her eyes and leaned forward, placing a very tiny kiss on the farm pony's freckled cheek,before she turned to holler at her sister. "I'll see all of you later. Sweetie Belle make sure you behave for miss Applejack! Come along, Spike! I'm dropping you off at the library. Ta ta!"

"Bye...." Applejack croaked out as she waved dumbly at the retreating figure being followed by a small purple dragon.

She let out a small giggle and trotted happily over to the hill where Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were watching the children run around in the cabbage patch, trying to catch fireflies in jars. Despite there being a rather immense amount of fireflies, the little fillies had only managed to entrap one in a mason jar. Sweetie Belle had been put on guard duty to make sure it didn't escape to join its brethren while Applebloom and Scootaloo scurried around the vegetables with butterfly nets clasped in their mouths. The firefly thought hard about its life, and all its regrets.

"Welcome back, AJ." Rainbow Dash said with a sly smile. "Having fun with Rarity?"

"Oh, hush." Applejack spat as she sat next to Rainbow. "What's the count so far?"

"One."

"One firefly?"

"Yep. One."

"These are fat fireflies too." Pinkie chimed in. "They aren't even going very fast. Dashie's turtle moves faster than these things."

"They're fat cause they eat all the dang cabbage." Applejack removed her stetson and used it to prop herself up as she lay back on the grass. "One of these days I'm gonna pay someone to fumigate the place."

"Won't that make your cabbages taste all....chemically?" Pinkie asked, tilting her head.

"For a season or two. Better than having these buggers floatin' around gorgin' themselves on everything."

"Two." Dash suddenly squawked as she intently stared at the playing fillies.

"What progress." Applejack rolled her eyes. "Two fireflies in a half hour."

Rainbow Dash lay on her back as softly as she could, trying not to let the blades of grass poke the scabs and burns on her back. Pinkie flopped over onto her belly so she could continue to watch the crusaders. The blush had yet to fade from Applejack's cheeks and Rainbow decided now was a perfectly good opportunity to tease her about it.

"Hey, AJ?" Dash asked.

"Yeh?"

"Why don't you just like.....TELL Rarity you like her?"

"PAHAHAHAHAHHA!" Applejack grabbed her stomach as she laughed uproariously. She wiped the tears out of her eyes. "Oh goodness, I'm too full to be laughin' so hard."

Rainbow looked unamused.

"Y'all are serious?" Applejack asked. "Shoot, Rainbow. I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Rarity likes stallions, hon. Heck she flirts more with Big Mac than she does with me."

"I dunno, AJ. You're the only one she invites to lunch every week."

"Yeah, so?"

"And you're the only one I've ever seen her smooch."

"That so? Eh. I ain't gonna test my luck."

Pinkie rolled over so she could face Applejack.

"I think Dash is right, AJ. I think Rarity likes you a whole bunch."

"..."

"She's just waiting for you to make the first move."

"Why's that?"

"Cause she wants to see you squirm." Dash said with a laugh. "I bet she wants to see you get all flustered and bothered over her."

Dash and Pinkie had a good laugh while Applejack wore her best expression of annoyance. It was true, though. Rarity would never allow herself to not have the upper hand in any kind of relationship. But without a rebuttal from the farm pony, the conversation soon went quiet again. They were soon joined by the three tiny fillies as they trundled up the hill, pushing a large mason jar with three fireflies up to the top with their snouts.

"We caught three fireflies!" Applebloom squeaked happily.

"Yeah, and I caught a bee but then I remembered it was a bee so I ran away!" Sweetie Belle seconded.

"Then I kicked the bee in the face!" Scootaloo finished, looking very proud of herself for kicking an innocent bee.

"How very brave." Dash snickered, raising an eyebrow.

"Fluttershy would be so upset if she heard that!" Pinkie said, trying not laugh. "That poor bee."

"Y'all should apologize to that insect." Applejack grumbled.

*******************************************

After sharing a few ghost stories, none of which were very scary, the three tiny fillies went to bed in their little tarp tent out on the lawn near the carrot patch. The jar of trapped fireflies became a makeshift nightlight while Applejack tucked them in, and in turn lay out onto the grass. More than happy to sleep under the stars without needing something like a sleeping bag to keep her comfortable. Dash didn't much enjoy sleeping on the dry flaky grass and opted instead to look for a place to sleep in the apple orchard, with Pinkie following her closely.

"So you've never slept in a tree?" Dash asked as she studied each passing tree closely, looking for the perfect one.

"Nope!" Pinkie squeaked. "I never really looked at a tree and went 'HMM this seems like a good place for some shuteye!' and then tried to climb it and sleep in it. That seems like something birdies should do but not ponies."

"Well you don't know what you've been missing out on!" Dash replied as she eyeballed one particularly stocky tree up and down. "Trees make great shelter from wind and rain and the branches are quite comfortable if you aren't a wimp!"

"I'm not a wimp!" protested Pinkie.

"Never said you were. AH HA! Perfect!"

Dash put her forelegs against a thick apple tree and with a small kick had launched herself up into the boughs with a loud crunch, sending a flurry of leaves and a few apples crashing onto the ground. A strangely squirrel-like feat of movement for a diminutive horse.

"I don't think the Apple farmers will like this, Dashie! Also I don't think the apple tree likes it either! It's crying apples all over the floor! You're making the tree as depressed as you are!"

"The tree will get over it! Here gimme your hooves!"

Pinkie nervously raised her hooves up, only to have them seized by two cyan bandaged hooves. With a shriek of joy she was pulled off the ground and into the tree, placed roughly onto one of the thicker branches in the midst of the fruit, sitting alongside Rainbow Dash. Dash was glancing gleefully around the tree with an excited grin on her face. This was Dash in her element, free and doing something that would most likely get her in trouble if Applejack knew.

"Sooo...?" Rainbow asked expectantly. "Pretty cool huh?"

Pinkie took a big gulp of air. "It's pretty nice. It's very apple-y up here. And leafy. And twiggy."

"Yup! Just the way I like it."

"Do you sleep in the apple trees alot?"

"Eh, nah. Applejack gets suspicious and starts having Winona patrol the orchard. That dog always finds me and then yaps for an hour until I fly off. Clouds are comfier anyway. They just don't smell as nice."

"Do other pegasuseseses sleep in trees? Does Fluttershy sleep in trees?"

"As far as I know, no. And have you looked at all the plants growing on Shy's house lately? Might as well be a tree at this point."

Pinkie giggled loudly and nuzzled Dash, rubbing her cheek in the downy chest fur. "You're such a silly filly, Dashie! You sleep everywhere but your own house."

Dash backed away quickly from the touch, putting some space between her and Pinkie Pie. She awkwardly looked around trying to ignore the weird tingly feeling again. Pinkie frowned and lowered her head, feeling defeated.

"Why do you do that?" the pink mare quietly asked.

"Do what?"

"Why do you always push me away?"

"I'm not sure what you mean, Pinks." Dash replied, trying to sound disinterested.

"Whenever I'm extra nice to you, you always do this." Pinkie screwed her eyes shut and grimaced while flailing her legs. A not-too-exaggerated impression of Dash's reactions to affection. "You act like I'm smelly or something."

"You aren't smelly, Pinkie." Dash grumbled, trying to focus really hard on the branch below her.

"Then why?"

"Cause....I dunno! It's weird, ok?"

"You don't do it when Fluttershy does it." Pinkie continued, a note of sadness entering her normally cheery voice.

"It's different. I've known Shy for forever. She's like my sister, it's like tradition to be all sappy with your family."

"You've known me for a while...."

"Yeah but we only started hanging out when Twilight moved here."

"That doesn't explain why you do it, though."

"Why I do what?"

"Why do you.....react that way? Whenever I try to be...friendly you always push me away. What's wrong with hugs? And cuddles? And snuggles? Don't you like that stuff?"

Dash let out a hollow chuckle. "That stuff is lame."

"Why?"

"Cause love is lame, Pinkie."

There was a quiet silence as Pinkie processed this information. How could someone dislike love? Love was pretty much the best thing ever invented! It was completely illogical to not love love. It was like disliking ice cream! Or disliking a Krabby Patty! Or hating candy! It didn't make sense. Nobody was born hating love...which meant.....

Pinkie gulped slightly and decided to be brave. She took a small step across the branch so she could be closer to Dash as she quietly asked, "Who made you this way, Dashie?"

Dash didn't look away from the branch. This was getting way too personal and she didn't want to participate in this conversation. Maybe if she ignored Pinkie and ignored her questions the whole thing would go away.

"......was it Gilda?"

Can't ignore that. Dash choked a bit, feeling that sad emotion welling up inside of her chest again as a few memories cracked through the stormcloud in her brain, like deadly bolts of lightning. She cursed herself inwardly. She could already feel that warm feeling in her lower eyelids. That feeling that let her know that she was about to cry and look weak. And it was all Pinkie's fault this time. Dash turned and tried to glare at Pinkie Pie but found that she couldn't. As the tears formed, she saw nothing but love in Pinkie's eyes. This little pink Pony had done nothing to deserve whatever anger Dash could have sent her way. Dash just couldn't bring herself to feel upset. Not like that.

"Dashie.....I don't know who....made you feel like this. But I'm not like them, ok? You know me. I'm Pinkie Pie! I would never hurt you and you don't need to be afraid of me! You don't need to be afraid of any pony."

The logical part of Dash's mind thrashed, fighting a losing battle with her emotions. There were so many possible excuses or retorts swimming around her thoughts. Things that would end this conversation and declare Dash the victor. But it was too late, the tingling feeling had risen from her chest and reached the rest of her body, but it was starting to fade. And every part of Dash's body ached to feel it again, even though she didn't understand it. And so the excuses and retorts disappeared and Dash only found herself able to rasp out one word as she looked back down at the branch in shame.

"...okay...."

Pinkie took another cautious step forward and wrapped her arms around Dash, pulling her in for a hug. It was a different sort of hug. Not the usual rib-shattering air-denying gonna-give-you-back-problems type of hug she usually gave her friends. Not the kind of hug that easily knocked the wind out of ponies. This was the softest gentlest hug she could muster up. The kind of hug she gave to her family. She could feel Dash tense up the moment they touched and for a moment the pink pony was afraid she'd screwed up. She'd pushed Dash too far. Gotten too much into her personal space. But after a moment she heard something she never thought to expect. A contented sigh, and felt Dash lean into the hug, wrapping Pinkie up in one of her injured wings.

"See?" Pinkie asked, trying not to giggle with glee. "Isn't this nice? Doesn't this feel so much better than being a big pouty pony?"

"Yeah....I guess it's pretty ok." Dash mumbled, tightening her grip on the warm pink body that was pressed against hers.

For a few the two sat, unable to comprehend just how happy they were to be in each others embrace. Dash softly rubbed her cheek against Pinkie's neck, feeling like happy explosions were going off in her brain as Pinkie made a happy squeak from the touch. Then the moment was quickly over when Dash made a very keen observation.

"You are.....really freakin' soft."

Pinkie backed away and raised an eyebrow.

"What?!"

"Like you are REALLY REALLY soft." Dash said, poking Pinkie in the tummy and then shoulder with her hoof. "You're like a cloud. Or a water balloon."

"Well I bet you're really really light!" Pinkie retorted.

"Doubt it. This is all muscle and....WHOA!" Dash found herself lifted easily off the branch by Pinkie who giggled madly.

"Heeheeheeheehee! You are really light!" squealed Pinkie, trying not to fall off the branch from her giggle fit.

"Yeah yeah, very funny."

"I've carried pumpkins heavier than you, Dashie!"

"I blame my birdlike bone structure."

Pinkie set Dash back onto the branch, taking a loud yawn and curling up, ready to go to sleep. Dash leaned back against the trunk of the tree, fumbling with her tail, still very nervous about...something.

"Hey Pinks?"

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Why are you so nice to me?"

"Cause you're my best friend."

Dash glowered a bit. "Yeah but I mean......sigh....I dunno. It feels different."

"Do you remember my birthday?" Pinkie asked, slowly nodding off.

"Yeah, how could I forget? You were really weird that day with your little...puppet things. Talking to yourself like a coocoo."

"That's the worst I ever felt. I thought everyone I loved had left me behind cause they didn't like me anymore."

"It was just a misunderstanding though, Pinks. You shouldn't still worry about that."

"I don't worry about it anymore. I know I was wrong.... its just..... I locked myself away in my room. I was so upset and I let my imagination keep me in there. I was like....a princess trapped at the top of a tower. Then you arrived and rescued me from...myself."

"...oh." Dash scratched at the back of her neck.

"That was a really good day.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz."

Pinkie fell into slumber, snoring somewhat loudly with a bubble of mucus perched at the end of her nostril. Dash lay against the tree, thinking hard. For the first time in a really really long time, Dash felt safe. Like she'd made a real connection. A connection with someone who would never hurt her feelings. And to think, it was this weird little pink pony she had tried so hard to ignore for the longest time.

Dash gave Pinkie a nip to the ear, a rare brave moment of affection, watching those big blue eyes slowly open as the pink mare came back to the waking world. Pinkie gave out a loud yawn, which Dash made a mental note as being painfully cute.

"Hey, Pinkie?" she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"You're my best friend, too."

Pinkie gave a small happy gurgle before flopping over back to sleep, her tongue sticking out of her mouth. Dash grinned as she watched her sleep. It felt good to say that. Almost as good as it felt to hear it. Dash yawned as well and looked up at the moon as she had many times before by herself. She wasn't alone. That was the best news she'd been able to think about for a long time. Dash took a few steps down the branch and curled up as well, using her tail to keep her snout warm. She felt really happy as her eyes drooped while the combined scents of apples and peppermint lulled her into a comfortable slumber.

Dancing in the shallows of a river.

".....And then Daring-Do leaps down in-between all the kobolds and she pulls out her rifle all cool-like and says 'i guess i missed my invitation' and then she fires the gun and the bullet like bounces off the vault and the whole thing falls into the ocean and she jumps in after it and she falls for like a hundred feet and lands perfectly and all the while the kobolds are just yelling and shouting and firing their revolvers but none of them can hit her cause she's just so dang slick!"

"All that really happens in the first chapter?" Pinkie asked wide-eyed. "That's a lot of stuff! Are all the chapters full of that much stuff? How does a book hold that much stuff without exploding? Do books explode alot?"

"Yeah! They are the best books, Pinks! Is the new one out yet, Twilight? Please say it is."

Twilight couldn't help but smile as she walked down the streets of Ponyville listening to this conversation. From the moment she had passed the Apple farm she had been joined by Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, who were departing from the sleepover. The entire walk to Sugarcube Corner had been filled with endless chatter between the two ponies. Starting from the discussion of the delicious pickle dinner that Granny Smith had prepared and slowly making its way to the topic of the Daring Do book series. Originally Twilight had been upset to see that Dash's restriction cone had been removed, and even more upset when she learned that it had been Pinkie who removed it. But she couldn't deny the results. Dash seemed happier than Twilight had seen the mare in a long time, chatting and laughing animatedly the entire walk.

"No, Dash. The author claims she hit a roadblock in the latest book. Some sort of self-written plothole she's trying to pull herself out of." Twilight grinned. "I bet it has to do with that sandalwood amulet from the second book."

"Yeah, she never did explain what thing was for." Dash said, squirming further up Pinkie's back. The previous night's events had made Dash feel more comfortable around Pinkie, and when asked if she'd like to be carried through the town today, agreed with little hesitation. She found herself with her chin resting in the curly pink fluffy mane on top of Pinkie's head. "Hey where are we going anyway?"

"I'm going to Sugarcube Corner for lunch." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "You two started following me around. I assumed you were coming for lunch as well."

"I have to grab some things from my room! Then I'm going to get Dash back home. She hasn't gotten to take her medicines for today yet. Plus I already know what I'm going to make for lunch!"

"Yeah my head feels really woozy and all my stitches kinda ache."

"You'll feel better in a little bit!"

"You look like you need to take a nap." Rainbow observed. "I haven't seen you this tired-looking since that week you had to take care of the Cake twins."

Pinkie yawned loudly. "Yeah, I don't think sleeping in a tree is for me! It's like sleeping on a rock only its much itchier and it has bugs crawling around in it. I don't think the bugs like me sleeping in their home without permission."

"You two slept in a tree?" Twilight asked. "That doesn't seem very comfortable."

"It's not!"

"Pfffft. You two don't understand how great trees are. But that's fine. I'll keep being the expert on good napping spots while you naptime peasants continue to use your beds." Dash said in a very regal sort of voice. "Clearly I am a pony far ahead of my time!"

The sweet buttery smell of Sugarcube Corner was there to greet them as they approached the building. Decorated and designed to look like a gingerbread-topped spongecake, the Corner was one of the most popular establishments in town. It opened promptly once the sun rose and closed in the evenings. It was a joy to be there for breakfast, brunch, and lunch, and since Pinkie Pie lived in the attic, the Elements of Harmony used it often as a meeting place of sorts. It was run by two middle aged ponies who couldn't have been more opposite in terms of appearance. Mr.Cake who was a tall orange stallion with red stringy hair and a proud chin, and Mrs.Cake who was a short chubby blue mare with rosy cheeks and a coif of swirly pink hair that resembled a scoop of frozen yogurt. The restaurant that the two ran was a bakery, confectionery, and diner all at once, and was the site of quite a bit of chaos due to the large crowds that gathered to eat there. This chaos had only been multiplied in the last year when the couple had given birth to a pair of twins, who were as curious as they were destructive and required near constant supervision, occasionally by Pinkie herself.

As the three arrived the front door, Mr.Cake himself poked his head out of one of the windows, his long neck making him appear more like a small giraffe than a pony as he grinned broadly.

"Hello, Twilight Sparkle. Usual cup of acorn coffee and rhubarb pie, right?" he said with a nod.

"Correct as usual, Mr.Cake!" the purple unicorn replied.

"I actually prepared in advance for this. Stay right there and I'll bring it to you. How are you by the way, Dash? I heard about the accident. Terrible stuff. Are you feeling any better?" Mr.Cake cast a concerned glance over to Dash.

"Yeah I'm fine." Dash answered as she slid off of Pinkie's back and landed with a small cloud of dust into the dirt outside the restaurant. "Never better. Ow."

"Hey Mr.Cake! Do we still have all that banana cream in the pantry?" Pinkie called up to him.

"Yep. Coming over to snatch it, huh?"

"MMmm hmm! I'm gonna make some banana pudding for lunch."

Pinkie turned to Dash who was still recovering from her very short plummet to the floor.

"I'm gonna be inside just for a little while, ok? If Twilight offers you any of her food you should say NO because I'm going to make us something really tasty later and I don't want you to spoil your appetite!"

Dash nodded as she watched Pinkie disappear through the front doors of the restaurant. With a small grunt she sat on her haunches and stared at the door, impatiently waiting for her companion to return, flicking her tail around to feel less antsy.

"So how have things been, Dash?" Twilight asked as she made herself comfortable at one of the small flat tables that sat outside of the Corner. All the tables had been painted to look like amanita toadstools, to help sell the whole gingerbread fairytale motif that the place prided itself on.

"Things have been pretty great actually. Soarin and Spitfire visited me a couple days ago." Dash replied, not taking her eyes off the door.

"Oh? What'd they have to say?"

"I'm technically a Wonderbolt now I think."

"Congratulations! That's wonderfully nice of them to visit you in person and um....Dash....Dash? Why are you staring at the door?"

"Hmm? Huh? Wha?" Dash shook her head. "Oh yeah, sorry. I was distracted. Oh hey, newspapers!"

Dash slowly wobbled over to one of the newspaper vendor machines that dotted the path near Sugarcube Corner.

"Today's Saturday isn't it, Twilight?"

"Yeah? How come?"

"Today is the day they update the official Daring Do serial comic strip! I gotta know what happens this week! Last week Daring snapped a crocodiles head clean off! But it was still alive!"

"Dash you know those comics aren't made by the author, right? And aren't technically 'canon' in terms of storyline or plot. They just ask the author every now and then if she's fine with them making it. She keeps agreeing to it for reasons I cannot fathom. Those comics are so trashy."

"That's nice and all but I just can't care, Twilight. Those comics are cool as heck and I need to know what happens next. Can I borrow a halfbit? I'll pay you back....eventually."

Twilight rolled her eyes and levitated a small copper coin over to Dash who eagerly placed it into the machine's coinslot. With a loud click the windowed latch opened allowing her to extract the two local newspapers that were delivered daily into it: The Ponyville Pantheon and the Canterlot Chronicle. Dash usually never read these besides gaining access to the newspaper comic strips, which she quite enjoyed. Newspapers were generally pretty boring for her. Twilight smiled as she watched Dash tear through the newspapers like a foal opening a birthday present. It was good to see Dash happy and excited about something again. She was soon snapped out of her reverie by a tap on the shoulder. Twilight swiveled around in her chair to see that Rarity had joined her at the table.

"Good morning, Twilight. Sleep well? Spike didn't wake you when I dropped him off, did he?"

"I'm a pretty deep sleeper, Rarity. Spike once broke three plates once right outside my door and I didn't even wake up. How did that big dress order go? Did you get them all finished?"

"Barely." Rarity groaned, massaging her temples. "Just sent them off a few minutes ago. Ghastly things. Absolutely GHASTLY! If I ever agree to do an entire wedding again....please....slap me in the face."

Twilight giggled. "I won't do THAT but I'll try to remind you before you take such a big job again."

"So how is Rainbow doing?" Rarity asked, leaning over to take a look at the bandaged pegasus who was intently reading the newspaper a few meters away with a very serious look.

"I was about to ask you the same thing. This is the first time I've seen her since...that night. She seems pretty happy for now. She and Pinkie are getting along much better than I'd have expected them."

"Yes....." Rarity quietly agreed. "They're growing very close wouldn't you say?"

"Mmm Hmm!" Twilight nodded cheerfully. "I haven't seen Dash this cheerful in a long time."

"Well....I think perhaps you might want to reword that...." Rarity said with a panicked look as she pointed her hoof past Twilight, beginning to free herself from the chair.

Twilight turned to see that Dash had stopped reading the newspaper and was currently on all fours, swaying side to side with large tears dripping down her face. The pegasus awkwardly wobbled over to the newspaper machine and fell to her side, curling into herself so she could hide her face with her wing as Rarity and Twilight galloped over.

"Rainbow? Rainbow what happened? What's gotten you so upset?" Rarity called as she came to a stop.

"We can't help you if you don't tell us!" Twilight shouted desperately.

"What happened!" the high pitched screech of Pinkie alarmed as she made her way out the front doors, noticing Rarity and Twilight standing next to the shivering form on the ground. The pink mare galloped over, the large saddlebag to her side flapping noisily with it's banana-laced contents as she ran. "Did she hurt herself? Oh no she hurt herself didn't she!"

Dash uncurled and shakily reached out her forelegs to Pinkie who gingerly grabbed them. With a swift motion the cyan pegasus had dragged herself up against Pinkie, burying her face into the pink mare's chest with a loud cry. Pinkie looked around frantically, unsure of what was going on. What in the world happened in the last few minutes to make Dash this upset?

"....it's MY fault...." was the only muffled statement they could make out of the muted sobs as Pinkie wrapped her forelegs around Dash, looking very frightened and confused all at once.

"Oh dear." Twilight grumbled picking up one of the newspapers and levitating it in front of her face. The front page article was highlighting a blurb about the other victims of the accident.

The Canterlot Chronicle
'AN UPHILL BATTLE FOR CLOUDSDALE CRASH VICTIMS'
Ponies injured by the crash last weekend remain almost entirely hospitalized. Director of Disaster Relief Services, Shelly Conch, has been stated as trying to apply for assistance to get relief funds for the victims, many of whom simply cannot afford to pay for the costs of hospital care, bringing to light Cloudsdale's glaring issues with it's lack of safety insurance policies. "It has been a slow process." she said on Thursday. However by far the saddest stories to come of this disaster are the ones from the children. Little Cinnamon Breeze, age 4, still has yet to come out of her concussion-caused coma after being struck by a piece of marble. Her parents, Autumn and Sea Breeze, have been besides themselves with grief, unsure how to respond when the Pediatric Neurologists at Cloudsdale Clinic inform them repeatedly that the foal shows little to no brain activity. Rumors abound that the Princesses are hard at work with the neurology department to use acute time-reversal spells to help some of the victims, in similar ways that they repaired the beyond life-threatening injuries on racer Rainbow Dash. However as hope dwindles and the bills pile up, many ponies believe that whatever spell our leaders can conjure up, may be too little too late. However there is a small silver lining to this cloud. Many are reporting a mysterious masked (continued on page 3)

"She didn't do....anything. Cinnamon....." Dash sobbed as Twilight grimly folded the newspaper. "I...can't...help her."

"You know what?" Twilight asked aloud, looking very tense. "This is the last thing you need to be reading right now."

Twilight gritted her teeth as the tip of her horn glowed scarlet then violet. A small particle field of tiny purple sparkles enveloped the unicorn, swirling into a small tornado that engulfed Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash as well. Rarity winced and backed away from the twister of magic as all at once there was a bright flash of pink light and the clap of thunder and then silence. Rarity opened her eyes to find that she was now alone on the sidewalk, surrounded by a small dissipating cloud of dust and purple sparkles.

******************************************

"Pinkie." Twilight demanded. "Can we talk?"

"In a moment, lemme get her a snack!"

"NOW, Pinkie."

Pinkie gingerly stepped away from the kitchen cabinets with a worried expression. Twilight didn't get cross with Pinkie very often, but something in the unicorn's tone was worrying. Like she was about to get yelled at. Which was one of Pinkie's least favorite activities. She slunk across the room, stopping to lean over to observe Dash whose wails had become a trickle of quiet sniffles, barely audible under the pillow she had decided to cover her head with.

"I'm gonna go talk to Twilight, but I'm going to be right back and then I'll make us something yummy, alright?" she whispered.

Hesitantly, Pinkie came to a full stop in front of Twilight who was going through Dash's mail. A rather large pile of envelopes, magazines, and neatly tied scrolls sat before the unicorn, unfolding and re-folding themselves as she read them in a blink of an eye.

"Pinkie when was the last time Dash had her medication?" Twilight asked without looking up from the floating storm of papers.

"Yesterday...."

"When, yesterday?"

"In the morning right after breakfast."

"And why didn't you bring any to the sleepover at Sweet Apple Acres?"

"Oh...well I was really excited cause I never get to have sleepovers at Sweet Apple Acres! Applejack and her family are usually so private with their property, you know? And Rarity was there and they were having fried pickles! And everyone likes Granny Smith's fried pickles and it was just so much to think about that....I guess I forgot."

Twilight let out a long disappointed sigh. It wasn't as bad as yelling but it hurt quite a bit more, making Pinkie fold her ears flat against her head. "Pinkie, you know Dash is supposed to take those pills every 8 hours right?"

"Y-yeah...."

"Pinkie I know you want to take care of Dash as best as you can but you can't....DO things like this. Once that medicine wears off, she stops being comfortable. Once she stops being comfortable her injuries are going to hurt. Once she starts to hurt, she's going to have these episodes where even little things are going to send her off the edge."

"She seemed so happy yesterday." Pinkie whispered. "I mean really happy."

"She probably was. But that doesn't mean she's all better, Pinkie. You can't just forget things like medication! It's bad enough that you removed her cone. And don't think I didn't notice that new bandage on her wing either." Twilight lowered the letter pile to give Pinkie a rather blank look. "That's part of being responsible!"

"I'm being responsible!" Pinkie shot back, though there was no courage in those words.

"Pinkie theres a big difference between running a candy shop, or babysitting, or taking care of a baby alligator when compared to taking care of a full-grown pony. Especially one who is hurting herself out of grief. If you can't handle it you need to let us know. We're Dash's friends too, and we're worried about her, alright?"

"Okie Dokie."

"Good, make sure she takes her medicine with whatever lunch you're planning. I'm taking these letters with me."

"Why...erm....are you taking all the mail and stuff? Isn't that sort of important? I mean it's her mail not yours! You could at least leave her magazines here I know she likes those!"

"I'll leave one of the magazines. The rest of these are just....triggers. We need to get all the stressful triggers out of her immediate environment." Twilight frowned at the confused look on Pinkie's face. "It means we need to get rid of stuff in her house that's going to make her sad. The last thing she needs to be doing is reading newspapers about all the horrible fallout from the accident. And half of these letters are hate mail. And I don't even want to think how she'd react if she saw this bill for the medication and the surgery. I don't even think Cadence has that much money. All these reminders need to stay away from her to keep her happy. She'll heal faster if we can keep her mood up."

With a small burst of magic Twilight had shrunk the mass of papers into a small pile of origami swans that she levitated into her saddle bag.

"Part of your job here, Pinkie, is to keep Rainbow upbeat. I know that's what you're good at. The others are too, which is why none of us protested when you offered to stay here and look after her. But you have to do MORE than that. Alright?"

Pinkie shuffled sadly, kicking small poofs of cloud into the air. "Are you upset with me?"

Twilight let out a small exasperated sigh. "No, Pinkie. I'm just upset. This has all been really stressful for all of us."

"Why is it so hard to keep Dashie happy, Twilight?" Pinkie asked innocently, glancing behind her shoulder at the pegasus on the couch. "She's acting so strange, even when she's happy."

"Dash is really extroverted, Pinkie. It's a trait she shares with you and Applejack."

"I wish I knew what any of that meant!"

"Dash is an extrovert with means she's very talkative and aggressive. However she's also very private when it comes to her emotions, and has a hard time expressing them. The opposite of Fluttershy and I guess Rarity kinda. You're similar....I think. Actually scratch that, I don't really know what you are. You're something else entirely, Pinkie." Twilight said with a small grin. "My psychology professor would have loved talking to you."

Pinkie grinned back, not entirely sure if any of what Twilight was saying was meant to be taken with positive or negative connotations.

"Alright. I have a piece of rhubarb pie waiting for me back in town and I'm sure your dad...erm..I mean Mr.Cake is probably wondering where I went and I'm sure Rarity must be having a panic attack. And Pinkie.....please remember what we talked about. I have faith that you're going to do fine."

There was a quick spark of white light from the end of the unicorn's horn followed by a clap of thunder and an explosion of purple sparkles. Pinkie couldn't shake the feeling she had somehow screwed up. She and Dash had been so happy last night sleeping in the tree. And the party had been fun! And they were having fun together? Didn't that count for anything? Was it all meaningless? She quietly walked over to where Dash was laying, the sniffles having long come to an end.

"Hey pal." Dash rasped with a wry grin. "Sorry for going to pieces again."

"It's fine, Twilight says you're an extrafart which means you have trouble with feelings or something. I'm not really sure it was all very sciencey and confusing."

"Sounds like Twi."

"I need to give you your medicine!"

Pinkie grabbed the small brown bottles of pain killers and mood relaxers and brought out a small pill for each. She placed them onto the couch cushion in front of Dash and turned to get a glass of water, only to see Dash quickly lap the two pills up and swallow them dry.

"Oh ew! How can you swallow pills without a glass of water!" Pinkie lamented, wrinkling her snout. "That's like eating cookies without milk."

"I'm impatient!" Dash said with a smile. "I want to feel good again, quick as possible."

"I'm gonna make us some banana pudding for lunch! Would you like that? I put little vanilla wafers and puffed rice into it and then when its nearly done I mix in some marshmallows and top it with whipped cream! I think it's pretty darn good if I do say so myself. And I DO say so myself!"

"I'm gonna be so fat by the time I can fly again." chuckled Dash. "But I'm not really hungry right now, Pinks. All that crying made me exhausted."

"Time for a nap?"

"Time for a nap."

Pinkie lay onto the floor and began unzipping her fluffy pink sleeping bag.

"Hey um....Pinkie?" Dash asked, with a small tremble in her voice.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"You know if uh....you don't like sleeping on the floor....um...ah, how can I put this? I liked when you slept up here with me the other night after I bit my wing."

"You did?"

"Yeah....I mean, I dunno. It felt nice. And I felt....safe, I guess. It kept my neck warm and I was able to sleep better than I usually do. But I mean if you don't want to, it's cool. I know you get cold sometimes with the temperature up here...and I thought maybe you know...uh...if we were both here that...you know...." Dash rolled her eyes. This was an uncomfortable subject to talk about. Why was it so hard to make this seem cool? It was very frustrating.

Pinkie's eyes lit up as a small devious smile spread across her face.

"Oh! OOOooohhh! I get it now....so now you don't think snuggling is that lame, huh?"

Dash blushed and furrowed her brow. "Please don't call it that."

Pinkie let out a small giggle and leaped onto the couch, squeezing her body up against Dash and giving the pegasus a quick nudge in the cheek with her snout.

"All aboard the embarrassing snuggle train! Toot toot! Today's passenger is Dashie! Please keep your hooves and tails inside the train at all times! In case of an emergency, Pinkie Pie can be used as a floatation device! Gracias por viajar con el tren de abrazo!" Pinkie gave Dash a small nibble to the ear.

"Please...stop saying words." Dash mumbled, failing to hide her smile while her cheeks turned even redder.

"Okie Dokie, I'll stop." Pinkie said as she lowered her head onto Dash's neck, sending a tingle down the pegasus's spine. "Try to have a nice sleep, ok? When you wake up I'll make us that banana stuff for dinner instead. Although I'm not sure if bananas for dinner is allowed."

"Well I won't tell the dinner police if you won't. Deal?"

"Deal!"

Dash cautiously wrapped her arms around the warm fuzzy pink mass to her side and hugged it close, the warm pleasant feeling of coziness coaxing her into dreamland once more. It would be several hours before either of them awoke.

*******************************************

Darkness stretched infinitely in every direction. There was a din of sound, unlike that of any other sound that any creature had heard. So loud that it folded upon itself, its echoes colliding with the source, making a profane silence that was impossible to ignore yet all at once impossible to hear. It rattled and shook as the darkness passed and clouds began to form, misty at first and gaining solidness as they collided. One by one tiny lights began to manifest above the gloom. Too large to be stars and too small to be a moon. As they appeared they introduced themselves with a quiet note, like the strike of a piano chord. They gleamed pink, their shafts of incandescence piercing straight downward, leaving rings of light in the clouds.

Dash knew this was a dream. The real world was never quite this weird. Although weird things did happen in town. But for now, she knew she was safe, floating lazily through the clouded darkness without the aid of her wings. Like a river of air rippling before her, the currents ebbed and pushed her slowly forward biding their time til' she awoke.

"This dream is really boring." she thought to herself.

Hours seemed to pass by as she remained mostly thoughtless, only keenly observing the idea that this was, in fact, a dream and nothing more. She was stirred from the loud quiet by a figure passing by on a cloud. Who could that be? Well if it's in a dream it must be important. Might as well go over there and have a chat. It has to be less boring than this constant floating, right? Right.

Curiosity powered her to seep over the cloudbank and land next to the figure. It slowly turned to face her and Dash soon found herself face-to-face with...herself! Or at least an idealized version of herself. It was Dash as she had always hoped to be, dressed head to toe in a Wonderbolts uniform, looking strong, powerful, beautiful. And although they could not be seen, the cheers of the crowd could be heard echoing over the expanse.

"So am....I supposed to be having a conversation with myself?" Dash asked.

"What do you think, doofus?" the doppelganger replied, in a harsh but familiar voice that Dash couldn't quite place.

"A better answer would have been yes but alright. How long til' I wake up? This dream is really boring."

"You don't wake up until we're done talkin', kiddo."

"Talkin' about what?"

"Your failure."

"Oh is this about the race? I thought a week of nightmares was bad enough now I get to talk to myself about it. That's just great."

"Shut up. Look here, dweeb. While you and I are talking do you know what the rest of you is up to?"

"Sleeping? We're in a dream after all. Kinda answers itself."

"Shut up. And no, it's not the sleep. You're curled up with Pinkie Pie. That's the problem."

"Pffft is that what this is? Why do you care? Pinkie Pie is my...our...well MY friend."

"Friend huh? Heroes don't need friends."

"I'm not...a hero?"

"Exactly. Look at you. It's pathetic. A burnt little pegasus who can barely function without her 'best friend' around. Meanwhile I'm a huge success. One problem though: I don't exist."

"You seem like kind of a jerk. What if I don't want you to exist?"

"So you prefer being co-dependent on someone with half your IQ?"

"HEY! Pinkie isn't dumb! You're dumb! She's just silly and chill. Like me."

"Silly..... right. Is the silly part the thing you like the most about her? Or is it her smile? Her hair? Her bubbly personality? I got a laundry list of this garbage going here."

"....."

"Or is it her skin? Her short fluffy little hairs that make you feel all warm and comfortable? Is it the way she says your name? You love it when she called you Dashie, huh? Even when you ask her not to."

"I don't think I like this conversation. I'm not sure what part of me you're supposed to be but I think you're kind of a flankhole and I'm gonna head over near a different cloud."

"Ok. That's cool. Just....you know. Run away like you do with everything else. Run like you ran from Flight Academy when it got too hard. Run like you ran from Cloudsdale to be with that wuss, Fluttershy. Run like you ran from Gilda when you realized she was better than you."

"..."

"Thought so."

"You remind me alot of Gilda, actually. Your voice is a lot like hers."

"I should. She taught us a lot. I listened. You're forgetting what she taught us about love. You've forgotten all the things we've been through for the ponies we love. All the things you sacrificed just to be where you are today."

"I think I'm doing pretty alright."

"OH? IS THAT SO? A proud pegasus like you living in a little slum like Ponyville? A school dropout? No real family. Relies on her friends for everything. Selfish. Stuck-up. High-strung. Broken."

"Stop it."

"You think the Wonderbolts care about you? Naw, if you weren't such a screw-up they might find you impressive. They pity you. That suit you got is a pity suit. I can smell the shame in it from here."

"I said stop it."

"You think the Weather Team is gonna let you have your job as Manager back once you can fly again? Get real. You're going to be a cripple for the rest of your life. You think they'll let a cripple run a business that requires as much physical work as the Weather? You think you're ever going to be able to really train with the Wonderbolts? Ever be as good as them now that you've smashed your talent into a bunch of bloody bits? Now that they KNOW you're crazy and tried to tear your own wings off?"

"Shut. Up."

"Why do you do that anyway? Flying is the only thing we ever had any talent in. It's the ONE thing we didn't suck at and now you're trying to throw it away? Like garbage? YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME? THIS IS OUR LIFE, YOU IDIOT! THIS IS EVERYTHING!"

"SHUT UP!"

"Or did you just want attention? Pull out a few feathers and watch everyone have to make time for you. Just you. Poor widdle Dashie Washie got all hurt and now everyone has to drop whatever they're doing for her, huh? We both love the attention we get from flying and now that we can't you tried to get it another way, huh? Gotta feed the beast."

"SHUT UP!"

"Cares more about herself than the ponies in the hospitals that SHE PUT THERE. They're dying right now Dash and it's all your fault. They'll never laugh or smile or love someone else again and its all because of YOU, pal. All because you didn't listen to Gilda. All because you decided you'd rather have friends than a future."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE! I'm here because I'm not going to let my friends get hurt like I did. I'm not going to let another pony have to feel alone and afraid like I did before I came here. I'm not going to be another Gilda. We're the Element of Loyalty. We stick by the ponies we love because it's the right thing to do. Not because we want attention!"

"If you don't want attention than why are you SNUGGLING HAPPILY with that BIG PINK DORK up there?"

"Because I......."

".....yeah. Good work, Dash. You passed the test."

"What test?"

"The test to prove that you're a dweeb. You've set a new bar in dweebishness."

"You know what?"

"What."

"I'm glad I'm not like you anymore. I'm really glad my friends made me who I am today."

"That so?"

"Yeah. You disgust me."

"Cool. I'll just go, then."

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

"Enjoy relying on those who are weaker than you."

"Don't come back."

"I won't."

*****************************************

"Wake up!" Pinkie shouted.

Dash's eyes snapped open. "What? What happened?"

"You've been all wiggly and kicky and yelling things in your sleep. You kicked me off the couch. I thought you were having a bad dream. Ponies don't usually kick things in their sleep unless they're having a bad dream!"

"I was." Dash mumbled.

"I knew it! My Pinkie Sense always knows when something is wrong." Pinkie crawled back onto the couch. "Do you want to talk about your dream? I find nightmares are less scary if you have someone to share them with."

"Not really." Dash mumbled, taking a look out the window. The sun was setting somewhere outside, casting orange rays of light into the house. "How long was my nap?"

"About two hours. You snore real loud. Tank tried sitting on your nose to see if it'd make you snore quieter. Ya hungry?"

"Yeah, a little."

"Then prepare yourself! For the most bananatacular cuisine to ever cross your lips! It will be...uh...what's that word Rarity always uses.....oh yeah! MARVELOUS!"

Pinkie leaped off the couch, ready to make her way to the saddlebag fulled of banana puree and cream and prepare a wholesome yet fruity dinner. But she'd only made it a few steps before she felt a light tug on her backside. She turned to see Dash releasing the end of her tail, a worried look on the pegasus's face.

"Hey....um.....I wanted to say thanks."

"What for?" Pinkie asked, tilting her head to the side.

"For being here with me."

Pinkie gave Dash a small nod and went to retrieve her package. A thank you was a simple thing. Seeing ponies smile or feel happy was usually enough thanks for Pinkie. She never asked for anything back from those she helped. Never bragged about the happiness she spread to others. Never desired fame or fortune for the simple act of keeping the town and its inhabitants cheerful. She loved to make them smile. But despite that, it still felt extra nice to have someone thank her. It felt nice to know that someone acknowledged her with something as respectful as gratitude.

Willing to sell for one shilling.

Fluttershy was worried. A statement that was redundant but true. In general the yellow pegasus was usually worried about something. When away from her private cottage near the river, her nerves were pretty much always working overtime. Constant horrible ideas and nagging thoughts picked at the peaceful recesses of her mind. Had she left enough food for her animals to eat? Had she locked the door? What if the beavers chewed the door off? Would the paint on the door be toxic and poison the beavers? Oh why didn't she buy non-toxic paint when she had the chance! What if her kittens tried to eat the birds while she was gone? Sure they seemed peaceful. But maybe the animals were just waiting for a chance to kill each other! After all she had a whole ecosystem of creatures in her home. Nature was bound to take its course.

She shook her head, her long light pink hair flailing in the wind. She was overreacting. Her animals always treated each other so sweetly. She took a deep breath of the cool morning air to calm her nerves. Such cool air....

What if it was too cold inside the house? What if her animals were cold? What if the bears fell into hibernation inside the house and she had to wake them up and ruined their internal sense of seasons? Would the fireplace be enough to keep the animals warm? Was it safe to leave the fireplace burning? What if the animals touched the fire? What if the wood flooring caught on fire? What if all the moss around the spout of the chimney caught on fire and her whole house became a blazing inferno of death? What if the burning house caused the entire forest to light up? Ponyville would be trapped inside a massive forest fire! Fluttershy would be tried for arson, and locked behind bars. They'd probably give her solitary confinement so that way 'Fireshy' wouldn't be able to burn any ponies every again.

Once again she shook her head. What an amusing notion! She'd left the fireplace on tons of times and nothing bad had ever happened. She was worrying about nothing.

Was all this worrying bad? Was it affecting her health? All this stress and anxiety can't be a good thing. What if she started aging rapidly from all this worry? Rarity worried less than Fluttershy and was already getting crow's feet around her eyes that she covered with makeup. What if she started getting grey hairs from worrying so much? What if she ended up as a sad old pony that nobody wants anything to do with since she worries so much? What if her animals decided they no longer liked the new 'old' Fluttershy and decided to run away? What would she spend all her time on?

Relief came in the form of a soft wall made of stratus clouds held up by a marble column that struck her delicately in the forehead. She backed up and sighed happily. She had finally arrived at Dash's house. Now she could check up on her friend and simultaneously distract herself from the whirlwind of unending existential fury that was in her head. Fluttershy checked on the bags at her side just to be sure she brought everything.

Incense that smelled like roses, herbs from the Everfree forest, pine ash and mustard powder for poultices, coal phenol antiseptic to treat infection, iodine, a satchel of powders recommended by Zecora for treating injuries, and a record of relaxing clarinet music that Fluttershy enjoyed listening to and assumed Dash would as well. Fluttershy was no expert on natural remedies and treatments but having taken care of a veritable zoo of various creatures, she knew what brought results and what didn't. And at this point, she wanted her friend to feel as comfortable as possible. She approached the door quietly, her dainty hooves making almost no sound as she pushed the door open. There was the sound of someone talking coming from inside and that was followed by high-pitched giggling. The yellow pegasus slowly stuck her head in the cracked doorway to hear what was going on.

Dash was propped up on the couch with the pillows keeping her upright as she read from the passage of one of the Daring Do novels. She was reading aloud, her voice echoing through the room, and looking quite pleased with herself. In the back of the room near the stove was Pinkie, who seemed to be stirring a frothing mixture with a spoon while simultaneously listening intently to Dash read the story.

".....as Daring walked into the cave she could whiff the familiar stench of Winchell the Boggart. He wasn't a friendly fellow but he was a good source of information. And despite his reputation as a snitch, often found work doing the most heinous of crimes. He and Daring didn't see eye-to-eye on how the world and morality worked, but they had found that their camaraderie was beneficial for both. Winchell got to make a pretty penny off Daring by translating old world texts and identifying artifacts for her, while in turn Daring got an unending source of information that helped her track down the various treasure hunters that she wanted to see behind bars."

"Hey Dashie, uh.....sorry to interrupt the storytime but what is a boggart?" Pinkie asked. "Is it like a frog? A froggart?"

"What? No! They got nothin' to do with frogs. They're horrible little goblin dudes with big glowing eyes and hooves like deer. They're mostly jerks too. There used to be one in charge of maintenance of the icicle purification basin in the Weather Control office. That guy was awful. I don't think he was capable of saying anything without shouting."

"How funny!" Pinkie said with a small laugh. "There's so many neato critters living outside of Ponyville. One day I want to travel around and look at all the things. All the things! Also, I think this soup is done!"

"Oh good. I'm starved." Dash began to put the book away as Pinkie rounded the corner of the couch with a small steaming bowl of soup in her mouth.

"Oh no! Don't put the book away! This was just getting so interesting I want to know what happens with the froggart!" Pinkie protested as she sat in front of Dash, looking miffed.

"Boggart. Also I can't read and eat soup at the same time."

"Sure you can! If it's alphabet soup!" Pinkie chirped, scuttling forward with her head lowered. She squeezed under the book in Dash's outstretched hooves and placed herself into Dash's lap, pressing their bellies together but keeping her head at about the same level as Dash's neck. For a moment the two stared into each others eyes, transfixed. The momentary silence was broken by the loud grumble of a hungry stomach. Dash's cheeks went pink as Pinkie turned and grabbed the bowl, holding it up in her hooves.

"I can feed you soup while you read." smiled Pinkie as she put a small ladle of the contents into a spoon and clasped the handle in her teeth, bringing the utensil up to Dash's mouth gently. The pegasus devoured the contents, staring at Pinkie as she chewed.

"This is really good, Pinks. What is it?"

"Just broth and milk and alfalfa. Oh and salt! I thought it'd be good for you. It has a bunch of protein and stuff which Twilight said should help you get better." Pinkie replied sweetly, dipping the spoon back into the soup.

"You're too good to me, pal." Dash said with a grin, leaning forward to nuzzle the pink earth pony on her cheek, which elicited a happy giggle from her. "Well I guess I'll read while we eat."

Fluttershy sat staring wide-eyed at the scene before her. This was very strange. In the past Dash had been very quiet, almost ashamed about her reading ability. Not many pegasus could read, and as for Dash, she had considered it to be a hobby only enjoyed by nerds. But here she was reading aloud to Pinkie. But that wasn't the only strange thing. Dash was really stingy when it came to hugs or physical affection....yet...here she was with Pinkie sitting in her lap. It seemed so....intimate. And Dash was nuzzling someone? What on earth? What had happened to cause all this? Was the world ending?

She pressed her body against the door so it could swing open all the way and allow her entrance into the house. All at once she found her vision shrouded in shadow and a large cloth object landed on her head, covering it completely.

"Oh goodness!" Fluttershy shouted. "I'm blind!"

"Hey look! It worked! I told you it'd work!" came the approaching voice of Pinkie Pie. "You just have to fold the blanket a certain way and it works every time."

"Oh hey, Shy." came the voice of Dash. "I wanted to prank you with a pail of water on the doorframe but Pinkie thought that'd be too mean. So we used one of Rarity's blankets instead."

Fluttershy's vision was cleared as the blanket was pulled off her head and she stared into the joyous face of Pinkie.

"Wasn't that funny?" the pink earth mare bounced up and down in excitement. "I always like pranks when they keep everyone happy and nobody's feelings get hurt! Those are the best!"

"Yeah. A real chuckle bucket." Dash rolled her eyes, her voice dripping sarcasm. "We should have used the water."

"Oh." Fluttershy said, looking at the blanket that was now flopped to the floor. "I guess since you're pranking that means you're feeling better?"

"Yeah I'm feeling pretty great. Pinkie's takin' good care of me." Dash flashed a small grin at the pink mare. Fluttershy noticed the small blush that touched Pinkie's cheeks. There was definitely something up between these two. Somewhat worrying, like most things. Must investigate further. Best to seem oblivious for now.

"Did you bring all the stuff for cleaning my scabs n' stuff?" Dash asked, closing the book and placing it onto the couch. "I didn't want to take a bath after we applied it all. I smell like sweat and blood. Blechh!"

"Feel free to wash up." Fluttershy said as she began spilling the contents from her bag. "It's going to take me a little bit to mix this stuff together."

Dash slid off the couch and landed on the tile with a pained grunt. Casually limping she made her way into the bathroom. She hadn't taken a proper bath in some time, being too tired or hurt to dare. But as she approached the tub she felt quite excited. Some hot water would probably feel really relaxing on her battered joints. But she soon realized that there was going to be an issue. She needed to get into the tub first. Unlike a tree where she could leap up the trunk and grasp a branch, there was nothing to grab in the tub, and any sort of leap would lead to a face full of porcelain. With a grunt of annoyance Dash tried repeatedly to lift her body over the lip of the tub, kicking her good legs wildly. But through a combination of aching parts and movement-restricting bandages, she just couldn't make it in. A loud frustrated sigh escaped her as she sat angrily onto the bathmat.

"Looks like some pony needs help!"

Dash turned to see Pinkie peering through the bathroom doorway, beaming at her.

"You should have let me carry you, silly filly!"

"I don't need help getting into a bathtub."

"Then do it!" Pinkie said with a challenging tone, raising her eyebrows with a look of amusement.

Dash remained where she sat glaring at the tub, hoping if she glared enough it might be so polite as to tilt itself at an angle and let her in. But when that didn't work, she shot a quick angry glance at Pinkie who also had not moved and continued to smile innocently. Dash sighed quietly.

"Ha! I knew it! I knew it!" Pinkie sang as she lifted Dash into the air and gently deposited her into the basin. With a small flick of her hoof, the faucet was on, slowly filling the tub with warm tap water.

"I bet that feels really nice, huh? I always feel best after I take a nice hot bath. Sometimes I let Gummy swim around but then he gets all feral and tries to eat my foot so I put him back in his tank. But other than that I'd say hot baths are the best thing for relaxing. Better than sleeping, even!"

It would have been a lie to disagree. As the warm water filled the tub, the pegasus felt a deep sense of relief. Every sore spot, bruise, and aching bone seemed to melt away. The low steam and small splashes of water that hit her face only seemed to increase this feeling, bidding her to close her eyes and just enjoy the moment. To zone out. That feeling of weightlessness, the quiet hum of the faucet, the warmth that spread up from the heated liquid. So relaxing even, that Dash didn't even say a word when she felt a lathered brush begin to gently rub against her shoulder, making its way down her back and between her wings. Normally she'd have loved some privacy but this felt too darn good. This must be how Rarity feels when she goes to the spa, Dash thought. No wonder that pony is always in such a good mood. Maybe spas were kinda cool after all.

Dash felt the small pink hooves gently tear away at her, now soaked, bandages. Soon her injuries were exposed and bare, enjoying the pool of warmth as she was. Even the deep gash that ran along her stomach felt as if it was gone. What a feeling, and what a long time it had been since she'd felt this relaxed. This normal. Nothing to care about for now. Nothing to do but relax and let Pinkie bathe her. A small dollop of lilac shampoo dribbled on top of Dash's head. Compared to the warmth of the water, the shampoo might as well have been an ice cube dumped unceremoniously on her noggin. Her first instinct was to shake it off, but as soon as Pinkie began to gently massage it into Dash's hair and the tufts of fur around her ears, once again she found herself too relaxed to protest....well anything. A wrecking ball could come through the wall right now, destroying her house, and she wouldn't care. She was with her closest friend and feeling amazing.

Of course the amazing feeling was only due to her friend, thought Dash. Pinkie had done so much for Dash lately. And despite constantly asking her to take a break, the pink mare carried on, seeming more than happy to help Dash with all the little things she could no longer do on her own. It was endearing and cute and frustrating all at the same time.

"You don't gotta do this, Pinkie." Dash mumbled.

"I know but....I want to!" came the ever cheerful reply. Truth be told, she really did. Pinkie couldn't quite understand it but there was something very exciting about gently cleansing Dash's toned body. Feeling her muscles contract at the merest touch. Seeing the rough cyan hairs sparkle with new life.

Dash sighed but inside she was smiling. Can't really complain when someone is pampering you like this, right? She nickered quietly as the brush made its way across her chest and down her stomach, carefully avoiding the medical staples and wound. As the brush came around to the side near her neck again, it stopped. There was a mote of silence that made Dash turn to look at Pinkie. The pink mare had her head tilted, and her eyebrow raised in a look of confusion, staring at Dash's wings.

"How do yooouuuu......doooo....that thing where you straighten your feathers? Like what birds do."

"What? You mean preening?"

"Yeah! That thing! The preening thing!" she nodded vigorously.

"Oh. Well, some pegasus's use like creams and oils and brushes and crap to do it. Fluttershy is really into that. So is Cloud Kicker."

"But I guess you don't?"

"Nah, I do it the old fashioned way. Which is the best way. I don't like putting chemicals on something as sensitive as my feathers. Besides, pegasus wings produce their own oils and stuff to keep them waterproof. Like ducks."

"Oooh! I see ducks do that all the time."

"Yep. I just sort of put my feather into my mouth and kinda weave it through my lips, ya know? Get all the little barbs all going the same direction."

An awkward silence followed as Pinkie stared at Dash's wing. There a hopeful sort of gleam in Dash's eye. Like she knew what Pinkie wanted to ask but was too afraid to encourage the mare. Pinkie folded her ears flat against her head, feeling very shy for the first time in a long time. Her breathing and heartrate quickened, biting her lip a bit before she put the rag back on the side of the tub.

"C....could I ....." she motioned at Dash's wing with her hoof.

Very slowly Dash extended the limb. A wing was such an important part of a pegasus. It allowed them to show emotions easier. Sense changes in climate. They used it to protect their children. As a shield against debris. As a weapon to fight with. As a mark of honor amongst the races. But most importantly it allowed them to fly. Dash began to tremble as she extended her wing to Pinkie who very gently placed her hoof on it. It was such a small gesture, the very light press of a hoof against the sensitive digits that held the feathers in place, but the sensations it caused were frightening. A quiet squeak of fright escaped Dash and she immediately pulled the wing back, trembling even harder. Pinkie drew her hooves back in a similar frightened gesture, thinking she'd managed to hurt her friend. For a moment they sat silently, feeling awkward.

"Sorry, Pinks." Dash choked out. "They're really sensitive. I kinda panicked."

"It's okie dokie. I thought I'd touched a really sensitive spot or something by accident."

"No...I'm just.....these are my bread and butter. I don't know how I'd live without them and I've already ruined them twice in the last few weeks. I'm...just.....be careful..." She began trembling again, unfolding the cyan mass of feathers back outward.

"I'll be extra super especially careful." Pinkie whispered as she slowly brushed the feathers with the tip of her hoof, trying to straighten them out. Every small wave of her foreleg and pressure against the wing caused Dash to emit a small high pitched grunt or squeak. Pinkie grew frightened she was hurting Dash until she leaned over to look at the pegasus's face. Dash's eyes were closed tightly and every small sound that escaped her throat didn't seem to be out of pain but more out of the strange sort of pleasant sensation that was being caused. It was very cute, she thought, to hear these sort of weird happy noises come out of Dash. However there was very little progress on the straightening.

"I don't think this is working very well." Pinkie mentioned as she turned her head left and right observing the entangled mess of feathers. "They're still all sticking out in all sorts of directions."

Dash cursed quietly. She had an idea for how to fix this situation but....oh, Celestia. This was going to be really bizarre.

********************************

Fluttershy sat stoically at the table. It had been difficult to get all the ingredients for the poultices ready. A slow and steady process of smashing all the minerals and herbs together until they had formed a sort of thick sediment soup. Now she sat staring at several small blobs of the mixture, each wrapped tenderly in a soft cloth barely above the strength of a tissue. Perfect and ready for application to injured flesh. The difficulty hadn't been in the preparation of the poultices but in the trying to keep focus. At first she'd been happy to not have Pinkie Pie sitting at the table, constantly badgering her with questions about what each herb did and where they came from and what made an herb different from any other plant. All simple questions with very long answers. And for someone as quiet as Fluttershy, they were answers she was in no mood to give.

But the silence that had filled the air after Pinkie went to check up on Dash was...unnerving. And in the minutes that followed, the silence was broken by very quiet giggling and the splashing of water. What on earth were those two doing in there? Something fun, no doubt. But at the same time they had both been acting so strange lately. Did she dare take a peek into the bathroom? Dash usually got offended if anyone sneaked around her home. But then again Pinkie was in there too so did it really count as sneaking?

Fluttershy wrestled with her conscience. How could she peek in there without bothering the other two. Oh! It was getting late. She could simply use the excuse of needing to get lunch for her animals. Then if Dash complained, she could easily use that to fix the situation. A watertight alibi. How perfectly clever! With a light fluttering of her wings she landed on the tile and slowly peeked her head around the doorframe of the washroom. What she saw made her go white.

Pinkie had her head squished into the fold of Dash's wing, several feathers in her mouth and humming happily as she preened them. Her hooves were fighting a losing battle with Dash whose face was blushing bright red and she giggled aloud, trying to free her wing from Pinkie's clutches, sending water splashing over the edge of the tub to the floor.

"Oh goodness!" Fluttershy squeaked as she flushed and dove out of the doorframe. Now she KNEW something was up. Pegasi didn't just preen each others wings whenever they wanted! It wasn't like braiding hair. It was a very intimate activity, shared by those a pony loved most. But that meant Dash was perfectly ok with having Pinkie do THAT. And Fluttershy had witnessed their intimacy in broad daylight. Her cry of fear apparently hadn't gone unheard as within moments she heard a loud splash and quiet mumbling followed by Pinkie and Dash both exiting the bathroom, their cheeks still very pink.

"I'M LATE FOR FEEDING ANIMALS!!!!!!!!" Fluttershy shouted. Her backup idea had now become a deranged excuse to get out of the cottage and escape this embarrassing situation. "DASH. BANDAGES."

Dash limped over to where Fluttershy sat, staring at the floor as the poultices were wrapped tightly against her body wounds with the rolls of gauze. Pinkie coughed politely and sat a few feet away, doing her best to stare at the ceiling as if it was the most interesting ceiling in the world and wanted everyone to stay thirsty. Once the bandages were done, Dash shuffled away while Fluttershy quickly gathered her things and bolted for the front door. But as she reached it a thought struck her. This was Rainbow Dash she was running from. Her childhood friend. The pony who had rescued her from bullies, dragons, and countless other dangers. And as a friend, Fluttershy needed to make sure Dash was safe.

"Pinkie...." Fluttershy called. "May I....speak with you...um....outside?"

"Yeah of course!" Pinkie answered, turning to nudge the bowl of soup to Dash who was climbing back onto the couch. "Eat the rest of your soup before it gets too cold. We can read more later."

She trotted out onto the front steps where Fluttershy sat.

"What did you want to talk with me about?" Pinkie asked quietly. "If it's about the thing that just happened...I was just preening her. She asked me to do it and I said yes. I didn't know she'd be so ticklish."

Fluttershy took a deep breath.

"Um....well....it's partly about that. But partly about other things."

"Okay. What other things? Is this about me forgetting to give her medicine a couple of days ago cause I already apologized to her and Twilight a whole bunch already. I'm running out of ways to say sorry and it's a very big list!"

"No...I know you're taking good care of Dash. Excellent care.....actually. She trusts you a lot, Pinkie."

"I know!"

"No....I don't think you do. Pinkie I've known Dash since....uh...well I'm not even sure anymore. My entire life. She's never been comfortable with having anyone touch her OR her wings. And other than the night where she tried to tear her feathers out, that's the first time I've ever even seen her personal grooming area. She's very private."

Pinkie nodded.

"She trusts you more than she trusts me or Applejack or anyone. She really likes you, Pinkie. And I know you're a very um.....social pony. You're really friendly with a lot of ponies. And you don't mind invading personal space if you can make others smile. Which is both good and bad in ways I guess....but its also sort of what makes you special....."

"What are you trying to get at?" Pinkie said waveringly.

"I....hmm. I don't want her to get hurt. And I'm frightened that....if she's this fond of you already....she's going to have a very hard time getting back on her feet when you eventually decide to go back home and.....oh....I can't......" Fluttershy whimpered.

Pinkie's eyes grew wide. "What's going on here? You're not making any sense and normally I'm really good at understanding things that don't make sense. So your non- sense-making must be even more unsense than usual. Even for me!"

"Ok. Let me try it a different way. Pinkie I try to stay out of my friends personal lives but....I need to ask you a question. It's a very private sort of question and you might not want to answer it right away. And that's fine....but...I really need to know because Dash is my friend and I don't.....want her to get hurt."

The hairs on the back of Pinkie's neck stood up. She knew what the question was going to be. She'd rehearsed it in her mind a few thousand times. How to tell her friends this secret. The most eloquent and funniest way to state her feelings without making everyone feel weird and possibly ruining friendships. Pinkie was no queen of etiquette but she knew what a social faux-pas was. And her secret was a time bomb that had been quietly waiting inside her, slowly biding its time til it could explode and ruin everything. And now Fluttershy was about to light the fuse. Pinkie took a deep breath and tried to appear calm, but she shook like a leaf.

"Pinkie....uh.....do you......love Rainbow?"

Thousands of times Pinkie had rehearsed her answers on how to answer this question should it ever come up. And in the briefest of moments they were gone and the very talkative earth pony found herself speechless. Her mind raced and came up empty. How? She was so good at this. So good at finding something new to say. So good at getting out of these sort of situations. Something has to be around here to jar her memory. Her eyes darted around briefly as she tried to think. Oh what was the use....Fluttershy was going to hate her anyway. Pinkie looked to the floor as large tears began to fall from her eyes, absorbing into the cloud.

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy. It happened and I didn't know how it happened and I've been trying to hide it but it's so hard and I'm sorry. Please don't make me leave."

"Oh Pinkie. How long have you felt this way?"

"Since she moved here to Ponyville."

Fluttershy pulled Pinkie over for a comforting hug, squeezing her tightly as the weeping died down to a quiet sniffling. Pinkie looked up at Fluttershy, her blue eyes filled with terror and confusion.

"You....aren't upset?"

"I'm just upset it took you this long to tell someone. Pinkie....you shouldn't hide your feelings inside of yourself. That's so just...awful for you. Why didn't you tell me? Or Rarity? You know we'd understand."

"Dashie is my friend and when I realized that I liked her more than that I...I...I got really really scared cause she was so cool and amazing and she thought I was annoying and I'd never fallen in love before. I didn't even know I liked mares til then. And then Twilight came here and I tried to be a better friend for Dash and she liked me and I just felt like I could do anything and I was so happy. I had the prettiest most bestest pegasus in the world hanging out with me and she even thought I was cool and it's not right for me to feel this way because she's my friend. Friends shouldn't fall in love with their friends. What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you Pinkie."

"Then why is it like this? I thought falling in love was supposed to be something magical. Like one day we'd just be doing pranks or running around the park and she'd look at me and think I'm pretty or something and then we'd hit it off. Destiny would decide we were best for each other and then we'd be happy. But I knew she didn't think that way and I hid it so well and then she got hurt and I realized how much I liked her and I don't even know how she feels about me and....and....I feel so dumb. I've ruined everything."

"Pinkie love isn't about magic or fate or destiny. Love is....well...it's about finding someone you can stand to be around for more than ten minutes at a time. Someone whom you don't have to think twice about everything with. Someone you feel a special connection to."

Pinkie wiped her eyes and sniffled. "Really?"

"Yes. And I can tell Dash likes you a lot Pinkie. She's like a walnut....she's really tough on the outside but inside she's always been a big softie. I've never seen her like someone as much as she likes you. Ever. Have you been doing any...um....couple related things?"

"We'll I convinced her to snuggle with me at Applejack's party and after that she wanted to snuggle all the time and sometimes she likes to rub her cheek on my neck. Is...that good?"

"That's wonderful Pinkie." Fluttershy cooed, her eyes lighting up. "She's found someone she's comfortable enough around to let herself be.....herself. And it's with you. Someone who already likes her. Oh this is wonderful it couldn't be more perfect!"

"So.....you think theres a chance that......"

"Oh I think its guaranteed. She loves you, Pinkie. BUT....you really should let her figure this out on her own, alright?"

"How come?"

"Dash is....um....she has a lot of repressed emotions. She can't express herself very well and she gets really....skittish with this sort of stuff. When we were little she would always act out because it made her feel like she was worth something. And when it didn't work she'd always try to hide away. It took me a very long time just to get her to come to Ponyville. She basically lived by herself, thinking that having friends was....silly."

"So I shouldn't try to....."

"Don't try to force it. Let her figure it out naturally. Or of course if it takes too long you could always just kiss her!"

Pinkie's face went bright red. "I'm not sure if I'm ready for that yet, Flutters. Just having her hold me gives me butterflies in my tummy and makes me feel all weird and stuff."

"I'm just teasing you, Pinkie!" Fluttershy said with a giggle. "Actually doing that would probably scare her away for a while. I wouldn't recommend it."

"What should I do then?"

"Just be her friend and enjoy your time together. She'll come around. I just know it Pinkie. Oh...I'm so happy for you! And Dash! This is so-"

The front door of the house swung open as Dash limped out onto the front steps to join Pinkie and Fluttershy. She flopped onto her back, patting her full stomach and staring at the sun as it moved its way past the noon position in the sky.

"Hey gals. What's the hold-up out here?"

"Oh nothing, Dash. Pinkie and I were just....um....talking about Gummy's health."

"How is ol' Gummy anyway?"

"HE'S GOOD." Pinkie shouted, feeling very uncomfortable and sweating profusely.

"Okay........" Dash raised an eyebrow. "Actually I came out here cause there's something I wanna talk about. I've been doing some thinking and I got an idea. I think it's a really good idea but I wanted to run it by you both first."

"Why us?" asked Fluttershy.

"Cause you're both my best friends and I wanted your advice. Right, so I've been trying to think about how I want to help the other ponies who got hurt in the crash. There was a lot of them and some of them are still in the hospital and can't pay for their medical stuff. So I was thinking why don't I just like.....take all my life savings and just divide it up between the hurt pony's families? I mean that seems like a good option right? Help 'em recover from all this."

"Dash...um....that's a great idea....but you don't really have much money." Fluttershy replied with as polite of a smile as she could muster.

"You don't know what I make! I could be rich and you wouldn't even..."

A small glare from Fluttershy silenced Dash's tirade.

"Ok yeah I don't have much. But it's all I can really do. I have nothing else to offer them."

"You should save it for your own medical expenses for now."

"Speaking of. Hey, Pinks, where did all my mail and stuff go?"

"T-Twilight took it away..... she s-said that it was bad for you to r.....read." Pinkie meeped, gulping audibly.

"Sounds like something Twi would do. What's wrong, Pinkie? You're looking kinda freaked out. What'd I miss?"

"NOTHING!!" Pinkie shouted loudly as she backflipped through a window, back into the cottage interior.

"She's so weird, sometimes." Dash mumbled. "But I guess that's why I like having her around."

"Dash...do you really feel like this is something you NEED to do?" Fluttershy asked, her face etched with concern. "Giving away everything is such a big deal. Is there no other way?"

"Nah. I'm pretty sure this is the right thing to do. For once in my life I'm really sure this is exactly what I need to do."

"How come?"

"I think I've managed to forgive myself. But that doesn't mean that I get to just lay around and act like nothing happened. Act like I wasn't a part of this event and I don't hold a large chunk of responsibility. I've been friggin' lucky, Fluttershy. I survived a deadly crash, I didn't lose any limbs, I had Celestia and Luna watching my back. I had you guys to support me. And I've gotten to spend all my time since then with Pinkie which has been....I can't even describe it, Shy. It's been great. I'm really REALLY fortunate. But those other ponies weren't. It's not fair to them."

"I guess I can see it from that perspective."

"Cool. Gonna head to Cloudsdale Clinic as soon as I can and spread some love. See if I can't get a few smiles out of it, ya know?"

Fluttershy chuckled. "Smiles, huh? I guess Pinkie is really rubbing off on you, huh?"

"Yeah...." mumbled Dash as the sun began its slow descent to mark the beginning of the afternoon. "I think she is."

The scream becomes a yawn.

When Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had arrived at the Cloudsdale Clinic, they learned that the young filly, Cinnamon Breeze, had been moved days prior to Canterlot Neurology Center for a special treatment. Whatever the treatment was had been spoken of in hushed whispers between the parents and the well dressed stallions who had come to discuss it. But afterwards the filly had been placed into a carriage along with her parents and the three had been whisked away to Canterlot. Which meant Dash and Pinkie would now need to take the train to Canterlot, the city of the royals, where the two deities, Celestia and Luna, ruled with altruism and benevolence. It was a beautiful city, with peaked white towers piercing the sky with great golden domes atop each one. The domes themselves were adorned with windows, pennants, and tapestries that fluttered through the wind. Great arching bridges between city streets cast shadows onto the purple and lavender cobblestone that made up most of the roads. These too, were lavishly decorated with marble and cloths. One often wondered if the nobility that lived within the city ever truly appreciated just how beautiful the town was. Nobody who ever visited the town ever got off the train without their mouths agape at the majesty of it all. Dash and Pinkie had been here a few times with Twilight Sparkle, who was the personal protege of Celestia. But that didn't make the effect of the city any less stunning, and their already slow pacing due to Dash's injuries, became a slothful crawl as they gazed around at the architecture rising from the busy streets.

The Canterlot Neurology Center itself was a small grey drystone minaret structure shaped like an onion, with louver windows going round the larger curve of it's shape, with copper cladding making dark brown stripes up through the sides of the building and ending at the twisted steeple which curled into the air. At the top tip of the steeple sat a wrought iron finial forming three letters: CNC. It was a strange looking building, to be sure. Inviting while simultaneously bizarre almost to the point of being scary. Pinkie joked about how the building would probably have been adored by Rarity, who could find something positive to say in even the most strange of modern art. The two slowly approached the front desk and asked which of the rooms the injured filly was being kept in. The nurse had been hesitant at first, allowing unregistered visitors to see a child in the hospital, but upon learning that the visitor was the Rainbow Dash from the newspaper, gave them the information that they needed. Now the two sat on a bench two floors below the surface, near a corridor labeled the Sky Skimmer Wing. Dash was checking the small satchel she had brought along to give to the family.

"Yep. It's all in there." Dash commented as she fished around in the bag.

"How much is in there?" Pinkie asked.

"800 bits." Dash said with a wry smile, leaning away from Pinkie, correctly predicting her friend's reaction.

"THATS IT!?" Pinkie screeched with the force of a hurricane wrestling a bear.

"Yeah. That's my life savings, Pinks. I don't make much at the weather factory, heh."

Pinkie's bottom lip trembled. She appeared ready to cry.

"Aww, c'mon pal. I'm fine. Don't do that!" Dash protested.

"But it's so little, Dashie. How do you even survive on only....that!?"

"I've never needed much, I guess. I mean heck, if I'm hungry and broke I'll sometimes just...you know...graze. On like wildflowers and grass and mushrooms and stuff and....oh c'mon don't gimme that look!"

Pinkie's pouting lip was trembling even harder at this point.

"There's nothing wrong with grazing!" Dash growled as Pinkie's arms gripped her in a rib-shattering hug.

"You should have told me or Rarity you didn't have any money! You shouldn't ever have to graze! Rarity has alotta bits and so do I! I get a big allowance from the Cakes when I actually do stuff there or babysit! And I never use it on anything except for that party a couple weeks ago and on food for Gummy but I've gotten more since then! Here...we can go to the bank and I could grab some and then-"

"NO!" Dash shouted, frightening Pinkie who shuffled away looking tearful. "Sorry. Just....no. You and the others have done enough already for me. I'm doing this on my own. And that includes meeting this kid's family."

"You don't want me to carry you?"

"No. This is something I have to do. Alone. So just sit here and wait for me. I'll be back in a few. Gonna try to keep this meeting short in case I start going to pieces around these ponies." Dash leaned down and gave Pinkie a gentle nudge on the forehead with her snout. "Don't worry about me. Okie dokie?"

"Okie dokie."

The corridor seemed to go on forever, with intimidating grey doors every few feet. Next to each door was a plastic shelf containing documents and paperwork describing the patient within the rooms and the doctors whom had been assigned to them. Every so often a door would open and a pony in medical garb would walk out and make their way down through one of the ends of corridor. On occasion one would pass by Dash as she walked, curious as to why a bandaged pony was limping painfully through the hall with no supervision. She'd flash them a cocky smile which would generally ward off suspicion and they'd disappear. Dash took a look at the door she just passed. 505. She was two doors away from her destination. Her pace slowed further as she approached. Should have planned ahead. What was she going to say to these ponies? She wasn't even sure. Could she just drop the money and knock on the door and run? She can't run with her legs still hurting like this. Dangit. Well, here we go.

Dash sat on her haunches in front of the door. She gave her wings a quick flap just to test their strength, and was answered with a painful pang and the feeling of atrophied muscles. Couldn't fly away if she knocked on the door either. She was going to have to do this personally whether she wanted to or not. Face to face. Pony to pony. She shakily lifted a hoof and gave the door a quick knock, wincing as the sound echoed through the corridor like an alarm. She heard a quiet shout from inside the room and began to back away from the door. With a clatter it burst open and a tiny filly came tumbling out.

Jeez she is really small, was the first thought to come to Dash's mind. The filly really was very small, scarcely larger than a rabbit with shaggy white fur all the way down to her fetlocks. Her black mane was shaggy as well, almost entirely hiding the giant hazel eyes on her face as she ran up to Dash, her droopy tail wagging happily and simultaneously sweeping the floor.

"OMIGOSS WAINBOW DASS!" she squeaked, doing a small dance seeming very happy and excited to have a visitor.

"Hey there..." Dash spoke softly, leaning down to look at the small quivering creature before her. "Are you Cinnamon?"

"YA! I'm Cimmawim! POPPA! Wainbow Dass!" unable to contain her excitement, the tiny filly began running in circles around Dash, sputtering garbled happy words that were difficult to understand.

A very tired and stressed looking chestnut-coated lanky pegasus stallion made his way to the doorframe, followed by an equally tired gold mare with a white wispy mane. Autumn Breeze and his wife, Sea. They both smiled wearily at Dash as they exited. The father looked down at his daughter as she ran in circles, laughing happily.

"Yes I know, honey!" he turned to give Dash a respectful nod. "Thank you for letting her meet you. It means a lot to us."

"She's your biggest fan, you know. After you saved the Princess from those awful changelings." Sea chimed. "It was why we we went to the race in the first place. So she could see you perform."

"I'm honored, really. I am. Also I didn't really save the Princess...I mean I helped. I beat the tar out of a bunch of them. It was Twilight Sparkle who did most of the heavy lifting. So um...." Dash glanced down as the filly began climbing over her foot. "How long has she been out of the coma? Did everything check out, ok?"

"Pwincess Siwestia wuz here!" the filly squeaked. "Poppa sez she made my head betta!"

Dash made a mental note to send Celestia the nicest letter she could possibly write. And maybe a gift of some sort, as well. This was the best news she'd heard in some time.

"So you're my biggest fan, huh?" Dash asked, giving the tiny pegasus a gentle pat on the head. "Can you fly yet?"

"Yah! I can fwy but poppa says I'm not awwowed to fwy until I don' have these." she replied, pawing at the stitches on her face.

"Well I'm glad you're ok." Dash said, hugging the child. "And I'm sorry you got hurt. And I'm sorry you all had to go through this. I uh....actually brought something...."

She fished around behind her body and pulled out the small satchel.

"I've been really lucky. And you guys haven't and I don't think I could live with myself if I didn't help pay for the costs of all this stuff so.....I want you guys to have this."

Sheepishly she held forward the modest sack of bits.

Autumn suddenly looked alarmingly confused at Dash. "Um....miss Dash you already paid for all the hospital bills."

Now it was Dash's turn to look confused.

"I....I did?"

"You don't remember?" Sea asked. "It was only yesterday."

"I'll be honest with all the medications, sometimes parts of my day have been a blur...." Dash replied, rubbing her head.

"Perhaps you should lie down for a while, dear." Sea suggested. "You look rather out-of-sorts. I can't imagine walking here was very good for you."

"Yeah....uh....maybe I will."

With a few warm goodbyes and a last glance of confusion at the family, Dash turned and slowly trudged back down the corridor. Her mind was abuzz with questions that had no answers.

***************************************

"I don't get it. The nurse even said all their expenses had been paid....IN FULL....by someone claiming to be me. And she said this apparently isn't the first time it's happened either."

Dash and Pinkie were making their way back to the Canterlot train station. After having walked through the hallway twice, the pegasus legs hurt enough that she was once again, more than happy to be carried along like a sack of potatoes through the town. She was so confused and certain she'd never been to the hospital before. But who would have paid for the expenses of the family? And why would they have let her take credit? It didn't make sense.

"Hey Pinkie." Dash asked, her voice getting lower in tone. "You and the others aren't doing another Mare-Do-Well thing and pretending to be ME this time or something, right?"

"Nope!" came the cheerful reply. "I guess some pony just felt like making your life a little easier, Dashie. You should be happy! Now you have less things to worry about and you get to not spend all of your bits! Some anonymous pony cared enough about you to make you happy. I think that's pretty special. Not sure why it's making you so upset."

"I'm not upset....ok I am a little upset. It's just weird, alright? They could have asked me first or let me know in advance. I'm probably never going to find out who it was now."

************************************

Days passed and the weather took a colder turn as the first signs of autumn made their way across Equestria. The green shade on the leaves began to tint brown, not quite ready to die and fall off but showing the first fickle signs of the changing of the seasons. Frost began to form in the mornings on the tips of plants, melting into dew once the sun rose and heated the land. Ponies began going out with scarves and hats. Animals began to collect around the warmth of Fluttershy's cottage. The ice-cream vendor wagons started to dole out hot chocolate instead of the usual frozen treats. Ponies stopped taking dips in the rivers and lakes and started finding cozier, warmer places to hang out in during the day.

For the Elements of Harmony this only meant they had a few more convenient excuses to hang out. And quite a few places to hang out in. For today they were having a party. A sort of spur-of-the-moment party caused by an incident earlier that day. What had started off as a frightening run through town had become a sort of blessing in disguise. So, simply by proxy and distance needed to be traveled, the party was being held at the spa near Rarity's house. While it was a joyous event, they were unaware that Twilight Sparkle would be arriving soon with some strange and sombre news.

"Honestly you two, this is a spa not a public pool!" Rarity lectured, rolling her eyes as another ball of spa mud soared through the air.

"Aww, let 'em have their fun, Rare." came Applejack's reply. The two were sitting with Fluttershy in a jacuzzi not far from the mud bath station. "Heck, it's just mud, right? They can always get more."

"Just mud? Dear, this is not JUST mud. It's peat moss, imported ash, oregano, and pure water from the Canterlot Gardens. It is expensive to procure and produce and they're just throwing it around!" Rarity quipped as she glared at the other two guests.

"Sorry Rarity!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she fended off another mud ball thrown her way. "But I can't really relax in this itchy goop. Also are you sure this is gonna help my staple holes heal up? I mean....I'm not a doctor but I can't see how dirty water is healthy in any way."

"BAZOW!" Pinkie shouted triumphantly as a perfectly aimed ball of mud collided into Rainbow's forehead.

"Oh you're gonna get it now!" Rainbow leaped above the surface briefly and swam ferociously towards the pink menace.

Rarity sighed in frustration. While it was a wonderful event that Fluttershy and Zecora's poultices had seemed to instill a new energy into her injured friend, the original reason for inviting Dash to the spa was to help with the recovery process. However as she had keenly observed, Rainbow and Pinkie weren't really made for the spa. They were too excitable, too energetic, and as she kept trying to mention to Applejack, they were seemingly unable to keep their hooves off each other.

Every few minutes of relaxation had been interrupted by some sort of outburst of laughter or play, generally ending with one of the two mares affectionately hugging or nibbling the ear of the other. It would have been cute, perhaps, if it didn't happen every time Rarity finally felt herself becoming less stressed. Applejack of course, couldn't see anything strange going on, which Rarity blamed on the fact that Applejack had all the observational skills of a watermelon.

"So. You still deny it?" Rarity asked quietly to Applejack, pointing a hoof at the two mares a few feet over who seemed to be having an ear-pulling contest like two puppy dogs.

"I don't see it, Rare." Applejack sighed, rolling her eyes. "Rainbow's always liked horsin' around. I don't see how this is any different to how she was before the injury."

"Really? REALLY? How is it someone who can tell that a fruit is rotten before it even changes color can't see that two of her best friends clearly fancy each other? Why am I the only pony around here who can see these things!" Rarity threw her hooves up in exasperation. "Surely you've noticed the change in Dash's demeanor, Fluttershy? I'm not alone here am I?"

Fluttershy had spent the entire outgoing quietly trying not to watch Dash and Pinkie. A small smile had been on her face the entire time, but Rarity's question had wiped it clean off.

"Oh! Um....no not really." the yellow pegasus fidgeted. "Maybe you should explain it...better?"

"So I'm really the only pony who has noticed? Alright here. Look at how the two of them stare at each other. Watch how Dash just follows Pinkie around like a duckling. Or how even when Pinkie is at her chattiest, Dash never tries to shush the poor thing anymore. And when they came in and Dash was wearing that fetching suit I made for her, was I the only one who noticed how Pinkie just couldn't stop staring at Dash? She was practically drooling. Like she was looking at a pure chocolate cupcake with truffle icing."

Applejack laughed loudly at the metaphor while Fluttershy tried her hardest not to yelp in dismay.

"Naw, Rare. I still think yer seein' things." Applejack commented, taking a sip of the iced tea sitting poolside. "Dash follows Pinkie around cause she can't do alotta stuff on her own still. She's just bein' polite when Pinkie talks too much. And I think every pony in the room finds that hoodie you made for Rainbow pretty spiffy. Probably one of the best pieces I ever seen ya sew, and that's sayin' somethin'."

"UGH. What about you, Fluttershy?" Rarity asked with a roll of her eyes at the farm pony.

"Sorry Rarity. I can't see it either." Fluttershy said sadly. She knew it was a lie, and she hated lies. But as Pinkie had always said, telling a friend's secret was the best way to lose that friend. FOREVER.

"FINDERS KEEPERS!" Pinkie screeched happily, landing in the jacuzzi momentarily, with a jar of bath salts clenched in her teeth. All the mud that had been stuck to her body washed off the moment she had landed in the jacuzzi, splashing her friends and sending a muddy wave of water gushing over the sides of the pool.

"LOSERS WEEPERS!" Rainbow shouted, leaping over the jacuzzi with a clumsy flap of her wings.

"Dangit, Rainbow!" Applejack growled more to herself than to the fleeing criminal. "Y'all got mud in the pool and ya spilled mah darn drink and to top if off y-"

She was silenced by a sharp prod in the shoulder by Rarity's cloven hoof, glancing to see her friend nodding frantically past her. Applejack turned to see what had drawn the unicorn's attention, nearly gasping at the event that was unfolding a few feet away.

Rainbow had managed to tackle Pinkie and extract the jar of bath salts that were currently rolling away, destined for places unknown. The pegasus was leering at the pink earth pony she had pinned to the floor. At the moment the two were just staring at each other, breathing hard from exertion, but it was hard to deny there was a hunger in their eyes. They both seemed delighted yet frightened all at once, their bodies nearly touching as water dripped from them both, forming a puddle. Rainbow seemed to recover first, blushing and taking her hooves from Pinkie's shoulders so the earth mare could sit up. Their manes were plastered to their heads from the moisture of the pool, giving them a wild untamed appearance. For a moment the two just sat, staring each other down, in the puddle. The room went silent, even the two receptionists at the counter stopped what they were doing simply to watch the scene unfold. Pinkie began to tremble, clearing her throat and looking away. Rainbow swallowed and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Your hair....looks nice like that...." Rainbow coughed out. "All...droopy and stuff."

Pinkie's eyes lit up as a giant smile plastered its way across her features. "Thank you, Rainbow!"

She rushed forward and pulled the pegasus into a very drippy hug. Rainbow's eyelids fluttered briefly before she sighed happily and hugged the pink mare back.

"Oh goodness." Fluttershy squeaked, covering her face with her hooves.

"Just seeing things, hmm?" Rarity said in a mocking tone, giving Applejack a look that screamed 'I told you so'.

The two lovestruck ponies sheepishly made their way to the jacuzzi and jumped in, as a knowing glance passed between their friends.

"S..sorry." Dash mumbled. "About the whole mess."

"Y'all owe me a dang iced tea." grumped Applejack, folding her arms.

The door to the spa swung open, drawing everyone's attention yet again as Twilight Sparkle entered. She seemed rather pensive as she entered the room, and only grew more so at the silence met at her arrival.

"Hey girls." Twilight called. "What's up."

"Not much, dear. Pinkie is just destroying the spa, as usual." Rarity flatly announced with a thin smile.

"Yep!" Pinkie announced proudly. "Hiya, Twilight!"

"Howdy, Sugarcube!" Applejack shouted. "Glad y'all finally made it. Was startin' to wonder if ya got lost."

"I'm late for a really good reason, actually. Is the plan today to go pick strawberries, still? I'm surprised you guys didn't leave without me, yet."

"Yes, ma'am. Plan still ain't changed."

"Good. What's uh....this little party for?" Twilight asked, looking around. "Did I miss something?"

"It's a party to celebrate Dash being able to fly again." Fluttershy said.

"Well I can't really...fly. But I can glide again." Rainbow muttered, trying not to look too proud of herself.

"Why were you trying to fly?" Twilight asked, looking concerned. "You're supposed to be taking it easy."

"Your cloudwalking spell wore off on my sleeping bag, Twilight." Pinkie began. "And when I went to go check up on the Cakes it fell through the floor. And when Dashie woke up from sleep she thought I'd fallen through the floor and she was scared I'd fallen off the cloud and gotten hurt so she glided down to the forest and ran all the way to Sugarcube Corner. She was so worried and sad! But then we were both really happy because she was able to fly and run without needing help!"

"Oh." Twilight blinked. "Well I guess that's a good sign. How was the staple removal?"

"It was like getting stabbed by worlds tiniest knife a few hundred times, Twi." Rainbow replied, grimacing. "But at least I can sleep comfortably again. And run around without feeling those things pulling on my tummy. Plus, I got a cool scar out of it."

Rainbow stood on her hind legs to showcase the dreadful crooked scar going down the center of her body, causing everyone else to wince.

"I always kind of wanted a cool scar. Now I got the coolest scar in Ponyville."

"Yes and you only had to nearly die to get it." Rarity mentioned with a lopsided grin.

"Rainbow, I know Zecora has some powders that are good for smoothing furrows and wrinkles in skin. I'm sure they could help with your scars....that is if...um...you wanted to." Fluttershy whispered.

"Heck, no! These scars make me look cool! Right, Pinks?"

Pinkie nodded dreamily, staring at Rainbow's torso.

"Get rid of wrinkles, you say?" Rarity inquired, shooting a surprised glance at Fluttershy. "Clearly I need to give miss Zecora a visit."

"Oh for Pete's sake. Ya look fine, Rare!" Applejack growled, looking at the ceiling. "I don't even see the point of comin' to this here spa anyway. Waste o' bits."

"A waste of bits? A WASTE? I'll have you know that I -"

"Girls, please." Twilight interrupted. "Before we get too far into this argument on what constitutes as a constructive expenditure of bits, I actually need to borrow Dash for a moment."

"Awww, really? I was just starting to feel all....relaxed and cleansed and other words Rarity uses." Dash grumbled pulling herself out of the jacuzzi and shaking the water off, sending droplets spraying everywhere.

"It's sort of important, Dash." Twilight replied quietly looking pensive again. "It has to do with your hospital expenses."

"Oh goody." Dash sighed as she exited the door with Twilight. Whatever this was about couldn't be good.

**************************************

"So how have you been, Dash?" Twilight asked as the two of them made their way across the street.

"I've been pretty great!" Dash announced happily. "Everything still hurts but I'm not immobile anymore."

"How have things been at home? Are your living conditions still....up to par for recovery? Nothing to worry or complain about? No incidents?"

Dash shot Twilight a skeptical look. "What're you getting at, Sparkle?"

"I'm just worried." Twilight mumbled. "After the night Pinkie forgot to give you your medication I've been worrying about letting her stay there. Then when I found out you tried to fly today, when I'm sure your wings aren't healed yet, just reminded me how worried I've been. It's ok if things aren't working out, Dash. Applejack and Rarity and I have plenty of extra room if you need a place to stay. That is of course if things aren't going well...."

"You kidding?" Dash asked looking surprised. "Living with Pinkie is great! These last few weeks have been awesome!"

"Really?" Twilight's voice rose a few octaves, seeming confused. "I would have thought by now you'd have gotten tired of her...quirks."

"Nah, she's cool." Dash replied. "I'm actually gonna start working at Sugarcube Corner. Just so I can hang out with her more. At least until my wings are back in shape."

"Oh! Well that's....unexpected." Twilight coughed, turning towards the streetcorner with a concerned look. "Alright Dash we're almost to him. Please don't get upset or anything."

"Him? Upset?" Dash asked. "What's going on?"

A small flock of sparrows flew overhead accompanied by a chilly gust of wind and a few autumn leaves rustling through the cobblestone street. Twilight came to a stop and sat at the corner clearing her throat as Dash looked on confused. There was a quiet creak, like that of a door swinging open, and the sound of hooves approaching from around the corner of the bakery they were currently sitting next to. Dash glanced around, wondering what the point of all this privacy was. Then a stallion turned the corner, looking directly at the pegasus with a grief-filled expression. His coat was buttery-brown, with long straw-colored hair in his mane that nearly hid his eyes from view. He numbly slowed to a stop near Twilight. It was a stallion Dash had known for a long time, and was in no rush to see again.

"What are you doing here?" Dash growled, flaring out her wings and backing up a few steps looking furious and ready to pounce. "Can't you just leave me alone?"

"Twilight felt I needed to be honest about my actions lately." Hoops calmly whispered, looking at the ground and shuffling.

"Which means what to me?"

"I'm the one who paid for the expenses of the other accident victims." replied Hoops quietly.

"What do you want? A medal? A pat on the back? Forgiveness for being a jerk to me and my friends ever since I was little?" Dash stepped forward, spitting at Hoop's hooves with malice. "Cause you aren't getting any of that."

"No, actually." Hoops began calmly. "I don't really deserve to be forgiven. I would be foolish to hope for that now. I just sorta wanted to explain myself. During the race I...I was just so full of myself. And it made me so happy to see you suffer. And when you hit that lamp it just....it all went out of me."

"Bull." Dash growled turning away.

"I wasn't expecting you to believe me. I'm not a trustworthy guy." Hoops continued. "When I saw you pull yourself from the fire and screaming I realized that nothing had changed. You were still the same screaming filly that me and my friends would make fun of. In the decade since then I was still the bully and you were still the victim. And right then and there I knew that I was a terrible pony. Everything I'd ever done was for my own interests and I'd ruined the lives of others just for a few jollies here and there. I'm not expecting forgiveness, I'm just trying to redeem myself in some way so I can sleep at night again. This has been a very eye-opening experience for me."

"Hoops went to Celestia to ask her what would be the best way of trying to change himself into a better pony. So she sent him my way. He's paid for the expenses for everyone involved with the crash, Dash. And that includes yours." Twilight said softly.

"Yeah, make sure to brag about it." Dash spat.

"No one knows but us and Celestia." Hoops replied calmly.

"Then why? Why do all this anyway?" Dash growled.

"Because....I can't help but think......if I hadn't made fun of you that day. If I hadn't egged you on. If I hadn't been such a bully to you when we were foals....if I hadn't become such a sociopath......maybe you wouldn't have pushed yourself to race that day and none of this would have happened. I can't take back all the things I said when we were young. I can't go back and stop myself from being a huge jerk as an adult either. But I can take responsibility for things I helped bring about."

"Hmmph." Dash mumbled, her expression softening. "Well thanks for spending your money to help others I guess. How'd you afford it all anyway?"

"Rich uncle." Hoops grinned slightly. "Been saving it for a rainy day."

"So why even tell me about all this? You could have remained anonymous. Did you think this would make it all ok? That I'd be OK with seeing you again after that day? After the last thing I heard before I crashed was your voice mocking me from your precious little booth? That could have ended up being the last thing I'd ever hear, you know that right?"

"Twilight felt you should know. She said it would probably bother you if someone did some good in your name without asking first. Apparently something similar happened once before and it bothered you a lot. Plus, I wanted to ask you something before I leave."

"Fire away, I guess." Dash gave Hoops a suspicious look.

"Is there anything more I can do? To make things easier for you." Hoops asked. "I know your recovery has been difficult."

"You know what? If you want to make me happy, take this whole half-baked song and dance and give it to someone who really deserves it. FLUTTERSHY. You and your jerk friends made her life miserable. She's still not over it. She's frightened of meeting new ponies. She's too scared to talk to stallions, even ones she likes. She's too scared to leave her house most of the time. She's been traumatized since then. And it's your fault. YOU made her this way."

"I'm planning to speak with her. And others whose lives I've affected negatively." Hoops replied. "Not sure what I'm going to say. To any of them."

"Good." Dash growled, getting up. "I'm going back to hang out with my friends. Good luck on your quest to be less of a jerk or whatever, Hoops. And thanks for ponying up the money to pay for my stuff, I guess."

"If you need anything. Ask." Hoops said with a small nod. "I owe you."

"No." Dash called as she walked off. "You owe Fluttershy."

"Sorry about that, Rainbow." Twilight said as she caught up with the marching pegasus. "I thought it'd be best if you knew. I don't like keeping secrets."

"It's cool, Twi." Dash mumbled. "If he can find a way to make Fluttershy...... hurt less...maybe I can find it in myself to forgive him. But he won't. I know he won't."

"Well that's good, Dash." Twilight nodded approvingly. "I'm very proud of you."

"Yeah yeah, whatever."

************************************************

Strawberry picking out on the berry plantations was a fun albeit inefficient affair. For every one of the juicy little berries that was picked, two were eaten happily by the group who had arrived. Not that the farmers could complain, they still all managed to fill ten barrels with the ripe red fruits. More than enough to last throughout the winter and be used in the cordials that were popular during the cold seasons. It had taken all day and they had skipped dinner, but the Elements of Harmony stood back to admire their work. Nearly one hundred acres of strawberries picked. Not too shabby. But the evening was coming and although the day had been fun, the six friends knew it was time to depart and head home. They almost all each went their separate ways. All but two who made a beeline for Sugarcube Corner.

"You sure about this, Dashie? I mean I don't mind staying at your place it's pretty comfortababble and nice." Pinkie objected as she went up the almond stairs to her room in Sugarcube Corner, followed by Dash. "It's not that far!"

"It is that far and plus you've been sleeping up on my cloud for weeks now. Don't you WANT to be able to sleep at home again?" Dash entered Pinkie's room, a claustrophobic chaotic den of party favors and pink and yellow furniture. "You can sleep in your own bed. It's not fair to you that you have to babysit me all day."

"I have missed my bed..." Pinkie eyed the pink and white bedsheet hungrily before pouncing onto it, sending pillows and dolls flying into the air. "I REALLY missed my bed."

"Also think of it this way, Pinks. If your sleeping bag already lost its cloudwalking spell, yours is probably running out too. If it hasn't already. And I know Twilight's gonna be upset if we bother her at this time of night just so she can redo it."

"What did she want to talk to you about? Not that it's any of my business but I am curious! Curious as a cat! Or a caterpillar since they tend to crawl everywhere!" Pinkie continued bouncing up and down on the bed, catching some sick air.

"Oh THAT." Dash grumbled, pulling her hoodie down and straightening her mane with a hoof. "An old bully who used to bother me and torture Fluttershy decided to try and make amends. He was the announcer at the race who kept drawing attention my way whenever I screwed up or lost ground. I told him off."

"Applejack yelled a whole bunch of bad words whenever he started saying anything." Pinkie said with a laugh. "We had to convince her not to go up there and beat him up. She wanted to do it so badly too."

"Ha! Good ol' AJ." Rainbow shook her head with a grin.

The pegasus hopped up to the windowsill and gave the round window a push. It swung open with a creak as the cool night air rushed into the room. Rainbow spread her wings, steadying herself to leap onto the roof and glide down to the dark streets below.

"Goodnight Pinks." Rainbow called, casting a quick glance back at her friend before she cast off into the dark. The lonely look on the party pony's pink face made her stop in her tracks entirely.

"You.....could stay here tonight if you want." Pinkie murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "There's plenty of room and I wouldn't want you to be lonely at your house."

"OH...." Dash nervously rubbed the back of her neck as she looked at the bed. It was pretty large, to tell the truth. And it looked very soft. Pinkie was nearly sinking into the sheets as if they were quicksand. "Well if you don't mind, I guess. I don't wanna be in the way..."

Dash swallowed and tried to calm her nerves. She wasn't particularly a fan of sleepovers. And this was with Pinkie, someone whom she was already growing worried that she was growing too close to. In the back of her head she did want to stay. Snuggling with Pinkie at night just felt so comfortable. And waking up with Pinkie happily wrapped up in her arms made Dash feel strangely proud. Proud that she had this incredibly generous and kind pink mare with her who made her feel like a champion. Like the winner she always wished she was and pretended to be. A warm sense of relief flooded her body as Pinkie gave the sheets a small pat with her hooves, inviting Dash to join her. Dash grinned sheepishly and hopped onto the bed, sinking into the bedcloths.

"It a lot warmer in here than up in my cloud." Dash mentioned as she began to pull her tracksuit off. "I can see why it bothers earth ponies so much to stay up there. It must feel like freezing."

"Yeah..." Pinkie said quietly.

Dash tossed the garment to the floor, turning to see that Pinkie was in a sort of daze. Her pupils had dilated and her cheeks had gone very pink. It took a moment for Dash to realize this was an effect of having undressed right in front of her. Especially since it was in that suit that always seemed to distract Pinkie whenever Dash wore it.

"Earth to Pinkie!" Dash waved her hoof in front of her friend's face. "Please establish contact. Commencing countdown, engines on."

"Oh whoops!" Pinkie gasped returning back to normal. "Sorry! I was thinking about things. And when I thing think I get kind of distracted."

"You really like my suit, huh?" Dash asked raising an eyebrow and grinning devilishly.

"Well yeah it makes you look so attractive!" Pinkie blurted, suddenly looking shocked and trying to reword her sentence. "Cause um it's a really good suit you know and Rarity always does such good suits that always bring out the best in a pony's looks and you know I always have such an appreciation for costumes and disguises and things that change how ponies look so it makes sense that I'd really like her suit and I DO like her suit and I like it on you cause it looks really good on you and I don't think it'd look as good on anyone else and-"

The tirade was silenced by Dash placing her hoof gently on Pinkie's muzzle.

"Ok! Ok! I get it!" Dash grinned at the embarrassed pink pony.

"Sorry." Pinkie grimaced, fumbling with one of the pillows. "It just makes you look really beautiful."

"You know you're the only pony who has ever called me that." Dash said softly, leaning forward to nuzzle Pinkie on her neck. "I don't really agree with it but....thanks."

Dash leaped into the air and tugged on the cord of the ceiling fan. There was a click as the lamp turned off, muting the bright colors of the room into a dull blue, tinged with the white light of the rising moon outside the window. Dash made her way to the blinds ready to draw them closed.

"Don't do that! You'll block out the moonlight!" Pinkie cried.

"Oh alright." Dash leaped back into the bed, curling up under the bedsheets. "I know some ponies cant sleep with the moonlight. They need pitch black darkness for whatever reason."

Pinkie flopped into the bed next to Dash. It was way different than the couch in Dash's house. Here they had plenty of room to look at each other. Two pairs of eyes stared unblinkingly at each other. The quiet breathing and steady heartbeats being the only sound in the room. They lay admiring each other for some time. Dash outstretched her wing and gently placed it on Pinkie's back, pushing her close and drawing their bodies together until their abdomens were pushed against each other. One tough and rugged, and the other soft and gentle. Pinkie watched as the wing retracted back to Dash's side and with a quick motion she gave it a gentle stroke, fascinated by the limb and it's power.

"Dashie...." Pinkie began, her voice trembling. "Whats flying like?"

"I'm not sure how to describe it." Dash put her arms around Pinkie's shoulders, drawing their bodies closer together. "It's like that feeling you get when you're looking out over a hill or into a forest and it looks like it goes on forever. That feeling of freedom where you know you can go anywhere and do whatever you want and there's nobody around to tell you not to. And when the clouds are rushing past you and the wind is whistling so loudly you can't hear anything else....the speed of it all. It's just awesome."

Pinkie snorted happily and nuzzled Dash on the cheek.

"One day, when my wings are working again Pinkie." Dash began. "I wanna take you up there. Flying, ya know? I want you to see what the moon is like from up there. Down here it's like a floating coin in the sky. But up there...it's like this big amazing ball of light that makes everything just seem magical."

"I'd like that." Pinkie mumbled, resting her head on Dash's neck and wrapping her back legs around Dash's waist, pulling their bodies into a warm intimate embrace.

She glanced up at the cyan ear that sat only a few mere inches from her eyes. This feeling was so elating. So amazing. Here in this quiet she had everything she'd ever wanted. She had her Dashie and for the first time in a long time, there was nothing wrong, nothing to worry about, this moment in time was perfect. She felt her subconscious spurring her forward, into action, and without thinking about it Pinkie gave the ear a gentle lick, the most natural of a kiss she could think of. Immediately she felt Dash's entire body tense up, all the sinewy muscles contracting. A small whimper escaped from Dash as her body shivered. Pinkie was filled with fear. Had she gone too far this time?

Please don't push me away. Please. Please don't push me away.

A few tense moments passed and then relief came in the feeling of Dash relaxing again. Pinkie sighed happily. Her fears gone for the moment with the quiet breathing of her friend.

She didn't push me away! YEAH!!!

"Sorry." she whispered. "I got carried away a little."

"You're so weird, Pinkie." Dash cooed, rubbing her snout into Pinkie's neck, causing the pink mare to giggle. "But that's why I like you. And I like this...you know? This whole thing we have here. It makes me happy."

Dash wrapped her prismatic tail around Pinkie's curly one, grinning as she heard the sharp gasp from near her shoulder.

"Hey, what do you want for breakfast, Pinkie?"

"You're gonna make breakfast? You can cook?" Pinkie sounded surprised. Nobody had ever seen Dash cook anything. Except for cooking up some excitement for an athletic event. Wakka wakka wakka! Pinkie made a mental note to remember that joke.

"I'll be honest here, no. But you've given me so much and I haven't given you anything back. I mean...I can make eggs. Eggs are simple and easy to cook. Want eggs for breakfast?"

Pinkie giggled loudly and buried her face into Dash's mane.

"I'll take that as a yes, then." Dash replied with a hint of sarcasm.

Meanwhile on the far side of the room, Gummy the wall-eyed alligator and pet of Pinkie sat silently in the darkness of his cage. His plans for world domination would soon come to fruition. All he needed to do now was wait.

"SOON" he thought, blinking his blank purple eyes that knew only infinite hatred and sorrow. "...............SOON."

Twinkle, twinkle all the night.

The comforts of home are the easiest to remember and yet the easiest to forget. In her time away from her home Pinkie had forgotten a few things that she truly loved. Her soft bed, stuffed with goose feathers and scented with the aroma of aloe. The warm hum of the ovens downstairs when the Cakes started their day, baking delicious treats for the town. The happy clicking noise Gummy made when the sun rose and he decided to travel downstairs and feast on scraps the family threw to him. Even the occasional interruption in sleep caused by the wailing of the infant twins down the hall felt all too welcoming. In her venture to help out Dash, she had gotten so much closer to her friend. But in the process had gotten so far from her home and things that were familiar. It felt heavenly to be back inside Sugarcube Corner. As her eyes fluttered awake she could hear the muffled chattering of the Cake's downstairs. Mrs.Cup Cake sounded worried as usual, though Pinkie couldn't understand what she was saying, she knew the tone coming from her adopted mother's melodic voice. Same came with the reassuring tone in Mr.Carrot Cake, following soon after his wife's voice. If they were up, then it meant it was probably time for Pinkie to get up. She lifted her head and glanced at her bedside clock, a striped device made to look like a cup of frozen yogurt. It was 10 in the morning. She had slept in, for the first time in a while. Not that there was anything wrong with it. Her days were fun but exhausting. Plus it was quite difficult to wake up when one is in the comforting embrace of someone you love.

Pinkie stretched and leaped from the bed, landing with a quiet honk, and taking a quick look at Dash. Still sleeping soundly. Her idea of making them both breakfast would have to wait. Picking strawberries the previous day had been taxing on the pegasus. She was no longer crippled but still injured, and fatigue came easily to her. And Pinkie was not going to interrupt her friend's rest just to have her make good on her promise the night prior. Pinkie sauntered wearily into her bathroom, with it's pink tile floor, pink linoleum walls with waffle cone wallpaper, and pink ceramic shower. She giggled as she looked in the mirror. Her unruly pink curls had seemingly exploded overnight in a truly awful case of bed head. An afro of pink squiggles churned through the air from the top of her head. She reached her hoof out and turned on the shower, keeping the water sitting comfortably between warm and hot.

Dash didn't have a shower in her house. And the tub she had was clearly seldom used. The freespirited pegasus enjoyed cleaning herself off in ponds, lakes, waterfalls, and particularly moist clouds. Not that there was anything wrong with that. Plenty of ponies preferred to clean themselves in fresh water that was easy to find outdoors. But as the jets of steaming water hit Pinkie's face, rinsing down the sides of her body and soothing her into a state of bliss, she couldn't help but feel she really had the upper hand over those au-naturale ponies. Of course it all came down to the fact that not everyone in Ponyville could afford indoor plumbing. But sinks and hoses for the ease of water retention was a must for a place as messy as a bakery. And as long as they had it, they were darn sure going to enjoy it. Pinkie let out a relaxed sigh as the last vestiges of sleep were washed away by the gentle torrent coming from the pink showerhead. This was definitely the perfect way to start a day. Well this and pancakes covered in apple compote and whipped cream. With some nutmeg sprinkled on for good measure. And grits with sharp cheddar cheese mixed in. Oh, and a blueberry muffin with sweet cream butter spread onto it. Yeah, good stuff. She wondered what the Cakes were baking downstairs.

Her edible thoughts and relaxation were interrupted by her Pinkie sense. Her fourth eyelash on her left eye was doing an interpretive dance. Something classy but also strange. The kind of dance that might get ponies throwing bits at it, were it to take it's act on the road. This particular sense meant that Pinkie was being watched. She opened her eyes and turned to see that Rainbow Dash had entered the shower quietly. Almost materializing behind her in complete silence. Her messy mane and crooked feathers were already becoming soaked by the stream of hot water, as she quietly sat next to Pinkie. Those eyes, those scarlet eyes that the pink mare loved staring into, there was pain in them. Something unpleasant was dancing around on the outside of their perfection.

"What's wrong?" Pinkie asked quietly.

"I had a bad dream." Rainbow mouthed, almost muted from the pitter patter of the water.

"Wanna talk about it?" Pinkie's voice grew hopeful. "I always find its easier to get over nightmares if I tell someone about them. Although I don't have nightmares very often."

"I was at the track." Dash mumbled, her wet mane nearly hiding her entire face besides the tip of her muzzle. "I was racing again. Everyone was there. All our friends. Even Spike and Scootaloo and Sweetie and Applebloom. Even the Cakes were there. Everyone I knew was waiting for me, cheering for me. And as I took the corner on the first lap, I felt a sharp pain and I looked behind me and.....my wings were gone. And I fell. It was just like that day all over again."

Pinkie reached forward and pulled Dash into a comforting embrace, the shower water rinsing over both of their bodies.

"I'm sorry." Pinkie said quietly into Dash's ear. "I bet you got it from discussing it with that bully yesterday. It probably reminded your brain of all the horrible things you went through."

"It got worse." Dash coughed out, her body starting to tremble as she grasped Pinkie and held her close. "I remembered it all. The feeling of the glass cutting into me when I hit the lights. The sharp pain of the electricity hitting me. The bleachers smashing me apart and....the fire. I could feel it all. I could feel my skin melting and burning as I pulled myself out. And when I got out there was just....silence. And then you appeared. You and Twilight and Rarity and Applejack and Fluttershy all came running up to me. And I screamed for help and....and....."

Dash shook suddenly, her wings sending droplets flying everywhere.

"....then Scootaloo said 'why should we help you?' and then you said 'Throw her back in the fire!' and I heard Celestia say 'Be done with it' and everyone picked me up and I could feel their hooves scratching on my burnt skin and....they lifted me up and....threw me back in and I screamed and screamed and I could feel everything burning away. And then I woke up."

"Oh Nooooo!" Pinkie wailed as she rubbed her friend's back. "It's just a bad dream you know we'd never do anything that mean or horrible, right?"

"Yeah I know. It just felt....real."

"You could have stayed in bed you know. You still look really sleepy. I know you don't like sleeping in beds very much."

"It was fine. When I woke up I just felt...lonely."

The pegasus slowly calmed as the pink hoof of her friend delicately stroked her back. Every small movement as it passed her shoulder blades brought comfort and a feeling of giddiness. She leaned into the slick and welcoming body alongside her, the worries slowly melting away with the droning sprinkles of the shower and the warmth she was absorbing. Dash felt a small bead of courage hit a part of her mind she didn't know she even had. She leaned her snout slightly and as gently as she could she pressed her lips to the side of Pinkie's neck, feeling ecstatic at the quiet muffled moan that her friend produced, nearly lost to the ambiance. A natural instinct hit her, ancient intuition that pegasi felt when they realized who mattered most. With a small gasp of air, her lips parted and a sweet sound was emitted. A small trill like that of a turtle dove rose from her throat without her even realizing it.

"Did you just make a birdy sound?!" Pinkie suddenly shouted, pulling Dash away so she could look her friend in the face with astonishment.

"UH.....UH......Did I?" Dash asked going red in the face as she glanced around.

"You did!" Pinkie laughed. "I've never heard you do that!"

"Yeah well its a thing pegasi do...did....a long time ago. Nobody really does it now...I'm uhhh...."

"Whats it mean? Huh? Huh? HUH?!" Pinkie asked, elated that her friend was capable of such cute sounds.

"N-nothin'!" Rainbow lied, trying to smile through her nerves. The look of exasperation and cynicism on Pinkie's face made it evident she didn't believe that lie one bit.

"Okie dokie lokie...." she coolly replied as she drew Rainbow back into the interrupted hug.

As they embraced in the water again their thoughts were abuzz. Dash couldn't figure out what had made her react so strongly to this situation. It was different than before.

"This is so weird. I mean I like Pinkie and stuff but now I'm showering with her and kissing her and I even made a friggin mating call like some sort of idiot. What in the heck is wrong with me? Do I actually like Pinkie THAT much? I can't even control myself. I can barely look her in the eye and when I do I cant quit staring at her. This is so embarassing. I'm in love aren't I? I am. Crap. Crap crap crap. I'm in love with Pinkie Pie. Well that's just great now what am I supposed to do?"

Pinkie's thoughts were similarly confusing.

"Okay so she just kissed me. It wasn't really a romanticy sort of kiss but we are in the shower together. And we're hugging. So I guess this is pretty romantic. I mean showering together isn't really something friends do? It's something couples do. Does that mean we're a couple? Does Dashie make birdy sounds because she likes me as much as I like her? Because that would be super duper! I mean I'm pretty sure she likes me but if I ask I'm going to freak her out. I don't like her when she's freaking out. I wish I could make birdy sounds so she'd feel better. She looks really embarrassed."

These disturbing trains of thought would soon be broken by yelps of anguish as the shower water grew increasingly cold until it felt like liquid ice. Which in retrospect is a poor metaphor for water. The two mares dashed out of the bathroom and dried themselves off, feeling cold and uncomfortable as a knock was heard at the door. Followed by a familiar voice.

"I'm not sure what you're doing in there, Pinkie dear, but all the hot water is gone. I know you like to shower but an hour is sort of pushing it, don't you think?" scolded Mrs.Cake from the other side of the door.

********************************************

Applejack and Twilight were chatting amiably in the central of Ponyville Park as the day slowly warmed from it's chilly morning. The conversation had started with a subject that Applejack was an expert at: apples. But invariably it had turned to the events of the previous day. Particularly the ones surrounding their two smitten friends. Even Twilight, who was generally not able to read pony's body language had picked up on the intention. Her bookish nature was leading her down a path of wonderment and the possibility of studying the relationship. Something Applejack would not allow.

"Are you sure, Applejack? I mean I don't think they'd mind if I asked politely. Are you sure it's...well THAT specifically? I didn't really notice anything out of the ordinary."

"So it didn't bother y'all how they kept feedin' each other strawberries yesterday and starin' into each others eyes?"

"I just thought they were playing around."

"Naw, sugar. Those two got it bad. Well heck I ain't ever seen Rainbow lookin' so happy to just hang around with someone. Not even me when we're competin' over somethin'. She's like a nervous lil' schoolfilly whenever Pinkie's givin' her special treatment."

"Why not just come out and ask them?"

"I dunno I think its best if we leave 'em be. Don't wanna seem nosy like Rare. If they wanted us to know they'd tell us. I mean ya already know Pinkie's pretty open about all her habits. No secrets with her. She ain't told us cause she ain't comfortable with it yet. And I'm sure Rainbow's probably feelin' the same way. When they want to tell us....they'll tell us....and by the looks of it here comes one of 'em to do so"

Applejack waved happily to the small blue figure on the outskirts of the park that was hurriedly making its way toward the farm pony and librarian. Rainbow Dash approached the bench, her head held low and constantly furling and unfurling her wings nervously.

"Well howdy, RD!" Applejack called to her incoming friend, tipping her hat. "First time I've seen ya without Pinkie tied to yer hip. How are things with ya? Have a nice breakfast?"

"Good day, Rainbow." Twilight waved. "How are you feeling today? Are your joints improving? Can you flap your wings yet?"

"I haven't really tried. Hey....um...can I talk with you guys about something?"

"Hey girls!" came a sweet and quiet voice a few meters away.

The three turned to see a familiar yellow pegasus trotting down the street with a green satchel at her side.

"Oh good, Fluttershy!" Dash sounded relieved. "This actually makes this a lot easier. And saves me a trip."

"Whats.....going...on?" Fluttershy asked as she approached the group. "Did I miss something important? I'm sorry."

"Not yet." Dash mumbled, pointing toward the bench. "Could you like, sit there with the others. I want to do this in one shot and this is already going to be really uncomfortable for everyone."

Fluttershy squeezed onto the bench in-between Applejack and Twilight on the bench. The three turned their gaze to Rainbow who was starting to pace in a circle, looking very serious. With an exasperated sigh the pegasus sat on her haunches and took a deep breath.

"So yeah. I'm in love with Pinkie Pie. There. Said it."

"Is that all?" Applejack said with a snort. "Shoot even I figured that out."

"I guess you and Rarity were right, Applejack." Twilight grinned. "Rainbow are you sure this isn't a case of Transference?"

"I have no idea what means. Also you already knew, AJ?" Rainbow was aghast. She thought she'd hidden it so well.

"Hon, when you and Pinkie splashed through our pool yesterday...shucks. I ain't ever seen two ponies tryin' harder to resist smoochin'."

"Transference is when someone who is sickly falls in love with their caretaker. It can happen to doctors and psychiatrists rather often."

"I....don't think its that." Rainbow murmured. "I mean I always kind of avoided Pinkie cause she made me feel weird. It just got really worse."

"When?"

"Well um......" Rainbow pawed the ground, kicking around a few pebbles. "It was the night of the sleepover at AJ's house. I wanted to sleep in an apple tree and Pinkie followed me. Pinkie asked me why I avoided her and I lied and...she saw right through me. And we just talked..... and it hurt me. Like it felt physically bad to me that I was avoiding her. And then after that we started....um....snuggling. I was really worried after that night that I was changing."

"Why didn't you tell us about it, Dash? Or me? I mean if you were in the south field orchard I couldn't have been more than a few seconds away at the tent." Applejack asked, looking concerned. "Ya shouldn't bottle this stuff up."

"I didn't tell you AJ cause....well...." Rainbow gulped and looked at the ground sounding hurt. "I was afraid you'd tease me and....I felt really weak and I was afraid I'd start crying or something stupid if you teased me so I just sort of kept my mouth shut."

"Oh, sugarcube!" Applejack slid off the bench and pulled Rainbow into a hug. "Y'all should never be afraid of tellin' me anything. I know we give each other a hard time but when it comes to serious matters I'd never poke fun at ya."

"So what happened after that?" Twilight asked, pulling out a quill and parchment and beginning to jot down notes.

"Well...I dunno I got really comfortable having Pinkie Pie around and I liked...holding her and hearing her laugh and talk. And whenever she was gone I'd feel really lonely. And then last night um....she kissed me."

"She kissed ya?" Applejack asked, trying to keep her voice down.

"Yeah on my ear and I got really scared at first but then I decided I liked how it felt. Then this morning um....wellp. I ended up kissing her in the shower and...."

"THE SHOWER?"

"Not like that!" Rainbow spluttered growing upset. "I was lonely and had a nightmare and wanted to talk to her. Then one thing led to another and we were kind of...making out I guess. I don't know I've never really done this before. I didn't even know I liked mares before. And I've never had a special somepony. This is all really new and weird to me."

"Is that what prompted you to tell us all this?" Twilight asked as she wrote notes furiously, smoke curling out from the quill as it danced at unheard of speeds on the parchment.

"Well no um. I was feeling really awesome about all this and....I sang."

"You sang?"

"Yeah. Uhh......I'm not sure how to put this." Rainbow asked, growing red in the face.

"Twilight." Fluttershy whispered. "Remember the bird calls? She means those."

"What on earth are ya talking about?" Applejack asked.

"Well when a pegasus loves some pony...a lot. Like a special somepony. We have songs we sing like birds do."

"I ain't ever heard any pegasus sing like a bird."

"It's a very private and intimate act, Applejack." Fluttershy continued. "And not every pegasus can do it anymore."

"You've been pretty quiet this whole conversation." Rainbow mumbled. "What are your thoughts on all this, Shy?"

"I think it's wonderful, actually." Fluttershy said with a smile as she joined Applejack on the ground and hugged Rainbow. "I always hoped one day you'd find someone special. Someone you could open up to. And it's someone as sweet as Pinkie."

"Are you sure that someone is Pinkie?" Twilight asked.

"Y...yeah." Rainbow quietly began. "I mean....I don't mind talking to her about mushy stuff. And....she tells me I'm beautiful and I've never had anyone say that to me and it makes me feel really happy and shy. And when I make her laugh or make her smile I feel like....I dunno. Like it's the best moment in the world. And when I look at her eyes I can't like...stop looking. And when she holds me I feel.....safe. And I want to keep her safe and happy. Everything about her is just....distracting and great and comfortable and I like it. I'm actually surprised you guys are taking this so well."

"Why's that, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked. "Did ya think we wouldn't approve?"

"I dunno. We're the Elements of Harmony. We're supposed to be friends. And here I am falling in love with my best friend. I can't help but feel it's wrong somehow. Plus I mean....I'm LOYALTY. If I'm taking preference for one friend over another what does that say about me? It's like I'm broken."

"That's a silly way of looking at it." Twilight said reassuringly. "Those are titles we earned by having those traits as the best of our personalities, Dash. It's not a job. It's not like we're princesses or clergy or something. Do you think Celestia would have been ok with Rarity flirting with her nephew if she didn't want us finding love?"

"I guess not." Dash mumbled, starting to brighten up.

"You should tell Pinkie how much you care for her." Fluttershy whispered. "I just know it'd make her happy. And I'm sure she feels the same."

"I agree. Dash y'all should buck up some courage and tell ol' Pinkie Pie how ya feel. You two fillies deserve each other. Don't let this slip through your hooves. Y'all don't wanna end up like me. Pining for some pony you can never have." Applejack agreed with a sad tone to her voice.

"I want to tell her." Dash replied. "But it's not just that. There's another thing buggin' me."

"What's that?" Twilight asked.

"It's just.....Pinkie has done so much for me these last few weeks. I mean...you guys all have done so much for me and I never would have pulled through this without you guys. You really are the best friends a pony could have but....Pinkie has sacrificed so much to be with me. She stayed with me so long, rarely leaving the house, never visiting her family and seeing the twins. Spending so much to keep me happy. Carrying me around. Missing out on parties and special events I know she loves. And she says it's ok but I know it hurts her. And I just........" Dash let out a long sigh. "I wish there was something I could do....to show her how much I appreciate her. To show her how much I care."

"Well have you tried thinking up ideas?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well...I was thinking maybe I could like.....spell out the words 'I love you' with some clouds above her house. But then that'd require me to fly and I can't do that again yet. Plus everyone in town would see it and get confused. Then I thought about like.....creating a new trick or stunt and naming it after her....but I'm not sure....." Dash kicked a rock away in frustration.

"You know Dash...." Twilight began. "These are all cute ideas but they are all ideas YOU would like to do. Why not do something that you and Pinkie would BOTH enjoy."

"All I'm good at is physical stuff." Dash grumbled, looking downtrodden.

"That's not true at all." Twilight replied cheerfully. "What about your newfound love of reading? What if you read her something. Something special. Something you wrote for her. I'm sure she'd love that."

"That.....is.....BRILLIANT!" Dash shouted happily. "Thanks, Twi! I'll write her something. Not sure what. Maybe I'll write something with me saving her from ninjas and robots and stuff!"

"OR! Or......" Twilight softly interrupted. "You could write her something honest that explains exactly how you feel."

"Or I could do that."

"Besides." Applejack said. "Knowing Pinkie she'd probably think ninjas and robots were actually attacking."

********************************

Rarity narrowed her eyes at the small darning needle clasped in the bend of her hoof. Beads of sweat poured down her beautiful features as she gently, gently, began to place a small zig-zag pattern along the crease of the fabric that sat bunched in front of her. On any other day she would be using her magic to knit and sew but this was a tiny detail. So minute in fact that she didn't trust her own magic to be able to perform the intricate act. It needed complete silence and total concentration. She had already sent Sweetie Belle away, letting the foal play outside. But now she was alone in the workshop, alone with her thoughts, pouring every ounce of energy and brainpower into the delicate weavework that she was applying to the jade fabric.

"SHE KISSED ME! SHE KISSED ME! SHE KISSED ME!" Pinkie sang (bellowed) as she came crashing in through the front door, sending mannequins and spools of thread scattering, and hopped madly about the floor, up the wall and across the ceiling. "SHE KISSED ME! SHE KISSED ME!"

"ARGH!!!!!" Rarity screeched, briefly sounding like an angry pirate as the darning needle sliced right into the fabric, tearing the delicate strings and leaving a big ugly mark that could never be properly repaired.

She clenched her teeth and screwed her eyes shut. Turning, she was prepared to give Pinkie a piece of her mind. Unleash a lecture the likes of which would go down in history. But then the pink pony's words registered in her brain. Who kissed what?

"Rainbow Dash kissed you?" Rarity asked, feeling all her anger leave her instantly as nosy curiosity made itself known.

"YES! SHE KISSED ME! SHE KISSED ME!" Pinkie continued to sing, leaping across the ceiling with little regard for gravity until Rarity pulled the pink mare to the floor in front of her with a zap of teal levitation magic.

"Spill it. Right now." Rarity demanded, crossing her arms and leaning back in her desk chair.

"Okay Okay! So last night after we got done picking and eating strawberries, Rainbow walked me home. And then I went to bed and we decided she should stay and I got excited and kissed her and she didn't seem to mind. And then when I woke up to have my shower and brush my teeth with my favorite pineapple flavor toothpaste, Rainbow came into the shower cause she had a bad dream and then she started kissing me on the neck!" Pinkie squee'd, shaking from excitement.

"Is that all?" Rarity asked, trying hard not to contain her excitement.

"Well no...." Pinkie replied, growing quiet. "After that she made this weird noise and looked really frightened and embarrassed. But then I hugged her again and she seemed ok."

"Why isn't she here with you?" Rarity levitated the ruined fabric into the trash bin.

"I'm not sure. She said she wanted to talk to Fluttershy and she ran off without any breakfast."

"Hmm. Was this the first time she's kissed you?"

"Yep!"

"Well she's probably trying to figure out her feelings. I'm assuming you two haven't really talked about how much you appreciate each others company?"

"Well...." Pinkie shuffled uncomfortably. "Not really. Rainbow told me how lonely she was once. So I wanted to be sure she didn't feel that way anymore. She's been pretty happy about it all I think."

"She probably just wants advice. I get the feeling this is probably a bit uncomfortable for her. Though why she wouldn't come to me for romantic advice is a mystery. I am an expert." Rarity snorted slightly and sat next to Pinkie Pie. "But the important thing here is that she reciprocated your feelings."

"I'm really happy." Pinkie whispered. "This is the best thing that's happened to me in a while. I hope I didn't scare Dashie off, I got kinda excited when she kissed me and yelled."

"Have you ever told her how you feel? How much you like her? I know in the past you probably would never have dared."

"The past?" Pinkie asked, tilting her head. "What do you mean, Rarity?"

"Well, while the others may not have noticed, I could always tell you liked Dash. I mean she's the only pony in our little group you have such an adorable pet name for. And you fuss over her so much. To tell the truth darling, I always felt sad for you. You enjoyed her company so much but she never seemed to feel the same. I think this has all been very fortunate to turn out this way. You're both young and inexperienced with this sort of thing, clearly."

"What should I do, Rarity?" Pinkie whined, flopping to the floor. "I'm not good at this. Should I throw her an 'I Love You' party? With heart-shaped balloons or something? I'm not even sure where I'd get that sort of stuff. The balloon store only carries round balloons. And they got upset when I asked if they had square ones."

"A party? Oh goodness no. Something elegant and quiet and romantic." Rarity began, her eyes glazing over. "Candlelight. Wine. Some light opera or modal jazz setting the mood as the lights dim. Both ponies looking their best. An entree the two can share under the light of the full moon."

"That doesn't sound very fun!" Pinkie squeaked, rolling over onto her belly. "But I'm willing to try anything! How do I even set up half of that stuff? I don't even know what modal jazz is. What's a modal? What's an entree? How do I even convince Dashie to attend something like this?"

"Don't you worry your head over this." Rarity began, drawing herself up and beginning to make a list on a piece of parchment. "I have sat idly by for too long. Letting you two break each others hearts. I shall plan it out and get you two at the right place at the right time. I am an expert on romance, after all."

Pinkie's eyes gleamed. "You're so wise, Rarity! You're like a wise old wizard from the top of a mountain except you don't have a beard and you don't turn ponies into frogs but help them find love instead!"

Rarity flinched. "Pinkie, please. Don't ever call me old."

"Sorry!"

In splintered skeleton I roam.

The Frivolous Fall Fair was a strictly Ponyville-based event. Originally it had begun as a gathering of the citizens to happily sweep away the mess left from the Running of the Leaves that started off the new season. Back then it had been known as the Autumn Anticipation. While this was still tradition, it had become something much more since then. Something ponies of all ages and backgrounds could enjoy. A celebration of the new season, and all the beauty it brought. It was generally agreed that Fall was the best season. Cool weather, beautiful colors, warm sun, rich cider, sweet mushrooms, and good feelings grew out of control as the chilly winds swept through the humid air. In the old days a band would play in the center of town as the ponies cleaned. Today there were far more citizens, and the leaves were cleaned in a matter of minutes. Traveling bands, acrobats, circuses and carnival folk came to town to help celebrate. Games, contests, carols, rides, and all manner of pleasing activity became part of the event. As the sun went down the atmosphere changed, to one of serenity and passion. Many of the adult ponies would retire to the southern fields on the outskirts of the town where all the mossy gazebos were kept. A select few of the best eateries in town would bring along portable ovens, stoves, and grills, serving ponies as they sat at the tables illuminated by candlelight. The mayor would commission the best musicians in town to play at the center of it all as ponies chatted, ate, and relaxed by the moonlight in the nippy air. For friends it was a perfect place to have a peaceful outdoor excursion while dining on good food and giving thanks for their blessings. For couples it was a perfect romantic spot, which was why Rarity had cleverly decided to unfold her plan for the night.

Around the largest gazebo, nestled in the cool grass, were some white tables. Each was covered with a lacy red crochet tablecloth with an oil lamp at the center flickering a warm green and orange light that illuminated each table in the darkness. Rarity sat at one of the larger ones with three friends, tapping her hoof impatiently. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack sat with her, quietly chatting and digging into steamed watercress and plum soups that had been brought to their table. Rarity as usual was dressed elegantly for the occasion, along with Fluttershy who was wearing a dress that Rarity had sewn for her long ago. Twilight came bare, as she had never been to the Fall Fair before and had no idea what sort of formalities it entailed. Applejack was the same, although she had decided to make do without her ponytail, letting her blonde mane drape down her neck and over her shoulders from under her hat.

Pinkie Pie sat at a much smaller table quite a few yards away on the other side of the gazebo. Two chairs, one occupied and one not sat on either side of the furniture. Rarity had put special attention to make sure Pinkie looked her best. Personally making sure that every curl in the pink mane was perfectly round. Every straight hair was given a quick perm. Her short pink fur had been cleaned, conditioned, and perfectly trimmed. The longer hairs about her fetlocks had been combed and trimmed. She wore nothing save a bow tied at the base of her tail. Sky blue like her eyes. In her mane, Rarity had placed several sky blue hydrangeas, matching perfectly with the pink pony's eyes. It had been difficult to keep Pinkie from eating the flowers, as they were quite tasty. Now she sat alone at a table, looking bored and gorgeous all at once. Her love was supposed to be sitting there with her, but that there had been no sign of Rainbow Dash yet.

"I suppose its my own fault for assuming Dash would be here to join us on time." Rarity minced, as she began to reluctantly eat her salad. "She's never on time. Which is ironic for someone so fast."

"Is that why there's only enough room at this here table for four of us?" Applejack asked. "So Dash has to go sit with Pinkie?"

"That was the basic idea yes. Give the two some privacy in a uniquely romantic setting and see what works and what doesn't."

"So y'all are planning on studying them while they talk? Sounds like somethin' Twilight would do." Applejack snickered.

"I would not!" Twilight rebutted. "Plus I don't think Dash will be here for a bit."

"Oh dear and..... why, pray tell, is that?" Rarity asked, a hint of impatience entering her tone.

"Dash is planning something special for Pinkie." Twilight flatly stated around a mouthful of salad. "I can't really talk about it. Classified information."

"It's been more than an hour." Rarity rested her cheek on her hoof. "At this rate the night will be over by the time she gets here. She and Pinkie will miss their romantic night together, and I'll have gotten all dressed up for nothing."

"Maybe it's a good thing, Rare...." Applejack began. "I mean look at this place. Slow music, fancy dinners, quiet talkin' and it's hard to see. This ain't the kind of place Pinkie or Dash would enjoy. You maybe. Not them. Heck, I'm only here cause I'm hungry."

As if on cue, Pinkie's voice whined loudly from the other table. "I'm boooooooooooooored."

"See?" Applejack grinned.

"You ponies are absolutely impossible." Rarity sighed, exasperated. "I've been sitting in this awful chair for so long and no amount of ironing is going to get rid of the creases in this dress at this point. I look like a mess."

"You look fine, Rare." Applejack muttered, staring intently at her salad. "Heck, you and Pinkie are the nicest lookin' ponies at this shindig tonight."

Rarity fluttered her eyes sweetly. "You really think so?"

"Yes." Applejuck muttered, gazing unblinkingly at the nearest tomato in the bowl, daring it to make a move.

"Oh goodness!" Fluttershy shouted, pointing a hoof over to the east. "Rainbow is finally here. And she's running! Should she be running? I thought she wasn't supposed to be running. Is that safe?"

"No." Twilight replied flatly. "But she won't take my advice to stop it. And at this point I'm just glad she's here so I don't have to listen to Rarity and AJ argue anymore."

The cyan pegasus was galloping out from the town, a clear limp slowing her. With her head low she ran up to the supervisor of the gazebo sound system, whispering into his ear. He gave her a nod and said something back and walked around to the stairs leading up to where the band was playing, waiting patiently for the song to end. Dash turned and saw her friends sitting at a table a few feet away. She waved and was greeted by returned waves and Rarity tilting her head to the other side of the gazebo. Dash followed her gaze and could barely make out the form of Pinkie Pie, sitting alone at a table. Dash took a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm her nerves.

As the song came to an end the sound supervisor stepped onto the stage, chatting with the band who leaned their instruments against their music stands and took a break, retiring to the back of the stage to have a drink and a smoke. The supervisor adjusted his bowie and grabbed a microphone.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts, the band is taking a quick breather. They'll return shortly for some more Fall Fair music. Now I know this isn't an open mic night, but I have a pony here who wants to share something very special with all of you. So please, be respectful. Rainbow Dash?"

Dash fluttered her wings and climbed onto the stage. The crowd noises died down quickly at the sight of the scarred and bedraggled pegasus sitting on her haunches. A small stack of paper sat tucked neatly under her bandaged wings, and she pulled them out gently and began to glance through them with her hooves, shifting them over each other to be sure they were in the correct order. When she felt they were properly organized she dragged the mic stand closer to her body.

"Hey everybody. I'm Rainbow Dash. Some of you might know me from around town. Some of you might have seen me on the news a few weeks ago. I'm here to read something. A poem, actually. I'm not great at poems. Flying I can do. I'm really good at flying. Probably the best. But writing....eh, not great. So I apologize in advance if it's crappy. But this poem means a lot to me because it says things that I can't normally say very well. And I want to thank first, my friend Twilight, for helping me get started on it cause I had no idea what I was doing. Thanks, Twi."

Rainbow waved to Twilight and then returned to staring at the papers.

"Anyway uh.....well. Here it is."

"Since I moved to this locale,
I've really had the greatest pal.

She's really pink.
She's really loud.
So I never lose her,
In a crowd.

Of my pink friend,
Her greatest part,
Is what's inside her chest.
Her Heart.

At one time when I thought I'd die,
Never again to laugh or fly.
I got a second chance and I,
want to say,
I love you, Pinkie Pie.

When I was hungry,
She made me chow.
When I was hurt,
She nursed my ow.

I was once alone,
But it's different now.
When I couldn't smile,
She taught me how.

I owe my wings to her,
And now.
I stand before my peers,
and vow.
I'll pay her back.
Someday.
Somehow.

Cross my heart,
And hope to fly.
Stick a cupcake,
In my eye.
I love you, love you,
Pinkie Pie."

The last of the small white papers fluttered quietly to the floor, followed by a stunned silence. The pegasus stared at her empty hooves, gently raising her head and turning to see the new guest who had joined her on stage. A pink pony, with flowers in her hair, tears in her eyes, and a smile on her face. The pegasus shuffled slightly and stood, walking forward to where the pink pony waited for her. There a tense moment as the two stared, the pegasus looking frightened and hesitant, and all at once leaning forward and placing the briefest of kisses on the muzzle of the pink mare. It wasn't a particularly romantic kiss. It was short and dry. The kind of kiss shared by ponies who were nervous. The kind of kiss shared by ponies who were inexperienced, didn't know how a kiss should be. But for the two of them, it was an epiphany, a sign that they had finally admitted that the mere presence of the other was all they ever really wanted. Blue and pink came together in a quiet embrace as the pegasus broke down, burying her tear-stained face in the chest of the pink one, her mangled wings unfurling and wrapping tightly around the two of them, cocooning their bodies in warm feathers and love. In silence they sat this way on the stage while polite applause droned from the observers.

"Did you really mean all that stuff, Dashie?" Pinkie whispered as she nuzzled Rainbow's ear.

"Every word, pal." Dash coughed out, burying her face into Pinkie's chest again, wrapping her forelegs even tighter around Pinkie's scruffy neck.

A few minutes passed.

"Dashie. I think the band needs to get back on stage to play. They look kind of annoyed we've been sitting here for a while now."

"Grrmph." Dash's muffled voice growled. She wasn't planning on moving from this spot anytime soon. This was their moment and nothing was going to spoil it. Not even an obligation to get off the stage.

"Is that a yes noise or a no noise?"

"Mmpph!" Dash grunted even louder.

A few more minutes passed.

"Hey, um I think the band are really upset with us now. They are shouting about something. And saying bad words. Oh wait Twilight is coming over."

In a moment the two felt weightless, surrounded by a small cloud of purple magic as they were lifted quickly away from the stage by a levitation spell, much to the relief of the crowd, the band, and pretty much everyone present. They briefly flew through the air, leaving a trail of lavender sparks before being deposited gently in the grass back by the tables. Dash reluctantly released Pinkie, wiping here eyes and glancing around to see Twilight a few feet away.

"That was pretty good poetry for a first-timer, Dash." Twilight said with a nod. "Congrats. To both of you."

"Wait where is she going?" Dash asked, noticing the table had two chairs.

"This is a date, I think." Pinkie replied, scratching her head and eating another flower from her hair. "Rarity said it's a romantic thing for two ponies in love. Which means us I guess! I've been sitting here all night."

"Oh." Dash grinned sheepishly and climbed into her chair. "Sorry for keeping you waiting, Pinks. I needed to write that for you. I was starting to go crazy."

"Thank you." Pinkie said softly, gazing into Rainbow's eyes with a small giddy grin.

A mustached stallion with a white apron sauntered by their table, a large steaming bowl of something resting on his back. With an agile twist of his hips, the bowl now sat between the two mares, filling the air with a buttery scent.

"MMmmboiled peas with margarine and grenadine, ladies." the waiter stiffly sniffed around his mustache.

"I didn't order this..." Pinkie asked confused, leaning down to sniff the contents eagerly. "It smells really really good though. Like salty buttery saltiness. Where did it come from? Did you order this, Dashie?"

"I just got here!" Dash held up her hooves. "Couldn't have."

"It's compliments of the lady at the other table, madame." the waiter nodded and turned on a hoof, trotting away.

Pinkie and Dash turned to see Rarity giving them a polite wave from her table a few feet away. Dash looked confused for a moment before her eyes lit up, realization dawning.

"Did Rarity shove you all the way over here by yourself, Pinks? Away from the rest of our friends?"

"Yep! She said we needed a romantic night together! I'm not sure how those work. I think we're just supposed to sit here and talk."

"But we talk all the time at home."

"That's what I said!" Pinkie lay her head on the table.

For a moment she stared at the silver bowl with its steaming peas, as if pondering the very nature of peas. She picked up the spoon, staring it down. Then her eyes turned to Dash, then the bowl of peas, then back to the spoon, then Dash, the bowl, and finally the spoon yet again. A mischievous grin began to curl over Pinkie's snout. She shot Dash a sultry look, which took the other mare by alarm.

"Hey Dashie....." Pinkie began, nodding towards the bowl. "Are you thinking....what I'm thinking?"

Dash stared at the bowl, then the spoon. It took a moment but soon her own smile matched that of Pinkie. The two broke into a fit of giggles and took a quick glance at the other table.

The other four friends were sitting peacefully at the moment, listening to the new song started up by the band. A group of ponies had gotten up and begun to dance, some seeming to be trying to outdo the others with wilder and wilder dance moves across the lawn. It proved to be a very welcome and entertaining suggestion. Perfect for trying to land a flying pea.

"Ack!" Rarity shouted as a buttery pea bounced off her snout and onto the table. "What ruffian is hurling vegetables at me? Speak up!"

"Did I hit her horn?" Dash shouted from the other table.

"Not yet, hon." Applejack commented, trying to contain her laughter. "Try alterin' yer velocity a lil' bit. Aim up!"

"Don't help them!" Rarity shouted, growing red in the face.

A few peas sailed overhead. Several bounced off the brim off Applejack's hat, falling about the tablecloth. One particular one struck the end of Twilight's horn, becoming stuck.

"OH ho! I see how it is." Twilight said calmly as she wiped the pea off with a doily. An evil smile grew on her purple features. "Well three can play that game."

With a small blast of lavender magic, Twilight had levitated the small loaves of cornbread that sat and began firing salvos of them at the other table. These were answered by even more peas being launched in retaliation. Which were of course, reciprocated by more food being flung, this time by Applejack. Fluttershy wisely hid under the table, to weather the incoming storm of vittles. It proved to be the correct decision as soon a very small and messy foodfight had broken out. It was over in minutes as Pinkie and Rainbow had quickly run out of pea ammunition and fled the scene amidst laughter.

"Heh. And there they go." Applejack grinned as she wiped smashed peas off her stetson. "Told ya this sort of setting wasn't good for 'em."

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't encouraged them!" Rarity hissed, trying not to cause another uproar.

"What wouldn't have happened? Them havin' fun?" Applejack took a bite of garlic bread. "Foodfights are fun! Wouldn't y'all agree?"

Twilight nodded as she wiped vegetable gloop off her horn. The magic she was using to levitate the napkin was also burning the gloop, causing a smokey smell.

"Is it over?" Fluttershy asked as she peered out from under the tablecloth.

"There, see?" Applejack smiled as she readjusted her hat. "Ya just need to loosen up a lil' Rare. That's what the Fall Fair is all about."

"Loosen up?" Rarity whispered, sending a look of contempt to her right. "How is this for LOOSENING UP?"

In a flash, the white unicorn had leaned awkwardly from her chair and planted a rough kiss to the side of Applejack's snout. She leaned back in her seat, satisfied that her action had frozen the talkative earth pony in place, and simultaneously had left Twilight and Fluttershy's jaws hanging open.

"Now." Rarity commanded. "Promise me you will behave for the rest of dinner, hmm?"

"Yes'm." Applejack said quietly, respectfully removing her hat and sitting up straight in her chair, looking frightened and happy all at once.

"And when dinner is over you shall walk me home like a proper Lady, capiche?"

"Yes'm."

"Excellent. Now with that out of the way....oh garçon?" Rarity waved to a passing waiter. "Could you please bring over a list of your desserts?"

The unicorn turned to her left to see Twilight and Fluttershy still staring, wide-eyed.

"What? It's as if you've never seen a pony order dessert before."

*************************************

The chuckles and giggles died down to quiet snickering as the two ponies skipped their way down the road through the wee hours of the night, passing the candycane striped palisade that made up the fence near Sugarcube Corner. The two collapsed next to the fence, trying to catch their breath. Winded from laughter and their escape from the Fair. Every time the two felt like they had gotten a hold of themselves, they'd quickly glance at each other and erupt in a fit of contagious laughter again.

"Rarity always makes the best faces!" Pinkie wheezed. "That's the most fun I think I've ever had at the Fall Fair! And I consider myself an expert in fun. I have a doctorate in fun!"

She leaned her back against the fence, her chest heaving as she rested, thinking about what a beautiful night this had been. The weather was perfect, cool and gentle. She had her favorite pony with her. And in the sky Luna's perfect orb of light gleamed its blessings down to the surface, casting long shadows across the cobblestone streets and washing the world in a tone of dark blue. Her thoughts were nagged away by the realization that Dash was staring at her.

"What?" Pinkie asked, brushing her mane back, feeling self-conscious which was uncommon for her. "Do I have food on my face? Food shouldn't be on my face it should be in my mouth."

"Nah it's just....now that we've admitted it I don't feel weird staring at you." Dash mumbled, smiling sheepishly. "I always thought you were...you know....nice looking. OW OW OW OW!"

Dash felt her ribcage scream in agony as Pinkie gave her the kind of hug normally reserved for choking victims and burly individuals who enjoyed tearing trees straight out of the soil.

"I really loved that poem, you know." Pinkie whispered, nickering quietly into Dash's shoulder. "Nobody has ever written anything so pretty for me or about me ever. Thank you so so so much!"

"Yeah too bad I left all the papers back on the stage." Dash returned the nicker atop her friend's forehead. "I wish I could do more for you. You've given me so much and....I....just...."

"You don't have to worry about repayment, Dashie. I took care of you because I wanted to. I wasn't expecting anything in return. I'm still over the moon that you love me so much!"

"I do! But that's why I wish I could do more."

"Here's something you could do for me. Make me a promise." Pinkie raised her head from Dash's shoulder, her face growing stern and serious as her tone took on a lower inflection. Almost sounding like a command as her blue eyes met Dash's scarlet ones.

"Anything."

"Promise me you won't ever get hurt like this ever again, ok? Don't ever go doing stuff when you're hurt and might get in an accident ever ever ever again!" Pinkie's voice cracked slightly as she spoke. "I don't think me and the others could take it. Seeing you like that was one of the most horrible things ever and I don't want you to be that way ever again."

"I promise." Dash spoke clearly, nodding her head.

Pinkie smiled and went back to leaning against Dash's shoulder and the fence, feeling a sense of peace overwhelm her. Dash extended her scruffy wing and wrapped it around Pinkie, shielding the pink mare from the cold. This night had been truly perfect. Like something out of a dream. Through all the misery and suffering that the group of friends had been through over the last month, some amazing things had come of it. Like a battered cocoon that had torn itself asunder, releasing it's beautiful winged captive into the world.

"Is that it?" Dash asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Is what it?" Pinkie replied, tilting her head so her cowlick tickled the end of Dash's snout.

"You aren't gonna ask me to make a Pinkie Promise?"

"I don't think it's necessary." Pinkie yawned as she returned to her former position.

A chilly wind blew through the warm humid air, pushing what few autumn leaves that hadn't been cleaned through the streets. They pirouetted through the air, rustling as they flew, occasionally being illuminated as they passed by the light from the sky.

"I used to love flying in weather like this." Dash reminisced. "Pinkie when I can fly again....I want us to go flying. I want to show you all the things I see. Show you Cloudsdale and all the other pegasus cities. We could even fly to the moon if we wanted to. Live on the moon like Luna does."

"That's silly! I wouldn't want to live there." Pinkie stuck out her tongue. "So if I should visit the moon, well I'll dance on a moonbeam and then, I will make a wish on a star. And I'll wish I was home once again. Though I'd like to look down on the earth from above, I would miss all the places and ponies I love. So although I may go I'd be coming home soon. Cause I don't want to live on the moon."

Pinkie yawned loudly, falling against her partner.

"You should probably go to bed, Pinks." Dash whispered, nuzzling Pinkie's cheek.

"Yeah I should." Pinkie blinked rapidly as she wearily stood, the last of the flowers in her hair falling to the sidewalk. "Tomorrow me and the Cakes have to start taking pre-orders for all the customized Hearths Warming Eve desserts that families will want. There's always a bunch from Canterlot for the royal feasts and stuff."

"I could stay here...if you want." Dash asked quietly. "Help you guys out with stuff tomorrow."

"Do you want to stay here cause you wanna help or cause you just want to spend time with me?" Pinkie replied with a sly knowing smile.

"Can it be both?"

The two made their way inside the warm bakery, glad to be in each others company. The wind continued to gust through the depopulating streets as the night pressed on. One by one the stars faded as the moon made it's way across the sky in it's predictable arc. Tonight the moon was full, a change from the usual stringent schedule. It was supposed to be only a half-moon tonight. But the master of the glowing orb knew better. Tonight was not a night for half anything. Tonight was a night of celebration. The ending of an old season and the birth of a new one. Honoring things beginning fresh and rejuvenated. A night of friendship and love. And as she looked down at the earth from above, she knew it was a night for two ponies in love. The earth could stand to have the moon change it's schedule for one night. It would continue to turn, as it always had and always would. Take a little, give a little.

*************************************

The End

Author's Note

I think that's about it for me. I've written three stories here and I'm out of ideas. Thanks for the comments and stuff, folks.

A gasoline gut with a vaseline mind.

Twilight Sparkle woke with a start at a dull thud and crack outside. It was a familiar sound. That of a pegasus breaking the sound barrier, and causing a sonic boom some distance away. She struggled upward, her mind adjusting. She was sleeping in Rainbow Dash's house, her friends quietly surrounding her slumbering. She glanced over the couch at Pinkie Pie only to realize the pink pony was not at the base of the stairs. She searched the room briefly. Nothing. She glanced up at the stairs. Dash's bedroom door was open. Twilight turned to peer out the far window and could barely make out a rainbow-colored vapor trail dissipating against the night sky. A small red patch sat growing on the horizon, a sign that Celestia's star was rising to bring a new day to the world. No better time than the present to have a few words with her upset friend. Twilight rose from her seat and quietly sauntered across the room, taking a quick glance at Applejack and Rarity and stifling a giggle. In her sleep Applejack had managed to grab Rarity's curly indigo tail and was currently using it as some sort of pillow.

The early morning air was cold and Twilight could distinctly see her breath upon the wind as she made her way to the edge of the cloud bank, noticing a small shape sitting in the clouds. She quickened her pace, realizing as she approached that it was Pinkie Pie, staring out into the sky. Twilight craned her neck up to see that a few hundred feet away was Rainbow Dash, speeding in circles through the early morning clouds. Twilight sat down next to Pinkie, whose face was lit up with a look of awe and wonder as Rainbow continued to perform, unaware she was being watched.

"Isn't she amazing?" Pinkie whispered, surprisingly aware Twilight was near her despite the silence.

"Yes she is." Twilight muttered, watching Rainbow fly. "How long has she been practicing out here?"

"I think maybe an hour or so. I was thinking of trying to make everyone some breakfast out of last night's leftovers. Is anyone else awake, yet?"

"Nope. It's just us."

For a minute Twilight and Pinkie watched the tiny blue speck as it arched and spun its way in wide circles, leaving a prismatic trail behind it.

"She's hurting." Twilight mumbled as they watched. It was indeed obvious that Dash's flying was growing more erratic as time wore on. One of her wings tilted at an odd angle, supporting her leg. "She really shouldn't be doing this. She should be resting."

Almost as if she could hear her friends in the distance, Rainbow turned abruptly in the air and soared back towards her home, landing a few feet away from Twilight and Pinkie, rubbing her shoulder with a hoof. She flashed a small nervous grin at Twilight and Pinkie.

"Hey guys, you're up pretty early. How long have you been watching me?"

"An hour!" Pinkie chirped, causing Dash to give her a quick look of disapproval.

"Just a minute or two." Twilight replied. "Um....Dash is your shoulder still hurting you?"

"I dunno. A little bit I guess."

"You know Dash, performing with an injury runs a very high risk of making the injury worse. You need to take time to recover."

"So you're saying I shouldn't race?"

"Exactly!"

"No can do, smarty-pants!" Rainbow said with a cocky grin. "After yesterday's.....performance....I pretty much HAVE to race today."

"Why's that?"

"The Wonderbolts watched me fall flat on my face. I look like a moron to them right now. If I can win, WITH an injury, I'm going to look wicked awesome. Like a hero who can overcome any challenge."

"Dashie." Pinkie said, giving her friend a small poke in the shoulder, causing Rainbow to wince in pain. "You seem way too hurt to race. What if you get even more hurt? We can't have as much fun when you're hurt!"

"Quit calling me that." Dash muttered.

"So this is about ego?" Twilight asked.

"No." Dash shot back. "You two don't get it. This is about dignity. This is about showing all those jerks in Cloudsdale that 'Rainbow Crash' is not a 1-trick-pony who can't handle herself. This is about doing the one thing I always wanted to do and shoving it in the faces of everyone who ever gave me n' Fluttershy a hard time."

"Why can't you wait til' next year to do that?" Pinkie asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Because I'm tired of waiting a year every time I screw up. I'm going to be an old nag at this rate by the time I manage to impress the Wonderbolts. I'm tired of being patient and waiting for my chance to slowly roll around again. Today is the most important day of my life right now because I need to be at my best. If I don't win the derby today then I HAVE to wait a year. I HAVE to be one year older and one year weaker next time. But right now I don't HAVE to do anything. I have a choice to enter the derby or not. And I've made my decision."

"Well it's a dumb decision." came Applejack's southern drawl as she approached from the house. "But I know y'all are as stubborn as me so there's no way I can talk you out of it. All I can really do I guess is ask you to be careful, Dash. I don't like seein' ya all jacked up like this."

"I'm going to be fine, AJ." Dash said. "Especially once I win that blue ribbon later."

"Can we try having that party after you win, Rainbow?" Pinkie asked, a large smile appearing on her face.

"Yeah....about that." Rainbow scooted closer to Pinkie, looking her friend in the eye. "Pinks, I really appreciate you going out of your way to throw me a party. And I know you spent all your money on it and.....I sorta ruined it."

"It's ok!" Pinkie replied, giving Rainbow a hug.

"No it's not ok." Rainbow muttered, pushing Pinkie away. "I was really upset and angry yesterday and I shouldn't have....thrown you to the floor and....ignored the rest of you guys."

"I probably would'a done the same thing if I'd experienced a day like you had, Rainbow." Applejack scratched her head. "Probably should have waited to throw the party until we knew if you'd won or not."

"I'm sorry, Pinks." Dash mumbled. "I'm gonna make it up to you, I swear."

"Dash just.....try not to hurt yourself today, alright?" Twilight asked.

The four went inside the cottage to salvage what was left of the party food. The sun still hadn't peeked above the horizon line yet, but morning was on its way. It would still be several hours until the Wonderbolts Derby got under way, giving Dash one last chance to make herself noticed.

***************************************************************

The Wonderbolts Derby was a real crowd-pleaser. Creatures from all over Equestria came in droves to the event. Griffons, hippogriffs, chollima, dragons, wyverns, wurms, kelpies, pegasi, and ponies all crowded the glorious Rakhsh Hippodrome Arena in Cloudsdale, all eager to see the race. From the lowliest most unknown greenhorns, to the professional athletes, all were allowed in the race, with proper registration and inspection of course. It was not an easy course. Six laps of track in in the shape of a bowditch curve, forming three wide circles lain end to end, the track changing in height frequently and dotted with obstacles. Trees, clouds, blinking hurdles and more sat on the road and the air in the impressive track. The derby had been an old tradition, started by Sleipnir himself, one of the original old Gods of Equestria. It had been rejuvenated nearly two hundred years prior to the present by a fledgling association of athletes, a sect of whom would later become a personal stunt team known by the name The Wonderbolts.

To simply race in the derby was an honor in itself. Thousands of some of the best athletes ever born had rode these tracks to the best of their might, competing to see who was truly the best. Some rode for fame and riches. Some rode to settle disputes and wages. Some rode to win favor from the Royalty and Nobles. And a few others, famously, rode to impress their lovers. It was a place of history and kept in tip top condition. Not to say it had no been modernized. Stage lights and spotlights hung across the ceiling, and sat cozily next to the track hooked to small magical generators. Some of these, particularly the ones near the finish line, were affixed with small cameras that would take a photo at the exact moment a pony crossed the finish. Quite helpful, when two competitors were neck and neck and the victory of one was called into question. The original stone bleachers still stood, making up the first six rows of the terraces, with modern plastic ones attached above them. A large small section was separate and hung over as a large balcony, casting a shadow over some of the seats. This balcony was reserved for important ponies. VIP, nobles, royalty, and famous retired athletes who had come to see whatever sports event was occurring in the arena.

Below both of these sat a small dark doorway that lead to what originally was a room used to house wild dragons for gladiatorial combat back in the old days. For now it was simply a preparation room. Lockers, showers, and a few benches stood in the white tiled room. Easy storage for sports teams. And at the moment this was where quite a few eager competitors now sat, nervously awaiting the approach to the racetrack, and then the race itself which would define their ability. Rainbow Dash was there as well with her five friends, trying her level best to not appear nervous.

"Feelin' good. Feelin' good. Feelin' great great great." Dash mumbled as she entered the locker room.

"What number did you get, Dash?" Fluttershy asked.

"I'm number 7." Dash replied, motioning to the small white cloth tied around her middle, emblazoned with a dark grey number.

"Ooh seven! Seven is a very lucky number!" Pinkie bounced happily. "That means you are extra lucky today, Rainbow!"

"Yeah, I hope so." Dash mumbled. "I just found out who the judges are."

"How many of 'em are there this time, Dash?" asked Applejack.

"Five in total. That snotwad, Hoops. Then Spitefire, Surprise, Wavechill, and WildFire." Dash sighed sadly. "Plus, I just learned that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are up in the VIP box today."

Rainbow shot an angry look at Twilight.

"Why, Twi? Why didn't you tell me they were coming too? Like I don't have enough pressure on me knowing half the Wonderbolts are watching me!"

"I honestly didn't know, Dash!" Twilight grinned sheepishly. "Celestia tells me a lot of things but...she doesn't tell me EVERYTHING! I'm as surprised as you are.

Dash groaned and flopped to the floor. "Uuugh. Well at least my shoulder isn't bothering me anymore."

"Dash if it starts to hurt you, you really should hang back." Fluttershy quietly whispered, patting her friend's head. "We'll all be cheering for you. And we'll all still love you even if you lose. You know that right?"

"I know." Dash said in an exasperated tone.

"Plus, remember Dash it's not always the winners whom draw the Wonderbolts attention." Rarity spoke up. "If you can lose but do it in with grace and elegance I'm sure they'd be far more impressed than simply seeing you speeding around. I wager they already know how fast you can move by now."

"Yeah....I guess." Dash grumbled as she lifted herself off the floor.

"Just make sure to do your best, Dash." Twilight pulled her friend into a hug. "That's all anyone can ask of you."

There was a small ring over the loudspeakers, signaling that the time had come for the racers to enter the field and take their places. Dash took a deep breath, flaring out her wings and turning to walk out into the sun. Her friends left through another door to take their seats in the stands. Pinkie cast a forlorn face at Rainbow's retreating silhouette as the two exited the hallway, whispering a small mote of encouragement that nobody could hear.

"Be safe."

***********************************************

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Maybe it was the lucky number seven at her side. Maybe it was all the words of encouragement from her friends. Maybe it was the sun in her eye, the entire world watching her, waiting for her to slip up. Maybe it was Spitefire's encouraging words over the loudspeaker for the contestants to 'break a leg'. Who could really say. Who could have expected what would have gone down that afternoon. But something jinxed the race. Something seemed to spit in the eye of fate and shout triumphantly "I dare you. I DARE YOU."

Whatever it was, somewhere around the third lap, Dash felt it. A sudden tense feeling in her shoulder. She'd been holding her own until that point. Ignoring the sound of the roaring crowd, the flashing lights, the judges commentary. She'd been in the top three throughout the race, trying to conserve her energy for a massive speed increase on the final lap. Doing her best not to aggravate the injury from yesterday. But now it seemed to no avail. She could feel it now, the air currents were growing too strong for her torn muscle to handle. Her wing began to tremble as she clenched her teeth. Only a little longer. If she could just hold on a little longer she would win. She would win this thing. Then she felt the snap, the sharp pain of an injured muscle stretched far beyond its limitations. There was a nearly inaudible click as her wing went lip, the bones cracking in the wind as it folded unnaturally to her side. She tried to scream in agony, but the wind carried her voice away. Her eyes filled with hot tears as she lost her bearings. Familiar sights became a streak of color that spun wildly across her vision. A loud mocking voice echoed through the air as she tumbled. The voice of her childhood bully and tormenter, ringing loud and clear across the pavilion.

"OH HO HO! RAINBOW CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH! AH HA HAAAA!"

No. Not today. With a primordial strength, Rainbow managed to push open her good wing as she tumbled, trying her best to steady herself as she fell. Nearly immediately she felt her other wing break in half in midair. It was now she realized just how fast she had been going. And only now did she realize that her velocity hadn't slowed. There was only her and the ground now and the most terrifying realization that she had no way to stop herself. She closed her eyes, trying to brace for an impact that she could never know would come.

At an unheard of speed, Rainbow's body tumbled through the sky, a spiral trail of color jittering in her wake. Ponies began to scream as they realized she was falling. Her limp form twisted and hurled itself into one of the striplights of the stadium, sending fresnel lanterns shattering in a bright white explosion of gas and electricity. But the landing hadn't come yet. The force of the impact tore the entire lighting structure from its secure spot on the ground, dragging with it the small electric generator that powered it. The three items became a blur as they spun wildly in an arc of shrapnel and shattered glass, the shouts of the crowd growing more deafening as they realized Dash was heading right for them.

For a brief moment there was a quiet thud and mist of purple light as Princess Luna herself teleported with magic at an impossible speed and distance out of her VIP booth, sending armed guards flying, as she sparked with a purple light into the audience where Dash was destined to hit. With another thud she had caused a small shockwave, clearing a path from the imminent crash so that others could not be hurt. But it would not be enough. Luna's eyes opened in horror as she realized the speed at which the disaster was arriving. With a third thud she had disappeared into a cloud of black smoke, appearing meters away in the crowd, covering her eyes with her hooves.

Dash's body alone tore through the stone bleachers, sending pieces of cement scattering into the air, falling into the ground hitting any pony unlucky enough to be too close. The bent strip lighting structure followed Dash's form into the crater, bursting in a fiery sphere of white light and sparks. At the end of it the wire bunched and coiled as the generator that powered the lights hit the crater as well, exploding in a massive ball of oil, metal, sparks, and rubber. The sound was ghastly as the audience screamed in pure horror, fire and pieces of stadium exploding out of the hole Dash had made, raining pure carnage onto the track. Flames spread quickly around the hole as firefighter ponies began rushing in. Black smoke and embers billowed from the crater, loose wires writhing like snakes sending showers of hot sparks of electric current into the air. The air grew silent as the crowd watched, and was soon torn asunder by screams. Something was moving in the crater. Some mangled form was tearing its way out. Even the firefighters suddenly stood back in horror as the broken and burnt form of Rainbow Dash struggled and clambered from it's fiery prison, falling over the wall and landing in the astroturf. She stood on her broken legs, twisted and gnarled and began to hobble crazily from the fire, leaving trails of dirt, ash, blood, and feathers in her wake.

Like ants they rushed her. Firefighters, guards, medics with stretchers, and the media. Cameras flashed, ponies shouted as they crowded her violently torn form, her eyes like pink spheres in her blackened face. Fights began to break out as the firefighters tried to keep the reporters from her, shouting and punching began to spread through the chaos. The medical staff drew close to Dash, suddenly backing up as she flared out her torn wings and let out a hollow paralyzing shriek of pain and anger. Even from the very back of the stadium, every ear could hear what she screamed.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

The medics approached again, Dash leaped at them in a pounce, trying to attack them as a large piece of her skin flopped in the sunlight, sending droplets of blood everywhere.

"I WANNA GO HOME! PLEASE! LET ME GO!"

Her legs buckled under her sending her to the ground onto her side. The crowd rushed close again but immediately she was up, swaying unnaturally. With a loud bellow she screeched.

"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!"

For a brief moment her body seemed to light up with a yellow tint. There was a brilliant flash of light. Brighter than the sun itself causing the crowd and audience to scream in alarm. And all at once it was gone. The light had ended, and Dash was nowhere to be seen. The crater and blood in the grass remained. Small burnt feathers still fluttering down into the audience. But there was no sign of the cyan pony. And as someone quickly noted, there was no sign of Celestia or Luna either. Both of the Royal Princesses had also disappeared in a brilliant flash of white arcane light.

A small curl of white smoke rose from the grass where the injured mare had once stood, folding and swirling as it rose into the air and melded with the sunshine, becoming nothing.

*******************************************

"She's dead! She's dead! Oh I know she's dead I know it!"

Fluttershy collapsed as the group ran through the hallways underneath the stadium. It had been difficult to keep composure after witnessing the accident. Rarity had shrieked the moment she noticed Dash was falling. They watched in desperate terror as their friends form collided into the seats, destroying itself, equipment, and the bleachers themselves. Pinkie Pie had begun crying immediately, trying madly to leap from their elevated seats to the terrace below, determined to see if Dash was alright. The impact of such a fall would surely have injured the mare, and the other four had exhausted their strength stopping her. She had frozen, as had the rest, when Dash had struggled out into the sunlight, looking like a nightmare out of some gross anatomical textbook. Rarity had turned sobbing into Twilight's side as the purple unicorn gawked at the scene. Applejack's scream had knocked them from their abstraction, causing the group to stumble as they ran to where the scene had occurred. But once the mystical light had flashed and the pegasus was gone, they had stood simply staring at the smoking crater before hurrying into the hallways.

What had begun as a panicked run had quickly transpired into an effort to simply stand, their minds barely able to process what they had just seen. Their pace had slowed as their faces had gone pale, and one by one the five Elements of Harmony found themselves reduced to a clumsy brisk walk as they attempted and failed to keep their composure. Pinkie had cracked first, sobbing and shouting gibberish as she fled through the hall, eventually curling up into a corner and letting out a high pitched wail. Applejack stopped dead in her tracks and sat on the floor, soon finding herself holding a sobbing Rarity in her arms and looking to Twilight with eyes full of fear, the lavender unicorn taking no notice, who was now pacing in circles mumbling quiet spells and prayers as a puddle of tears formed under her.

"What do we do now, Twilight?" Applejack had finally managed to whisper, her voice strained as she tried not to become a sobbing mess like the others. Twilight gave no answer, only speeding up her pacing into a frightened gallop, her endless mantras speeding up into indecipherable jargon.

"She's dead! She's dead!" Fluttershy was beating the wall with her hooves, screaming out loud. Never thought of to be a strong pony, her small hooves were causing large holes in the drywall as she continued to strike the it. "She's dead! She's dead!"

"We don't know that!" Applejack grunted. "Right Twi? She's ok right? She and the princesses all disappeared at once so that means she's with 'em, right? Twi? That was the princesses magic, right?"

Twilight continued pacing, her chattering becoming soft weeping as she continued to gallop in small circles.

"She's dead! She's dead!" Fluttershy's screams echoed through the hall.

"STOP IT FLUTTERSHY!" Rarity suddenly yelped as she tore her face away from Applejack's shoulder, her mascara causing dark blotches to stain her cheeks. "STOP SHOUTING THAT!"

"She's dead!"

"I SAID STOP IT!"

"Twilight." Applejack squeaked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Please tell me you....can do...anything."

There was a flash of white light and the five were gone. Mysteriously enchanted away like their friend. Leaving behind five small trails of white smoke and a hallway still resonating with cries of grief.

******************************************

The had been sent a great distance in a very short amount of time. Their consciousnesses being stretched across time and space for the briefest of moments. When the white cleared and their large tearful eyes adjusted they found themselves sitting in the last place they would have expected. The cloudbank that held up Rainbow Dash's cottage, only a few meters from the front door.

On the front step stood Princes Luna. The mistress of the stars and queen of the night herself. A deep midnight blue, her spectral mane and feathering fetlocks gleaming with the tiny pinprick light of millions of tiny stars. Though a frightening visage for those who didn't know her personally, she was a very timid and loving deity. Her eyes kind, and her ways old-fashioned. With a quiet rustle she folded her indigo wings and strode majestically up to the five smaller ponies, easily twice their size. She lay down in the cloudbank before them clearing her throat.

"I must speak with all of you."

The five stared ahead, still unsure of what was happening. Lune gave them all a warm grin, or at least as warm as one such as herself could muster.

"Your friend is alive and will be fine."

There was an audible sigh as the five relaxed slightly. Pinkie's eyes welled up as she scuttled forward.

"Dash is ok?" Her voice shook as her body trembled.

"Yes, Pinkamena. Dash is ok. My sister is with her now."

"What happened, Luna? What's happening now?" Twilight demanded, marching boldly up to the starlight alicorn. "Where is Dash?"

"She is inside, Miss Sparkle." Luna replied. "Her injuries were very severe. We brought her to where she desired. Home."

Immediate the five rushed past the Princess, and ran inside the house to find the bottom floor empty. The remains of the ruined party the night before still hung limply across the interior. Luna entered soon afterwards. There was a quiet din of voices from the upstairs rooms. They craned their heads, desperate to decipher the muffled sounds coming through to the bottom floor. The door to Dash's room suddenly swung open. A small team of ponies were marching down the stairs, medical kits and doctor's bags strapped to their sides. All looked very worn and tired. Celestia followed in their wake, a pure white horse with a mane like sunlight, her eyes looking very tired. She quietly thanked the medical professionals who were placing small flasks and bottles onto one of the nearby tables. As they departed, one of the last ones to exit, a very old pony with curly grey and white hair and a plaid sweater turned to the five friends with a small smile.

"I've never seen such a thing." he said with a grating but friendly tone. "Your friend is remarkable."

As the door shut behind him, Celestria strode forward, lowering her head to give Twilight a small comforting nudge before she sat, ready to address the group.

"What's going on? Where's Dash? Who are all these ponies?" Fluttershy suddenly blurted out causing Twilight to flinch.

"She's resting upstairs." Celestia replied in a very quiet voice, uncharacteristic of the motherly tone it often carried. "She's been through much. We very nearly lost her. But I think she'll be alright now."

"What happened?" Twilight asked.

"Her wounds were very life threatening. I had to use some old magic. Very old, actually....in order to help her recover quickly to a point where the medical staff could...patch her up."

"Medical staff? From the Cloudsdale Clinic?" Fluttershy walked toward the Princess, her blue eyes full of determination. "What did they do? What magic did they use?"

"It's fine, my child. They are a part of the emergency staff of Canterlot. They are the best in the land I assure you. Luna and I brought them here on a bead of light, much like we brought you. They did their best and Rainbow Dash is going to be physically fine, as long as she does not exert herself and rests for recovery."

Fluttershy's determination faded and she backed up, nodding solemnly.

"However," Celestia began. "Her condition may be stable but what she experienced today was truly terrifying. I have not seen an accident so perilous in centuries. When she awakes I'm sure she's going to have many questions and will most likely be bewildered by the events that have transpired here. She may not know where she is and be frightened. Friendship is very powerful, and she will need you more than ever if she is to fully recover. Do you understand?"

Five small colorful faces nodded. They were still frightened, but Celestia's kind words were like a cool drink after wandering a desert of no hope. Words could not describe the relief and tentative optimism that filled the five as they crept up the stairs, ready to see their injured friend, and do everything in their power to keep her safe.

Pease porridge in the pot .

Thought swam back into Dash's head as consciousness began to take hold once more. The buzzing in her mind began to clear as she realized she was lying down. Blackness stretched before her, and she couldn't be sure if her eyes were open or not. She attempted to blink. No change in color or light. Were her eyes even open? She fiddled with her reflexes a bit. They had to be. They felt like they were open. Why did she feel so woozy? Her body felt so numb as if it were barely connected to the rest of her brain. The last thing she remembered was falling out of the sky toward a lamp at the race course. Then everything had stopped.

"Oh crap." Dash thought. "I'm dead aren't I?"

Well if the eyes could be felt maybe the rest could too? Best give it a shot. She flexed the muscles in her right foreleg, feeling a small tinkle of pain arc up from her hoof to her shoulder. Pain? Pain is a good thing. She relaxed and flexed the left leg. Less pain coming from this one. Feels a lot less stiff too. She slowly put her hoof to her face and felt....something strange. Soft and worn and dimpled. Like a cloth. Some sort of thinner cloth was wrapped around it going to the back of her head, like a blindfold. These must be bandages, or gauze, or whatever they call that stuff these days. She began to pull it off her face, a flash of white suddenly entering her vision making her realize that she could see.

There was white everywhere. It hurt slightly. Well actually it hurt a whole bunch. Dash began to regret pulling the bandage off as her retinas throbbed. Pulling off the bandages had also freed her ears which had been pulled against the sides of her head. Achingly they stood upright, adjusting painfully to the sensation of being awake like her eyes had. There was a quiet gentle humming coming from somewhere ahead of her. Dash lifted her head slowly, colors and forms beginning to take shape in the brightness. The humming was coming from a pink shape not far in front of her. Something short and curvy was moving lightly side to side in front of something grey, all surrounded by white. The shapes came into focus slightly more. She could vaguely make out the shape of a pony, very pink, swaying its hips lightly as it hummed.

"Am I dead?" She coughed out, surprised at how small her voice sounded. "Is this heaven?"

The pink form spun fast, seeming to ooze across the room and in moments Dash found herself staring into a familiar sight. Two sky blue eyes, clear and friendly and enormous, peering right into her scarlet ones. It was Pinkie Pie the entire time.

"Oh no." thought Dash. "This must be the OTHER place."

"She's awaaaaaaaaaaaake!" Pinkie's shrill voice shattered the gentle quiet of the room. She eagerly shoved her face closer to Dash, their noses almost touching as small tears formed in her eyes. "Don't you ever scare me again like that Rainbow Dash! And don't you ever crash into a bunch of chairs ever ever again!"

"It's not like I did it on purpose." Dash grumbled. "How long have I been out?"

"Two days, dear." Rarity shuffled into view, appearing as a white and blue blob in Dash's vision. "We were wondering if you were going to be stuck in a coma forever. Thank goodness you've awaken. You really scared us, Dash."

The blob approached, putting a gentle hoof on the top of Dash's head, giving her a comforting stroke.

"We've barely been able to function, wondering if you were alright." Rarity's voice was trembling, causing Dash to feel a pang of guilt that she had worried her friends this much.

"Why....why can't I hardly see anything?"

"Well looky who's up!" Applejack's voice came from somewhere behind Dash. "How ya feelin, partner? Mighty awful I'd imagine."

"I'm not sure. I can barely feel anything right now. Why can't I see you guys?"

"Your eyes got burnt in the crash, Dash." Twilight's voice from somewhere to the left. "As did the rest of you. Real badly. Half of your dermis was burned off in the explosion."

"EXPLOSION!? HALF!?" Dash tried to bolt upright but quickly found she couldn't move, wriggling uncomfortably.

"Yes, but it's fine now. Most of your injuries are.....well not fixed. But better than they were."

"What other injuries?"

"There were quite a few traumatic fractures. Most of them were compound."

"What does that even mean, Twi?"

"Dash you were.....really really messed up." Twilight's voice was starting to tremble now like Rarity's had. "You were just....so...mangled and crushed when you pulled yourself out."

There was a quiet sniffle in the room. Dash suddenly felt two forelegs wrap themselves around her neck, the gentlest possible hug enveloping her.

"Is that you, Twilight? I can't see."

"No it's me, Rainbow." Fluttershy's voice cooed, barely above a whisper. "We're all here. We've been waiting for you to wake up."

A quiet heartbreaking wail suddenly peeped out as Fluttershy began to weep. Dash wished she could comfort her childhood friend, thank them all for being by her side, anything. But she presently seemed stuck.

"I'm sorry, pal. Please don't cry for me." Dash whispered. "I'm sorry I worried you all so much."

"Don't worry about it, really." Rarity said. "I'm just glad you're doing alright."

"You should get some sleep, Dash." Twilight said. "You need a lot of bedrest."

There was a quiet rustling noise. Dash could feel the bandages and gauze being lowered before her eyes. But they weren't covered entirely. Just enough to shut out the painfully bright light so Dash could sleep. She could still make out the colorful blobs of her friends.

"Yeah. It's real late. Pinkie was just about to make me n' her a midnight snack." Applejack chimed. "You want any? You ain't eaten in two days."

"No, no. I'm not hungry. I just feel really weird and nobody has said why yet."

"Oh yeah!" Pinkie's eyes were suddenly filling Dash's vision yet. "The doctor guys gave us some medicine to feed you. We've been sticking it into your mouth since you couldn't chew. It's supposed to make your ouchies go away but it also makes you sleepy I think. Now that you're awake we aren't allowed to give you as much."

"Hmm. Well I guess I'll go back to sleep for now, then." Dash mumbled. She shivered slightly. There was a question she'd been wanting to ask once she had realized she was in the room with her friends. But she feared the answer. Her entire life's hopes and dreams rested on the outcome of this question and Dash found it very difficult to summon up the willpower to ask it. Her eyes began to tear up as she shuddered, drawing in a deep breath.

"Hey, can I....ask you guys a...... question real quick?" Dash cursed herself quietly. She was crying and she didn't want to be. Not now, not like this, when she was powerless to hide it.

"Ask us anything, Dash." Fluttershy whispered, her hug tightening.

"Are......are my wings, ok?" Dash could barely utter the words. Her wings meant everything to her. And pegasus wings, much like the wings of a bird, are anything but hardy. They were easy to break and easy to lose. The very thought of living without them terrified her. For an agonizing second she lay, trying to hold in a sob, hoping for the answer to be positive.

"Yes, Dash." Twilight replied softly. Dash could feel the tears being wiped away. "Celestia paid special attention to your wings when she brought the doctors here. You won't be able to use them properly for a little while. You might even need physical therapy but she and I are both confident you'll be able to fly again. Once your injuries are recovered."

"Oh good." Dash let out a long exhale, relief washing over her. It was a wonderful feeling. "I don't know what I'd do if...."

"Don't ya worry about that stuff, sugarcube." Applejack tousled Dash's hair gently. "Yer gonna be just fine. Now you should try to sleep. If you need anythin' you just ask alright?"

"Alright."

"Cause me' n Pinkie are sleepin' right here next to your bed. And Shy and Rare and Twi are all just a room away if you need 'em. So don't you worry about nothin' alright?"

"Alright, AJ."

"Have a nice sleep, Dashie." Pinkie said quietly, leaning down to give Dash a small kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite."

Dash gave a small snort and tried to pull away from the kiss. "Heh. Goodnight guys."

The light became a sliver and then it was gone, as Dash closed her eyes and let her ears droop. It had already required great strength to keep her eyelids open. Her energy reserves had been taxed beyond their limit and she soon felt her mind ebbing away into darkness and dreams, as sleep overtook her. The throbbing in her body slowly fading into a calm mist.

*****************************

It was in the wee early hours of the morning when Dash awoke. It had been a very fitful sleep. Her mind had been conjuring up images of her last moments on the racecourse, playing them over and over before her eyes. It was almost relieving to be awake now, able to escape those memories with some sort of distraction. The slowly throbbing pain of her body certainly wasn't helping. Dash groggily pushed her body up off her bed with her good leg, using her hoof to remove the bandages on her eyes. Her vision was still a bit blurrier than usual, but at least now she could recognize where she was. She was in her bedroom. Lying on top of her favorite bedsheet, now covered in numerous dark stains. She slowly turned her head backwards, feeling the the disorganized bones in her neck clicking as she chanced a view at herself. A large portion of her torso was wrapped in gauze. A dark red gash started at her belly, snaking up to her chest and she assumed ending somewhere on her neck. Small pale yellow stitches were holding the hideous wound together, the cyan fur around the gash being mostly shaved off. The rest of her was bruised and wrapped up for the most part. Red and purple shapes clearly showing through the her short hairs. Her wings were bound tightly in white cloths, dark pink stains showing through the fabric. The end of the wooden splints holding her bones in place jutted out the end closest to her head. She made a small attempt to move her right wing. There was a pang of pain and a click as two pieces of the wood splint clicked together. Whoever had wrapped these had made extra sure the wings couldn't move. Even involuntary movements were unable to occur.

Dash glanced at her backside. It was difficult to see, her neck was very stiff. She could vaguely make out more stitches along her back, along with more purple bruises and bandages around her back legs. She was amazed to see that her back legs weren't wrapped in casts. But both did have a long red crease going up from her hoof to her ulna. More stitches there too. Dash wondered if maybe someone had surgically set her bones back in place through those holes. She turned to get a good look at her forelegs. The right one was wrapped tightly with a loose sling bundled around her shoulder. She gave it an experimental wiggle, feeling a strange unnatural sensation as her nerves flares up. This leg was clearly still busted. But at least she could move it a bit.

The throbbing pain was slowly getting worse. She wondered if the pain pills her friends had talked about were somewhere nearby. Oh, yeah her friends were here! Dash slowly pushed herself to the side of her bed. Applejack was curled underneath a small quilt, snoring quietly. What a crazy looking quilt it was, too. Red and white checkers with weird runes in the white parts. And little red gemstones in the corners of each square. Rarity must've made it for her. But where was everyone else? Dash shifted her torso to look at the rest of her bed, her eyes falling on Pinkie. The pink mare was asleep, the tip of Dash's tail clutched greedily in her arms. Dash grinned and shook her head, lightly freeing her tail. Pinkie was such a silly pony. Both Pinkie and Applejack had clearly been through a lot of stress. Dark bags from all the stress hung under their eyes. Dash made a mental note to figure out a way to thank her buddies for being here. But for now, she needed a distraction. Something to keep her mind off of the crash and the slowly increasing pain. It was getting to where she couldn't just ignore it.

Dash winced as she slid off the bed and slowly walked across the floor. She could feel her body parts moving in strange ways. It wasn't hurting anymore to walk, but it certainly felt weirder. Like her bits and pieces were sliding around inside of her, not quite tethered together by her muscles anymore. Like a machine that had a screw loose, threatening to fall out and cause it all to fall apart. Probably not the best idea to walk down the stairs like this. Dash bit into the wall, freeing a large chunk of cumulus cloud. She slid on top of it and pushed lightly against the bannister, sending the cloud floating down the stairs like a makeshift elevator. She smiled as she saw her favorite place to nap: the couch. Maybe she'd have better sleep here instead of her bed that she rarely used. But it was not to be, Twilight Sparkle was currently sleeping there. Rarity slept next to her, snoring quietly. Fluttershy was cocooned in a pink sleeping bag a few feet away on the floor. Dash checked the clock. It was only 5:30 am. Much too early to try waking her friends.

With her good hoof she pushed open the front door. She cringed as it squeaked on its hinges, turning back to make sure her noise hadn't woken her friends. Trotting on three legs was something earth ponies were quite good at, when they needed to carry something but had no saddlebags to do so. But for a pegasus who used her wings to get everywhere, it felt clumsy and awkward. She breathed a sigh of relief as she sat outside, inhaling the brisk early morning air. Now she could watch the sun rise. Normally this was the time of day she'd begin her daily training regimen. But from the looks of her body, that wouldn't be happening for quite a while. She glanced at her mailbox. Quite a few rolls of newspaper were peeping out from the vent.

Reading! Dash had recently come to the discovery that she quite enjoyed reading. Twilight had opened her eyes with the entertaining, though infantile, DARING DO book series. Technically it was written with kids in mind but the humor and storytelling were just so good. Ponies all over Equestria had fallen in love with the series. The newspaper probably wasn't even a fraction as interesting as the novels she enjoyed, but it was better than just throwing them out as she usually did. Dash gripped the pile in her teeth and pulled them out onto the cloud behind her. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at the frontpage articles from the newspapers from the last few days.

THE PONYVILLE GAZETTE
"Tragedy at the Track"
Being in a race as wild as the Wonderbolts Derby has always been considered dangerous. The controversial race, which has remained a popular attraction for more than a century, brings crowds of all ages and types every year. However, few think about how dangerous it is to be in attendance at such a race. The low safety regulations continue to haunt the owners as yet another terrifying crash this weekend has left 16 ponies injured, with 3 in critical condition. (more on page 2)

The Neigh York Times
"Royalty Showing Favoritism at the Derby?"
As quite a few ponies at the Wonderbolts Show in Cloudsdale made note of last Saturday, when the violent accident occurred, chaos and pandemonium quickly took hold of the crowd as the royal family worked its magic to clear the air. While several ponies were injured, many have noted that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were first to help Rainbow Dash, their appointed Element of Harmony, before any of the innocent injured bystanders. Many are calling for the Princesses to step down from... (continued on page 2)

The Pegasus Post
SHOULD SPITFIRE STEP DOWN? an exposé by Mary Contrary
In a move that surprised no ponies on Sunday, commissioner of safety for the Pegasus Sports Association, the one and only Spitfire, stepped down today amongst the controversy surrounding last weekends accidents. However many others, and that includes myself, have been saying that's simply not good enough. But there's a silver lining; a little birdy has told me that many of us may be getting what we wanted after all. The rumor mill, and a reliable source of mine, has claimed that Spitefire's position as head of the Wonderbolts may soon be ending as well. Good riddance, I say! An end to a rather ridiculous chapter in the history of this once well-respected organization.

THE TROTTINGHAM TRIBUNE
MORE THAN HEALTH AND SAFETY
from columnist Shoe Shackles
"It's a shame it's had to come to this, folks. I haven't felt so frightened in decades. And I truly understand the grief, I do. My heart goes out to the victims of this tragedy. I know a lot of issues about courtside safety, netting, walls, and other longstanding problems with the Derby have been brought up. But one important issue has been overlooked. Performance enhancing substances. I don't know who this Rainbow Dash is, but I do know this: no pony should have survived that crash. Unless this girl is a superhero, she should be gone. We need to start testing our athletes, folks. The adrenaline, the chemicals that are making these young fillies go crazy. It has to stop. We have to draw the line and it needs to start with Rainbow Dash. When the safety commission tests her and finds her blood positive for substances, and they will, there needs to be more than a fine. There needs to be a ban. A permanent lifetime ban from all..." (more on page 6)

Equestrian Enquirer
The Day that Changed Sports
When little foal Cinnamon Breeze went to the racecourse this weekend, she was hoping to be entertained. Hoping to see and meet her idols, Soarin and Spitfire. To meet the racers, some of whom are quite popular and famous around the country. However all that came to an end this weekend when a large piece of marble was dislodged during the fiery crash at the racecourse, striking young Cinnamon in the head. Now the little filly is lying in a hospital bed, with a severe concussion. (more on page 3)

Page after page, paragraph after paragraph, the sheer magnitude of what had happened slowly struck Dash. Her injuries, how she had appeared when she emerged from the rubble, all the equipment that had been destroyed in the process, the centuries-old relics that had been ruined permanently and worst of all, the innocent bystanders who had been hurt. Many severely injured by the accident she caused. SHE caused. Dash felt her stomach convulse, the gag reflex trying desperately to stop the nausea that was overtaking her, the throbbing pain of her injuries becoming unbearable as the medication began to wear off. She gasped loudly, trying not to suffocate as she continued to cough and gag, crying loudly as she read the articles. This was her legacy now. This could all have been prevented. Her mind went back to that morning a few days back. So similar to the morning she was experiencing now. Her friends had told her not to race. They'd warned her that something bad could happen, their concerns had been for HER safety. Dash cursed herself for not listening to them, for thinking she was in any condition to race that day. She swore and swore loudly as a trickle of spit oozed from her mouth as her body attempted to vomit over and over. This was her fault. These ponies lives could be ruined. The Wonderbolts would probably be ruined. Ponies were upset at the princesses for the first time in ages. And it was all because of her. Because she had been too confident.

Hate filled the young mare as she rose to her hooves, swaying with the pain as she stumbled to the small waterfall on the cloudbank of her house. She peered into the pool of glittering water, still dark but flecked with orange from the rising sun. She could barely see her reflection, but she could feel her eyes looking back at her from the surface. She ground her teeth angrily as the tears fell, falling on her haunches and looking at her body. Stitches, bandages, staples, everything possible had been done to her to keep her alive. To make her better. And she didn't even deserve it. She didn't deserve any of this. Dash bit at the stitches angrily, tasting blood. A thought entered her mind. A terrible truly awful thought, that spread its black claws over her consciousness as she gazed up at the sky, seeking answers.

She couldn't go back in time. She couldn't go back and stop this event from happening. But she could make sure it never happened again. She could make sure that she could never hurt any other pony again with her high speed antics and tricks. Remove the one thing that made her special and set her apart. The reason she was ever able to race in the first place. Dash staggered as quickly as she could back inside the house, pushing herself into the bathroom as quietly as possible. The light flickered on and briefly she saw the pony she hated the most, staring back at her in the mirror. She turned away and decided now was the time. Now was the time to take action and ensure she could never cause harm to any pony ever again. And with that thought, Dash craned her neck and pulled out the wooden splints tied to her wings, feeling a sharp pang as the bandages unraveled, the offending limbs drooping limply off her sides, making nearly no noise as the tips slowly brushed against the floor.

*******************************

It was a lovely dream, the kind one wished could last forever. Pinkie was sitting in a small rowboat, that was floating lazily down the small river near Fluttershy's cabin. The willows were all in bloom, their small soft periwinkle flowers cascading into the water, making small ripples that disappeared long before they reached the shore. It was an overcast sort of day, the clouds blocking the sun, giving the landscape a dark and mysterious tone. But it was still bright and cheerful, the lack of sun making the air nice and cool. The clouds weren't their usual tones of white and grey, but instead had chosen this day to be a myriad of colors. A whole spectrum of the white fluff was coursing over the sky, creating colorful shadows across the land as they floated. Normally on a day like this, Pinkie would be doing something fun. Like running around the meadows with her friends or helping Mr. and Mrs.Cake organize a birthday party for some lucky child in the town. But right now those things were the furthest from her mind. She was in a boat with her favorite person in the world.

Pinkie turned to look at Rainbow who had found the boat ride rather boring at first. The cyan mare yawned and Pinkie had to contain the urge to squeak happily. Rainbow was so cute when she yawned. Pinkie shifted over so she could press the sides of their bodies together, softly laying her head on Dash's shoulder. She fully expected Dash to pull away, as she usually did whenever Pinkie tried to be affectionate. But Dash reacted positively, leaning her cheek against Pinkie's as they made their way down the river. Pinkie frowned, as she usually did when such dreams came. She knew it was a dream at this point. Things like this never happened. She was never so lucky.

"I wish this was real." Pinkie sighed.

"Yeah, it'd be nice huh?" the dream Dash agreed. "Too bad you're too much of a wuss to admit you like me in reality."

"I'm not a wuss! I just haven't found a way to do it yet." Pinkie's ears drooped. The dream specter was hitting pretty close to home.

"Yeah, whatever." the dream Dash snorted into Pinkie's hair, causing her to giggle. "You're a bigger fraidy-cat than Fluttershy at a dragon convention."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

They continued to drift across the water listening to all the sounds of the birds and the wind, intermingling into a natural chorus. Pinkie closed her eyes as she felt Dash's warmth on her skin. If only this were real. All at once suddenly the warmth went cold and Pinkie felt the Dash in her dream pulling away from her, a look of concern on it's face.

"Oh no! Don't be like the real one!" Pinkie whined.

"Pinkie, listen up. We have a problem." the dream Dash suddenly turned with a very serious look on it's beautiful features, causing Pinkie to sit up immediately. "Your Pinkie Sense is acting up. It's telling me that something really bad is about to happen. Is happening right now. Might have happened already."

"What is it, Dashie?"

"I don't know, Pinks. I'm part of your dream, remember? But your Pinkie Sense hasn't reacted like this in a long time. This is serious because....I think.....I think it has to do with me. The real me."

Pinkie's eyes widened.

"You need to wake up, Pinkie. NOW. RIGHT NOW."

"I don't know how to wake up on my own! I just sort of wake up when I'm done being sleepy! Or if I hear a loud sound! Or if I smell Mrs.Cake baking chocolate chip fudge cookies downstairs. I can't just tell myself to wake up! Heck if ponies could do that, why would we need alarm clocks!"

"Well figure something out! We need to save me from.....myself I think?"

"How do we wake me up?"

"I have an idea."

The dream specter of Rainbow Dash suddenly rushed forward, its lips puckered, going in for a kiss. Pinkie closed her eyes, feeling anticipation for what she hoped would be something wonderful. But it was not to be. She was never so lucky. There was a flash of light and then all at once she was awake.

Pinkie sat up in the bed. True to her dream's word, something was awry. Pinkie's tail and ears were twitching madly. A sign of disaster in most cases. She couldn't explain her Pinkie Sense, but it was reliable, that much was true. She looked around the room, shivering from the cold. Why was the door open? Where was Dash? Pinkie suddenly felt a small splinter of fright make its way out of the pit of her stomach and arc across her body. Why would Dash be out of bed? Why was it so quiet if she was out of bed?

Pinkie bounced out of bed, hitting the floor with a sound like that of a rubber duck. She trotted around the room, looking for signs of her friend. Nothing. Applejack was still asleep on the floor. She pondered if she should wake Applejack up. But what if nothing was wrong? Applejack would be so upset if Pinkie had frightened her and it was all for nothing. Better to figure this out solo el mono. Pinkie trotted down the stairs. Her eyes went wide. The front door to the house was open. A few newspapers were trailing in from the doorstep. Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy apparently hadn't noticed. Pinkie stuck her head out the door. No Dash in sight. How strange. Then she heard it, a quiet tearing noise, followed by a grunt. A high pitched kind of grunt. Like someone was trying to hide great physical anguish behind clenched teeth. Pinkie whirled around to see a sliver of golden light appearing from under the bathroom door at the end of the hall. She trotted forward, feeling more and more frightened as the grunts and yelps of pain grew louder. She placed her pink hoof on the door and gave it a small push, feeling her heart break as she took in what stood before her.

Rainbow Dash was standing next to the bathtub, blood dripping freely down her body. Many of her stitches lay on the floor, soaking in a pool of blood. Piles of blue feathers were at the mare's feet, as she bit deeply into her mangled wings, letting out a muffled scream as she pulled back. There was a tearing noise, and soon another group of feathers was set free, floating down to the floor to join their brethren in the puddles. Dash's face was a mixture of anger and pain as she bit into her wings with gusto. The quiet crack of her bones becoming quite audible as she spent all her energy destroying her wings as much as she could. She glanced up to see Pinkie Pie standing in the doorway, a look of terror on her face as her eyes welled up with tears. Dash would never forget that scream. But it would not deter her. Nor would the strength of her friend. It would end up take the entire group to stop Dash from destroying herself.

One night to speed up truth.

"It ain't right." mumbled Applejack, with a scowl on her freckled snout.

Crisis had been averted the night prior. They had managed to stop their friend from destroying her wings, though the event had been frightening for them all. To walk in on your friend in such a way, right after the relief of knowing she was safe. Knowing she was going to be alright. Then having that happen. It was cruel, in a way. Like a cosmic joke played by the universe, just to shatter any optimism they'd had. Dash had been restrained. Words were said, voices shouted, and blood had flowed. The doctors were called. They'd wanted to take her away. Take her somewhere to keep her safe, and healthy. But that had given Dash renewed strength to resist. To fight back those who only wished to help. In their desperation they turned to the medication. And before long, their friend had been assuaged. But the damage had been done. In her state she'd never fly. Her grief was great, greater than before and she had begged for something. Anything, if it could be done.

Once more Celestia had been called. Once more the solar goddess had arrived as a guest in the home of Loyalty. And once more she had used her arcane divinity to heal wounds, and try a new experimental spell. One to increase the fortitude of the young mare's torn wings. It hadn't been perfect. But progress was progress, and the rejuvenated renewed wings had been bound, tightly to her sides. This couldn't happen again. She had been given a medical truncated cone about her neck. Sealed with a plastic button on the back, a place she couldn't reach. The apprehension as the doctors placed it on her had been great. They expected her to fight, to curse, anything to not feel a restriction in her movement. But she did nothing of the sort. Dash's spirit had been broken. All the fight had left her that night and she remained perfectly still as the plastic cone was set in place, giving little more than a sad sigh as they informed her that it was for her own good. So she couldn't hurt herself further. The lack of reaction to this news put everyone at unease. Something was wrong with their friend. And not just physically.

Applejack had been most upset. Arguing that such a thing shouldn't be done to an adult pony. It was a barbaric way of stopping a foal from biting at her wounds. But for an adult? Shameful. It was an affront to their dignity as a sentient creature. She had snorted angrily and stormed out of the house, now sitting on the cloud bank steps near the front door. She stared angrily into the sky, seeking solace. Fluttershy had left shortly after, joining Applejack out front. Seeing her lifelong friend in such a state was proving to be simply too much for the generally skittish mare.

"It just ain't right." Applejack continued, kicking a tuft of cloud angrily. "Havin' that thing on her face. Like some sort of wild animal."

"I know it's terrible. But, we can't let her do that to herself again, AJ. She'd hate us if we didn't find a way to let her fly again. Even if it means forcing her to wear that....cone." Fluttershy wiped her eyes.

"She probably already hates us. I ain't ever seen her look so furious. Those eyes.....pure anger. She would have bit us if she could, I reckon."

"I think.....this is like something that happened before."

"What's this, now?"

"When we were little, Rainbow got expelled from Flight School. I'd never seen her sad before, you know. She always hid it. But...she started acting really strange. She stopped flying and all she wanted to do was lay around. It was one of the only times I ever saw her cry. And she ended up crying a lot."

"Rainbow Dash? Cryin' huh? Can't even imagine that."

"This reminds me of those times, Applejack. I think she's depressed. First the crash and then all the bad things that have come out of it. I can't......I just can't imagine how she must feel. Like her whole world has ended."

The front door to the house swung open as Celestia, two doctors, a psychologist, and the other Elements of Harmony exited, all looking quite downtrodden. The doctors hopped into a golden chariot with Celestia, bound for the city of Canterlot. The four young mares took their places in front of the psychologist, a very wrinkly brown stallion with a white mustache and comb-over. He beckoned for Applejack and Fluttershy to join him.

"Now the others have already heard this, but you two haven't." he began in a gentle voice. "Your friend Rainbow has been through quite alot this week. Her mood has taken a very bad turn. Self-neglect, self-harm, a feeling of worthlessness. It's textbook depression. This came on very quickly, which leads me to believe it could very well be gone very quickly. Anxiety, stress, grief, the usual."

"So she might be ok?" Fluttershy peeped out.

"Well, I hate to say yes. Nothing is ever set in stone. I don't think this was caused by fear of the crash itself. Possibly a hormonal imbalance. Personally, I think this is just her rather disturbing way of dealing with grief and life-threatening injuries. She may very well try to cause harm to her body again. There are plenty of ways to harm oneself without using ones mouth. You five need to find a way of keeping an eye on her. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Think of it as a watch or an intervention. She'll need attention, and lots of it. And even then....probably counseling. Therapy. See if it changes her condition."

"When can we take that thing off her head?" Applejack asked bluntly, her face still scowling.

"If her condition clears up and she seems able to function without help....maybe. When her wounds are healed, definitely. But, if she continues to try to harm herself after the cone is removed, then she NEEDS to get psychiatric help. And it is your responsibility to make sure she gets it. I've left my address and phone number on the counter near her medications."

"And are you available at any time, Mr.Crates?" Twilight gave the doctor a small respectful nod.

"Any time, Miss Sparkle. This is my main job and....." he raised an eyebrow and returned the nod. "I do it very well. Now I must go and tend to other patients. Let me know if anything goes wrong."

"We will. Thank you, Mr.Crates."

And with that he picked up his briefcase and galloped to the chariot, hopping in with the others. With a small woosh of air, the construction was airborne, pulled by two winged guards for Celestia. Those that remained on the front lawn of Dash's house sat in a small circle.

"We need to do this in shifts." Twilight said solemnly. "I can watch her on Mondays. Hardly anyone comes to the library those days anyway. When are you guys free?"

"I...might be able to get away from work on Tuesday." Applejack commented, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof. "It's cider season after all. The rest of the family can't do it on their own. I might not be able to get here until the evening."

"What about you, Rarity?"

"I have Monday free as well. Rest of the week I have orders to fill. I could bring my sewing machines up here while I keep Dash company."

"I dunno, Rare." Applejack said with an honest smile. "I doubt the loud sounds of you sewin' all day is gonna make Dash too happy."

"If I come every day I'd need someone to look after all the animals." Fluttershy commented. "I can't bring them up here. They can't walk on clouds and I doubt Twilight could enchant them all. I'm also sure Dash wouldn't want Angel Bunny around. Angel doesn't like Dash very much."

"Angel doesn't seem to like anyone much." Twilight said with a small eye roll.

"Um....I could....stay." Pinkie suddenly stated, kneading the clouds with her hooves.

"Stay?" Twilight asked. "Here?"

"Well yeah, I mean. The Cakes don't need me much down at Sugarcube Corner. I help when I can but I know I could get them to let me stay here with Dashie for a while. I could keep an eye on her, make sure she takes all her medicines, and try to keep her....you know....happy! She's going to need help with a lot of stuff with that thingy on her neck and all of her broken bones and I think I should be here to support her in her time of need!"

"Wow Pinkie that's......very responsible of you." Twilight said, a large smile appearing on her face. "If anyone could lift Rainbow Dash's mood it'd be you."

"That's quite a noble thing, Pinkie." Rarity agreed, a small mischievous grin creeping onto her snout. "You are Dash's best friend after all. I'm sure she'd be very pleased to have you around."

Pinkie turned to Fluttershy. "Could you give me a lift, Flutters? I want to make sure the Cakes will be fine with this brilliant idea of mine! Aaaaand I need to grab a few things. Board games and cards and stuff to help keep Dashie's mind off of how messed up she is right now. No reaction if there's a distraction!"

"Of course I can, Pinkie. We can just.....um........" Fluttershy's eyes glazed over as she tilted her head to the side, her left ear flicking in the air.

"What's wrong?" Applejack asked, giving Fluttershy a small nudge in the shoulder.

"....do you girls hear that?"

The five walked back inside the house, to hear the quiet tones of weeping. Dash had decided early on that she preferred the couch to her bed. She was still lying there, and although the plastic cone was covering her face, the small sniffles and squeaks that echoed from it told them that everything. They all approached, gently laying down next to their friend, eager to help. Looks of worry passed between them as they lay in the quiet. Applejack placed her hoof on Rainbow's back and stroked it lightly, humming a small tune.

"Dash, I know you don't want that thing on your head." Twilight said with a small tremble in her voice. It was hard to keep her composure, watching one of her bravest friends reduced to this sobbing mess. "We just want you to be safe. And it's only a temporary thing, you know! Once you've recovered we can take it off."

"It's not that." Dash croaked out.

"Then what's wrong, Dash? Please tell us. You know we only want to help you."

"I don't want to die alone."

Twilight's eyes widened. That was not exactly the response she was expecting, if any.

"I feel like I'm dying, Twilight." Dash cried. "It hurts so much. Everything."

"I know it hurts, sugarcube." Applejack whispered. "But it's gonna get better. I promise."

"You aren't dying, dear." Rarity chimed in, giving Dash a small reassuring nuzzle. "You're just......really really....sick."

"You're going to be fine Dash." Twilight placed her hoof gently on Dash's arm. "You have no reason to worry."

"You're wrong, Egghead." Dash tried to bury her head into the couch cushion, but the cone prevented it. "I don't think a pony body is meant to hurt this much in such a short amount of time. I don't wanna be alone when it happens."

"Dash, I'm more of a doctor than you are. You'll be alright. You just need some rest."

"In case....in case I'm not....there's some stuff I wanted to say...."

Dash pulled her legs in, pushing her broken body upward so she could shift it sideways, tilt her head and look at her friends. Their faces were so sympathetic. She loved them so much. And if she didn't say this now, she felt like she might never get the chance.

"Fluttershy...."

The yellow mare let out a frightened squeak as she crawled over to be closer to her friend.

"Shy....you remember how...when we were lil' fillies and I thought it was silly to let what others say bother you much? I didn't understand. But I do now! I do understand how it feels now! And....I'm sorry. I'm sorry Fluttershy. You're my best friend and I'm sorry. Fluttershy, when I'm gone, could you make sure Tank is ok? He probably won't understand why I'm not around. He was the best gift you ever gave me and I never told you how much I love that dumb turtle. Thank you, Fluttershy."

Dash beckoned for her to come closer. She slowly approached, nervously looking around as she was suddenly pulled into a tight hug, the bandages on Dash's arms scraping her face. Fluttershy shot Twilight a worried glance. Twilight shrugged and mouthed the words 'maybe this will make her feel better' as noiselessly as she could.

"Applejack." Dash muttered, releasing her hold on Fluttershy. Applejack let out a slightly annoyed sigh as she came around the couch, a smile on her face.

"Dash, yer just bein' silly. Y'all are gonna be fine, sugarcube."

"AJ. You remember that time when you found a huge hole in the henhouse and I told you it was a shooting star? Well that was a lie....it was me. I'm sorry."

"Pfft. Well shoot, I knew that, Dash."

"Y....you did?"

"'Course I did. Y'all are an awful liar, Dash. Shootin' stars? Heck y'all are worse at lyin' then I am."

"You're so good at understanding other ponies, AJ. That's what I always liked about you. You understood me perfectly the first time we met. And you treated me like an equal even though I'm nothing compared to you. I'm sorry for those times I flirted with your brother just to annoy you. I'm sorry for all those times I cheated to win our contests. I just wanted to feel like I was as good as you."

"Awww, t'aint nothin', Dash. You're a good pony. Don't ever think otherwise, ya hear?"

"Thanks, AJ." Dash quietly spoke, her eyes welling up again as she broke down. "It means alot to me."

"Dash you should really try to rest." Rarity whispered. "You're wasting all your energy with this crying and confessing."

"Rarity come over here, please." Dash beckoned to her. Rarity sat in front of Dash, a look of exasperation on her face.

"Rarity promise me....that when I'm gone that....you try to find a way to be happy by yourself. I know you're always looking for Mr.Perfect, but you don't need him. You're perfect, Rarity. When I first met you I thought you were a snob. But I was so wrong. You made me even learn to like wearing clothes and I hated clothes. You always made sure I looked my best whenever we went somewhere fancy and I never really thanked you for all the stuff you've done and made for me. And now it's too late for me to pay you back for it all and I'm sorry."

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Dash, you shouldn't ever even dream of paying me back for anything. I do it because I'm your friend. And as your friend, I have to say that while I enjoy these compliments, I think I'd be happier if you tried to get some sleep."

"I will when I'm done. Twilight I guess that you're next."

"Oh goodness." Twilight sat in front of Dash, trying her best not to frown.

"Twilight....I know that we haven't known each other for very long and....I'm sorry for those times I've made fun of you for being smart. I don't know why I do that. I think I'm just jealous over how talented you are. How you don't screw everything up like I do. You changed my life, you know? You showed me how great reading is. I don't even know what I did all day before you showed me how wonderful books are. You're such a sweet pony, Twi. Tell Celestia..... I'm sorry for breaking up the Elements of Harmony."

"Breaking up?"

"I can't be the Element of Loyalty if I'm dead right?"

"Oh, Dash. You aren't dying. The chemicals in your brain are just in panic mode and-"

"Pinkie." Dash interrupted. "C'mere, Pinks."

Pinkie crawled over the armrest, laying her head onto the cushion in front of Dash, looking her friend right in the eyes. There was so much anguish in those scarlet eyes. She wanted more than anything to make it all go away. Turn it into a sad distant memory that they'd never have to dwell on again.

"Pinkie....I.....don't know where to even start. You're such a fun and kind and wonderful pony. Just....being around you makes my day. Even when the day is awful. Sometimes when I wake up....I'm just glad I'm alive cause it means I get to hang out with you. You've made me a better pony just by being my friend. This is stuff I should have told you a long time ago but I didn't because....well you know me. I don't generally do this sappy stuff. I'm gonna miss you, Pinkie. So much."

"Don't say such things, Dashie." Pinkie squealed sadly, jutting her hooves into the cone and rubbing her friend's temples with her hooves. "Don't you ever say such things! You are gonna be here tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that. And we can hang out every day. I'm gonna stay here and I'm gonna make sure you're ok. I'm gonna take care of you and make you better and then we can just have fun all day. So don't you say you won't be there because then I'll be all alone."

She gave Dash a hug, which was difficult with the giant plastic cone protruding from her neck.

"I'm gonna be right here while you sleep, ok? And you need to sleep. The doctor told us you need lots of rest, Dashie and so far you aren't following his orders. I don't think it's against the law to disobey the doctor but it's still very bad and you need to go to sleep ok? Don't be scared cause me and Twilight and Applejack and Rarity and Fluttershy are all gonna be here when you're awake."

"What if you're wrong? What if I'm not here tomorrow? What if I don't wake up?" Dash whimpered.

"Then I'll miss you a whole big old bunch. But you will be here tomorrow. I pinkie-promise."

"If I'm not well.....one last thing.....I'm sorry about the crash at the track. I'm sorry I put everyone through all this."

"You didn't mean to, Sugarcube." Applejack said soothingly. "Accidents happen."

"Just cause its an accident doesn't mean its not my fault. I just wish....that I.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz."

With a final quiet sniffle, Dash passed out onto the cushion of the couch, collapsing onto her stomach surrounded by her friends. She began to snore. It wasn't very loud but it was enough to break the silent awkward reverie of the moment.

"Well. That was......mortifying. Poor dear." Rarity brushed Dash's colorful messy mane with her hoof. "She really is in bad shape."

"Yeah....I've never seen Dash like this." Applejack removed her hat to scratch her head. "It's kinda scary. You'd think she was actually on her way out with the way she was carryin' on. Looked pretty terrified."

"Its just all the anxiety and pain." Twilight muttered. "She's going to be embarrassed she said all this later. I guarantee it."

That little prediction would turn out to be quite true. And as the five silently watched their slumbering friend, covered in stitches and bandages like some Hollywood movie monster, their minds all contained the same thoughts and worries. Would things ever return to normal? How would their lives be affected? Could their friend truly be helped? The limits of their friendship had already been tested these last few nights, along with their patience and sanity. The mental images of the accident still kept them up at night. But watching their friend sleep so peacefully brought solace. As if the atmosphere was telling them that it was alright to be optimistic, just excercise extreme caution when doing do. One by one they departed the house. Some for supplies, some to return to their lives. Each would return, in time.

Iron and steel will bend and bow.

Cinnamon.

That's definitely cinnamon.

Rainbow Dash's nostrils woke up before the rest of her. Her brain followed suit. There was food nearby. But that wasn't right. She almost never kept food inside the house, considering how little of her spare time she actually spent within. Her ears woke up next, but rather than gradually coming to life, were rudely awakened by a soft pinch. As if a pair of pliers had seized them gently. Instinctively Dash flicked her floppy ears, turning over and making a small grunt. With great difficulty she opened her eyes. The tears from the night prior had dried into a sticky crust of mucus and salt, nearly cementing her eyelids together.

A pair of dark brown pupils were boring right into her. They sat on either side of a wrinkly green beak, twisted upwards into a comical grin. Behind that was a long wrinkled neck, merging with a green and turquoise plastron. The beak parted in a happy rasping noise as the creature acknowledged that it's master had awaken.

"Hey there, Tank." Dash whispered happily, yawning loudly as she drew the tortoise in for a hug. "I bet you think I've lost my marbles with all the crying I've been doing, huh?"

The tortoise nodded. It was difficult to tell if he really understood anything Dash ever said to him. She had heard once that it was rumored that turtles and tortoises were deaf. Fluttershy had claimed with certainty that they were not, but Dash was never fully convinced. Whether Tank nodded because he was acknowledging the loss of aforementioned marbles, or was simply happy his owner was speaking to him remained a mystery.

"I bet you're hungry, huh?" Dash asked.

His nodded again, quite vigorously this time. Dash rolled her eyes. She was about to call him a bottomless pit when she suddenly came to realization she'd been out of commission for more than half the week already. She herself hadn't eaten in days and most likely neither had Tank.

"Aw, I'm sorry I haven't been around, buddy." Dash gave the tortoise a small pat on his flat head. "I got really hurt. Like really really hurt. I'll get up and make us something. Maybe something with cinnamon."

Dash laid her weary head back onto the soft sheets on the couch. She felt herself nodding off when suddenly a rather urgent thought entered her brain. CINNAMON. She'd smelt it just a little bit ago and had never even investigated the source. Her eyes flicked open and her ears perked up. There was a quiet crackling sound coming from somewhere. A light sizzling from the stove in the back of the room. Dash let out a small grimace as she used her good leg to push herself onto her haunches. Every part of her felt like it was floating, separate from her body. When she finally managed to get into a balanced sitting position, she slowly leaned left to glance over the backrest of the couch.

The kitchen in Dash's cloud house had been added as a necessity. But being a rather outdoors-y pony, Dash had only used it maybe a dozen times. Generally for heating up frozen foods or as a convenient way to warm the house during winter. Her eyes slowly focused as she watched the activity in her kitchen. Every grill, every boiler was turned on, covered with various pots and pans, each undulating and boiling with food substances. And happily rummaging between them all was Pinkie Pie. Her normally outrageous curly mane was tied up in a ponytail to avoid hitting any foodstuffs. She was quietly singing a happy tune as she walked from pot to pan, stirring their contents with various ladles and spoons, swinging her hips in time with the song she was singing. Entirely absorbed in her own little world. Dash watched in silence, afraid of disturbing the relative pleasantries. Of course, since Pinkie was in her house cooking food....then.....that could only mean.....

"Last night wasn't a dream, was it?" Dash asked quietly to herself.

"Which part, dear? The part where you got the morphine or the part where you had an emotional nervous breakdown and we had to console you?"

Dash turned as quickly as she could, feeling sharp pains jolt from her injuries as she turned to see Rarity sitting comfortably in one of Dash's rocking chairs, small red spectacles on the end of her perfectly clean snout, lifting her eyebrow as she raised her head from an issue of the "Pony Pilot" magazine that Dash was subscribed to. A small mischievous smile was on the white unicorn's face as Dash stared at her for a moment. Her surprise subsided into glumness, and Dash flopped back into a laying position on the couch.

"Well, great. So everything I remember from last night did happen."

"MMmm Hmmm!" Rarity nodded getting up from her chair to sit beside Dash.

"So now everyone knows I'm a big whiny sissy."

"You don't know what whining is, darling. I could show you real whining. Also you are hardly a sissy."

"I don't see how."

"Well for starters, we all knew you were a big softy. You're just like Applejack. Oh sure, you consider yourself very tough, but inside is a caring and loving individual. Simultaneously, we all feel quite special and honored at how you reacted during your episode."

"Oh?"

"Well think of it like this. You thought you were dying. Right then and there. And your first desire was to spend your final moments with your friends. You didn't call for a doctor or ask us to try magic or any of the usual things ponies do in mortal panic. You wanted your final thoughts to be of us. Your friends. I think that's very special and I'm proud of you."

Dash could feel her eyes starting to water again. She cursed inwardly and rubbed her eyes. She was very tired of crying. So very very tired. She felt the sticky residue from last night's tears being smeared across her face.

"Oh look at your eyes. All crusty and gross. Here hold still!" Rarity levitated a small lacy napkin from her purse and wiped Dash's face with it. "There we are. Presentable once again, thanks to yours truly."

"Thanks, Rarity...you're....a good friend." Dash gave her a small sad smile. "I'm sorry about how I acted last night....and what I did....to myself, I guess."

"No need for apologies. You've had a rather large number of ghastly things occur to you in a very short timeframe. I'd be more worried if you had just shrugged it all off. Besides now you have Pinkie here to watch over you."

"To make sure I don't go crazy and try to tear myself apart again, eh?"

Rarity frowned. Dash's tone was getting sadder and sadder. "Yes, dear. It's just...Dash I know what real panic is like. It's an awful emotion. Second only to Loss. Every pony has their own way of dealing with it. Your way is just......"

She trailed off and went silent, unsure of what else to say. Dash snorted and glanced at the cone around her neck.

"So when do I get this insane asylum thing off of my neck?"

"In time, Dash. Once we know that you'll be alright without it."

A brief look of something appeared on Dash's face. Rarity tried to read it. She was very good at reading ponies. It looked like anger or resentment. Not a good thing for her to be feeling. Not now, when keeping her mood up was important.

"We all love you, Dash. You know that right? We're only trying to keep you safe."

Dash sighed angrily and hung her head. "Yeah I know. I wish I wasn't crazy."

"You aren't crazy. Stop thinking that way. You're only going to make yourself sick, again. You're going to be fine, Dash. Even Celestia thinks so. Surely you don't doubt the word of our fair queen?"

Dash grinned. It was the first time she'd really smiled in what seemed like forever. "Nope. Guess I can't argue with that."

The two turned to watch Pinkie as she skipped around the kitchen, seemingly unaware that Dash and Rarity had been having a conversation. Not that it could really be heard over the din the pink party pony was making as pans and pots clashed and a loud sizzle filled the air as she poured steaming contents into a bowl and stirred furiously.

"Where'd Pinks get all this stuff anyway, Rare?"

"She brought it up from Sugarcube Corner. Along with a bunch of other things to help pass the time."

Dash fell silent again, watching Pinkie dance and cook. It was weirdly mesmerizing how multitalented the pink pony was. She was flipping whole pots over her head, full of cooking food and not spilling a drop. Every time some broth or batter seemed ready to splatter onto the tile floor, the mare would catch it in a pan expertly and return it to its origins. And all the while singing to herself and swinging her hips. Dash didn't notice Rarity's large blue eyes were glancing between the seemingly awestruck Dash and the dancing Pinkie. She also didn't notice the knowing grin that passed over Rarity's muzzle as the white unicorn leaned back and adjusted her spectacles.

"She looks really cute with a ponytail, wouldn't you say?" Rarity said in as disinterested of a voice as she could, burying her nose back into the magazine.

"Yeah....she really does." Dash mumbled. The logical part of her brain hadn't been injured in the accident, but it was rather slow. Half a minute later Dash's eyes went wide as she realized the implications of her words. She shot a quick defiant glance at Rarity. "UH....I mean yeah that hairstyle looks good on any pony, ya know? I mean it looks great on Applejack so it should look great on Pinkie too."

Dash congratulated herself on defending her dignity. She was truly a master of words. And the god-king of excuses. Truly there was nobody in the land as capable of dodging a bullet as Rainbow Dash.

"Applejack looks better with her hair down." Rarity muttered from the depths of the magazine. "Not that she ever listens to me."

"Applejack what now?"

"Nothing."

"HEY THERE SLEEPY HEAD!" Pinkie shouted, appearing upside down in Dash's peripheral vision and quickly flopping over the couch to flash her typical oversized smile. "I thought you were gonna sleep all day! Did you sleep well? Do you feel any better? Did Rarity wake you up?" Pinkie gave Rarity a cold glance.

"No, actually Tank woke me up. I think he's hungry. And I sort of am, too. What are you making, Pinks?"

"This!" Pinkie reached behind her body and pulled a small glass goblet out from seemingly nowhere. There seemed to be a fruity compote, bright red, covered with yellow goop and a think brown crust on top. Dash gave it a small sniff. It smelled heavily of strawberries.

"What's this?" Dash asked, peering into the goblet.

"This is a trifle! It has lots of strawberries and orange peel in it. And then on top of it is custard! Alot of ponies think custard is like mustard but its not! Even though they are both yellow and both sauces! And then on top of that is little bit of whipped cream, egg and cinnamon crust!"

"Is that what you've been making?"

"Yuppity-yup! That and a whole bunch of other things. Your oven sure is clean, you dont use it very much huh? I've been cooking up a storm all day, then Rarity came by to visit!"

Dash looked up from the goblet at Pinkie. The mare's smile had changed. It was no longer the wildly huge crazy smile she normally wore in her constant state of joy and ecstasy. This smile was smaller and different, considerate, comforting, maybe even a little bit sad. She bent over and pushed the goblet up to Dash with her snout, watching her friend expectantly.

"Well go on. I made it for you. I bet you're a real Hungry Hooves by now." Pinkie said quietly.

"You know, Pinkie." Rarity interrupted, folding her spectacles. "I don't think something so sweet and sugary is going to be best for Dash after taking her medications. Maybe something with......oh never mind."

Whatever advice Rarity had for her two friends had fallen on deaf ears. Dash had dove into the creamy dish, cramming her snout into the goblet and taking large bites greedily, smacking a chewing loudly with small gasps for air between swallows. Pinkie bit her lip, trying and failing not to squeal with glee as crumbs flew everywhere. Rarity watched unamused as Dash emerged from the goblet, her face covered in custard and cream, licking her muzzle to try and eat any remnants that remained on her face.

"Maybe its because I haven't eaten in a few days but I feel like that's the best meal I've had in forever."

"So unladylike." Rarity said with a grin as she levitated a paper towel over to clean all the food from Dash's face. "You've gotten crumbs all over the couch now as well. I suppose I might as well change these sheets. Pinkie you should change the bandages on her face, they've got sugar and fruit bits in them now."

With a pained grunt Dash slowly slid off the couch, standing on her sore legs. Despite the medication, every step was agonizing, sending a sharp pain up through her body as each hoof hit the floor. She'd gotten no more than a foot from the couch when suddenly her vision was filled with pink.

"I could carry you, if you want."

"I don't need help walking, thanks." Dash grumbled as she took another tender step forward. She felt bad about it. Pinkie only wanted to help and now she was being short with her friends. Particularly after such a lovely lunch.

"Okie Dokie Loki!" Pinkie chirped as she moved ahead and grabbed some medical supplies.

As Dash reached the restroom, she suddenly felt at great unease. There was a pony in the bathroom she did not recognize. She felt a sense of alarm as she often did when confronted with the unknown, turning with a scowl to face her intruder. A chill ran across Dash's body as she noticed her intruder mimicking her movements perfectly. So this is what she looked like now. Dash felt a lump forming in her throat as she watched her reflection in the mirror. The night she had tried to tear her feathers off she had been too upset to even notice her reflection. Now she stared into an altered doppleganger. Her face was covered in small scratches and scabs, pink bandaids covering the larger of these. The long prismatic locks that had earned her the monicker given by her mother was torn and burnt, curling and bending and sticking out in every direction, uneven and unkempt. There was a gash above her lip, nearly reaching her nostril, that hurt whenever she moved her mouth too much. Torso and neck both had a long red laceration going down the center of her chest and ending on her right side, below her ribcage and above her flank. Bruises showed clearly along the extent of her form, much of her cyan fur having been burn or shaved off on her underside so the stitches and staples could be used to keep her innards inside. Her legs were swollen, with their own stitches and bruises to go with the splint on her left foreleg. Dash had never been a vain pony. On a good day she usually just gave her hair a quick brush and wash and ran out the door, ready to start the day. But now she stared into the visage of horror. And it was all her own.The worst part of it all was the cone. It stood there on her neck, like a shackle, as if advertising to the world 'hey look at me! i'm self-destructive and unstable!'. If she turned her head too far in a particular direction her face would bump into the outer rim of the cone.

"Well I see I look like flank now." Dash whispered as she felt hot tears springing to her eyes.

"You still look pretty to me!" Pinkie said as she entered the room, a large bag of things clasped in her teeth.

"You'll be looking your best again in no time, Dash." Rarity agreed, levitating a small hairbrush and combing Dash's mane. "Once you're having an easier time getting around we can all go to the spa and get ourselves made up. Hmm? That would be fun wouldn't it?"

"I guess." Dash stared at the floor. She could see a red stain in the grout between the tiles near the bathtub. The area where she'd decided to try and remove her own special talent, in whatever way was necessary. A graveyard for feathers. The lump in her throat was getting painful and Dash soon found herself sobbing quietly, her tears spilling to the floor. She hated this feeling. This constant feeling of sadness that refused to leave her alone even for a moment.

"Oh no! Don't cry, Dashie!" Pinkie yelped as she quickly started unwrapping the bindings from Dash's head, throwing the bandages into a bag. They were stained red, both with dried blood and strawberries. She took a moist rag and started cleaning the dried blood from the fur on Dash's face. "I'll be done in just a second and then we can do something you'll enjoy!"

"I just want to go back to bed." Dash rasped, trying not to bawl.

"There, there. Just let it all out." Rarity cooed as she continued pulling small pieces of dirt and marble out of Dash's burnt and frazzled mane. "You'll feel much better if you don't hold those feelings in."

The white unicorn glanced at Pinkie, admiring how the pink earth pony was being so cautious with her friend and the cone. Doing her best to wrap fresh gauze over the moist and crusty wounds on her friend's face without moving the cone, causing her discomfort. The look of concern in Pinkie's eye gleamed, as she kept giving Dash a small sad smile before finally stepping back to admire her work.

"There. Better than the doctors even did, I think." Pinkie said looking Dash up and down. "Do you wanna go back to bed now?"

Dash nodded, still keeping her eyes to the floor. Slowly the trio made their way back to the couch, now covered with fresh linens. Dash slid herself into the sheets, trying again to bury her face into the soft surface. Again, the cone impeded any progress she made at hiding. Pinkie leaned forward, briefly giving Dash a comforting nuzzle. The broken mare drew back from the touch, screwing her eyes shut and making a small annoyed grunt, as if the gesture was some sort of unwelcome plague she wanted to avoid dearly. Rarity sighed sadly as she watched the two. With a small burst of blue magic she draped the lower half of the linen sheet over Rainbow's shuddering form, a makeshift blanket for the time being.

"Rainbow, I'm afraid I need to go for now." Rarity said in a grievous tone. "Sweetie Belle will be home from school soon. I need to make sure she's alright and cook dinner. I may not be able to return tomorrow but I will visit as soon as I can, as will the others."

Rarity stroked Dash's foreleg with her hoof. Expectantly Dash withdrew the leg and turned away, sniveling quietly. She beckoned to Pinkie to follow her as she made her way to the front door. Whatever she had to say was interrupted before it came out.

"Rarity, I'm not sure I can do this." Pinkie said in as low a voice that a pony as naturally loud as her could muster. "How can I make her happy?"

"Just do your best, Pinkie." Rarity said with a nod. "If anything goes wrong you climb down and contact me or Fluttershy right away. Keep an eye on her."

"That doesn't help at all!" Pinkie whined.

"She likes you alot already, Pinkie. You're one of her best friends. Once the grief starts to subside, you'll be able to get through to her. I know you will. But for now don't try to force her to be happy. Don't remind her about the crash. Let it come naturally. Just try to be...you know....understanding."

"Okie dokie. I'll try my best."

"That's all we can ask. If things get worse we can always move her into one of our houses where she can have more constant supervision. But I don't think we need to worry about that." Rarity gave Pinkie a confident smile. "I know you're a very smart and capable pony. Ta ta!"

Rarity leaped into the small wooden platform and pulley that sat outside the front lawn of Dash's cloud cottage. She gave a small wave to Pinkie before the small enchanted axle of the pulley began to turn on it's own, slowly lowering the fashionable mare to ground level where she could get home and attend to other matter. Pinkie sat deep in thought, wondering if she'd made a mistake doing this. Her whole aim was to help Dash. Dash always helped her, even when Pinkie was at her saddest. So she couldn't give up now. Not when Dash needed her most. Pinkie would just have to pull out every stop and try every trick in the book to keep her friend happy.

"Ow!"

A shout of pain from inside the house quickly derailed Pinkie's train of thought. The train tipped over, crashing into a fiery thought mountainside and billowing fiery thought smoke into the air. The pink mare galloped inside, worried that Dash was hurting herself yet again. But the injured pony was still lying on the couch, her face twisted into a grimace of pain, small beads of sweat forming on her forehead. A quiet gurgle filled the air as Dash made another small yelp of pain.

"Dash? What's wrong?" Pinkie rushed to her side. "Do I need to call the doctor?"

"I think....ow....that Rarity was right.....about eating....OW....with the medication."

Pinkie grabbed the linen cover in her teeth and pulled it aside. Dash's stomach made a loud gurgle and shivered, as if it had life of it's own. Dash coughed loudly as she tried to curl up to alleviate the pain. Pinkie thought for a moment. She had a solution for dealing with this sort of thing but would Dash be willing to go through with it?

"Here, hold still." Pinkie said, sitting on her haunches at Dash's side and rubbing her hooves together. "I know a really good way to get rid of tummy-aches."

She place her pink hooves on the side of Dash's stomach and pressed gently down, causing Dash to shout in pain again and struggle to move. Pinkie took a deep breath and began to move her hooves in a clockwise circle, slowly easing up on the pressure she was placing on her friend's abdomen.

"Pinkie stop whatever you................." Dash's face of twisted fear slowly faded away into a much calmer state as the gurgling noises of her stomach grew more muffled. "Oh. That feels ok, actually."

"Told ya." Pinkie whispered as she continued her circular motions, minding not to accidentally hit the stitched gash on Dash's underbelly. "This works on the twins at home. And when I was little and I got a tummy-ache from eating too many sweets, Mrs.Cake would always hold me in her arms and rub my tummy. It always made me feel better. But I'm too big for that now."

"I guess I'm not." Dash said with a small snort and a grin, her bad mood slowly melting away from the impromptu massage her midriff was receiving. "Thanks, Pinks. And thanks for the food as well."

"You're very welcome! Making ponies happy is what I do."

"So I guess you were serious then. About the whole....living here thing, huh pal?"

"Yep! I'm not gonna leave til you are back to normal! Or as close to normal as I can get you before you fly away."

"Why?"

It was a simple question. But one that carried an infinite amount of possible answers. For a moment Pinkie stumbled, feeling her perfect circular motions suddenly interrupted as the word entered her ear. Why HAD she volunteered to stay in Dash's cloudhouse? They could have had Dash live with Applejack or Fluttershy for a while. They both had room. But Pinkie had been so eager to do this. Why had she been so eager? Pinkie felt a twinge of guilt. Originally she thought she was doing this to be helpful. But now that she dwelled on the question she began to wonder if she was doing it to satisfy her own need to be near this particular pony she cared for so much. Did that make her selfish? Did that make her a bad pony? Pinkie's head reeled as these thoughts flooded her mind for a brief moment. But it all came down to a very simple conclusion. The question of "why" was a very simple question. And it deserved a very simple answer.

"Because you're my best friend!" Pinkie said happily as she hopped off the couch. She pulled the linen sheet back over Dash. "And now you should get some rest."

"Yeah I guess I will. Thanks, Pinks. I promise I'll pay you back for the party. And all this you've been doing."

"Oh! You don't have.....to." Pinkie smiled as she noticed Dash had passed out completely. She glanced down to the floor to see that Tank the tortoise was sitting near a chair looking at the now empty trifle goblet with a sad expression.

"Hey there turtley-poo!" Pinkie lay on the ground so she could be eye-level with the round reptile. "I bet you're real hungry huh!"

The tortoise nodded. No truer words had ever been spoken in the history of anything.

"Well I got some extra strawberries in the kitchen! You want those? They're really yummy and they've been basting in brown sugar so they're all gooey and sticky and sweet! They're really ripe too! Want 'em?"

The drool dripping from Tank's mouth said more than words ever could. Pinkie giggled and hoisted the creature onto her back, trotting happily into the kitchen and laying the rest of the strawberries and compote before him. She loved watching this tortoise eat. Every bite he seemed to open his mouth as wide as possible to bite as much of the strawberry as he could. His little beak curled into a smile. She realize she'd probably never understand what it was to be as happy as a tortoise eating a strawberry.

*********************************

"This is all so fascinating, Fluttershy. I never realized how similar pegasi were to birds."

Twilight had been curious about Dash's condition ever since the night the five had engaged in a very serious conversation with Celestia. Anatomy books weren't too common in the Golden Oak Library in Ponyville, but Twilight had managed to get Celestia to send her a few books via her personal transit system. It had been difficult for Spike to cough the books up. Particularly the hardback covered ones. But it had proven fruitful as Twilight was now pouring through the pages of "The Tipping Point of the Wingtipped Pony" a book about psychological disorders that commonly befell griffins, hippogriffs, and pegasus ponies. A few self help books lay nearby, having already been read and re-read quite thoroughly.

"It says here that various races of pegasus ponies each have their own pitched-calls they make to attract possible mates. Like how birds tweet and coo to communicate to each other."

"Yes....well....I'm pretty sure no one does that anymore, Twilight." Fluttershy said, trying not to roll her eyes. In truth, most of the ideals in the book were very old-fashioned from a less civilized time. Some were even comical now.

Twilight looked up from her book with a very serious face. "Do you have a bird noise that you make, Fluttershy?"

"I...suppose I do. I used to make it to call my mother over when I was little and too shy to speak. How come?"

"May I hear it?"

"Oh I'd really rather not."

"Please, Fluttershy? You and Dash are the only pegasus ponies I know and I have to know what this sounds like. Just this once?"

"Oh.....fine." Fluttery took a small gasp of air and let out a small warble, not unlike that of a blackcap bird, full of small high pitched trills and short pleasant notes. She gave a sheepish smile after the song had ended. "That's it. I haven't done that in a very long time."

"How very pretty!" Twilight grinned happily, applauding for her friend. "Thank you, Fluttershy. Anyway, I believe I've found a passage that explains Dash's somewhat irrational behavior these last couple of days."

_______________________________________

"Self-plucking and the destruction of feathers and skin in pegasus ponies was at one time diagnosed as an effect of trichotillomania. A disorder that leads ponies to pull the hair out of their manes, usually caused by a compulsive urge like OCD. The pegasus version is more commonly a variant of equine self-mutilation, often occurring on the flank for earth ponies. It can be caused by overstimulation, anxiety, breeding frustration, allergies, altered testosterone levels or sometimes something as simple as dry skin. Most commonly it is seen in pegasi who have undergone trauma, or are experiencing depression or social isolation. While the compulsion is similar to those experienced by earth ponies, the pegasi self-plucking compulsion is far more dangerous, and can be deadly. If the pegasi breaks too many blood feathers (feathers which remain attached to a follicle) it may result in a fast loss of blood, and if untreated, can very well be fatal. Another side effect is that the feathers that grow in to replace the removed ones are often stunted, and tough, making flight a hassle.

Depending on the trigger, there are various ways to treat such things. Younger ponies may simply outgrow it, if given time. Adults may need behavior reversal training to redirect the impulse into something more constructive. Though this can lead to equally unhealthy impulses, leading to the high rate of cigarette and cigar smoking young pegasi living today. Hypnosis and medication have both been shown to help remove the impulse. However, perhaps the best way to solve the problem is simply to remove stressful triggers from the immediate physical environment. Companions and family in constant contact with the sick individual has also proven to have very positive results, often having the quickest recovery times out of all the various treatments."
_______________________________________

"Hmm. Well from the sounds of it......we're doing the right thing." Twilight mused. "Dash always did seem to prefer her privacy. That coupled with this awful accident have clearly triggered this behavior. But with Pinkie there keeping her company, it should help. We just need to keep her social for now."

"Well that makes me feel much better." Fluttershy sighed and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "The last thing I'd want to learn is that she'd be stuck this way forever."

"Hey.....Fluttershy....." Twilight looked up from the book with a serious expression. "I know your life is somewhat stressful due to your....uh.....timidness and....."

"Cowardice?" Fluttershy said quietly, looking at the floor.

"I was going to say fear. You aren't a coward, Fluttershy. You're just very cautious. But I know you tend to get worked up alot. And I do as well, it usually kind of drives me batty. You've all experienced it. But with you.....I'm just wondering.....you've never been a very strong flier. Did you ever.....erm.....pick at your feathers?"

"Oh! Oh my goodness no!" Fluttershy's eyes grew wide as saucers. "Having a feather get removed hurts alot, Twilight. It's as bad as having a tooth pulled. Even if I ever felt like doing it, which I haven't, I'd be far too frightened of the pain to go through with it."

"Oh well, good." Twilight smiled and looked back into the book.

"Actually....it hurts my feelings a little that you'd think I'd even be capable of that." Fluttershy looked down at the floor. Being accused of such a violent act was rather shocking for someone as peaceful as her.

"Don't take it that way, Fluttershy!" Twilight leaped over the large tome to hug her friend. "I'm just worried about us all. We're all kind of crazy in our own ways. I don't want to lose anyone. If one of us is hurting I want to be able to help."

"Oh, ok." Fluttershy returned the hug. "I just hope we can help Dash."

Wednesdays child

Congratulations.
You are here because you are the best your kingdom has to offer.
You have earned your right to be a member of our team.
Through hard work and dedication, we will mold you to be the heroes of tomorrow.
However, becoming a Wonderbolt is more than just a privilege.
More than just an honor.
It is a state of mind. A mantra.
Even the best can falter.
Even the best can lose a challenge.
Honor, loyalty, bravery, and self-sacrifice.
These are our greatest tools.
It is not an easy job, and I say this as a longtime member.
You will get hurt.
You will lose precious time with your loved ones.
You will grow to hate flying. Even if for only a short while.
It will seem thankless. Cruel.
But, through it all it is one of the most rewarding jobs you can have.
I would not give this up for anything.
And this I promise to you.
Part entertainer, part defender, part dignitary.
For those of you who stand here before me please raise your right hoof.
This is our oath. Today you will repeat after me.
Tomorrow, you will learn it. Memorize it. Make it a part of you.

I affirm that I have voluntarily enlisted myself as a Wonderbolt.
I will stand firm in the face of adversaries.
I will defend Celestia against all her enemies.
I will serve honorably for the Kingdom of Equestria.
Where there is a fire, I will snuff it.
Where there is a thirst, I will quench it.
When others are weak, I shall be strong.
When others are needy, I shall be giving.
I will wear the name Wonderbolt to the best of my skill and understanding.
I take this obligation freely.
And with grace.

Spitfire, the captain of the Wonderbolts stood proudly before the line of pegasus ponies that stood before her. Each had been through so much. Documentation, training, contests, challenges, all leading up to this moment. To prove they were the best of the best of the best. They stood rigidly, a folded blue and yellow uniform on the turf before them. It was a joyous affair, and an honor. But there was a tinge of sadness in the air as Spitfire glanced at the inductees. Once again, a young and promising mare from Ponyville had failed to make it to the final standings. She had saved Spitfire's life, and sacrificed much to defend her country against a variety of threats. But yet she had failed to complete the rigorous training again. And although she sat several dozen yards away in the bleachers of the Wonderbolts arena, Spitfire could feel the sad grim stare of the young mare piercing into her. She would have given anything to simply allow Rainbow Dash a free pass into the team. The Ponyville daredevil had shown she had more than ample skill to perform any task. But when faced with a challenge to put all her training and tricks together, it had fallen apart. And not just on one occasion. It was heartbreaking to watch a pony so full of promise, fail at the one thing she had set her heart on. But rules were rules, and Spitfire continued speaking to the new recruits that stood before her.

"So, now that the boring legal stuff is done." she began with a wink. "Why don't you kids get those uniforms on and follow me to the stadium. Fleetfoot has a game of Airball set up for us. Whoever gets the most points gets to decide where we have our celebratory dinner tonight. I'm setting up a rule this year, if you win and pick a fast food place, you are cleaning the latrines tomorrow. I don't care if it's funny. I'm not eating fried oats again."

With a few nervous chuckles, the young recruits donned their uniforms and took to the skies, following Spitfire and disappearing into the clouds.

*********************************************************

In the stands on the minty green seats sat Rainbow Dash. Her face was expressionless, and despite the bandage criss-crossing under her right foreleg, she looked simply like a bystander. But her magenta eyes told a different story. Anger, frustration, and despair seemed to be seeping out from her pupils, unable to remain contained within her trembling body. A few feet away sat a group of three other ponies, their expressions full of concern as they watched their friend quietly mouth Spitefire's speech along with the captain on the field. She had heard the speech so many times. Memorized it. Made it a part of her. Shakily she raised her right hoof, repeating the oath, knowing this might be the closest she ever got to saying it for real. Her dream had been shattered yet again. It was becoming a regular thing, but that didn't make it any less upsetting. As the recruits flew off, Dash stayed put, staring at the empty field.

"Ya know maybe it'd be good for you to take a break for a while, Dash." began Applejack, an orange pony with a brown stetson atop her blonde mane. "This can't be healthy for ya, Sugarcube. Hurtin' yerself up like this and sittin here watching these fellers get their accolades n' such."

"No. I need to watch this." Dash muttered through gritted teeth.

"Why?"

"Because if I don't I won't learn anything."

A sad glance was exchanged between the three friend. Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and Fluttershy all watched Rainbow as she sat quietly staring into the empty field, unwilling to budge, even long after the recruits had flown away, only their misty trails in the air serving as a reminder they had ever been there. On most days Applejack and Twilight would not even be here. They lacked the natural magic to stand upon clouds like pegasus ponies did. But Twilight was clever, a sorceress in training, and had enchanted her wingless friends with the ability to cloudwalk, simply so that they could watch their friend compete, and hopefully win. It had not been a productive day. Twilight began to whisper to Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy I really don't think it's good for Dash to stay here." she whispered. "If we let her revel in this, she's only going to get more upset. You need to do something to get her to follow us."

"Why me?" Fluttershy squeaked.

"Because you're her oldest friend and you understand her more than any of us. Rarity and Pinkie are probably wondering why we aren't back home yet."

"Alright....I...I'll try."

Fluttershy rose to her hooves and quietly hovered over to Dash, landing in the seat to her side. For a moment she said nothing, collecting her thoughts. She'd known Dash ever since they had been little fillies. Even then, being a Wonderbolt had been Dash's dream. The rainbow-haired mare had always been private about her struggles, but Fluttershy knew this particular loss had to be very bitter. Gently as she could, Fluttershy lifted one of her light yellow forelegs and placed it on her old friend's shoulder before clearing her throat.

"Dash, um I know that....you're very upset right now...."

"I'm fine."

"We both know you aren't. But it's fine to be upset....you know you'll have more chances to be a Wonderbolt. Maybe even tomorrow."

"Hmph."

"It's....not good for you to just sit here...being angry. You should come with me and the others. We can have fun and get some supper. I know that would make you feel better."

"Mmph."

"C'mon...let's get out of here."

With a small nudge, Fluttershy pushed Rainbow out of her seat. The cyan mare reluctantly fell to her hooves unsteadily, not breaking her gaze with the turf. Finally she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, turning away and joining the rest of her friends. They walked down the steps to the locker rooms in silence, not quite sure of what to say. It had been a long and difficult day, and as they rounded the corner into the lobby they knew it was only going to get worse. There, lounging in one of the cloud couches sat Hoops, a buttery brown stallion with a small evil grin playing around his stocky features. His hair was much too long, but one could still see his beady eyes, following Rainbow as she quietly trotted through the lobby. Fluttershy shrank from his gaze, remembering all the years of bullying she had put up with at the hooves of this stallion.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Rainboom Crash and Stuttershy," he called with a sneer. "Another day another failure huh?"

"Buzz off." Rainbow growled.

"I really liked the part where you slammed into the artificial tree." Hoops continued. "It takes some real skill to pull that off. Guess you aren't a one-trick-pony after all."

"Son, if y'all don't shut up I'm gonna kick yer teeth out." Applejack menaced with an angry glare as she marched boldly up to the stallion. She wasn't anywhere near his size, but the strength of her hind legs was considered legendary. And when Applejack was angry, you knew any threats she made were promises. Hoops grinned and backed off into one of the hallways.

"Sure thing, apple lady. See ya at the racetrack tomorrow, Crash." he turned before he exited through one of the doors. "And before you ask, I'm not competing. I'm one of the judges. Better bring your A-Game tomorrow, Crash."

And with a final snicker, he was gone to the sound of the clicking doorknob, leaving the four ponies sitting in the lobby.

"I really dislike that feller." Applejack muttered as they made their way out into the sunlight.

****************************************************

On the outskirts of Ponyville, high in the sky, sat a rather elegant house in the clouds. White marble and pearl tile gleamed in the sun, a small shimmering waterfall cascaded from the roof into the fluffy white clouds that held the structure aloft, creating a very peaceful and relaxing ambient sound of gurgling liquid as it it splashed into the small pond below. At it's front, near the edge of the cloud sat a small blue mailbox. It's side painted with a small rainbow lightning bolt and the words R.D.

Originally a resident of the town of Cloudsdale where most pegasi lived, Rainbow had moved her floating cottage over to the small humble village of Ponyville two years prior. Partly so she could begin her new job as the head of the Ponyville weather team, and at the same time so she could be closer to her only friend, Fluttershy. The two had known each other since before they could fly, and despite Rainbow's brash need of independence, she was more than willing to follow Fluttershy wherever she went. After moving Rainbow had made quite a few new friends, and while it had been somewhat difficult to adjust to being social, she had come to adore the village and its many friendly occupants. Her house had become sort of a landmark for the town, a great white beacon in the sky that marked the way for any incoming visitors.

Inside at the moment were quite a few guests, setting up a small surprise party and eagerly awaiting Dash's arrival back home. It wasn't every day that a Ponyville citizen was accepted into the highly regarded Wonderbolts squadron. And despite having failed to make the cut, everyone was certain Dash would be a shoe-in this year. The party had been decided by Pinkie Pie, a friend of Dash and a longtime citizen of Ponyville. When it came to parties, she was an expert. In fact, it was her special talent, her cutie mark appearing as three colorful balloons in the short pink hair on her flank. Pinkie's parties were always great. Even the royalty of Canterlot would at times invite the pink pony to help organize their social gatherings. But this party was special because it was a party for Rainbow Dash, whom Pinkie considered to be her very best friend in the whole wide world, for reasons even she didn't quite understand.

"Pinkie!" Rarity barked as she held aloft a pile of streamers in a small cloud of blue magic emanating from her horn. "You're daydreaming again!"

"What? Oh that's silly Rarity! I can't dream while I'm awake!" Pinkie replied as she shook her head to clear her thoughts. "I was just thinking."

"Where do I put these streamers? The whole ceiling is pretty much coated with the things and I've run entirely out of room."

"Hmmm. HMMMMMMMMMMM." Pinkie slouched over, scratching her curly pink mane with a hoof while gazing at the ceiling. It was indeed nearly invisible under the thick layer of ribbons that crossed it from one end of the room to the other, packed tightly. "Could you maybe....braid them Rarity? Sort of like a basket but with streamers!"

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "You want me to make a lattice of streamers?"

"Yeah! That would be great and it'd be really colorful! Better than not being able to hang those up!"

"Pinkie." the white unicorn sighed and packed the streamers back into their box. "You know there is such a thing as TOO much decorating."

"Rarity, nobody throws a party like me. It has to be the best!"

"There are streamers on the walls."

"The best!"

"And streamers on the floor."

"THE BEST!"

"And streamers in the punch bowl."

"THE BEST!!!!"

"Pinkie." Rarity put her arm around the pink pony's shoulders. "I know you want this to be the best party possible but I'm exhausted and so is everyone else. It's been hours now."

Pinkie glanced around the room. It was full of guests, some were co-workers from Rainbow's job at the weather center, others were flightless earth ponies from town, sitting on the clouds with 'cloudwalking' spells enchanting their hooves. All had been busy following Pinkie's orders over the evening, preparing a frustratingly elaborate party to congratulate Rainbow. At the moment most were quite fatigued and slumped over. Pinkie frowned as she looked around. Ponies were supposed to be happy at parties! Not tired and sad! This certainly wouldn't do.

"Oh no! I'm sorry everyone!" Pinkie squeaked as she began forcibly stopping the guests from preparing and dragging them to a large soft cloud couch and forcing them to sit and rest. "I didn't realize it had been so long. I've been such a worry-worker I forgot we're supposed to be having fun! So you guys can all just relax and I'll do the rest!"

The pink pony grabbed the streamers and began to slowly thread them through the ones on the ceiling, trying to form a colorful lattice. It was difficult to braid things when one only has hooves to do so. Even hooves as articulate as Pinkie Pie. Rarity walked up and watched as the pink mare struggled.

"Pinkie dear, I really don't think Rainbow is going to mind, or for that matter notice, that the streamers clogging her ceiling are arranged in a particular fashion. You should try to relax while we wait for the others to arrive. You don't want to be sweaty for the party do you?"

"I have to use all these party favors and decorations Rarity!"

"What ever for?"

"I spent pretty much all my last bits on these!" Pinkie said with a sad smile.

"All your bits!?" Rarity asked in shock, her jaw hanging. "You spent ALL of them?"

"Yes! I am Pinkie Poor until I get my next allowance from the Cakes."

"Wha...why on earth would you spend so much money for a surprise party, Pinkie?"

Pinkie gave Rarity a surprised look, the sort of look a bird gives before its sucked into an airplane engine. "Because this party has to be the absolute very very best Rarity! I promised myself I would give Dash the absolute best party and that is what I intend to do!"

"It's already the best, Pinkie! This is so elaborate and intense for what should be a surprise party. Even the New Year parties you throw don't match up. But you didn't need to spend all your savings on it! Rainbow would have loved it if even if it was a small humble party."

"I know but....." Pinkie's small grin grew crooked as she glanced at the floor. "I wanted the best of the best for Dash. She deserves it cause she's....the best."

Rarity's expression softened. "Well....I'm sure she's going to love it, Pinkie."

Rarity turned and made her way to a seat as Pinkie continued threading the colorful strands of plastic and cloth individually, her face locked in a look of fierce concentration. Rarity took a sip of punch as she watched her friend work, feeling a small pang of guilt. Pinkie had spent all her money. It wasn't too surprising. The crazy mare tended to go overboard whenever it came to social gatherings. In a way Rarity felt like she should have gone into this expecting a big production. Particularly since it involved Rainbow Dash.

The others didn't seem to notice but Rarity had. She had a knack for understanding the hidden feelings of others, through all their layers and subtle expressions. Nothing seemed to brighten Pinkie's day like Dash visiting her. It was a common sight to see the pink pony skipping through town, following the colorful speedster as she soared overhead. Rarity sighed sadly. It was obvious that Pinkie liked Dash, thinking of the athletic pegasus as her best buddy. But her affections had always been very....one sided. Rainbow was a bold pony, but very shy when it came to anything too socially stimulating, shying away from family reunions, sleepovers, dinner invites and more. She regarded Pinkie as a good friend but also as at times like a distraction to avoid. It always made Rarity frown when she saw Pinkie sitting alone watching the clouds go by, waiting patiently for Rainbow to return from work or awake from an afternoon nap so that the two could go pranking or play games.

The unicorn's thoughts were interrupted by a very gentle tug on her tail. She turned and glanced down to see a small purple dragon gazing up at her with a look of complete adoration.

"Oh hello, Spike!" Rarity cooed at the youngster. "What can I help you with?"

"I can see Twilight and the others coming back!" he responded in his scratchy little voice. "They're just a few blocks away! Is it party time yet?"

"Hmm no, not quite." Rarity said glumly as she glanced at Pinkie who was currently tied into a large knot of streamers and hanging from the ceiling swinging back and forth like the pendulum of a deranged colorful clock. "We're still putting the finishing touches on this rather fantastic mess. Oh!"

Rarity quickly grabbed a quill and small piece of parchment out of her purse with her unicorn magic, levitating them in front of herself in a shower of white sparkles as she scribbled a quick note. When it was done she gave it a quick once-over, folded it neatly and handed it to Spike.

"Spike, I need you to send this to Twilight as quickly as possible. We need to stall them for at least a little more time."

"Sure thing!" the dragon cheerfully crowed, as a small wreath of green sparkling flames erupted from his mouth. The fire coated the parchment, not burning it, but causing it to vanish nonetheless. His dragon fire had long since been enchanted with a teleportation spell, so that Twilight could send letters quickly to her mentor, the Princess. She cared for Spike as if the little dragon was her child, and in return the scaly rascal was always there to help. It was certainly a lot faster and more efficient than mail.

********************************************

Four ponies made their way across the sky. Three sat on a small fluffy cumulus cloud while one flew, pulling the cloud behind herself. Fluttershy wasn't fast, but it was generally agreed that Dash would probably be happier if the others gave her some space. The entire trip had felt awkward. There wasn't really much to say with Dash sitting on the edge of the cloud, silently glaring out into the sky. Normally a slow-moving cloud ride would have bored the jock to tears, and she would have gladly voiced it as such. But her mind was elsewhere and any attempts at conversation had been cut woefully short with blunt one-word responses signifying that Dash was preoccupied with her thoughts.

The silence was gracefully broken by a small poof of green smoke and a folded piece of parchment that landed in the cloud in front of Twilight Sparkle, sinking into the pulpy substance. With a small spark of violet light she had unfolded the parchment was soon engrossed with reading it. She frowned and quickly glanced behind herself to see if Dash had noticed or heard the magical interruptions, but expectantly the pegasus had remained where she was, staring blankly into the sunset. Twilight leaned over and whispered something urgently into Applejack's ear, beckoning Fluttershy to listen as well. After a tense moment the three parted and turned towards Dash, large insincere smiles plastered on their faces as they attempted to come up with a decent diversion lie on the spot.

"So Dash, I er....thought we could maybe go out and get dinner before we drop you off!" Twilight eagerly shouted nodding her head rapidly in agreement with herself.

"Not hungry." Dash muttered.

"Aww c'mon, Sugarcube! I know yer upset n' all but I also know you ain't eaten since breakfast! Why I could rustle us up somethin' real nice real quick if you want! I know y'all like my cooking!" Applejack began to nod with Twilight.

"Oh yes, that would be wonderful!" Fluttershy chimed in, dragging the cloud off its desired path and toward Ponyville. "I'm sure we could all use something to eat! And it would cheer you up, Dash!"

"I said I'm not hungry." Dash leaped off the cloud, flying towards her home, her path swerving as she tried not to wince from her injury. The others quickly pursued her.

"DASH!" Twilight shouted. "WHY dont....uh you...I MEAN WE! GO! And not go to your house but instead go to...uh....THE BOWLING ALLEY!"

"No."

"Oh, um, why don't we go see....uh....a play!?" Fluttershy said, flinching as she realized what a weird excuse it was.

"You guys just wanted to get dinner. Then go bowling. Now a play?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow as she gazed back at them, continuing to fly forward.

"It could be uh...uh....um......" Applejack began to sweat rubbing her face with a hoof and looking to Twilight with a pleading expression.

"A DINNER AND A SHOW!" Twilight screeched, causing Applejack to nod happily and Fluttershy to smile at Dash in the hopes they'd convinced their reluctant friend.

"Yeah, nah. Going home." Dash increased her flight speed. "Why are the lights on in my house?"

"Dash stop!"

"NO! Someone's in my house!"

"DASH YOU CANT GO INSIDE YOUR HOUSE!" Twilight howled.

"ITS MY DANG HOUSE!" Dash shot back as she landed onto the cloudy lawn of her home, putting several meters of space between herself and her pursuers.

"Oh no!" Fluttershy squeaked as Dash reached into her backpack, pulled out her keyring, and slammed open the door to her cloud cottage, a burst of light and sound exploding from the inside.

Balloons, confetti, streamers and fireflies all seemed to flood from the flashing multicolored beams of light and music that now resounded from inside the cottage. Old rock music began to play, filling the air with a honky-tonk sound as Dash made her way through the door, squinting from the light. The door seemed to have triggered quite a few mechanisms set up inside of her home. A large discoball swung into view as small colored spotlights beamed onto it sending small rings of light and color flickering around the interior. Tin and copper star-shaped confetti fell from a large net, catching the light beams as they fell and dazzling in blinding sparkles of light. Several of Rainbow Dash's co-workers were sitting on the couch, staring bug-eyed at the door. Rarity shared their expression from her comfortable seat, suddenly turning towards the others.

"It's time!" she hissed.

"SURPRISE!" the various ponies shouted completely unsynced as they struggled to all get off the couch at once.

Dash cast her eyes upward, noticing the large white banner that dangled from the ceiling, triumphantly announcing in rainbow letters the reason for the occasion.

!Congratulations Rainbow Dash!

As if on cue there was a loud crash and tearing of paper as Pinkie Pie wrencher herself from the streamer web that coated the ceiling as she bounced merrily across the floor covered in rolls of the colorful substance and she wrapped her arms around Dash, clinging to her friend's side, squealing in the sort of voice that could shatter an iceberg.

"DAAAAAAAAAASSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIEEEEEE! Oh Oh oh I just knew you would make it! I'm so happy you are here although you are here alot sooner than I thought you would be. Was there an orientation for becoming a Wonderbolt? Did you get through the orientation really fast? I know you are good at being fast. Fast is kinda your thing. Did you get their cool blue and yellow suit yet? Why do you have a band-aid? Do you like your surprise party? I got all your favorite things! I've been preparing for this all day! I got semolina soup and raisin nut bread! And I baked you a cake it has little pineapple slices in it and me and Rarity colored it to look like your tail...and...and um.....where are you going?"

It was only now that Pinkie she was being dragged along by Rainbow, who was marching forward solemnly towards the staircase in the back of the den. Her face a mixture of sadness and anger as she trudged. Pinkie went silent, it was so uncommon to see Rainbow looking this upset.

"Did you not get in?" Pinkie asked quietly, as she tightened her hug around Rainbow's torso, feeling a pang of grief for her friend.

"No." grumbled Rainbow, shaking her body to toss Pinkie off. She began to ascend the staircase as Rarity galloped over helping Pinkie to her feet.

"Rainbow....I'm sure you're upset but your friends want to spend time with you. Pinkie and I have been setting this soiree up all day! Pinkie spent her entire savings putting this all together for you."

There was a grim silence as Rainbow continued staring at the staircase. Everyone grew quiet. The record player even managed to grow sentient for a split second and turn itself off, well aware now was not the time for rock music, no matter how righteous it may be. Rainbow swished her tail slightly and took a deep breath.

"I lost. Again. And I don't feel like doing anything or talking to anyone. I have a big day tomorrow."

She took a few steps up the stairs before stopping.

"I'm sorry, everyone. Pinkie.....I'll find a way to pay you back for all the expenses. I just.....I cant be here right now."

And with that, the cyan pegasus continued her ascent, disappearing behind the door to her room, followed by Pinkie who knocked quietly on the door, calling out the name of her friend in the hopes she could convince her to exit. Her cries grew more and more strained as she came to the realization that her celebration for her best friend was now in tatters. If Rainbow's depressing loss hadn't been enough to suck the energy out of the party, Pinkie's quiet begging as she leaned against her friend's locked door was. One by one the party guests began to file out, thanking Rarity for the invite and apologizing for their early departure.

Rarity sighed sadly as she watched Pinkie. The poor thing looked close to tears as she sat at the top of the stairwell, watching the door for any signs of movement. The unicorn turned and looked at the other three friends who had been sitting near the front door looking both exhausted and sad.

"I noticed she had a sling on her foreleg." Rarity began. "How bad was it?"

"It was.....really bad, Rare." Applejack mumbled, taking her hat off and giving Rarity a warm hug. "She ended up hittin' a tree during a real sharp turn. Snapped it in half and hit the ground awful hard. Her finishin' time was so bad she couldn't qualify. One of the Wonderbolts actually flew out there to make sure she was alright. She was so embarrassed."

"Oh the poor poor thing!" Rarity cried. "Oh she really thought she was going to make it in this year. She must be devastated."

"Well she gets another chance tomorrow...kinda." Applejack mumbled, releasing Rarity.

"Surely....surely she's not planning on trying to race with her injury?" Rarity asked in panic, her eyes growing wide as Applejack stared at the floor. She turned to Twilight. "Twilight you're usually the voice of reason here. Surely you told Rainbow not to race tomorrow?"

"I haven't had a chance to say much of anything, Rarity. Can't really talk to her when she's like this." Twilight whispered, making her way to a nearby chair. "Too upset to say anything to any of us."

"She's not the only one who's upset." Fluttershy quietly pointed at Pinkie who had descended the stairs and now lay on the floor curled up, casting a tearful worried glance up at Rainbow's doorway at the top. The others frowned.

"Yes, well I suppose the night is ruined now." Rarity mused.

"I'm staying here." Fluttershy said, plopping herself into a cushion. "We need to be there for her tomorrow, if she races. She was so sad when she found out you and Pinkie weren't coming to see her perform, Rarity."

"I knew she would be." Rarity replied, looking at the floor. "But Pinkie really wanted this party to be a surprise. The best laid plans...."

"I'm stayin' too." Applejack said with a snort, hopping on top of the couch that had formerly been occupied with guests. "Maybe I can talk some sense into her in the morning."

"I suppose I might as well remain here also. No need for needless travel." Rarity joined Applejack on the couch.

"Spike." Twilight asked as she noticed the tiny dragon peering out from behind one of the table legs. "Would you mind having a sleepover with me and the girls here at Dash's house?"

"Well sure, Twilight." Spike said, jumping happily into a nearby cloud. "This stuff's a lot softer than my basket."

"We're going to get you a real bed one day, Spike. I promise!"

Twilight hopped into one of the rocking chairs and curled up, casting a glance at Pinkie who was still staring up at the doorframe, sniffling quietly. She sighed sadly at the sight.

"Pinkie I don't think Rainbow is going to come out of there, tonight. You should try to get some sleep."

"I'm gonna wait a little longer." Pinkie answered in a low voice. "Just in case."

"I'm sorry the party didn't go as planned, Pinkie." Rarity called from the couch. "I really truly am."

"It's ok, Rarity." Pinkie mumbled. "Dash is my friend. I'll have time to throw all sorts of parties for her in the future."

Rarity shot a sad glance over at Pinkie as she heard those words. Applejack frowned and lay down on the couch, closing her eyes and soon drifted off to sleep. The others soon followed, all except Pinkie. The small pink pony lay on the floor curled up like a cat, her head elevated as she watched the door, waiting and listening for a sign. A sound. A smell. Anything that would let her know that everything was going to be alright.