Blame

   It was bright outside, and Dinky ran to her mother.

   They were in a field.  A lush green carpet of grass was laid atop the soft ground, and flowers cropped up here and there.  There were no trees in sight, or any signs of civilization.

   That didn’t matter though, because Dinky had her mother.

   She galloped joyfully, racing the wind as Mommy flew towards her, low to the ground.  Mommy was smiling, and Dinky could see more and more details as they grew closer.  Mommy’s coat looked so nice in the sunny weather.

   And everything was okay, because Dinky had her mother.

   Mommy was really beautiful.  Dinky didn’t understand why everypony was so mean to her when she was so pretty.  They were probably just jealous though, because they couldn’t be as pretty as Mommy was.  Mommy had said that jealousy was bad.

   But there weren’t any jealous ponies around.  Just Dinky and Mommy.

   They couldn’t have been more than fifteen metres apart when Mommy started to look different.  Her coat was darker.  These weird black specks were floating out of her mane and tail while they trailed behind her.  Dinky was scared.

   Suddenly, everything got colder.  It was like watching an old film reel as it sputtered along.  Mommy was flickering, like she wasn’t really there.  Dinky galloped harder, trying to reach her mother.

   A few more metres, and Mommy changed again.  She was bleeding, in several places all along her body.  Her coat was blackened with soot and ash.  Her mane and tail were aflame, and it was spreading quickly.

   Dinky’s legs were hurting, but she had to get to Mommy.  All of her instincts were telling her to run away, but she had to save Mommy.  Without Mommy...

   Five metres, and Mommy wasn’t Mommy.  She was almost completely engulfed in fire, and one of her wings were broken.  Her hooves were dragging along the dirt, digging furrows as she somehow kept going.  On top of that, she was fading, more parts of her trailing off.  The sections of her that weren’t on fire were being deconstructed, slowly taking her away.  And her face still held a smile, serene and calm, even as tears poured down her face.

   Dinky leapt towards her mother.  She was so close, and it was hard to see through her tears.  She could still save Mommy!

   Finally, they reached each other.  Mommy’s forelegs were outstretched, drawing Dinky in for a hug.  She fell into her mother’s embrace, and they hugged.  And then they were happy, because they were together again.

   Just Dinky and Mommy.

   But then Dinky woke up, and faced reality.

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Clack.  Clack.  Clack.

   Dinky’s hooves smacked against the ground.  She was running, running to Mommy, and nothing could stop her.  A train, barreling along its tracks, pushing everything on them to the side.  Everything was blurry, except for her path.  The path to the hospital, because that’s where Mommy was.

   She could see it, the large, once imposing white building that jutted from the ground and towered over everypony.  As the ponies in her way jumped to the side, her view cleared, and she headed towards the entrance.  With a cry, she broke through the double doors.

   Everypony who’d been in the lobby snapped their gazes towards her in shock.  Dinky didn’t mind them, but looked at the nurse behind the counter.  She was an earth pony mare, and looked like she was facing a manticore.  Without any hesitation, the adrenaline-filled filly sprang onto the counter and stared down at her.  The nurse cowered under her glare, and winced when she shouted.  “Where’s Mommy?!”

   “I- I don’t know!” the frightened mare stammered out.

   Dinky would have none of it.  Stamping her hoof onto the countertop, she ordered, “Tell me!”

   “I’m s-sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about!”  Scared tears were welling in her eyes.

   Dinky was about to say something else, but she was interrupted by the slamming of a door.  Turning her attention to the side, she saw a stallion dressed in a white coat enter the room and look around in agitation.  Setting his sight upon them, he turned and demanded, “What is the meaning of this?!”

   Dinky turned to him and snarled, “Tell me where Mommy is!”

   He flinched from the ferocity in her voice, but continued unfazed.  “If you are referring to the patient we received a few minutes ago, she is currently in surgery.  Nopony but the surgeons and overseers are allowed in.”

   “I want to see her!”

   “Well, unless you want to risk your mother’s death, you are not going in there.”  His voice adopted a more sympathetic tone, and his eyes softened a bit.  “I can see that you’re worried, but you need to remain out here until the procedures are finished.  The doctors are doing their best to help her, but there isn’t anything you can do to aid them except to not get involved.  Okay?”

   Dinky gnashed her teeth in frustration.  She needed to see Mommy, but if it might hurt her, then she couldn’t!

Stupid hospital, stupid house, stupid fire, stupid Rainbow Dash!

   She stamped a hoof again, hard enough to leave a crack in the countertop, and jumped down.  Without looking back, she walked out the door.  The stallion watched her until she was out of sight and sighed, returning to his duty.

   Dinky walked down the street, muttering angrily under her breath.

   If the doctors couldn’t help Mommy, then- NO!  Shut up, don’t think about that!  Mommy is going to be okay!  She has to be!  She can handle anything!

   But what if she couldn’t?  She’d looked really hurt.  What if the doctors couldn’t help her?

   Then Mommy would- Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!

   She stomped through Ponyville, running thoughts through in her head and trying not to think of the consequences if the doctor failed.

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   “Dash?”

   Rainbow Dash looked up, tears still dripping from her eyes, and saw the blurry visage of Twilight Sparkle.  She sniffled, and wiped the moisture from her eye with a hoof.  “Y-yeah, Twilight?”

   “Are... are you alright?”

Ditzy isn’t.  The thought brought another round of tears, and she fought to keep them from escaping.  Looking back down, she sniffed again.  “No.  Dinky’s right.”

   “Dash...”

   She continued unabated, shaking her head slightly.  “It...it’s all my fault.  I didn’t want Der- Ditzy to get in the way, because I thought she would mess everything up.”  She paused to wipe her eyes again.  “I knew that she would b-break a lot of stuff, and I sent her to the middle, where the foundation is, and... and...”

   “Rainbow Dash,” Twilight spoke up from beside her.  Dash looked back up at her, and saw a stern face.  “Stop blaming yourself for this.  You couldn’t have known that the building would start to collapse before she got out.”

   Anger suddenly ripped through Dash, and she lashed out with her tongue.  “So?!  Do you wanna know why she didn’t get out in time?”  She turned on Twilight, who backed up a few steps.  “It’s because I got her out last!  She was the last pony to get out, and she barely made it!  And it was because I forgot about her until the last minute!”  Stepping forwards until she was almost nose to nose with her friend, she continued with her rant.  “And do you know what makes it even worse?!  I wasn’t even the one to go in and get her!  I sent her bucking daughter!  Out of all the pegasi I could’ve chosen to get her out, I chose her daughter!  They both would’ve died if Ditzy didn’t-”

   The anger died immediately as Ditzy’s broken form appeared in her mind’s eye.  She slumped and turned away, unable to face Twilight.  “...if Ditzy didn’t save them both.”  More tears came, but Dash was too weak to fight them this time.  They slid from her face, landing on the ground silently.  “And now she might die, because I’m such a buck-up of a pony.”

   She rubbed her sore jaw, swelled from where it got hit by a vengeful hoof.  “Dinky has the right to hate me.  I just... I...”

   Dash buried her face in her hooves.  Soft hoofsteps emanated from behind her, and she felt warm forelegs draw her into a hug.  It was comforting, but Dash still felt cold.

   The first drops of a storm landed upon their heads as she mourned her failure.

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Dinky raced through the wet streets, slipping along the cobbles.  It had started to rain, and she needed to get home.

   Her romp through town had placed her a short distance away from her house, so it wasn’t long before she arrived at the door.  Unfortunately, when she tested the doorknob, she found it locked.  So much for getting in unnoticed.

   With a resigned sigh, she knocked on the door.  She counted to eight, and the door opened.  In the frame stood a young mare, her coat a shade of pink.  Her mane was purple, with a darker streak of pink running along its length.  Worry was etched upon her features as she looked around the filly.  “Dinky?  Where’s Mom?  Why isn’t she with you?”

   A lump rose in Dinky’s throat at the mention of her mother, but she swallowed it and spoke up.  “Um, hey, Sparkler.  I... I need to tell you something.”  She stepped inside, and her sister closed the door.

   “It’s about Mommy.”