Lonely Ocean

Twilight wanted to believe that everything was fine after her close call with the angel comet. In fact, there was no evidence to suggest otherwise, so it was probably safe to assume that her worries were completely irrational. Nevertheless she couldn’t seem to shake a looming feeling that something was amiss.

Leaves crunched underhoof as she walked, but other than that there was an eerie quiet in the Everfree—an unnerving and pensive calmness that set Twilight on edge. It was almost as if the lack of noise was a deliberate diversion from something else. That’s ridiculous, Twilight thought, frustrated at herself for entertaining thoughts and fears that were totally unfounded. She was a scientific thinker, not an impulsive one, and these feelings simply didn’t make any sense. I should just turn around and take a nap. Of course, she wasn’t actually giving any serious consideration to that thought; Twilight knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Zecora’s hut became visible in the distance, and a warm glow from within the dwelling suggested that she was indeed at home. Twilight could hear the light tinkling of charms and decorations inside, blown by a soft breeze through the open windows. The sound provided a little relief from the unsettling quiet which engulfed most of the forest.

Twilight arrived at Zecora’s door and tapped it a few times with her hoof.

“Come in, Twilight,” the zebra answered, “for I sense that everything is not alright.”

Twilight stepped in, hoping that she didn’t look as nervous as she felt. She glanced around the room, absent-mindedly examining the décor while she thought of what to say. Eventually her gaze settled on Zecora. The zebra met her eyes and gave her a look that was both understanding and solemn.

Twilight Sparkle sighed deeply and decided to keep things simple. “I need your help,” she told Zecora, sensing that the zebra was somewhat aware of what was going on.

“If it’s the matter of a comet that brings you here,” Zecora said, “you may indeed have cause to fear.”

* * *

Pinkie Pie felt absolutely nothing as Rainbow’s spear pierced her body. In her present state of emotional shock, Pinkie’s mind was unable to register pain, discomfort, or even fear. All she could feel now was a strange sense of regret, like somehow everything that had just happened was her fault. As Pinkie looked down and saw her chest covered in blood, a feeling of numbness washed over her. Her thoughts began to blur together, and it became obvious to her that she was dying.

Rainbow Dash stared at her friend with a listless, emotionless expression. Her mind buzzed with a heated anger that she didn’t understand, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t make sense of anything that was going on. She hated Pinkie Pie, though she didn’t know why. The enmity she felt seemed clearly out of place, but it was too strong to resist.

Seeing that the pink mare was bloodied and mortally wounded, Rainbow knew that, in any event, her job was done. So she turned away, eager to leave the whole mess behind her. With a newly healed wing Rainbow Dash took off, and she would have left Pinkie to die were it not for a final, penetrating scream that the dying mare released, utterly heartbroken.

“DON’T LEAVE ME!” Pinkie Pie shrieked, her voice cracking with emotion. Pain from her wound was beginning to set in now, and the gut-wrenching agony of the mare’s words was sufficient to temporarily pierce through Rainbow Dash’s insanity.

Rainbow’s eyes flickered.

* * *

“What do you mean? What happened?” Twilight demanded, grabbing Zecora with her hooves and looking intently into her eyes. She noticed a look of discomfort in the zebra’s demeanor.

“The magic has not touched you nor I, but friends of yours up in the sky,” Zecora replied softly. She removed Twilight’s hooves from her shoulders gently and allowed what she’d said to sink in. A dazed expression on Twilight's face transformed into uneasiness as the unicorn began to realize the meaning of Zecora’s rhyme.

“Friends in the sky?” Twilight repeated. “Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy?”

“The latter friend isn’t who you think,” Zecora corrected her, “instead of yellow, this one is pink.”

Twilight was incredulous. “You mean Pinkie Pie?!” she said, nearly screaming. “That’s impossible. First of all, she can’t fly, and second… Pinkie? No. I refuse to believe it.”

Zecora sighed and turned away, attending to some concoction she had been heating over a fire. She continued speaking as she stirred the brew. “Listen here, my dear Twilight: there is more than one way to experience flight. Pinkie Pie may not have wings, but Rainbow Dash is strong, it seems.”

A look of vague comprehension began to form on Twilight’s face. Then everything suddenly clicked, and her eyes widened. “Where are they now, Zecora?”

The zebra frowned slightly. “They were both in the sky only hours ago, but where they are now… I do not know.”

“Well, we have to find them!” Twilight stamped a hoof on the floor adamantly. “There’s no telling what sort of danger they could be in!”

Zecora nodded. “This forest is riddled with twists and bends,” she said, “I would advise that you bring your friends.”

* * *

Though her thoughts were deranged and reasoning was entirely absent from her, there was something within Rainbow Dash that ran deeper than corrupted magic could reach. Pinkie Pie’s shriek had pierced straight through layers upon layers of deception and made a painful incision inside her chest. Emotional torment manifested itself as physical pain, and the discomfort began to distract the pegasus from the burning hatred that had overtaken her mind.

“I…” Rainbow Dash attempted to speak, but there was nothing to express what she wanted to say. A fog of dark magic still clouded her mind, although it was being rapidly cleared away by something far more powerful.

Pinkie looked up, but by this time she was too far gone to really understand what was going on. Her eyes were heavy and it was difficult to keep them open for more than a few seconds at a time. She whimpered, confused and losing grip on reality. The world was gradually growing darker and her hope faded along with the light.

Meanwhile, truth and love were doing battle with the corruption inside Rainbow Dash's mind. Her consciousness was now slipping back and forth, her eyes shifting between shades of magenta and blue. Despite the conflict and confusion, Rainbow somehow knew what the real truth was, and she resolved to fight for it. I care about her, she told herself, knowing instinctively that it was true. With all her might she willed that thought to the forefront of her mind.

“I won’t let you take her away from me!” Rainbow screamed at the magic inside her, and her entire body became engulfed in blood-red energy. She galloped toward Pinkie Pie and lay a hoof on her head, concentrating everything she could find within her on a single task:

“Heal!”

Both mares and the area around them erupted in magic. It was as if they had been immersed in a waterfall; magic poured like liquid over them and the thundering sound was nearly deafening. It was nearly impossible to tell what was going on because the energy obscured Rainbow’s vision; notwithstanding she continued to pour out all the power within her while focusing healing her friend. She strained and screamed as the exertion became extremely painful. After almost a minute of agonizing effort, she collapsed, and began to black out.

Not this time, Rainbow Dash thought. Somehow, she managed to hold on to her consciousness through sheer willpower. Rainbow needed to know if the magic had worked, and she couldn’t afford to wait if it hadn’t. At the very least she would need to say goodbye to the mare who had become her best friend.

When the magic had fully dissipated and the dust had settled, Rainbow was immensely relieved to see that the pink mare’s blood stains were gone and that she was still breathing, though her eyes were closed. She was somehow sleeping soundly in spite of all that had just transpired.

Rainbow Dash resolved not to wake the mare; maybe Pinkie needed rest for the healing to complete itself. As much as Rainbow wanted to know if her friend was okay, it was more important that she didn’t mess things up any further. The colorful pegasus didn’t even want to think about the damage she’d already done. So she waited for several hours, until the sun fell low in the sky. Shadows lengthened as evening drew near, and still Pinkie Pie slept, her chest rising and falling slowly. She looks so... peaceful. Golden sunlight illuminated Rainbow's mane as she sat and watched, hoping beyond hope that Pinkie would soon wake up and that things would go back to normal.

She made a valiant effort to stay awake, but after a long while she became too exhausted and eventually her eyes began to shut against her will. In that same black semi-conscious state she had been in prior to her dream about the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash wondered what she would wake up to this time around.