Farmers and Swindlers, Friendship and Pain

by Wunderbrony

Rating: everyone
Tags: Rarity, Tragedy, Princess Celestia, Slice of Life, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Original Character
Length: 10897

When Applejack loses her farm to an economic superpower, Rainbow Dash tries to help win it back.

Applejack has lost her farm to Flim and Flam and their revolutionary machine, and has been forced to move to Dodge Junction in disgrace. Rainbow Dash discovers a way to win Sweet Apple Acres back for the Apple family, but gets sucked into a situation that will try her loyalty towards her friends. Will Rainbow Dash be able to prevail over all odds and save her friend's livelihood?

At the same time, the Flim Flam brothers are causing unforeseen problems in Equestria. The impact of their machine and its implications causes everypony to realize they have no clue how they will affect the stability of the realm.

My first fanfic, so please bear with me and offer any comments and criticism you see fit. The story is going to start out slow but will pick up, and hopefully be something you enjoy! Let me know if there are any formatting issues; I have been doing a lot of copying and pasting between formats and things might have gotten mixed around.

Published 2012-02-09 07:14:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-02-17 08:03:05 UTC

Chapter 1: Apples Without the Acres

Chapter 1: Apples without the Acres

Applejack and the rest of the Apples stood despondently outside their old farmhouse. Each had a few saddlebags filled with belongings, and Big Mac was harnessed to a medium sized cart holding whatever didn’t fit in the bags.

“Well ya’ll, Ah reckon it’s about time we saddle up and move out,” Applejack said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

“Eeyup,” said Big Mac in a dull voice. His eyes were blank and clouded over with grief.

“Ah still say, t’aint fair that them Flim Flams are bootin’ us outta our own home! This is our land! It aint fair,” Applebloom protested angrily.

“We lost fair and square, even steven,” Granny Smith replied dispassionately. “The contest won them Flim Flams the right to vend cider, but they won a whole lot more. Without that cider business, we went plum belly up. We have no money. We had to sell evertything to those dad-gummed Flim Flams.”

“But where do they ‘spect us tah go?” Applebloom cried, tears welling up in her eyes as she thought about leaving the home she had grown up in.

“We’re gonna stay with Twilight in the library for tonight, and then we'll see if we can get work on another orchard somewhere,” Applejack said.

“But---“ Applebloom started to protest, but was hushed by a shaky hoof on her shoulder from Granny Smith. The sorrowful Apples, all traces of their usual pride and confidence gone, looked toward Applejack. She was the one who was expected to lead them now, in a time where all they wanted to do was go back inside their heritage farmhouse and pretend the Flim
Flam’s had never driven their fancy contraption into Ponyville.

Without a word, Applejack turned away from her family, and started along the dirt road towards Ponyville and Twilight’s tree library. She faced resolutely forward, refusing to acknowledge the familiar farm buildings to her right, or the orchards stretching for acres upon acres to her left. To even look upon these obsolete remnants of her life up till this point would overwhelm her in grief, and right now, her family needed her to lead them.
And so the Apples proceeded down the worn dirt path, carrying all that they owned on their flanks, and leaving all that they loved behind.

Princess Celestia was expecting the unicorn when he walked in to the courtyard. They were outside the castle in Canterlot, in the courtyard that acted as anteroom for the large steps to the palace. It was there she met the sterling colored unicorn, an accountant and news bringer of the region of her realm that contained Ponyville.
The unicorn knelt respectfully to the Princess and introduced himself as Quill Books, and at the Princess’s urging, they began to walk out of the courtyard and into the scenic Canterlot Royal Gardens.

“Mr. Books, I could not help but notice that your report was a few weeks ahead of schedule. Is anything amiss?” the Princess asked.

“Yes and no, Princess. You see, something is out of the ordinary, but the situation is complicated.” The Princess stayed expectantly silent, and Quill continued. “I have with me financial reports regarding Ponyville and the surrounding area. The economies of the countryside surrounding Ponyville report nothing exceptional, simply agriculture as usual. However, it is in Ponyville itself that we find this, ah, peculiar happenstance.”

The Princess became slightly distressed at this news. Ponyville was home to her student Twilight Sparkle and her friends, and while the six ponies were the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony and had proven time and again that they were capable of handling adversity, Celestia also noticed they were prone to inciting adversity as well. She wondered If they had anything to do with the news Quill was bringing. “Has something gone wrong?” she iquired calmly.

“No, and here is the strange part. Things are going good. Very good. Cider sales alone have reached record highs. Last year, the Apple family reported a sale of around 40 barrels of cider during the entire Cider Season.”

“A productive year for them,” the Princess remarked.

“Yes, but here is the thing. This year, a sale of over one hundred and fifty barrels has been reported, in the first week of the season!” Quill looked up at Celestia, awaiting her response.

Celestia was genuinely taken aback. “How…how is that possible?” She worked hard to regain her regal composure, but it was difficult in light of this news. How was so much cider being made and sold in the first week of cider season? she wondered.

“I have yet to thoroughly investigate, as I rushed here to deliver my report, but a colleague of mine in the area says it has something to do with some traveling salesmen, the Flim Flam brothers. They have a machine, I hear, that produces cider of quality rivaling the Apples’ at an exponentially faster pace.”

Celestia was silent for a moment. The pair of ponies turned a corner and stopped next to an ornamental fountain. “If what you tell me is true,” the Princess said slowly, “then these Flim Flam brothers are onto something huge. This machine of theirs could mean big things for our realm.”

“Believe me, Princess, I know. The calculated effect a machine like that will have in the long run for our economy is staggering.”

The Princess had heard all she needed to hear. She turned to face Quill, and gave her orders. “Thank you for your report, Mr. Books. If all of this is true, then our future is looking exceptionally bright. Please, make haste back to Ponyville and create a detailed report about this machine and the situation with the Flim Flam brothers. I want to know everything.”
This was exactly what Quill wanted to hear. He himself could not wait to find out more about the situation (he had to calm himself down and avoid thinking of it as an “economic revolution”) in Ponyville. “Of course, your Highness,” and with that, he bowed, and took his leave.

Big things were happening in Ponyville, and neither the Princess nor Quill Books had any idea the impact they would have.

“Thanks again for lettin’ us crash here, Twi’,” Applejack said to Twilight Sparkle. The purple unicorn chuckled and said,
“Don’t worry about it, AJ. The library has plenty of space, and I am glad to help any way I can.”

The Apples had put all of their baggage in an unused closet in the tree house, and Big Mac, Applebloom, and Granny Smith had all gone out into Ponyville to walk around and try and take their minds off their current hardship. Applejack had stayed behind, as Twilight’s calm organizational skills and easygoing manner was exactly what she needed. It was a relief to be able to share the burden of leading the family with Twilight, at least for an evening.

“Well, Twi’ I could certainly use yer help now. I just can’t reckon what Ah’m s’posed to do!” Twilight guided Applejack over to a sofa, where the two ponies sat down. Twilight used her magic to levitate a brush over, and began brushing Applejack’s mane soothingly while she spoke.

“Sometimes things happen in our lives that require us to make a change. I don’t think I could begin to understand the impact the loss of your farm has had on you, but you can bet that I have your back. Don’t worry. We will think of some way to get your family back on its feet, and then we can worry about how we are going to deal with those Flim Flams.”

Applejack was visibly relaxed by the calming ritual of mane-brushing, and was able to think lucidly as her fatigue was worked away by her friend’s presence. “Ah think our next step should be to find some work, so that we can get ourselves another place to stay. Not that there’s anythin’ wrong with your tree house, a’course,” Applejack smiled briefly. “Ah guess I could go back to Dodge Junction and see if Ah could get work with Ms. Jubilee again…if she would take me back,” Applejack said worriedly.

“I am sure she would. Your work ethic and good reputation will be all the recommendation she needs to take you back into her orchard!” Twilight said enthusiastically, although she was inwardly saddened to hear of Applejack’s plans to leave Ponyville for Dodge Junction.

“Ah just wish we never had t’ sell the farm to those slick con-ponies. If only Ah could get it back somehow,” Applejack mused.

“There is plenty of time to think on that. But for now, it’s almost dinner time. Let’s go out and see if we can find Big Mac and the others. Dinner’s on me tonight,” Twilight said.

“Aw shucks, sugarcube. That’s mighty kind of ya to offer,” Applejack said gratefully as they walked out the door. Twilight just smiled and followed Applejack out, extinguishing the candles with magic as she shut the door.

Three weeks had passed, and Applejack had followed through on her plan and moved her family to Dodge Junction where they worked for Cherry Jubilee. It was good work and paid well, but it was demoralizing to the Apples to work for someone when they used to be the owners of the most prestigious apple ranch in Equestria.

Rainbow Dash and Rarity where sitting in Twilight Sparkle’s living room, while Twilight brought out chilled mugs of Flim Flam cider.

“Doesn’t it bother you to support those shady traveling hucksters? Especially when they drove our friend out of town?” Rainbow Dash demanded as she inspected the cider suspiciously.

“And how do you ever manage to maintain such a stock of cider? Isn’t it expensive?” Rarity inquired as she sipped her cider.

“That’s the thing,” Twilight started, as she sat down with her mug. “The Flim Flam brothers make so much cider, they can sell it for ridiculously low prices. No offense to our friend Applejack, but if the brothers had set up shop in Ponyville, they would have run the Apples out of business in a month. They have already made so much money they are renovating all the old farm buildings and building a bigger cider squeezing machine. All the business they have brought to Ponyville is great for the town.”

“That might be true, but I still think it was low of them to waltz into town and cut in on Applejack’s business like that,” Rainbow Dash said. After another moment’s hesitation, she sampled the cider, and begrudgingly admitted to herself that it was as good as any cider the Apples had ever made.
“If only Applejack had negotiated further for a partnership in their business,” Rarity drawled as she lounged. “She would have enough money to buy out the Flim Flams three times over.”

“Hey, maybe that’s what we need to do!” Exclaimed Rainbow Dash as she stood up suddenly.

“Rainbow Dash, calm down! What ever are you talking about?” Rarity cried, barely keeping her cider from spilling from Rainbow Dash’s sudden movement.

“I’m saying, what if Applejack got herself one of those machines? She could make a bunch of money and come back to Ponyville! And I bet the town would buy from her instead of the Flim Flams! After all, she was the town heroine,” Rainbow Dash continued eagerly. She was pacing back and forth across the living room, her wings extended with excitement.

“That is actually a good idea, Rainbow,” agreed Twilight. Twilight thought hard for a moment, and then continued slowly, “But how would she get the money? One of those machines surely costs more than any of us make, and I haven’t a clue as to how to make one. I haven’t even ever read anything relating to them!”

“Well, perhaps if we---“ Rarity started, but was immediately interrupted by Rainbow Dash flying out the window, breathlessly calling over her shoulder “I got this, guys! Leave it to me!”

The two unicorns looked out the window where Rainbow Dash had gone for a moment. Then Rarity said “I say, some ponies. So impatient!”

Chapter 2: Talon is Only a Hop, Skip, and a Hoof to the Face Away

Chapter 2: Talon is Only a Hop, Skip, and a Hoof to the Face Away

Rainbow Dash flew hastily across Ponyville, her mind awhirl. She had the perfect idea on how to save the Apple family’s ranch, if only she could remember where that flyer was…

Rainbow Dash cruised over the town, slowing down as she soared over Sugarcube Corner, Carousel Boutique, and other buildings she recognised as landmarks near her destination, until she came to the town hall. She dropped to the ground with a thump, grace forgotten in her haste, and trotted towards the town message board as she curled her cyan wings against her side.

The board was a little taller than head height for Dash, and was a place where anypony in town could post messages about upcoming events, or lost and found items, etc. Rainbow Dash hurriedly scanned the board, hoping the flier she had seen a few days ago wasn't covered with some new advertisement. Her keen vision could not pick out the poster she was looking for.

There it was! She found the flier she was looking for, and focused on it excitedly. It was a little worn from the weather, but perfectly legible.

Attention All SuperStar Flyers!
The SuperStar Flyers Club is hosting its 25th annual Flyers' Open Tourney!
Any Pegasus who is a true Pegasus will be there!
Compete with the best flyers in the realm for the grand prize!
Club Members and new applicants welcome, come one, come all!

Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped at the sum listed for the grand prize. This is enough to buy Applejack TWO new farms, and all the fancy equipment she could want! Rainbow thought to herself. She tried to memorize the location and date of the race, and quickly gave up. She was so impatient, she tore the poster off the board, and carried it in her mouth back to her cloud home above Ponyille.

This is exactly what Applejack needs to get her farm back, thought Rainbow. And I'm gonna be the one to win it for her!

Rainbow Dash spent the next few weeks leading up to the SuperStar Flyers Race training, working on her agility, endurance, and most of all, speed. She didn't feel the need to train too hard, as she currently held the position as best flyer in Equestria, and had two Sonic Rainbooms under her belt when most pegasi never even dreamed of completing one.

Nonetheless, she had flown for hours a day, zipping between clouds and through the sparse tree line at the edge of the Everfree Forest, as well as practiced a few flight maneuvers, and she was feeling lean, mean, and ready to win a race.

The race took place in the countryside, near a griffin city called Talon. Rainbow Dash was confused at first by the name, but then recalled the personality of the only griffin she had met, Gilda, and decided that it was certainly something a griffin like Gilda would pick. After visiting the cities of Canterlot, Cloudsdale, and the pioneer settlement of Appleoosa, Rainbow was curious to see what a griffin city looked like.

It was a few days till the race, and it was time for Rainbow to set out. She packed the few things she would need, mostly toiletries and post race care items like athletic wraps, and walked to the Ponyville train station. The station was busy, and the line from the ticket counter stretched almost 30 deep. She sighed and looked around for something interesting to do while she waited for the ticket line to go down.

She saw a large scale map drawn of Equestria and walked over to it. She realized she had no clue where Talon was, or what it was even close to. She scanned the map, and noticed that it was only a day's fly away from Ponyville.

Rainbow Dash looked at the long line at the ticket counter, then back at the map. With a shrug, she gathered her bags and walked out of the station. She could fly to Talon. After all, a little light flying before the race would limber her up, not to mention she hadn't flown a long distance for a quite a while. Rainbow relished the idea of soaring far above any other pony, with nothing but the wind in her mane and her own thoughts in her head.

Already excited and raring to fly, Rainbow tied down the straps on her saddle bags and took off, climbing higher and higher until she reached a good cruising altitude, and then flew towards Talon. If she took an easy pace, it would take her about one full day of flying to get to Talon. She cleared her mind and just let her body take over, and flew.

Rainbow Dash sat on a grass hill by the side of the road, eating a packed lunch of apples and bottled cider. Without a unicorn's magic, she had to use her teeth to open the cap, but it was worth it. Rainbow Dash loved cider and this year, with the arrival of the Flim Flam brothers, was the first year she had been able to drink as much cider as she wanted. And she wanted a lot.

"What's a pony like you doing way out here in the middle o' nowhere?" A sudden voice interrupted Rainbow Dash's lunch, and she stood up and turned around. Walking towards her, over the other side of the hill, were three earth ponies. They looked like they were farm ponies, with deep chests and strong backs, and smelled as if they hadn't seen water and soap in at least a year.

"That's not any business of yours!" Rainbow Dash shot at the ponies, immediately on the defensive. Something about these ponies was giving her the creeps.

"Oh, but it is! Ya see, there's a new toll that needs paying on this here road. And since we all lost our jobs to that Flib Flab guy that's up in Ponyville, we all got nothing better to do than collect the toll!" The leader of the motley bunch, a dirt colored pony with a plow for a cutie mark, smiled a smile that reminded Rainbow of a picket fence that had most of its boards kicked out. She did not like where this was going, and readied herself to kick the rest of the ponies teeth out, if she had to.

"Uh, you said you lost your job to Flim and Flam? I have a friend that did too," Rainbow Dash said quickly, in an attempt to distract the earth ponies.

The brown colored lead pony frowned and spat at the mention of the Flim Flam brothers. "They made themselves a whole bunch of those machines, machines that take away an honest pony's work! Pickers, sorters, cider squeezers, every skilled pony lost their job to one machine that doesn't need a paycheck." Rainbow Dash thought she was off the hook until the earth pony continued, "Of course, since we can't get our bits from "honest" work, we have to collect "tolls" on this road."
The earth pony leaned in close to Rainbow Dash and grinned. Rainbow could smell his breath; it was like rancid turnips mixed with moldy hay.

"In case you haven't caught on yet, lady, this is a holdup. Now hand over your bits." At those words, the other two big ponies sidled up towards Rainbow Dash, stupid grins on their faces at the anticipation of easy prey.

Rainbow Dash did not plan on being easy prey, and she was damn tired of these smelly ponies treating her like some common pony who they could take advantage of at will.

The lead pony was still grinning when his head hit the grass, a hoof shaped imprint on the side of his head. The other two earth ponies had almost no time to react before Dash was on them, flying at their head level and battering them with vicious front-hoof kicks. The larger of the two henchmen lowered his head and threw a headbutt through the flurry of blows, and Rainbow had the wind knocked out of her. She flew up out of his reach momentarily, and caught her breath.

The pony that had butted her looked up and said cockily "Hey thur sweet thang, why dont'cha come on down heah and we can finish this little dance up?"

It was the last conscious thing he said to the "sweet thang" flying above him. She flapped her wings hard and shot straight down, locking her rear legs and delivering a kick so hard she felt her jaw clack with the impact. It was two done, one...

Gone.

She looked around, and saw him running for all he was worth down the road. She laughed and looked at the two unconscious ponies. "And that is why you don't tango...with the Rainbow!" She gathered up her bags, took one last look at the ponies on the grass, and tossed a quarter-bit coin on the grass next to the lead pony before taking off.

Rainbow Dash had arrived in Talon just as light was beginning to fade, a pleasant muscular burn in her back and a not-so-pleasant ache in her hooves. She almost regretted kicking those scum as hard as she had. She looked with interest at the buildings of Talon, as griffin architecture was distinctly different from pony architecture.The buildings were larger to accommodate the larger griffins, and they seemed rough, tough, and spartan, with little thought towards beauty or grace. They were there to serve a purpose, that was all.

Rainbow Dash wasn't worried about where to sleep despite the unfamiliar city. She flew around the city until she saw the stadium in the distance outside the city suburbs and then made herself a comfortable mattress out of clouds nearby. She made herself a little platform wide enough to hold herself and her belongings, settled in, and fell right asleep. As she was dozing off, she felt a brief pang of worry about other Pegasi coming in the night and accosting her. Then she remembered the three huge ponies she single-hoofedly thumped, smiled, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Chapter 3: The Gold at the End of the Rainbow (Dash)

Chapter 3: The Gold at the End of the Rainbow (Dash)

Rainbow Dash woke up at around 10 o'clock the next day, she judged by the position of the sun overhead. She stood up on top of the cloud like only Pegasi could, and arched her back and extended her wings in a stretch. She rubbed the last vestiges of sleep from her deep pink eyes, and looked towards the racing stadium.

The race was scheduled for a little past noon, but registration could take a while, and who knew how long the line was going to be. Rainbow Dash gathered up her few bags, shook her mane in the way that qualified as "styling" in her mind, and leaped off the cloud. She savored the free fall for a few moments as the wind rushed all around her, and then straightened her wings with a snap and glided towards the stadium.

Blaze Chaser was a middle aged pegasus who was far out of her racing prime, and more than slightly (but less than very) overweight. Her trademark red coat and flame-orange mane had faded since her face was last on a poster, and her hair was matted and nappy from lack of hygiene. She no longer raced, but worked for SuperStar as a registration clerk and ticket vender. So far she had signed up over 50 ponies for the tourney, the majority of which were halfwit noponies who wouldn't make it past the first bracket. This tourney was notoriously tough, and only those who fancied themselves tough (or suicidal) signed up for it.

That is why she thought the cyan colored pony with the ridiculous mane in front of her was joking when she told Blaze she wanted to sign up for the race.

Once Blaze finished her laughing fit, she seriously looked the pipsqueak in front of her up and down. She was obviously athletic, that was for sure. Lean muscle rippled casually under her luscious coat. Her wings were long and her back was clearly well muscled; that meant she had some experience flying. And she had spunk. However, spunk and experience alone were not enough to survive this race, and Blaze was not sure this pony knew what she was getting into.

Blaze popped the gum she had in her mouth and said slowly, "Now, hun, are you suuuure this is what you wanna do? There ain't no shame in backing out know, and I would hate t' have'ta help haul your carcass off the race track." The blue pony visibly bristled, and a look flashed through her eyes that was answer enough for Blaze.

"Of course I'm sure! Obviously my name hasn't spread this far in Equestria yet. I am Rainbow Dash! Champion of the Best Young Fliers Competition! Fastest flier in Equestria! And the only pony who can pull off a Sonic Rainboom!"

Blaze blinked and chewed her gum. She had heard big talk before. "Well, if you really are sure, go ahead and sign right here...remember, SuperStar Fliers is not responsible for any injuries you might sustain."

"Yeah, yeah, I came here to win, not get a safety lecture!" Rainbow impatiently took the quill in her mouth and signed the waiver before her, which was quickly snapped up by Blaze and filed away somewhere.

"Alrighty then hun, it's your funeral. Go through this hallway and take a right. Can't miss the starting line." Blaze gestured over her shoulder called out "NEXT!"

Rainbow walked outside to the starting line and looked at her competition. She smiled to herself. This would be an easy win! All the ponies she saw lined up resembled the build of the farm ponies who accosted her on the road: big, thick, and brawny with sun-hardened field muscle. They looked so heavy, she wondered how they could even get off the ground.

Amongst all the huge ponies, there were also a few griffins. These Rainbow Dash respected as good racers. Despite their size, they were very fast, as every race with Gilda had proven to her. It didn't matter though. Rainbow had never lost a race to a griffin, and she didn't plan to start today.

The arena was a huge bowl shape, with spectators on the sides of the bowl with their seats tilted back so they could see the racers once they were in flight. The stadium was packed, and Rainbow Dash was anticipating a big win for the crowd. The racers started on a track, lined up in lanes. The track continued straight for about 100 meters and acted as a runway for the racers to build up enough speed to take off at race pace. They would then race around the circumference of the arena, staying within the confines of cloud markers until they completed 15 laps. Then they would land on the track and race on foot across the finish line. Rainbow couldn't wait to be the first one across and to be praised by all the fans in the stands.

A unicorn wearing a white and black referee uniform stepped up to the starting line and started talking to racers in a magically amplified voice. "Alright racers, you know the drill. Stay in your lanes until take-off, and then you are free to move. 15 laps and then finish on the track. Winner moves on to the next tier in the tourney. Good luck and remember: give them a good show!"

Rainbow smiled and settled down into a sprinter's starting position. Showboating was what she was good at.

The referee stepped off the track, yelled the starting commands, and then shot a flare out of his horn to start the race. Rainbow Dash took off as fast as she could, legs a blur as she picked up speed. At the end of the track she reached her maximum ground velocity, bunched her legs, and leaped into the air and took off flying, her wings pumping laboriously as she gained altitude and speed at the same time. She risked a glance over her shoulder and saw one of the griffins a pony-length-and-a-half behind her. She poured on some more speed, her muscles starting to burn, and climbed higher.

She leveled out a hundred feet or so above the crowds, and began racing laps, dodging the cloud markers that outlined the course. She picked out motion with her peripheral vision and saw the griffin, working hard, pulling up alongside her. She laughed inside at the griffin's effort. The poor bird was gonna burn out before she even completed a lap! Rainbow faced forward, put her head down, and kicked up her effort. All she felt was the beat of her wings, the wind on her mane. She was a rainbow streak through the air, and she was the race.

Her concentration was broken as she felt the griffin ram her side. Rainbow stared at the griffin, astonished. The griffin shot the pony a glance, and then pulled ahead. Dash gritted her teeth and worked even harder, pulling past the griffin again.

This time, the griffin sank her talons into Rainbow's left rear flank and hauled her backwards, slingshotting herself ahead.
Rainbow gasped in pain, and looked expectantly at the ref to disqualify the griffin. He was nowhere to be seen, and the crowd was going crazy. Rainbow had lost a lot of speed, and one of the heavy pegasi had caught up. He spared no time in putting a hoof into her side, and without any dense muscle mass to protect her, Rainbow lost her breath and fell back even farther.

What the buck is going on? Have these ponies gone crazy? She wondered frantically. And then she remembered the words of the referee...Give them a good show. Her heart sank as she realized what she had gotten herself into.

Well if that's the way they wanna play, she thought, then that's the way we're gonna play. You don't tango with the Rainbow!

Another griffin was trying to pass her. Rainbow mentally shifted gears from neutral into overdrive, and pulled up broadside to the griffin. The griffin tried to swipe Rainbow with his talons, but Rainbow was expecting it and dropped a foot in altitude. His claws soared right over her head, and she came up underneath his belly with a headbutt. She felt a satisfactory thump, and the griffin wheezed and fell back. Rainbow rounded a corner and began to regain her lost ground.

She caught up to the pegasus that had kicked her and tried to pass him. He was a lot slower than her and she figured she could dart by. However, he stuck out a fore-hoof and tried to clothesline Rainbow. She saw it coming, ducked under, and then threw her shoulder into a ram.

It was like ramming a tree. Rainbow Dash's shoulder began throbbing, and the pegasus next to her showed no sign of having even felt it. And when he reciprocated and rammed her back, it felt like Rainbow was a tree and it was apple-bucking season.

She fell back again, gasping for breath as her side throbbed. Two more thickset pegasi flew by her, each contributing a kick or a ram. She saw stars, and her racing tunnel vision began to change to a blackout threat. She tried to pick up speed, but other racers kept flying by, and she felt blow after blow. Eventually she was just struggling to stay aloft, and the hurts kept coming.

Ribs. Back. Face. Flanks. All she could register now was where each blow landed. Finally she took a kick in the face from a muscular pegasus, and she stopped flapping and started falling.

As she fell, she thought to herself, Maybe I should have spent more time with Applejack on the farm...built some muscle.
Then she thought, Oh damn, how will I win Applejack's money now?
And then she thought, Hey, that's the ground. That's the ground. Oh shit that's the ground that's the ground that's ground groundgroundgroundgro---

She tried to open her wings and stop, but they didn't respond to her will, and all she succeeded in doing was slowing her fall a little before she collided with the ground of the arena. Overhead, racers still battled for position.

Rainbow Dash's last sensation as she lay broken on the ground was the sound of the crowd roaring as they cheered, and cheered, and cheered.

Chapter 4: A Boring Meeting Regarding the Entire Future of Equestria

Chapter 4: A Boring Meeting Regarding the Entire Future of Equestria

Quill Books knocked on the door to the Princess’s solar without any hint of the apprehension he had experienced the first time he met the goddess. He carried an oiled leather bag filled to the brim with documents that he had no intention of referencing. The entire situation with the Flim Flam brothers and their miracle of a machine was the single most important thing Quill had ever investigated, and he had memorized the entire report.

Princess Celestia looked up from her brunch of tea and muffins at the sound of the knocking, and serenely stood up to answer the door. Quill entered the solar, report temporarily forgotten as he gazed out the immense glass window at the glorious sun, still a few hours from its apex. Warm light streamed into the solar like warm, sweet breath, and comfortable chairs and tables adorned the room. It was easy to see why this was the Princess’s favorite room in the castle, and the preferred meeting place of dignitaries and commoners alike.

At the Princess’s urging, both ponies sat in the chairs nearest the glass window so as best to appreciate the warmth while they talked. Despite Quill’s excitement, he remembered himself, and respectfully waited for the alicorn to begin the discussion.

Celestia skipped formalities, and cut right to the chase. “So, Mr. Books, tell me about this machine that is causing such an uproar in Ponyville.”

“Well, Princess, the Flim Flam brothers were originally traveling salesponies, peddling their cider from the back of their machine, moving from city to city. I have a map here in my bag of their routes prior to arriving in Ponyville should you care to appraise it. Once in Ponyville, the Flim Flam’s challenged the Apple family to a contest, winner seizing the right to a cider monopoly in Ponyville. The Apples, full of pride and confidence, accepted, competed, and lost. Their business went under without the cider sales, they liquidated to Flim and Flam, and moved to Dodge Junction where they currently labor as farm hooves for a cherry orchard.”

Celestia was disheartened to hear of the misfortune that had befallen her friend Applejack and her family, but she hoped that this machine’s benefits would far outweigh the initial misfortunes it had caused.

Quill continued. “Their machine, as I told you in my last report, is capable of producing cider of top quality at speeds far superior to any hoof made cider. The machine is powered by unicorn magic, and involves a series of different, self contained steps inside the machine, the end result being top notch cider. Originally, the magic powering the machine was provided by Flim and Flam themselves, but since they have set up a much larger, permanent machine at the old Apple ranch, they have hired several local unicorns full time to provide power. As you can imagine, with the larger machine and more power, simply phenomenal amounts of cider are being produced.”

“Pardon my interruption, Mr. Books, but where is all this cider going? Surely every pony in Ponyville has enough cider now to last a lifetime?”

“I am glad you asked, Princess. You see, the excess cider is being shipped all around Equestria, and revenue is pouring in to Flim Flam Fields. It is only logical to assume that the revenue will be returned to Ponyville and the surrounding areas in wages, and local prosperity will be at a high never before seen worldwide.”

The Princess gazed out the window for a few minutes, quietly eating a muffin and mulling over the news Quill brought. Quill sat patiently as he thought out the next part of his report. At last the Princess turned to Quill and said, “It has reached my attention that all sorts of local farmers are being put out of business by Flim and Flam. Perhaps you can fully inform me of the situation?”

Quill nodded. “Yes Princess, it is true. Flim and Flam have extended Flim Flam Fields to cover most of the area surrounding Ponyville, and anypony not willing to work for Flim and Flam on their terms has been put out of work. However, since the country ponies now have no place to live or work, they have come to the cities and towns around Ponyville looking for occupation. In order to obtain a decent job in town, these ponies must get educated, and education opens up many doors for these country ponies to improve their quality of life and take a share of the wealth flooding in from Flim Flam Fields.”

“Surely the demand for cider must run out at some time?” the Princess asked.

“Yes, you are right. Flim and Flam, shrewd business ponies that they are, have foreseen this outcome, and have experimented with machines to perform tasks other than cider making. For example, machines to harvest crops from the orchards, machines to manufacture baked goods, machines to sew clothing...the possibilities extend as far as there are unicorns willing to provide power.” Quill looked pointedly at the Princess and continued in a different tone of voice. “And, according to the latest census, there are plenty of unicorns in Equestria.” It was the closest Quill had ever come to making a joke, and the Princess rewarded it with a dignified smile.

“How many unicorns does it take to power one of the large machines for an entire work day?” She asked.

“I interviewed Flam himself, the more talkative one, and---”

Celestia interjected, with all the dignity of a goddess, “Er, pardon me, Mr. Books, but which one is Flam?”

Quill smiled. “The one without a mustache.”

Celestia nodded and gestured for Quill to continue.

“Anyway, I interviewed Flam, and he told me that each workday is 14 hours long, with two 7 hour shifts. Each shift is manned by 5 unicorns, overseen by a floor manager. The unicorns get one hour long break during their shift, one at a time. What is truly remarkable is that these 10 ponies in one day can do the equivalent of about 400 pony hours of hoof work.”

“That simply cannot be true.” Celestia contested. Such a figure must surely be an exaggeration.

“It is true. Think of it this way. It takes a regular seamstress about a whole day to make a dress of middling quality. However, these five unicorns, using magic to power an assembly line that breaks the task into several sets of separate mini-tasks, can produce around 400 dresses of comparable quality. This new idea of ‘division of labor’ is truly revolutionary. An entire dress business, nay, corporation, could be kept alive and thriving by 10 unicorns a day with a machine.” Quill beamed at the potential these machines possessed.

Celestia was thinking a few steps ahead, and asked “If 10 unicorns could put 400 dress makers out of business, where would all those jobs go? They would be put out of work!”

Quill thought for a moment. He had not come to this conclusion yet, and it caught him broadside. “Welllllll....” he began, “I suppose they themselves could get factory work with these machines, or perhaps they could work on the farms that supply the raw materials. Although I believe that there would still be an excess of unused labor...I need to think further on that point, Princess, but you must admit, with all due respect of course, that these machines mean big things for Equestria!”

“Yes, they do. I myself must think further on the topics you have raised, so if you would be so kind, I believe I will take my leave.” This was diplomatic nonsense. It was Celestia’s castle; Quill was the only one with leave-taking to do. However, the Princess put into polite terms that the meeting was over and Quill could leave now. Quill took the hint, and exited, his bag of documents un-opened.

After he had left, and the door to the solar was shut, the immortal alicorn looked out her window, no longer at the glorious orb that she was responsible for raising every day, but downwards, towards her subjects in the far off cities they had built. She was pleased at the wealth these new machines promised to garner, but there were undercurrents of unease in her heart. Foremost, what about all the job loss? What would all these unemployed ponies do to survive?

And perhaps most troubling was the root of the whole matter itself. Or rather, themselves. Flim and Flam. Flam and Flim. The Princess rolled their names around in her head. She had no delusions that the majority of the wealth made from the machines was not going to get redistributed back into Ponyville. She was more than a little unsettled at the idea of Flim Flam Fields becoming the single most powerful economic entity in the realm. The power they would hold over the ponies of Equestria encroached just a little too much on her own jurisdiction. However, the benefits of their system could not be denied, and she would have to let things play out and see what could be done at the time that things had to be done. As a being that had lived for millennia, waiting was one thing Celestia was good at.

The sun continued to climb effortlessly into the sky, turned by the magic of the most powerful pony in all the world, heedless of the conflicts that gnawed at the heart of the ruler of Equestria.

Chapter 5: Looking for Work in all the Wrong Places

Chapter 5: Looking for Work in all the Wrong Places

Rarity lay prostrated on Twilight’s sofa, her meticulously styled purple mane a ruin from her lamentations. She was presently bawling her eyes out and kicking her rear hooves. One can imagine the surprise Twilight Sparkle felt when she opened the door to her home to find a distraught diva in her living room. Twilight let the books she had been carrying home drop to the floor (gently of course) and hurried over to her friend.

“Why, Rarity, what’s the matter? Are you hurt? What’s wrong?” Twilight looked her friend all over but could find no physical injury.

“Its...the..worst...possible...thing...ever!” Rarity gasped out between sobs. She rolled to her side and faced Twilight, her eyes teary and overflowing. “I have lost my shop Twilight! Everything I have every worked for! My occupation, my very existence! All gone!” She flung her head back again and wailed.

“But...what happened? How did you lose Carousel Boutique?” When all Twilight received in answer was sobs, she decided she had better wait out the storm before expecting any coherent answers.

Once Rarity was sufficiently calmed down, her white body only occasionally heaving in post-sob gasps, Twilight asked her question again.

“Well, what else, Twilight? Those Flim Flams! Their dastardly machine can sew dresses now, and I simply cannot keep up! Everypony in this whole town has decided that quick, crass and shabby is the way of the future, and not a single one of my elegant, hoof-made dresses has been sold in ages!”

“But Rarity, what about all your high end clients? What about the rock stars and the fashionistas? Won’t they want beautiful, hoof-made clothing?”

Rarity glowered at a wall in the library, not meeting Twilight’s gaze.

“You think that nasty machine can’t make pretty dresses too? I tell you Twilight, I thought it was simply dreadful when Applejack lost her job, but now things are a hundred times worse!”

“Well, couldn’t you get a job in the factory? Surely your magic and talents with sewing could be put to good use?”

“HAH!” Rarity scoffed. “Me? Work in a factory? With the common riffraff? Not likely, dear. No, I fear I must move somewhere sophisticated, like Canterlot, where the ponies still appreciate finery that isn’t produced by some dirty, greasy old machine!”

“Oh, no, Rarity, not you too! You can’t move away!” Twilight grabbed Rarity’s hoof in her own, terribly distressed that another of her best friends would move away.

“Well, what can I do, Twilight? I have no work here! And it is not as Canterlot is so far away...we go there all the time on day trips!”

“Well, I guess you have a point...But will you promise to come back if you can get work here?”

Rarity looked Twilight in the eyes and replied in a sardonic voice, “Hun, the only way I will get work back around here is if those Flim Flams pack up their filthy machines and put Ponyville to their backs.”

Rarity, having composed herself enough to to consider being seen in public, thanked Twilight Sparkle for her hospitality (forgetting that it was not voluntary) and bid her farewell. For a long time after Rarity left, Twilight sat thinking about the last thing Rarity said to her before she left. Twilight sat until Rarity’s tears were dried on the couch, and the sun was almost done. At that point, Spike returned home from the errand he had been running for Twilight, and she shook herself out of her reverie to talk with him.

Fluttershy was flying slowly and at a low altitude over Ponyville. She was enjoying the evening air, and with not a cloud in the sky, the coming sunset was simply gorgeous. She was so distracted admiring it, she did not see Derpy the mail pony go whizzing by in a haphazard mode of locomotion that could only loosely be described as “flying”. Flutttershy let out a squeal and dropped to the ground, taking cover instinctively until she realised it was just the stony grey pegasus with the unique eye condition.

Applejack and Rarity have both lost their jobs, but Derpy seems to be doing fine. I guess the mail services can’t be done by machine, Fluttershy thought to herself. She was still reeling a little bit from the news that Twilight had told her regarding Rarity, but she had more important business right now, business that took her to Sugarcube Corner.

Mr. and Mrs. Beaver were having a baby!

Mr. and Mrs. Beaver had been expecting for months, and the baby would be arriving soon. Fluttershy of course would be there to help deliver the beaver pup, but before her skills as a midwife were needed, she wanted to pick up a specially made cake from Pinkie Pie to celebrate the occasion. It was to be made of all sorts of plants and nutritional grains, with an organic frosting, all designed to be delicious and nutritious for the new beaver parents.

After recovering from her fright, Fluttershy walked the rest of the way to Sugarcube Corner, a little nervously. She had never heard of any robberies, beatings, or muggings in Ponyville, but that didn’t mean that tonight couldn't be the night, and Fluttershy couldn't be the obituary the next day.

It was with a great sigh of relief that Fluttershy finally stepped through the candy doors of Sugarcube Corner and into the warm light within. Despite the ever present smell of sweets and confectionery delights, Fluttershy’s sensitive empathy picked up on something...not sweet.

The answer walked (not bounced) into the room in the form of a slightly deflated Pinkie Pie. The pink party pony seemed out of herself tonight, and only brightened a little when she saw that it was Fluttershy who had opened the door.

“Oh, hey there Fluttershy. I have your cake all baked and ready for you. It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.”

‘Hey there’? Where was the exuberant greeting? ‘Fluttershy’? Where were Pinkie’s trademark on-the-spot nicknames, like ‘Flutterbutter’? ‘Pretty good’? Where was the verbose nonsensory that usually characterised Pinkie’s adjectives, like ‘splendorifical, or fantabulastic’?

Something must be wrong, Fluttershy realised.

“Pinkie, uh...are you alright?” Fluttershy asked hesitantly as she took a few cautious steps toward Pinkie.

“Oh yeah, sure. You betcha. Pinkie keen, that’s me,” Pinkie said in an attempt to be enthusiastic.

Fluttershy examined Pinkie Pie up close. Her mane and tail were still poofy and crazy, but they were both drooping sadly, like a bundle of cotton candy that had been left in the sun too long. Her eyes were not sparkling with mirth like they always were, and even the balloons on her cutie mark seemed deflated.

“Pinkie, are you sure there is nothing wrong” Fluttershy asked again.

“Well...I...” Pinkie Pie started to lie again, but it was impossible to varnish the truth when faced with Fluttershy’s trusting, friendly blue eyes. Instead Pinkie started crying, and threw herself into an embrace with Fluttershy. Fluttershy,although surprised, allowed her instincts for caring for other creatures to take over, and started calming Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy held Pinkie Pie while slowly brushing her mane, which was impervious to any attempt at organization and maintained its poofy (although significantly less poofy than normal) shape.

“There, there...shhhhh...it’s alright,” Fluttershy whispered as she gently rocked Pinkie back and forth. Once the pink pony’s sobs had subsided and turned to hiccups, Fluttershy asked her what was wrong.

“Everything is wrong, Fluttershy! First Applejack loses her job and moves away. Then Rainbow Dash leaves on some errand without telling anypony where she is going, and I am worried about her. Now Rarity is going to move away too. And to top it all off, Sugarcube Corner is going bankrupt!”

Fluttershy replied quietly, “What do you mean? Everyone loves the food the Cakes make! I bought cake a few days ago myself! You have always had plenty of business.”

“Yeah, but that was before those stinkers Flim and Flam showed up with their doodads and their wingding machines. Now they have one of those machines to bake cupcakes and cookies. Can you believe that? And they make them so cheap we have no way to compete! You are the only customer we have had in three weeks!”

“Well..surely this must be a slow time? Business will probably pick up in a few days!” Fluttershy reassured Pinkie. Pinkie Pie was not reassured. She slipped out of the slightly tear-soaked embrace and stomped over to her row of ovens. She angrily swiped a hoof across the door handle for one of the ovens, and presented it to Fluttershy for inspection.

“Do you see this? Do you know what this is? This is DUST! On my ovens! This has never happened in the entire history of Pinkie Pie! I have been so desperate to bake something that I have been baking cupcakes and eating them myself! That is, until we ran out of flour, because we don’t have any MONEY!”

Fluttershy covered her ears and cringed. “Pinkie, please, calm down, you’re shouting at me!”

Pinkie Pie stood glaring at her friend for an eternity, sides heaving with wrath. Her nostrils flared with each exhale. Finally she stopped staring at Fluttershy and really saw her, saw her friend, her gentle friend that did nothing except try to comfort her. She exhaled all her pent up rage in a heavy sigh, and slumped her shoulders. She stared dejectedly at the floor.

“Oh, Fluttershy...I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to shout at you. Could you forgive me?” Pinkie looked up, expecting to see Fluttershy already out the door, custom vegan cake in tow. Instead all Pinkie Pie saw was a wall of light yellow coat as Fluttershy pulled Pinkie in for another hug.

“Fluttershy,” Pinkie started softly, silent tears working down her muzzle, “what am I going to do?”

Fluttershy said, “Shhhh...that doesn’t matter right now.” Pinkie silently agreed, and settled in deeper into the embrace. There would be time later to figure out what to do. Now Pinkie just wanted to be here, really here, in this moment with her friend. Who knew when she might lose Fluttershy the way she lost Rarity and Applejack?

The two friends took comfort in each other’s presence, and the cake designated for Mr. and Mrs. Beaver sat on the counter cooling until it was stone cold. It didn’t matter. Beavers don’t really like cake anyway.

Mr. and Mrs. Cake eventually did lose their store and left for parts unknown looking for work. Pinkie Pie was left in the dust as Mr. and Mrs. Cake were only concerned with the well being of their family, and they could not afford to support a mere employee, even if the employee was an excellent one like Pinkie Pie.

Rather than live in the now abandoned sweet shop, Pinkie moved in with Fluttershy temporarily until they could figure out what to do. About a week had passed since the night Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie embraced in Sugarcube Corner and things were looking dire. Twilight subsisted on a salary from Princess Celestia herself as a royal student, and Fluttershy had always been able to get by on the piecemeal money she had made from veterinary work and low key babysitting jobs, but Pinkie had no income. Even charity and meals from Twilight and Fluttershy wasn’t enough, and they had too little to give as it was.

Pinkie woke up one day, sitting up and stretching blearily before standing. She had been sleeping on the worn couch in Fluttershy’s main room of her cottage. The couch was threadbare and hard from age and was working horrors on Pinkie’s spinal alignment. As she had no other option at the time, however, she was forced to grin and bear it. Unfortunately, she had been finding it a lot harder as of late to muster up any grins.

Pinkie Pie walked to the window, ignoring her stomach’s growling since she had no money to change it, and looked outside. It was about 9 o’clock in the morning and she could not drudge up any residual feelings of festivity to make the idea of facing another day seem worthwhile.

Her stomach growled again, more insistently. She started walking towards Fluttershy’s well outside to drink some water in an attempt to take the edge off her hunger, but then stopped. She could not go on like this.

Something had to be done.

Pinkie Pie decided to pay a visit to the only business that was doing well at all. Flim Flam Fields, now Flim Flam Incorporated. Pinkie summoned her courage, put on her game face, and set off to nail an interview.

Chapter 6: Shattered Rainbow, Broken Claw

Chapter 6: Shattered Rainbow, Broken Claw

A few days after the SuperStar Race...

...Pain...

...Flight...pain...

And then there was black.

A pony found herself in a grey landscape. There were no distinguishing features as far as the eye could see, but still she had a sense that something in her was missing. She looked around for a while, seeing nothing but gray, but the sense of loss and emptiness got stronger and stronger. However, whenever she tried to remember what she lost, or who she was, the world darkened to black and she heard screams in her head. So instead of thinking, she started walking.

For an eternity or two that was all there was. Walking and the grey. Walking through the grey. The grey around as she walked. After a few lifetimes a feeling aroused in her. It was fear. There was something to fear. She broke into a run, and her fear curdled to terror.

Her terror built like a crescendo, heart pounding in her chest, wind roaring in her ears, and the sense of loss and emptiness was back and she knew that what she was missing could stop the fear, could help her escape. And then her plane of existence went black and red spears, ice cold, shot through her vision and there was screaming in her ears and in her head and in her heart and she could hear herself and she was screaming and screaming and screaming---

And then she sank into the blackness and there was nothing, for a while.

The mare awoke with a start to find that she was falling. The ground was a long ways away but she could feel it, hear its thunder, and she felt fear at its immanence. All around her was blue and there were clouds, but still she fell, and she knew she was devoid of something. There was a vital piece of her that was not present.

She could not remember anything, not even what it was she had lost, and trying to remember seemed to make the ground rush upwards towards her faster, with a hungry roar. Without the piece of herself she had lost she did not know what to do.

Fly, suggested a voice.

What? the mare inquired slowly. Her mental voice was slow and viscous, her thoughts like cold syrup.

Forget what you’ve lost,
Recall what you know.
So come on, old hoss
And give us a show!

The mare had no mind for puzzles but the phrase ‘give us a show’ struck some chord deep within her. She felt her mental lethargy begin to fade, and she asked the voice, What do I do? How do I fly?

The ground was hurrying towards the mare at an alarming speed and she knew she had to do something soon. The solution was on the edge of her consciousness, but she could not quite pull it towards the forefront of her mind.

The voice replied, With your wings, of course, and then it was gone.

With my wings? Thought the mare. She felt that this was an excellent solution, and she looked back over her shoulder to examine her wings. She cried out at what she saw.

She had no wings. Where the joint of a wing would attach to her shoulders, there was only an empty black hole. The holes whistled in the wind, and she could feel the air sucking down inside them and touching her very soul. All of a sudden she realised what she had lost, what it was she was missing, and she wailed her horror to the sky and the earth.

The former was receding and cared not for her cries, but the latter was upon her and promised to bring cold oblivion to balm her pains. She saw the ground, only a second or two away, and then her screams ran out when she impacted.

The same mare snapped awake in a different existence, her body wracked with pain and her heart cold with terror. Her adrenalin was still pumping from her fall. She appeared to be laying on something soft on a floor somewhere and her body was covered in a rough blanket.

“Back amongst the living, I see,” said the voice.

The pegasus was startled and looked around for the source of the voice. Turning her head made her incredibly nauseous, however, and her vision swam and threatened to black out.

“You sit still now. You no need to be killing yourself after you finally decide to live,” the voice said.

“Who...where...” the mare tried to speak, but her voice was thick and hoarse and every word was a symphony of agony.

“Shut up. You no need to be talking right now. You have need to be sleeping,” the voice was hard, and the mare was desperate to know who or what it was. Or who she was, or how she got here, or the answer to any number of the questions she had. Instead, she asked the most important one, with a Herculean effort.

“Please...water? Thirsty...” she closed her eyes with the exertion of speaking.

“No. You will only be hurling it back up. You eat and drink after you sleep more.”

The infirm pegasus had no choice, as she was already sliding deeper and deeper into sleep. She gave in and let sleep dull her hurts for a while.

The mare awoke after her sleep, and her internal clock told her it was early evening. She felt very rested but still wanted answers to her questions, not to mention the fact that her thirst was by now nearly unbearable. She tried to turn her head, but abandoned that as a futile exercise. She wondered how she would be able to get the attention of the mysterious voice she had been hearing.

She was saved a search when she heard the voice speak over her head and behind her. “You are awake again. Good. You are going to be living.”

The mare struggled to form words to speak, but the voice interrupted. “No speaking. You must drink this. Will help the pain. Then you can speak.”

A cup was pressed to her lips, the touch efficient and firm, no traces of coddling or softness. She drank a sip of the sweet liquid, and then tried to gulp more. The cup was pulled away from her lips and the voice said “No. You drink slow, or you will be vomiting.” She nodded, and the cup was slowly replaced to her lips. She called up all the discipline she had known in her life before this one, and forced herself to slowly drink the whole cup.

After a few minutes, the pain in her body faded a bit, and she relaxed. She tried to speak again. “Where...am...I? What...happened?”

The voice laughed. The sound of it was throaty and deep, but without a lot of mirth. “What has happened is you lost a race, little filly. You took a tumble, and I brought you here.”

The mare tried to remember, but it was too grey and fuzzy, and the vague shapes she could recall to memory made her want to scream in fear. Instead she continued asking questions.

“Where...” she began, and then cleared her throat. “Where is ‘here’?”

She heard movement behind her, and she saw a figure walk towards the front of her vision. To her surprise, it was a grizzled old griffin, who was missing an eye and had a mangled front paw.

“Here is my place, little filly,” said the griffin in his rough voice, “This is the place of Broken Claw.”

The pegasus on the floor hid her surprise and said, “Tell me what happened.”

Broken Claw laughed his humorless laugh as he sat on his haunches in front of her. “You are thinking to give Broken Claw orders when you lay there on the ground? No, don’t apologize. Apologies are for weaklings. You are not weak. I will tell you what happened.”

Broken Claw told the cyan pegasus about the race she entered, and how she was unprepared for the brutality of the racers. He told her of her fall, and her crash, the reliving of which caused the pegasus to have a shaking fit as irrational terror coursed through her. The griffin seemed not to care for her discomfort, and continued, explaining how he had brought her to his home after the race was over, and rehabilitated her. “You have been sleeping for 5 days. Sometimes you were dreaming, and yesterday you were no stopping screaming. And then you were awake.”

“Why? Why did you save me?” the pony asked.

“Because I was seeing strength in you. You are fast, and strong, but not strong enough. I can make you strong. And then you will win race, and you will win money.” The griffin laughed again, and it was cold and hard. “And I was thinking, if you were not waking up, your pretty colored pelt would make a good decoration for my home.”

The mare looked at her rainbow colored mane out of the corner of her eye, and gulped. The old griffin fixed the pony with his one good eye. “Now, little rainbow pony, I am having one question for you. Are you as strong as I thought you are? Was Broken Claw having a mistake when he was bringing you to his home?”

The pegasus may have been laying bruised and broken in a complete stranger’s house after losing a race, but she was still as prideful as she had ever been. She gave her reply with fire in her eyes.

“My name is Rainbow Dash, and I am the toughest pony in Equestria!”

The old griffin threw back his head and opened his beak wide as he laughed. “Well then Rainbow Dash, I am glad I was hauling your body off that race track!”