How the Tables Turn

“This time they’ve gone too far.”

Ashes stood in front of Rainbow next to the bathtub, gauze wrapped around her hoof. She dipped it in the water and continued dabbing at Rainbow’s wing, causing her to wince, but cleaning away the blood.

“Ashes? Can I ask you again why we don’t just dip my wing in the water?”

“They pulled your blood feathers. Blood feathers are still connected to blood vessels, both incoming and outgoing. If your wing goes underwater, you’ll get too much water in your bloodstream.”

“Makes sense.” Rainbow was still dancing along the line between consciousness and unconsciousness, a line that was thinning at an alarming rate.

“Okay, this will have to do. Let’s bandage this up. I’m sorry, Rainbow, but this is the best I can do. I don’t have anything to stop the pain, so you’ll just have to tough it until it heals.” Ashes slipped the blood-stained gauze off of her hoof, picking up the roll and proceeding to wrap Rainbow’s entire right wing in gauze.

“That’s okay. You did what you could.” Rainbow was still shaking from the pain.

After about three minutes, Ashes was satisfied with the multiple layers of gauze covering Rainbow’s still-severely-bleeding wing.

“Okay. Just get to bed and we’ll-“ Ashes’ thoughts were cut off as Rainbow tilted forward and collapsed onto the floor. “-or go to sleep. Whatever works for you, I guess.” She hoisted Rainbow onto her back, with some help from Phoenix, and was off to Rainbow’s bedroom. Once Rainbow was securely tucked in, she returned to the bathroom and began draining the bathtub. Phoenix approached her from the doorway.

“I’m sorry that had to happen. If I had told the guard to buzz off, they probably would’ve done worse.”

“That’s fine. Just make sure you’re here when she wakes up.”

“Where did you learn so much about pegasus anatomy?”

“Actually…” Ashes bit her lip as she gathered her thoughts. “I don’t know if I’ve told you this, but I was born a pegasus.”

“Well, I know that much. First of all, yes, you’ve told me, and second of all, even if you hadn’t, you think the scars where your wings would’ve been weren’t evidence enough? But, even still. You never had to care for your wings, because you haven’t had them. How did you know all that?”

Ashes was about to answer when Cloud Kicker strode into the bathroom, interrupting their conversation. “Sorry to butt in, but is she going to be okay?”

“It’s too early to tell. She’s lost a lot of blood, and the bleeding hasn’t stopped yet. I’ve bandaged her wing. You can check on her if you want. She’s unconscious right now. I don’t know how much she’ll remember when she wakes up.”

Kicker immediately turned and strode out of the bathroom, no doubt checking on her friend.

“I knew all that because my mom and dad taught me. My parents were both pegasi, and they weren’t from the Underground. Come to think of it, I think they were among the first few to be captured. But, they had lived their lives on the Surface. They had lived typical Surface lives until they were captured, and their lives included having wings. When I was little, they rallied around me and taught me everything they could about the Surface, and everything they could about my roots, which included pegasus anatomy.”

The entire time Ashes spoke, Phoenix seemed to zone out, staring at the ground morosely. Ashes took notice of this, suddenly realizing what she had done wrong.

“Phoenix… I’m sorry, that was dull of me, I-“

“No, I asked and you answered. It’s okay. It’s not your fault anyway.”

“Phoenix-“ Ashes placed a hoof on his shoulder. “-I want you to know that you do have a family, whether you realize it or not. We’re all a family here. We’re bound by mutual suffering, and it’s a bond that will never cease to exist. While it may not be the best reason to call ourselves a family, it’s who we are.

“We are a brotherhood. A Brotherhood of Suffering.”

Phoenix rolled his eyes. “Come up with that clever name yourself?”

“Yes. And I think… I think it’s what I’ll call us Underground ponies when we rebel. I mean, think about it. We are used to pain. We no longer have the capacity for fear. We’re cold-hearted and mean-spirited. Because of all the things that have been done to us, we are all stronger than we realize. Our suffering is what draws us together, and it’s what makes us strong.

“So what better name is there for a group of ponies, drawn together for a mutual cause, and made strong by not knowing luxury?”

Phoenix smiled. He played the words across his lips. “The Brotherhood of Suffering.”