//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Stranded // by EternalShadow54 //------------------------------// Stranded, Ch. 4- Dash woke up screaming. "GET OFF ME! GET AWAY!" "Dash, Dash, calm down." Fluttershy softly asked from the side. They were located a little distance away from the campfire, and the group gathered was not on the best of terms. "Huh, what? Fl...Fluttershy? What happened?" asked the cyan pony giving her friend the same confuzed look that was on hers. "We were hoping you could tell us, Dash. We found you bleeding out right at the edge of the jungle. We thought we had lost you, but luckily Applejack knew CPR and kept you alive until we were able to properly take care of your wounds the best we could." explained the pink haired pony. Dash was puzzled. "Soooo... you're saying that I was just found this way and nopony saw anything else? Nopony saw what happened?" "That's right." "Honestly Fluttershy, I don't know what happened... it's all kind of a blur to me now. I remember being attacked by a small brown creature." "Are you sure you didn’t run through a brier field on accident?" The pegasus looked at her friend quizzically, "You think briers could have done this? My back and legs is killing me for Celestia's sake!" "Twilight said they were self inflicted by the looks of the cuts." Dash sat stunned. "You... really think I would do this to myself?" Fluttershy immediately recognized what she had just said. "No, no, it's not that. It's just that... well, you have been know to do questionable things when you're angry or sad.... or confused." "So... you think I'm insane?" "You wouldn’t be the only one." An argument could be heard in the distance. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You didn’t split the fruit evenly!" said the orange work pony. She had a rage in her voice. "How dare you accuse me of such a thing! Why I otta..." started the pink party pony. "Ah saw you give Twilight the bigger split. What, y'all come to some sort of agreement er somethin'? Best buds now?" "Yea, what's the big idea!" said Apple Bloom. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rainbow Dash looked at her leaf bandaged legs, sat up, and turned to her friend. "Wow... how long was I out?" "About three days. Ever since you took off into the jungle, everypony has been arguing." said Fluttershy. Dash looked at the ground. "So it's my fault." She sighed heavily. "Oh no, don't take it that way Rainbow Dash. I mean, it was bound to happen sooner or later." said Fluttershy, trying to raise her friends spirits. "Yea... but I made it happen sooner." Dash seemed quite upset. "Stop talking like that. You need your rest. Go back to sleep." Dash laid back down and closed her eyes, slowly drifting back to her dreams as Fluttershy sang her a short song to help calm her nerves. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fluttershy returned to the camp area where everypony except for Twilight was asleep. Twilight turned to Fluttershy, still agitated from the earlier argument. "How is she?" asked Twilight with much irritation. "She's awake, but..." Fluttershy hesitated. "Buuuuut...?" Twilight persisted. "She feels that our arguing is her fault, and that the wounds were inflicted by some creature." "You know that the arguing IS her fault, and there is not one single other living thing on this island. We checked together, remember?" "Yea, I know, but I don't want her to think that the arguing is her fault... but I hate to lie to her." "Well... whatever you do, don't do anything to upset anypony around here. Everypony has been very territorial lately." Twilight warned. "Even the little ones?" asked Fluttershy in a slightly sadder tone. Twilight nodded. "Especially the little ones." "What should we do?" asked Fluttershy, obviously concerned. "I don't know. For now, let's sleep on it, OK?" Fluttershy acknowledged. "OK..."