The Balance of Harmony

by The Rising Tide of Night

Chapter 5: The Endless Forest

The following day dawned dim and cold.

We stood in the meeting area, dressed in our new outfits, travel packs at the ready. The group had outfitted us with enough food to travel to the middle of the forest and back without any trouble, but we still anticipated some scavenging if possible. I had hoped that Fluttershy would be able to aid us in that by communicating with the local fauna and getting a sense of some good food sources.

I turned to Cheerilee and Big Mac to bid them farewell. They stood together, apprehension on their faces as if sending a child out into the world for the first time. In a sense, that was what we were to them, and we all knew it. However, we knew that we all had a job to do, and we were going to do it. “Thanks, both of you,” I started, before Big Mac held up his hand.

“Not necessary,” he rumbled.

Cheerilee nodded as well. “We know you’re going to risk your lives for us. For that, we thank you, and wish you well.”

I smiled at them, feeling both grateful and apprehensive. We were truly about to risk our lives for them, but they were as a family to us, and we were willing to do anything for them. After one final good bye, we hoisted our packs and headed up the staircase and into the library. Applejack closed the secret door behind her, and we all headed out into the light.

The sky was cloudy, with the occasional flash of sunlight from a tiny break in the clouds, and a chill wind was whipping through the deserted town. Rainbow Dash looked up at the clouds and scowled. “Man, I wish I still had my wings. Then I could clear up that sky in no time.”

“Ten seconds?” I prodded, smiling.

Rainbow grinned. “Ten. Seconds. Flat,” she emphasized.

Fluttershy, who was walking next to her, smiled up at Rainbow. “I know you could,” she encouraged. Rainbow smiled back, blushing slightly, and we continued out of the town and to the edge of the forest. We knew from our previous explorations that the forest became dense quickly, but there were a number of animal trails that we could use to move about. We were able to locate one of the larger ones near the edge of town, and after pausing for a moment to regroup, started into the forest.

Despite it being full day outside, entering the forest itself was like walking into the evening. Shadows clung to the trees like moss, and the overhead canopy of leaves wove themselves together in an attempt to block out any possible shred of sunlight. The forest itself seemed oddly quiet, with little ambient noise that we could notice. Fluttershy seemed particularly apprehensive as we moved further and further into the forest, and she kept casting glances around into the trees as if searching for something but never finding it.

“Fluttershy, dear, whatever are you looking for?” asked Rarity.

“There’s nothing here,” she replied vaguely.

“Silly,” replied Pinkie Pie. “There’s plenty of stuff here. Just look at all the trees, and rocks, and vines, and grass, and – “

Applejack cut her off. “Ah think what she’s trying to say is there aren’t any animals. Right, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy nodded. “I can’t see any of the animals I’m used to seeing, even in the Everfree Forest.”

“Well, there goes that plan,” I grumbled.

“Cheer up, Fluttershy,” replied Rarity. “Maybe we’ll see some animals further in. Maybe they just don’t like the edge of the forest as much.”

“Maybe…” she replied. But she didn’t sound convinced.

We headed deeper into the forest, not entirely certain where to go. Cheerilee’s map gave us a general idea of where the element was thought to be held, but without a lot of identifiable landmarks and being limited to animal trails to get anywhere, it was slow going. Applejack, who held the map, consulted it often in trying to find our way anywhere near the center of the forest. After a couple of hours of wandering, we arrived at a small clearing. I motioned for everyone to stop and take a rest.

Rainbow Dash growled at me. “C’mon Twilight, we’re not gonna get anywhere if we stop all the time!”

“Rainbow, we hardly know where we are, let alone where we’re going,” I replied. “We need to pause and get our bearings before we start going in circles.”

“Fine,” she huffed, and she moved over to a nearby log and flopped down on it. She glanced over at Fluttershy, patting the spot next to her. Fluttershy smiled and slid down next to Rainbow; resting her head on Rainbow’s shoulder as Rainbow slid an arm around her. Rarity, who had been grumbling at the mud and dirt that was getting on her boots, watched this display with an expression of surprise. As Applejack and I consulted the map in order to plan our next move, and Pinkie Pie and Spike moved over to the side of the clearing to play a game of cards, Rarity tapped my shoulder and motioned with her head to the two on the log. “Twilight, dear, what’s going on there?” she asked.

I glanced over at our friends. “They’re sharing a log, Rarity,” I replied, somewhat evasively.

Rarity gave me a dirty look, and Applejack looked around at what we were talking about. Noticing the two cuddling, she shrugged, and looked back at the map. “Looks like they’re having a good time,” she commented offhandedly.

“You know exactly what I mean, Twilight,” Rarity snapped. “Don’t play ignorant with me. When did this happen, and why wasn’t I informed?”

“First of all, Rarity, I didn’t tell you or anyone else, because it was Rainbow Dash’s and Fluttershy’s secret to tell,” I replied harshly. “I promised Rainbow I wouldn’t say anything unless she wanted me to. Second, it happened at the beginning of the week, and if you hadn’t been so involved in your project, you would have noticed what was going on between those two.”

Rarity huffed at me. “Well, excuse me for trying to make our lives easier here. I didn’t see you making magical armor or anything like that this week.”

“No, because I was busy researching other things,” I snapped back, stepping closer to Rarity. “Spells that would help us survive these ordeals.”

Applejack was suddenly in between the two of us, glaring at us both. “Y’all need to knock it off,” she growled. “We’ve got enough going on without you two fighting. Rarity, is there really a problem here, or are you just feeling a little on edge because you missed out on some good gossip?”

Rarity huffed again, and nose in the air, replied, “Gossip! Heaven forbid you should suggest such a thing!” Then a small smile played across her face. “Well, maybe,” she finished, somewhat sheepishly.

The three of us looked at each other before bursting out laughing. Our laughter was interrupted by Rainbow’s indignant voice. “You know, we can hear you,” she said. For some reason, that drove us to laughing even more, until Fluttershy sat up suddenly and motioned for quiet. Our laughter died as we all took in her serious face. She appeared to be casting about, much like a dog searching for a scent. She suddenly dove behind the log she was sitting on. “Hide!” she called.

Our attention caught, we all dove into the brush, pulling our cloaks over us. I noticed as I did that everyone’s cloak shifted to blend in with the forest floor, making us appear as part of the scenery. We all sat there, waiting expectantly for what seemed like an eternity, before we heard a clacking sound, much like two boards being hit together. The sound was accompanied by a growling, and a nauseous smell started to permeate the clearing. As I watched, a form entered the clearing, following by two others. They were wolves, but they appeared to be made entirely of pieces of the forest, much like the timberwolves back home. They moved a little too smoothly, as if they were on puppet strings, and the clacking noise came from the movement of their joints. The smell we noticed appeared to be their breath, which was growing stronger now that they had reached our clearing and were sniffing around.

They appeared to be searching for something, as they all paused in the center of the clearing and started sniffing the entire area. I cringed as they approached the edge where I had seen Pinkie Pie secrete herself, but they appeared to be satisfied with what they found, as they moved on to another area. It wasn’t until I saw a flash of pink right behind one of them that I realized why they didn’t find her there – she had already leapt away, and appeared to be getting ready to strike. I tried frantically to signal her away, but my attempts were hampered by the timberwolves coming closer to my side of the clearing. I realized I was too late as soon as Pinkie pulled the trigger on her gun, blowing apart the head of the rearmost wolf. The wolf clattered to the ground in a heap of branches and twigs, and the other two rounded on her.

As I struggled to get into the clearing to help Pinkie, a flash of movement startled me, and all of a sudden, a second wolf was
being lifted into the air by Rainbow Dash, and was immediately slammed into a nearby tree at high speeds. Applejack, who had been hiding near the tree, yelped as she was peppered with flying pieces of timberwolf.

The third timberwolf proved smarter than its companions, and also proved itself to be surprisingly quick as it bounded onto Pinkie Pie, raking at her with its claws. Pinkie stumbled backwards, surprised, and the claw struck her in the chest, skidding across her armored shirt. The wolf bounded backwards away from her, dodging Rainbow’s next attack. Finally able to get a clear shot at the creature after stepping into the clearing, I raised my staff, and hesitated for a moment, unsure of using one of my new spells. In my hesitation, another shot rang out, clipping the timberwolf on the shoulder, this time from Applejack, who had pulled out her rifle and was lining up another shot as she moved closer.

The wolf spun around, noticed her aiming, and proceeded to quickly bound to the side, spoiling her shot, and taking another swipe at Pinkie as it passed. Pinkie let out a yelp of pain as the claws connected, catching her in a briefly unprotected area on her side and spinning her away onto the ground. Fluttershy, who had been cowering behind the log, suddenly stood up, and glaring at the timberwolf, advanced upon the shocked and suddenly cowering beast. “Stop that!” she yelled as she advanced. “You do not hurt my friends!”

We all stopped in astonishment as we watched her scold the timberwolf, who just cowered, whimpering. After a minute, she finished berating it, and stood there with her hands on her hips. “Now, what do you have to say for yourself?” she demanded.

The timberwolf proceeded to whimper and whine as she listened intently, expression disappointed. “I understand that you’re just doing your job, but there’s no need to be a brute about it. Now, I need to ask you something. My friends and I are searching for the element of Loyalty, and we were told it is here in the forest. Will you tell me where it is and how to get there?”

The timberwolf looked around at us, and nodded vigorously, wooden joints clacking. It proceeded to speak to Fluttershy, growling and whining in turn. She listened, satisfied as the timberwolf apparently told her what we needed to know, until she suddenly cut it off. “Wait – what was that?” she demanded. “Where is it kept?”

The timberwolf repeated what it had just said. Fluttershy just stared at it after it had finished speaking. “Well, Fluttershy?” I prodded. “What did it say?”

She looked over at me, troubled. “It said they keep it by the mirror pool.”

Pinkie Pie, who had been sitting with Rarity while she checked her over, looked up in surprise. “The mirror pool? I remember how to get there!”

I moved over to her, and she winced as Rarity prodded her side once more. “It should be fine, Pinkie dear,” Rarity pronounced. “Just a light scratch.” She inspected Pinkie’s shirt, noting the scratches running across it. “Hmm, I may need to make some adjustments to the design. It appears that their claws are sharper than I anticipated.”

“Pinkie, are you sure you can take us there?” I asked.

She nodded vigorously. “Yep, I remember the directions just fine!”

Rainbow Dash, who had been looming over the cowed timberwolf, piped up. “So what should we do with this one?”

Applejack looked down at it. “Let’s just take it out. One less timberwolf to worry about.”

The wolf scrabbled to its feet, looking worried. Fluttershy, however, shook her head. “It told us all we need to know. We can let it go and it won’t hurt us anymore. Right?” she finished, glaring down at the wolf, which shrank back, nodding emphatically. Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked disappointed. “Fine,” Rainbow Dash sighed. “But if I see it again, I’m taking it out.”

The wolf looked up at her in fear, and took off into the woods. As the clattering of its joints disappeared into the forest, we all stood and regrouped. I motioned to Pinkie Pie to lead the way, and we headed off into the forest. As we headed deeper into the woods, we did our best to skirt around anymore packs of timberwolves. Fluttershy’s sense of the forest helped us out greatly during our journey, allowing us to alter our course to go by any packs that might have been in our way. All the while, Fluttershy continued to search for any local fauna, but was unable to find so much as a bird or a mouse in these woods. I could tell that this was troubling her greatly, and I found it odd myself.

We finally arrived at what Pinkie Pie said was the entrance to the mirror pool. It turned out to be a large cave opening in the ground, leading deep under the forest. We all looked around carefully, expecting a horde of timberwolves guarding the entrance, but none were to be seen. Applejack looked suspicious. “Ah don’t like this, Twilight,” she muttered. “It’s too quiet.”

“You’re right, AJ,” I replied, searching for anything out of the ordinary. “Fluttershy? Do you sense anything?”

She shook her head, and moved closer to Rainbow Dash. “No, Twilight, I can’t feel anything near us. There’s definitely something down there, though.” She pointed into the cave, trembling slightly.

Rainbow Dash slipped an arm around her, and said, “Don’t worry about some silly old cave. We’re right here with you. We’ll be in and out of that cave in no time.”

Fluttershy leaned in close and kissed her on the cheek. “I know I’ll be safe with you around.”

Rainbow blushed. Applejack smiled at them, and said, “Ok, you two, break it up. We’ll get you a room later.” Both Fluttershy and Rainbow were blushing furiously now as Spike was making mock gagging noises.

I smiled slightly, then turned to look back at the cave. The others followed my gaze, and grew silent. I still couldn’t see anything untoward, so I made the decision and started forward into the cave. The others were caught off guard for a minute, but followed in short order.

As we made our way down into the darkness of the cave, we moved slowly in order to allow our eyes to adjust to the light. It was dank and cold in the cave, and we could hear the occasional drip of water echoing from below. The floor was growing slippery, and more than once one of us slipped, either tumbling into someone else or clipping the cave wall. Eventually, we all made it down the bottom of the slope, which ended at a natural landing overlooking a large, shimmering pool that lit up the entire cavern with a pale green light. It was a beautiful sight, made ugly by the current occupants of the cavern.

Timberwolves were everywhere. They were lounging around the banks of the pool, roving up and down the cavern, coming in an out from various openings around the cavern wall, and even coming out of the pool itself. I watched in amazement as two timberwolves dove into the pool, and suddenly four came out. Pinkie Pie looked incensed as she watched the timberwolves duplicate themselves. “Those jerks!” she growled. “They shouldn’t be using the mirror pool like this!”

“We’ve gotta put a stop to this!” Rainbow Dash said. “If we don’t stop them, they’ll be able to overwhelm the town!”

“No kidding,” replied Spike, watching in awe. He was kneeling near the edge of the landing, looking out at the pack, when he suddenly pointed near the back of the cavern. “Look over there! I bet that’s the leader!”

Our eyes followed to where he was indicating, resting on a large timberwolf who appeared to be resting on an elevated part of the cavern, almost like a throne. He was bigger than any of the others, and as he watched the pack, his glowing eyes gave off a certain level of intelligence that I had never seen before in a timberwolf.

Suddenly, there was a cracking sound, and the rock that Spike had been leaning on gave way. He lost his balance, fell with a cry, and started rolling down the rocky slope towards the pool. “Spike!” Rarity cried, reaching out for him fruitlessly. We all watched in horror as he fell down the slope, landing at the bottom with a loud thud that attracted the attention of every timberwolf in the cavern. Groaning, he pushed himself up, only to find himself face to face with a timberwolf.

“Gyaah!” he cried, pushing himself backwards until he was against the slope. The timberwolves slowly advanced on him, the leader watching them curiously as they penned him against the rocky wall.

“Oh no, you don’t,” muttered Applejack as she unslung her rifle. Taking quick aim, she let loose three shots, taking down two of the timberwolves and clipping a third. This drew the attention of the cavern, including the leader. Growls began issuing from the timberwolves, a low bass noise that reverberated around the cavern.

Amidst the echoing growls, a deep, raspy voice issued from the leader. We listened in astonishment as it spoke to us, saying, “Why have you come to our home, little humans?”

I drew myself up, and announced, “We are here for the element of Harmony that you hold. We were told by one of your pack that it was down here.”

The large timberwolf got to its feet, joints clacking loudly as it moved. It looked around at the pack, all of whom were looking to it for direction. Resting its gaze on one that stood near the back, it nodded once and turned back to us. “Yes, my packmate told me about you. Little humans who are searching for us and for the element that the being known as Discord gave us.”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash glared at Fluttershy, who shrunk back slightly. “I knew we should have taken that one out,” muttered Rainbow Dash.

“Who are you?” I asked. “I’ve never heard of a timberwolf that could talk.”

The timberwolf looked up at me, disdain clear in its eyes. “I am the Alpha. Therefore I am endowed with the intelligence to lead my pack. You would not understand.”

“I don’t suppose it would be too much to ask for you to give us the element?” asked Rarity. Alpha turned its eyes on her in silence and growled. “I suppose that’s a no,” she replied.

“Discord gave us the element, as he was aware that little humans would wander into our nest looking for it. He knew we would enjoy the meals that would arrive.” Alpha stretched its wooden face in a grin. We heard a clacking noise behind us, and turned as one to see a group of timberwolves approaching us from behind. A cry from below alerted us to Spike’s predicament as well.

Making a snap decision, I gave my friends orders. “AJ, Rarity, you two hold here and take care of this group. Rainbow Dash, can you head down and help Spike? Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, you come with me. We’re going after the element.”

Rainbow Dash threw me a quick salute and was gone in a blur of motion. She sped down the hill that Spike had fallen, crashing into the timberwolves that were about to pounce, using her newfound strength to break them apart. She was able to shatter three of them before the rest were able to bound away in a clatter of wood.

Applejack and Rarity stood firm at the cave landing. Rarity had pulled out a couple of handguns, and was taking careful aim at the timberwolves, picking them off one by one. Applejack was holding her rifle and doing the same, preventing the timbewolves from surrounding them.

I was rushing down the slope, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy bounding down gracefully behind me. A group of timberwolves appeared in front of us, but I was able to cast a fire spell at them, setting one alight and scattering the others. We rushed through the opening I had made, and turned towards where Alpha was standing and watching. It appeared unconcerned as we approached, and another group of timberwolves appeared between us. Suddenly, I saw a flash of pink, and Pinkie Pie appeared behind them, gun at the ready. A couple of shots, taking out one of the timberwolves, and she vanished once more, appearing behind another. She was able to take out three more wolves before Alpha suddenly stepped forward and swiped a paw at the air behind one of the remaining wolves. I was astonished as I heard the thud of its paw connecting with solid flesh, and Pinkie, who had just appeared, was flung to the ground, groaning.

I had just enough time to glance at her to see that she was merely dazed and not injured before a cry from behind caught my attention. I looked over to where Rainbow Dash and Spike were fending off timberwolves. The problem they were having was that as soon as they took one down, another would pull itself out of the mirror pool and join the fray. As I watched, Rainbow Dash was knocked down by a timberwolf, and two more pounced on her. I was already in the process of casting a spell to save her when I saw that Spike had leapt onto one of the wolves in fury, and was proceeding to attack it.

As Spike dug into the wolf’s back, I saw that he was starting to gouge out deep marks in the timberwolf, knocking big chunks out of it. He made quick work of it after that, tearing it to pieces before starting on the second one. I noticed that his arms were getting longer, and his hands were tipped with wicked-looking claws that carved through the wooden limbs of the timberwolves. He reached down for Rainbow Dash after taking out the second one, and as he helped her up, I saw that he had somehow gotten taller than her. His face and skin had taken on a purple sheen, much like his scales had been back home, and his hair was spiking upwards, forming a crest. He turned towards another wolf and proceeded to cut it down with a blast of fire from his mouth.

My astonishment at Spike’s transformation was short-lived as a scream brought my back to my current situation. Alpha was slowly approaching Fluttershy, who had pulled out a handgun and was firing blindly at it, shots clipping its wooden form. Pinkie Pie was still on the ground, the other nearby timberwolves converging on her prone form. I grabbed one of them with my magic and flung it into the other, shattering it, followed by launching a round of fire bolts at the rest. They fell back, growling, and I rushed over to Fluttershy, who was still pulling the trigger on her now-empty gun.

As Alpha raised its paw to strike at her, I jumped in front of her and threw up a magical shield. Alpha’s claws raked across the shield, sparks flying, and it drew back slightly, an irritated look in its face. It looked up slightly, focusing behind me, and I chanced a glance backwards just as I heard Applejack’s voice yell, “Twilight! Behind you!”

I was unable to stop the timberwolf as it slammed into me, pushing me to the ground and causing me to drop my staff. My shield disintegrated, and Alpha smirked toothily. I felt the timberwolf’s claws attempt to dig into my chest, but Rarity’s armored outfit stopped it, for at least a short time. I saw the claws shred through my shirt before I was able to heave the timberwolf away from me and push myself up.

Alpha glanced at me and nodded slightly. “My packmate told me that our claws were not quite sharp enough to pierce your armor. Perhaps I should test that theory.” With that it quickly bounded over to Fluttershy, knocking her down and raised its paw, sharp claws at the ready.

Suddenly the timberwolves that had been surrounding Spike and Rainbow Dash exploded into the air, and Rainbow sped through them in a flash of speed. Letting out a primal scream, she launched herself at it, and slammed her feet into the side of its face, flipping backwards to the ground. Alpha let out a roar, reeling, and swiped its paw at Rainbow, who dodged to the side and grabbed the paw as it went by. She yanked suddenly, pulling Alpha off balance, and kicked upwards, shattering the foreleg she was holding.

Alpha roared in both pain and fury, and attempted to swipe its remaining forepaw at Rainbow. Rainbow ducked under the swipe and moved in close, slamming her fist into Alpha’s chest, causing the wood to crack under the force of the blow. Alpha used the momentum from her strike to leap over her, and kicked out with its hind legs, catching her in the back and flinging her forward. Rainbow turned her momentum into a forward roll, and was able to get back to her feet almost immediately, skidding to a halt. She pushed herself forward towards Alpha’s hind legs and grabbed one, swinging herself around, tearing it off with her momentum.

Alpha immediately went down, off balance. Rainbow Dash flung away the wooden limb and using her enhanced strength, lifted Alpha into the air, and flung it as hard as she could at the cave wall. Alpha hit the wall hard, cracking it deep, and shattering into pieces. Immediately, all of the timberwolves in the cavern turned as one, looking towards the remains of their leader, bowing their heads. Rainbow Dash stood there, panting, staring at the remains of her opponent. Fluttershy stood up and threw herself at Rainbow, wrapping her arms around her and giving her a big kiss. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash! You saved my life!”

Rainbow hugged her back. “C’mon, Fluttershy, you gotta be a little more self-sufficient here. I can’t always be there to save you.”

I smiled up at them, getting to my feet, and moving over to help Pinkie Pie up. She was rubbing her head where she had hit it after being knocked down, but seemed otherwise ok. As I pulled her up, I noticed a glint in the remains of Alpha, and looked over at it. “Rainbow, look!” I called. “It’s the element!”

Rainbow Dash looked over at it, and disengaged herself from Fluttershy to go investigate. She poked through the pile of wood scraps before emerging victoriously holding a shining stone with a lightning bolt-shaped crystal in it. “We got it!” she crowed. “Catch, Twilight!” She tossed the stone to me, and started down towards us. As she took her first few steps, a rock suddenly landed on the ground next to her with a loud crack!, followed by a handful of others nearby, some splashing into the pool, some landing on timberwolves. We all looked up to see a large crack forming in the ceiling, the large stalactites above us shaking as the crack grew wider and wider.

“Twilight!” yelled Spike. “We gotta get out of here!” I noticed that he had shrunk back to his regular size, and he was weaving through the cowering timberwolves to the slope leading to the exit. The four of us started towards where Applejack and Rarity were waiting, when Rarity screamed, pointing upwards. I looked up to see that a gigantic stalactite had broken free, and was now heading straight for us. I raised my staff, putting all of my concentration into my spell, and grabbed the stalactite with my magic, halting its descent.

“Come on!” I grunted. “I can’t hold this long!” I moved as fast as I dared, following behind Pinkie Pie, stones falling all around us. Hearing another scream, I stopped, and looked behind me, afraid at what I was going to see.

Rainbow Dash was still on the other side of the pool, standing near Fluttershy, who was screaming in terror. As I focused through my concentration on my spell, I could see that a large chunk of wood was protruding from Rainbow Dash’s midsection. The wood was the claw from one of the limbs that Rainbow had ripped off of Alpha, which was now attached to another timberwolf. As I watched, the remains of Alpha were glowing and zipping towards the timberwolf, melding themselves with the wolf’s current form, turning into another Alpha.

Alpha’s voice issued from the new timberwolf’s mouth. “I cannot die. A new Alpha appears whenever the old one is no more.” Alpha’s eyes turned on Rainbow Dash, who was still impaled on its claw. “I thought my claw would be sharp enough to pierce your armor.”

“Rainbow!” I screamed, the strain of holding up the ceiling of the cavern weighing heavily on me. I could see spots forming in front of my eyes as I fought against the strain of the spell.

Rainbow Dash coughed, blood flying from her mouth. She looked lost for a moment, then with a look of determination, grabbed hard onto the claw protruding from her abdomen and held on tight. “Go!” she called, blood dribbling down her chin, her voice raw with pain. “Get out of here! I’ll hold him!”

Alpha tried to withdraw its claw, but Rainbow Dash’s strength was too much for it. It tried to lift her into the air, but was unable to. Fluttershy rushed over to her, and tried to grab her arm and pull her away. “Rainbow! You have to come with us!”

“Fluttershy, you’ve gotta get out of here. The ceiling’s gonna come down!”

Tears streaming down her face, Fluttershy shook her head. “I can’t leave you! I just – We just…” She trailed off, wailing, and pulling on Rainbow’s arm.

Grimacing from the pain of both Alpha and Fluttershy pulling on her, Rainbow Dash shook her off. “Go, Fluttershy. I know.” Tears began to well up in her eyes. “I love you. But I can’t let you die here.” She snaked her head forward, kissed Fluttershy on her lips, and shoved her away from her with her foot, sending her bouncing towards me. Rainbow Dash caught my eyes, and smiled at me sadly, as if to say I’m sorry.

I shook my head, pain building from my spell. “We need to go now! I can’t hold it much longer!” I ran as fast as I could towards the exit, hearing Fluttershy running behind me, crying. I let go of my spell as soon as we passed into the tunnel leading to the surface, and turned back just in time to see Rainbow Dash still struggling with Alpha before the ceiling of the cave crashed down, blocking the tunnel. Fluttershy, still crying, flung herself at the newly formed debris wall, and began scrabbling at the stones, trying to dig her way back into the cavern.

Applejack grabbed her and pulled her back, kicking and screaming, reaching for the wall. “Fluttershy, stop! It’s too late! There’s nothing we can do now!”

Fluttershy struggled against her solid grip. “No! I have to get to her! I need to save her!”

Rarity came up and slapped her face. Fluttershy immediately stopped, looking up at Rarity in shock. Rarity spoke firmly, saying, “I know you’re upset. We all are. But we need to get out of here, or Rainbow’s sacrifice will be in vain.” Tears were streaming down Rarity’s face as she spoke. “Fluttershy, we need your help to get out of here safely. You need to guide us around any other timberwolves still in the forest. We will have plenty of time to grieve once we get back to town.” Putting her arm around Fluttershy, she hugged her and Applejack close, then steered the two of them up the slope towards the cave exit, the rest of us following suit.

Comments

[DX-1118 C]

I would have assumed that instead if dying, all if the bearers would be sent back home hence why twilight said I lost all my friends instead of the heroes fell.
But rainbow dying ripped that thought to shreads, and make me suddenly wish somebody dies in a gorey fashion...
Does than make me evil?
Certainly.