//------------------------------//
// Weltschmerz 
// Story: Solace 
// by Amit 
//------------------------------//

	Rainbow Dash pushed herself to the side.

It took a few minutes before she could repeat the movement without screaming. She didn't want to wake Pinkie, who was sleeping on the chair besides her.

It took her about half an hour to get off the bed; she made sure to make her blankets catch at a particular loose nail in the wall as she fell off the bed. It hurt, but everything hurt.

She wiggled her body so she could move over. The blankets kept her on the right path. It took a few hours before she was at the nearest window, which was about two metres away from the bed. She brought her head up so she could see the rising sun.

She caught her breath for a while, and looked as the sun rose. She didn't know how much time she spent there. She slid the hoof that she had put up on the wall up onto the windowsill and tried to push herself up.

“Da—Dashie?”

“Pinkie.” The voice was especially tired. “Morning.”

“What're you doing?” She ran over, and Dash felt Pinkie's warm hooves under her wings. They had not flapped in a while.

“I want to fly again.”

She did not tug at her as she held her. “You know you can't.”

“Would the old Pinkie Pie ever say something like that?”

They were both quiet for a bit.

“No.”

“You Pinkie promised, remember?”

She was quiet.

“I'm gonna fly, Pinkie. With or without your help. No matter what.”

A moment passed.

“With.”

Rainbow laughed. “That sure was quick.”

Pinkie Pie gently pulled her back to the bed and pulled her blankets back over her. “I'll be right back.”

By Dash's estimate, it was around two hours before Pinkie had come back, carrying a peculiar contraption in her hooves.

“What's that thing?”

“I got Twilight to make you some wings!”

“Twilight? That egghead wouldn't know the first thing about flying. Those don't even look like they'll flap.”

Pinkie giggled. “They're magic, silly.”

“Sounds like a bunch of—” Rainbow paused to cough for a little bit. “Sounds like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo to me.”

“Come on, try 'em.” Pinkie Pie walked up to her, gently putting her on her front as she strapped the second pair of wings onto Rainbow's back.

And then everything seemed to change. She felt that feeling that she felt when she first flapped her wings and took flight; and she lifted herself off the bed, the sheets coming off of her. She looked down at Pinkie Pie, and she grinned almost from ear to ear.

“They work! It worked!”

Pinkie smiled, her eyes acting up a little. “I told you they were magic.”

Dash did a turn, and gently pushed herself out the window; she soared high as she could, and she didn't feel the cold. She went to a nearby cloud and sat on it and laughed as she felt its softness against her rump.

She felt as if she could go on forever.

Pinkie Pie watched her shift about happily under her blankets.

Twilight's magic worked.

She smiled, her eyes acting up a little.