//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: The Sound of Silence // by dog0food //------------------------------// A/N: So, for those of you that started reading this originally, I had been posting my first drafts on here. But then, for various reasons (my later chapters being ridiculously longer than my earlier chapters, a few transitions that would be smoother if I added a paragraph in an earlier chapter, etc, etc) I decided to revamp all the chapters I had already written, then go through and write a detailed outline on my future chapters. And what I ended up with was enough of a difference from what I originally had that I really just had to delete the two chapters I had put up here and repost with the edited versions. I mean, it was only two chapters. Besides, my first chapter merges the first two, so really not much has changed (although there are some differences from the original, so feel free to reread or skim to find what you missed). Also, someone mentioned the summary being vague/confusing, and when I went back to reread it I kind of had to agree. Normally I prefer being vague because I hate giving spoilers away (also I'm used to being forced into 140 or less characters with descriptions), but since I went back and edited my chapters, certain things pick up pace quicker, so I felt better about giving a more detailed summary. Although I'm horrendous at summaries, so really the edited version isn't much better. ANYWAY. Enough rambling about nothing. Here is my revised story, enjoy it and whatnot. Chapter One – For Whom the Bell Tolls It was quiet. No, not quiet. Silent. The moon rose high in the sky, shining its silvery light down upon the dark streets of Ponyville. A cyan blur of every color in the rainbow whizzed by, making sure to not disturb the sleeping ponies in bed. There was a trail of hole-filled clouds where the blur had just been – the only evidence of its existence. And finally, nestled into a cloud floating directly in front of the moon’s light, the pegasus pony found its home. This is what she liked most about Ponyville, the pegasus mused. At night, on those restless evenings when sleep was useless and her wings beat fervently, she could fly at top speeds through the sky. So fast that everything became a blur of night and the only sound was the silence. Now she stood on the cloud and peered down at her home below her. She could see everything from up here. It was peaceful, dark, and quiet. Although it wouldn’t be this way forever. The pegasus pony sighed. It was nearing four in the morning. She had been flying for the past three hours. In that time, she’d accomplished a stunt that she’d been attempting for ages. She was excited to show Applejack in the morning who, as an athlete such as herself, could appreciate the endurance and agility needed in order to pull off such an awesome move. But it wasn’t just the freedom to fly and not worry about crashing that made the night so appealing. Rainbow Dash liked things crazy. Everypony knew that. On the ground she was restless. She was that pony in the sky that streaked colors and risked crashing into you on your morning route. Everypony had a routine, but not Rainbow Dash. She was wild, she was a prankster, she wasn’t held down by rules… That was Rainbow Dash. And wasn’t that the very reason she had been kicked out of flight school, anyway? “Face it, Rainbow Crash. Flight school had too many rules and not enough naptimes for you.” Rainbow Dash frowned and shook off the unpleasant memory of Billy and Hoops, the resident Cloudsdale bullies, taunting her. Instead she focused on the revere on their faces as they watched her create the ultimate feat in speed – the Sonic Rainboom. And how afterwards they had dropped the unpleasant nickname and practically begged her to hang out with them. She smirked at this new thought. Sure, the rainbow-maned pony liked things a certain way. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t sometimes, maybe, long for something more. Not stability. That wasn’t who she was. But at night, when everypony else was sleeping… Maybe sometimes she liked to just be alone and practice and… Rainbow Dash felt needles in her stomach. She was thinking too much, something she tried to avoid. It always started with her attempting to explain something to herself that she couldn’t quite find the words to describe, and ended with her feeling empty and prickly inside. The point was, it wasn’t that she became someone else on these nights that she had to herself. It was just… nice. She was who she was. But on these nights, at four in the morning while the entire town slept, she was herself, but… It wasn’t about the freedom. She had freedom. She had the skies, she had the clouds, she had a house to herself, and she even had a leadership position at a job that gave her the flexibility that she wanted in her life. So what was it that was so fulfilling about these nights? Now Rainbow Dash was beginning to feel frustrated. She sat on that cloud, tail swishing idly, ears drooped, lightly tapping her head with her hoof to her tail’s beat. She was thinking too hard again. Trying to explain a good thing. The thing was, she would never dare tell anypony that she didn’t sleep at night. That maybe she got an hour or two, but then she’d wake up in a cold sweat and from then until it was time to perform her weather control duties, she just flew. It was her secret. She didn’t know why it had to be like that, but it did. The second that she would tell somepony, it would be like the night was sullied. Suddenly if a pony woke up at three in the morning, they could look outside and expect to see her there. She’d be a spectacle in the sky, like just another one of the stars. No, this was her secret. A guilty pleasure that made her happy and she wasn’t sure why or how but it did and thinking about it wasn’t going to help her with anything. So instead of worrying why this secret was a habit, Rainbow Dash dove off the cloud that had become a temporary home to her without another thought. At first she was freefalling, not even bothering to flap her wings. Just letting the cool night air graze her cheeks and turn them a slight red. Then she flipped. And another. And another. More and more until she couldn’t even see which way was up and which way was sideways. Finally she chose a direction and shot downwards, spiraling, getting her wings going until she could feel them starting to overtake the momentum she had gathered and then she pulled up, nearly doing a one-eighty as she began her upwards climb. She felt her speed drop slightly, something she silently chastised herself for, but with a gleeful grin she pushed herself and felt her speed increase, maxing out whatever she had reached before. And then she changed direction abruptly, suddenly horizontal with the sky and floating backwards, maintaining the speed she had acquired. Her ears twitched. She was practicing her steering and her movement control. There was no way she’d crash into anything tonight. That was the plan, after all. Not even a single cloud was going to be nicked because of her… Her ears would warn her of potential danger. She could hear the wind as it slapped every part of her body. Maybe when she was younger it hurt like a whip, but now she welcomed it like a congratulatory pat on the back. ‘Good job,’ the wind whispered. ‘You’re awesomely fast and you deserve every airy praise I can afford’. Rainbow Dash smiled back, tears streaming out of her eyes as she stared the wind down. And then she felt the wind’s warning. The air that drifted around a raincloud was always colder and had an almost moist feeling about it. She could tell, by the temperature and wetness, that not only was she closing in on one, but it was extremely large. ‘Not today!’ she thought, the mocking voices of Billy and Hoops laughing in the back of her mind, shouting, ‘Rainbow Crash! Rainbow Crash!’ Just a slight adjustment in her trajectory… She veered to the right and in the next second she was passing the cloud. She laughed and saluted at it, noting that not a single wisp was touched. With this impressive trick, Rainbow Dash began to get cocky. She flew over and under clouds, never once hitting one. And then she beat her wings faster, slowly picking up speed until there weren’t even any tears that could be produced in her eyes, they were so dry from the wind. She laughed particularly loudly as a small cloud almost sneaked up on her, but she noticed at the last second and dove under it. She was so busy cracking up as she flew that she didn’t notice the sudden drop in wind speeds. In fact, her entire body was so raw from four hours of nonstop high-speed flight that she couldn’t even feel the difference between being beat by the constant wind and the sudden absence of any. But then her eyes opened wide as she realized the implications. Quickly, almost too fast for the eye, she flipped around to finally see where she was going. And then – DONG. DONG. DONG. Rainbow Dash’s entire body smashed right into the giant bell above the church. The sound reverberated in her head, in her entire body, and all throughout Ponyville. She shook with the sound, and was still vibrating as she finally unglued herself from the brass bell. She flapped her wings weakly, but her eyes couldn’t see straight and she swore that the stars were suddenly floating very intimately around her head. And next, she fell, her wings helplessly flailing at her sides… *** “Oh, no…” “Is she going to be alright, Doctor?” “What happened?” “Is her face going to stay like that?” “Oh, poor dear…” The voices of her friends began to penetrate the exterior of Rainbow Dash’s aching skull. “Uuuuggghhh…” she managed to moan. When she finally opened her eyes, the worried and concerned expressions of her friends swam into view. It took a few blinks to register them clearly. “Whaaaaa…?” And then it dawned on her that she was in the hospital. It wasn’t the first time this happened to her and it wouldn’t be the last. As a daredevil stunt pony, Rainbow Dash ended up in the hospital more than any of her friends. It came with the territory of pushing herself past her limit into new realms of skill. She jumped up in bed, suddenly alarmed. “How long?” She looked around for answers. Blank stares met her question. She attempted to turn around and see her wings. “How bad are they?” “Easy now, RD,” the brown earth pony said in her steady drawl. “Yer gonna be jus’ fine.” “Yep!” the energetic pink pony that was all smiles piped up. “Your face unstuck!” Rainbow Dash just looked around at her friends. As much as she loved them, she couldn’t find it in herself to even pretend to care about them now. All she wanted were answers and her friends didn’t have them. Finally, the doctor entered and Rainbow perked up. “Doc! How bad are my wings? How long do I have to stay here?” “Oh, it’s you,” the dark brown pony said upon closer inspection of his patient. “Aren’t you bored of the hospital yet?” “Like you wouldn’t believe.” “Really? Because if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to take up permanent residence.” It wasn’t an unwarranted jibe. Rainbow Dash probably woke up in the hospital every couple of months. Whenever she got restless and took on more than she could chew, it seemed that there was always something that went wrong and ended with her “needing” medical attention. Most of the time it wasn’t anything serious and Rainbow was out by the end of the day, but the last time she was in the hospital she had hurt a wing and was grounded for an entire week. Panic spread throughout her body as she thought about missing out on another week of flying. What would she do with her nights then? “Yeah, yeah… Okay, Doc. What’s the verdict?” “It’s not your wings… this time,” he replied slowly, staring at her charts. He allowed her a moment to jump up in the air and cheer, floating momentarily as her wings beat excitedly. And then she felt dizzy again and groaned, allowing herself to plop lazily back onto the bed. “Not your wings, but you’re still in pretty bad shape. You have a concussion and must have been out for at least thirty minutes before the priest found you and brought you in.” “The priest?” Rainbow Dash scrunched her face up, trying to remember exactly what happened before the crash… “Yes, the priest. Apparently, you woke up half the town with your exuberant bell ringing,” the doctor replied sternly. “At half past four in the morning, I might add.” Rainbow’s eyes widened slightly as she remembered what happened. She chuckled nervously and gave a wide grin. “So, uh, Doc… A concussion, huh? Does that mean I can… uh, leave? Like, now?” She avoided the shocked and questioning gazes of her friends, who were obviously wondering what she was doing ringing a church bell at four in the morning. Her expression clearly said, ‘Don’t ask,’ so they didn’t. For Rainbow Dash, that time during the night was her secret, and not even something like this would let the ironclad gates of her nighttime rendezvous free. “I’m afraid not. You need rest. And certainly no physical activities. Yes, Rainbow Dash, that includes flying.” “…Can I read?” Rainbow gave Twilight a sheepish glance, who smiled back dutifully. “What book are you on?” “The third.” “I’ll bring it to you first thing during visitor hours tonight.” The doctor marshaled Rainbow’s friends out of the room, who all promised to come see her again later that evening. And that left Rainbow alone with her thoughts. She frowned, her face scrunched up in a tight ball of frenzy. She hated being alone with her thoughts. *** Three days. That was how long she was chained to this bed, this green gown that “at least matches the curtains” as Rarity put it, and the gnawing headache that came with concussions. It was almost too much to bear. Part of her wanted to fly again, to feel the wind on her face, and the part of her wracked with pain couldn’t understand why anypony would even dream of being in the sky when such a heavy weight as this was keeping them grounded. She wanted to fly, but she didn’t want to fly almost at much. And that scared her. At least she had Daring Do. The third book in the series, Daring Do and the Curse of the Yeti, proved to be just as good, if not better, than the last two. Although she said that every time she opened up a Daring Do novel. The first time she was shaking with excitement. Cooped up with a broken wing in this very hospital, at first stubbornly refusing to read. But the boredom had gotten to her and the book, Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone, that Twilight had given her sat on her desk, just waiting to be read… It was then that not only did Rainbow Dash fall in love with Daring, but she fell in love with reading, a trait she had passed off and scoffed as just for “eggheads”. And then she had read Daring Do and the Griffon’s Goblet. While she had read the first book in only a couple days while being stuck up in a hospital, the second book took longer for her to read since she had other responsibilities to get back to. And as fun as reading was, she enjoyed the sky much more. But she’d often stop by Twilight’s, book in hand, and the two of them would relax by the fire and read. Sometimes Rainbow would become swept up in the excitement and demand Twilight for answers to different cliffhangers, but Twilight would always chuckle and tell her the same thing over and over: “You have to keep reading. Just wait, it gets even better.” The second book had been an emotional journey, as it occasionally reminded her of an old school friend she had once flown alongside and shared her hopes and dreams with… But that was a long time ago and she hadn’t spoken to Gilda since their very open and public fight at one of Pinkie Pie’s parties. But once in a while her mind wandered back to her lost friend and she contemplated calling her. After all, Gilda had said to find her when she decided to stop being lame. But then Rainbow Dash would remember the way she yelled at Pinkie, especially for something she hadn’t even done. Pinkie had thrown Gilda a party in her honor, an accolade she didn’t deserve, and what had the griffon done in return? Threw it all back in her face. Rainbow Dash had made the choice right then and there – she liked Pinkie as a friend a lot more than she liked Gilda. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t make up with someone who acted like that. She had chosen her side. If Gilda decided to stop being so mean, she could call Rainbow. Regardless, the book dredged up memories that Rainbow Dash would rather keep locked up. Ones that went even farther back than just their falling out at Sugarcube Corner… But those thoughts led to that nagging feeling she often got when she let her mind wander, so she quickly let the subject drop. Thinking was for smart ponies like Twilight, it only made Rainbow’s stomach queasy. And her sidetracked, wandering mind made it take even longer to read. But the third book was about Daring finding her lost father while excavating an ancient Pegasus settlement, and Rainbow was on the edge of her bed most mornings, afternoons, and nights reading. She would only put the book down when her friends came to visit, which was usually twice a day. They would pass the time laughing, playing games (which Rainbow Dash always won), and exchanging stories. Once, Rainbow attempted to rank the visits from her friends. Rainbow Dash always looked forward to Fluttershy visiting, because she could ask her pegasus friend all about the happenings in Cloudsdale and how the weather team was fairing without her. “And are they clearing the clouds any earlier now that I’m gone?” “Oh, well… I suppose I have noticed it’s sunnier earlier now. Or, that could be because it’s closer to summer.” “What about Cloudsdale? Anything new?” “Oh, um… I’m not sure. I haven’t been up there…” Then Rainbow Dash would sigh and remember that her pegasus friend was afraid of heights and didn’t pay much attention to Cloudsdale going-ons. “Take care of Tank for me, will ya?” That’s always how Rainbow Dash ended their conversations. If there was one thing she could count on Fluttershy for, it was taking care of her pet tortoise, Tank. And if there was one subject her shy friend was chatty about, it was animals. “Oh, I can tell Rainbow, he misses you so much.” “Heh. Good; he better.” And then Rainbow Dash would listen as Fluttershy would delve into stories of how Tank was doing at her cottage while Rainbow was away. Whenever Rainbow Dash got to a point in her story where she was practically bursting with excitement and needed someone to vent to, she was relieved to see Twilight show up. “What happens next? Will Daring Do escape? Is that really her father?!” “You’ll just have to wait and see. I’m not spoiling the climax for you!” “But –” “Maybe you should wait five chapters and then come talk to me.” Twilight would give a knowing smile and a wink. That would make Rainbow Dash even more crazy. Now she knew she only had five more chapters to go before the big reveal and trying to read everything that fast would keep her up at night. Not only did she not get any information out of Twilight, but she also missed out on sleep, her third favorite activity. Rarity was a different story. She dreaded Rarity coming alone because that meant she had a new hat or blush that needed a test subject – preferably one that couldn’t run away, like Rainbow. And Rainbow hated modeling. What made it worse was Rarity’s insistence on taking pictures, which she had no problems flaunting around to their friends. “Now, a little more of a smile, there, there, look happy, dear!” And then the flash would go off and Rarity would “tut, tut” at the picture and fix something about Rainbow’s outfit or makeup before trying again. The good thing about Rarity’s visits was that she could count on her friend using her certain charms to get Rainbow better hospital service. Rarity would never admit it with more than a sly wink, but Rainbow noticed she always got better food and a comfier bedspread after visits with her fashion designer friend. Applejack kept Rainbow Dash from losing all sense of herself. Anytime they were together, it always lead to heated arguments that they both claimed to hate. But the hidden smile on Rainbow Dash’s face after her friend would leave (rivaled only by Applejack’s own) told otherwise. Plus, Applejack was the only pony who could keep up with her, and they would often turn the hospital ward into some sort of training room to keep Rainbow Dash’s skills up-to-date while she was grounded. “An’ you lose again,” Applejack would often say with a smile. “Nuh-uh! My hoof didn’t hit the table!” Rainbow Dash challenged. “Are ya kiddin’ me? Ah heard it!” “That was the sound of your bones cracking, I was squeezing so hard!” “There’s no way that’s the honest truth!” “It just sounds like you’re chicken. Come on, best two out of three! I’ll beat you, again! And this time, don’t let go before the game’s finished.” And then there was Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie, who never missed a visit. Presumably because, as an athletic pony stuck in a hospital, Rainbow Dash needed more cheering up than all the non-sick ponies up and about outside. Rainbow would have said she was sick of seeing the pink earth pony, but to be honest, Pinkie was true to her cutie mark. Too hilarious to pass up. And she always had a new prank to pull that would threaten to break Rainbow Dash’s ribs from cracking up so hard. Then again, that wasn’t the only reason her ribs were threatening to crack – “DASHIE!” Pinkie would scream every time she entered the room, and dive on top of the bedridden pegasus. “Oof! P-Pinkie… can’t… urg… breathe…!” “You’re still alive!” “What? Yeah, I’m still alive. Jeez, what do you think I’m in here for? It’s only a concussion.” “Want me to sing you my get-well song again? Maybe you’ll get better faster!” “No! Uh, no thanks…” “Don’t underestimate the power of song, Dashie.” “I’m not, Pinkie… Jeez, you know sometimes I wonder why they let you in here. Sometimes I think you’re worse for my health than anything else.” Rainbow Dash would chuckle as she said it, but she’d also massage her sore ribs and groan softly. And Pinkie would twist her neck around so she was looking at Rainbow Dash upside down, a suspiciously inquisitive look on her face. If there was one thing to say about Pinkie, she always left an impression. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle arranged a sleepover for the night she was released from the hospital. The doctor reminded Rainbow before she left that her head would still be in pain, to keep taking her pills like clockwork, and that she should keep flying to a minimum. And Rainbow was so close to finishing the third book in the series… But once again, was released before she could finish it. So Twilight thought it would be fun (and safe) for Rainbow Dash to sleepover, and they could stay up late reading. Rainbow had to admit, she had changed quite a bit. Only a year ago, a suggestion like that would be utterly laughable. A reading sleepover? How lame is that? She could already hear the insults the old her would fling at the new her. But now she wasn’t only considering the idea, it sounded like fun. So when Rainbow Dash was released, Twilight Sparkle picked her up and they went back to her library together. Spike was there when they arrived, tidying up the place. Obviously Twilight had been busy with quite the studying bender, as books were piled up all over the floor. Twilight chuckled nervously as Rainbow surveyed the mess with a smirk. “Been busy?” she asked, before darting forward to grab one of the books. “‘Forty-Two Magical… Hairpieces’? What’s this all about?” Rainbow Dash looked for another book, but before she could get her hooves on it Spike jumped in the way and slapped her away. “Ow, ow, ow… What?” “Uh… Stop snooping?” Spike said meekly, blushing slightly and immediately losing his bravado after a look into Dash’s seething eyes. “What’s your problem, Spike? And hey, thanks for visiting me at the hospital, by the way.” “Sorry, Dash, but when you go as often as you do, it kind of loses the marvel. Besides I was busy… uh… cleaning.” Rainbow Dash looked around. The floor was muddy from hooves coming and going all the time, the books were scattered lazily about and not even organized the way Twilight would probably have liked them, and dishes from meals half-eaten and then tossed away were piled up in the sinks. If Spike had done any cleaning in the past three days, Rainbow Dash couldn’t see a single sign of it. “Right…” “It’s fine,” Twilight interjected. “Spike –” “Yeah, yeah, stop messing around. I’ll clean it all up.” “Okay, good. Come on, Rainbow Dash, we’ll use the upstairs.” Twilight picked out a book with her horn as she spoke, and it magically followed her as she led the way upstairs. Rainbow Dash followed, using her wings, and she sighed with glee at finally being able to fly again. If only a flight upstairs and into Twilight’s room. Rainbow Dash had just snuggled in and cracked open her book when there was a fury of knocks on Twilight’s door. She groaned, and Twilight followed suit. “I wonder who that could be,” she asked softly. Then, much louder, “Spike!” “Yeah, yeah, I’m getting it!” Spike yelled from downstairs, audibly grumbling. Rainbow went back to her book. She was sitting comfortably in a chair, her feet up against Twilight’s bed, neatly reclined, and she wasn’t about to move out of curiosity for Twilight’s visitor. Twilight followed suit, obviously engrossed in whatever magic equations she was reading about in her logical mumbo jumbo, one thousand pager, small print, heavy weight book. In the next instant she heard someone shouting, “Hi! Is Twilight home?” And then that same voice, even closer, saying, “Hi Twilight! Is Rainbow… Oh! There she is!” And then in the next instant Rainbow Dash was lowering her book to see – “Gah!” Pinkie Pie was inches from her face, suddenly in front of her without Rainbow having heard a single hoof to betray her friend’s appearance. “Uh, Pinkie… What’s up?” Pinkie gulped in copious amounts of air and then said, in one breath, “Well I went to the hospital looking for you but the doctor came in and was all grumpy and said that you left and I said, ‘Okay!’ and went bouncing towards your house but then I remembered I can’t get to your house because it’s up in the sky and I thought, ‘Oh no but I need to find Rainbow Dash!’ so I went back to the hospital and the doctor seemed really mad that I was bothering him but he told me that he saw you leaving with your purple friend and I thought, ‘Purple? Oh, he must be talking about Twilight, silly!’ and so then I came rushing over here and asked Spike if Twilight was home and he said she was so I came up here and asked Twilight about you and then I found you right here so I came over here and you said ‘Gah!’ and – ” Rainbow Dash shoved her hoof into Pinkie’s mouth at this point. “Breathe!” she commanded. Pinkie stopped talking and took a deep breath, doing so as comically as possible. “Okay, good. Now, uh, you don’t have to narrate what’s happening right now. So, you found me. What’s up?” “I thought of the biggest, bestestest, brainiacally brilliant prank to pull ever!” she shouted, teeming with so much excitement that she was shaking. “And who better to share the biggest, bestestest, brainiacally brilliant prank to pull ever than with my biggest, bestestest, bravestly bold best friend ever, Rainbow Dash!” “Uh, Pinkie…” Rainbow Dash was moments from saying no. She was mouth movements away from saying no. In fact, she was one consonant away from saying no. But instead of saying it, her mouth wavered wordlessly as she stared into Pinkie’s puppy dog eyes. And instead of saying no, Rainbow Dash chuckled. She sighed, closing her book. “I was just getting to the good part, too.” Pinkie’s face lit up like a rocket. “So you’ll come?!” “Course, Pinkie. Who am I to pass up a pranking opportunity with my best bud?” And she was greeted to another near death experience as Pinkie jumped onto Rainbow Dash and pulled her into a third bear hug that day. Rainbow barely managed to push Pinkie off, who sat next to Rainbow with a goofy smile and her tongue sticking out, and say to Twilight, “I’ll leave my book here. Can we pick this up another time?” “Sure,” Twilight said. “I’ll see you guys later. And please be careful. Don’t prank too hard.” “Oh, silly Twilight! It’s impossible to prank too hard,” Pinkie replied, with Rainbow rolling her eyes next to her. Then Pinkie bounced away, with Rainbow following in the sky above her. “So, what’s this awesome prank?” Rainbow asked once they were outside. “It’s the biggest, bestestest –” “Yeah, yeah, I know, Pinkie. But what is it?” “Oh, it’s going to be great. But it’s gonna take a lot of prepping. And supplies! We’ll probably be up all night working on it!” Rainbow Dash groaned at the thought of no sleep. “I’m going to have to crash sometime,” she said. “Mind if I stay at your place?” Pinkie smiled. She didn’t mind at all.