Deciding to take a break from her studying, Twilight looked out the front window of her tree home. Apparently, she had lost track of time, for it was now almost noon. She sat up to stretch her muscles, which she soon discovered were tight to the point of cramping. She groaned in annoyance. After stretching her legs and getting a satisfying pop out of her knees, she looked out the window once more, and was just in time to see Rainbow Dash run up to the door. Upon seeing that her friend was at the window, Rainbow Dash froze, her facial expression pausing with her.
The sight that greeted Twilight was one of a pony who seemed as if every feeling had been drained from their body. To put it poetically, it was as if the ‘Rainbow’ and the ‘Dash’ had both been sucked out of the mare, leaving only a black and white photograph with none of the personality left over. The image instantly imprinted itself in Twilight’s head, and would continue to haunt her for the next couple minutes.
It didn’t take nearly that long for Rainbow Dash to hide the expression. She now appeared to have the same cocky smile as ever and the same swagger as well. But despite the show, Twilight could tell that Rainbow Dash was forcing it, like a colt trying desperately to fit in ten late quizzes all on the last day of the semester.
Twilight didn't move from her position, so Rainbow Dash let herself in, acting as if nothing was wrong. But Twilight could tell that something was definitely wrong. Seeing Dash as she had in the window had unsettled her deeply, as if she had seen a real-life Bloody Mary. She turned to her Pegasus friend, who was now looking at the titles of the books as if she was interested. "Rainbow, what's going on?"
Rainbow Dash turned to Twilight quickly, and for a second, she thought she could see that blankness in her friend's face again. But if there had been any doubt before, Rainbow Dash's voice gave her away. She spoke shakily, as if she were shivering from the coldness of her heart. "What do you mean? I'm fine. Really, I am."
"No you're not."
"I'M FINE!!" she shouted defensively.
Twilight was taken aback by the shout, a noise that practically shook the hallow tree, and could probably have been heard from outside as well. It was more than enough to alert Spike. He ran down from the third floor where he had been reshelving Twilight's personal book collection and came face to face with a fuming Rainbow Dash. He reeled back in fright, shirking away from the emotionally compromised Pegasus. "Um, Dash, are you okay?"
Rainbow Dash’s gaze softened. Something about seeing her friend and fellow jokester seemed to bring her back into reality, despite the fact that this was not the time for pranks or laughs. But as Rainbow Dash descended from anger, she fell into a depressed state. Her knees gave way from under her, and loud sobs could be heard reverberating through the tree where the other sound had only just ceased echoing.
Twilight was at a loss for words as well, let alone actions. But she put that aside in order to help her friend. When Dash seemed to run out of tears, Twilight saw an opening. But just when she was about to try it, Spike spoke up. "Dash?"
The Pegasus looked up through tear-clogged eyes, but was barely able to see through them. She lifted her head up a little, but just when the two thought she would recuperate, she flung herself back into her depression once again. Spike stepped forward, but Twilight stopped him in place with a hoof.
"Spike, I'm not so sure that's a good idea."
"What do you mean? Do you want to just leave her like that?"
"Well no, but--"
"But nothing! She's one of our best friends Twilight; we can't let her sit like that!"
Twilight had to admit that Spike’s comment was true. And as much as she wanted to help Spike do this, Twilight had to admit that Spike was better qualified to try and calm Rainbow Dash down. He spent more time with her; time often spent pranking other ponies along with Pinkie. So Twilight stepped back a few hoof-lengths, gesturing for Spike to help her.
He paused for a few seconds, but then leaned down and tapped Rainbow Dash with an outstretched claw. She didn’t make a reaction, so Spike sat down next to her, and after a little while, nudged her again.
This time, Rainbow Dash's gaze stayed fixed on Spike, and so he asked her a question. "Is it okay if I ask?"
"I don't know." she forced out.
"That's okay. I can wait," he said patiently. "We can talk about something else. How is Scootaloo? We didn't really get to see her after she fainted."
This elicited a wail from Rainbow Dash. Admittedly, this phased Spike a bit, but he tried again after she stopped crying, which took a while. "Are you calmed down now?"
Rainbow Dash nodded, but didn't look at Spike.
"Good, 'cause we want to help. I know whatever it is must really suck, but you'll feel better if you tell us."
Twilight, who was now sitting back in a chair, took it all in. She'd never known Spike to be this mature before. Now if only he could be like that more of the time.
"I know," she said, catching your breath. "It's just that I, uh--."
"If you don't want to say it you don't have to."
Rainbow Dash gave Spike silent thanks. The only thing harder for her than thinking about it was saying it, and she was glad not to have to.
At this point Twilight intervened. "But you seemed fine yesterday at the hospital."
Rainbow Dash turned to Twilight, a few stray tears falling down her face. "That's just what I wanted you to think."
"And you couldn't hold it in anymore?" asked Spike.
Rainbow Dash nodded slowly. She knew she had the full right to tell them why it was Scootaloo's fault, but at the same time, it felt like betrayal. But Rainbow Dash needed to let this out; needed to confide in somepony. Twilight and Spike were probably two of the most trustworthy of the bunch, so she figured that if she was going to tell, she might as well now.
"Sort of."
"What do you mean?" asked Spike.
"Well, it was something Scootaloo said about the crash."
Twilight was now starting to understand what Rainbow Dash seemed to be implying. She thought over what she was going to say carefully, trying to find a way to put it easily. But there was really only one way to say it.
"Are you saying you blame Scootaloo for the accident?"
Rainbow was taken aback by the harshness in Twilight's words. So was Spike, as he turned to her in disbelief. "Twilight, what are you doing?!"
Twilight already had a plan in mind. Although what Spike was doing seemed to be working a little, Twilight hoped she would respond better to direct questions, which was a tougher approach. It was also a gamble; a big one. But this was not the time for delicacy.
"Rainbow, you're not going to get over this if you just shut the truth inside you. If you do blame her for the incident, you need to admit it to yourself. I can't stand to see you like this!" Twilight's eyes held a few tears of their own now, and she was struggling to maintain her composure.
Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight with an expression of understanding, but wasn't sure of what to do. She turned to Spike, looking for a second opinion.
"Dash, I think she's right. Holding things in is never the right way to go." Rainbow turned her head back to Twilight, then sat up. She closed her eyes, apparently sorting out what she thought. Not only that, but she had stopped crying. It appeared that Twilight's idea had worked.
Spike walked over to Twilight, standing beside her and looking at the now calm Rainbow Dash, who was at present sorting out her internal mental battle. It looked as if she were meditating, which was the last thing you would expect somepony like Rainbow Dash to do. "Wow. For a second there, I thought you were just going to make her cry again."
"I thought so too, Spike."
"Then why did you do it?"
Twilight grinned just a little at the question. "The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to push at her. It would be easy for somepony like Rainbow Dash to mistake your actions for pity. Considering her personality, I thought she would react better to more aggressive stimuli."
"Oh." said Spike, looking dejected.
Twilight nuzzled her assistant in an attempt to make him feel better. "Hey, your idea was good," she said reassuringly.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Thanks."
"No problem." answered Twilight. As she glanced back to Rainbow Dash, she was just in time to see the mare open her eyes again. Despite the fact that Rainbow was definitely calmer than before, her eyes were still bloodshot from the crying, and beyond that, told of the utterly broken spirit inside. But this was better than she had been when she came in, for she also felt relaxed and to a lesser extent, relieved.
"Do you want to sit down?" asked Twilight.
"Yeah."
As the two mares walked to the sofa in the corner, Spike caught up to Rainbow Dash and tentatively laid a hand on Rainbow Dash's neck in a gesture of comfort. Rainbow looked to Spike in admiration and silently thanked him.
=-=-=-=-=
As it turned out, Twilight and Rainbow Dash were not the only ponies talking about the recent events. Across town, Fluttershy and Applejack were seated on a sofa in Fluttershy’s cottage. Applejack had arrived there moments ago, seeking a friend to talk to. Fluttershy had also wanted this, but per usual had been too shy to pursue the matter with anypony else. Normally, she would not have hesitated to approach her friends, but in time like this, she tended to be even more anti-social than usual.
But this trait was different with Applejack. Applejack was the only pony that really understood her timidity, and was the only one who not only accepted it but welcomed it. Conversations with the farm pony always felt more natural than with her other friends.
Applejack felt much the same way around Fluttershy, but for different reasons. Fluttershy’s calm demeanor was comforting to her. That wasn’t to say that she didn’t enjoy the flamboyance of Pinkie Pie or the competitiveness of Rainbow Dash; she just liked Fluttershy’s attitude a little better.
Applejack was the first to speak her mind. “I’m afraid for RD.”
“Me too,” replied Fluttershy, softly petting Angel, who was napping against her flank.
“She seemed fine from that outside, but that one’s darn good at hidin’ things.”
“She usually is,” said Fluttershy nervously, “but not always.”
“That’s one of the things I’m wonderin’. Ya’ll have known her longer than me. Has anythin’ like this ever happened?”
“Yes; yes it has.”
“So what was it like?” asked the orange earth pony, leaning forward in anticipation.
“Back in flight school, Rainbow hurt her wing and couldn’t fly for a week or two. And by the end of it, she was a wreck. She had to have counseling and everything.”
Applejack shuddered. If she had reacted that badly before, how would she feel now? “That ain’t good at all. Do you think she’ll do anythin’ this time?”
“I don’t really know,” said Fluttershy. “She was younger back then. She reacted pretty well when she hurt herself that other time.”
“Which time?”
Fluttershy cracked a small grin. It was true that Rainbow Dash was constantly hurting herself, whether it be crashing into the ground, into trees, or into Twilight’s library. She needed to be more specific. “The time where she tried to steal the Daring Do book.”
“Oh, ‘Suppose she did, but that time, she knew she’d be out quicker than hogs to scraps. This time, not so much.”
“That’s the problem. Flying is her entire life; she doesn’t really have anything else. I’m not sure how she’ll deal with it.”
“Are you sure ‘bout that? I know she don’t have a special somepony, but what about family?”
Fluttershy didn’t want to meet her friend’s gaze, so she looked down at Angel instead. “So, she never told you?”
“Told me what?”
Fluttershy didn’t want to say it. She knew that Rainbow Dash wouldn’t want her to either, but she had to say something. She looked back up and met Applejack’s stare. She couldn’t resist those eyes. “I suppose you have the right to know. She’s your friend too.”
Hearing Fluttershy’s tone, Applejack wasn’t entirely sure if she wanted to hear about it. Yet as it often happens, her curiosity was more powerful. “What is it?”
“Rainbow Dash’s parents were drunk for most of her childhood, and after she ran away and joined Junior Speedsters, she never saw them again. She had an Uncle and Aunt, but they both died when she was pretty young. Her grandparents were all dead before she was born.”
“So yer sayin’ she don’t have a family?”
Fluttershy only nodded.
Applejack didn’t have a response to that. She felt terrible. “Wow. I mean, she was so happy all the time, I just didn’t figure anything like that had happened to her.”
“I wouldn’t think that either, AJ. Don’t feel bad.”
“I mean, I know what it’s like to not have parents around.”
“So do I.”
“I remember, sugarcube. But how does she have that big ol’ fancy house if she never had any parents supportin’ her?”
“Well, she’s a professional athlete, so she gets sponsorships and prize money from races she does well in. She also gets paid to do weather patrol.”
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot.” She said embarrassedly.
Over on the counter, a high pitched screech could be heard. A noise like that would startle most ponies, but both Applejack and Fluttershy were accustomed to the whine of a tea kettle. Fluttershy started moving out of her seat to get it, but Applejack was already up.
“I’ll get that for ya, sugarcube.” As she passed by Fluttershy, she inadvertently flicked her tail up, brushing it across her face. Fluttershy couldn’t help but blush at this action. Her tail had smelled largely of apple cider, but the fragrance also hinted at wood burning stoves, hay, and a wide array of other smells. Despite how faint these were, it was an appealing smell all the same.
Soon, Applejack came back with two cups of tea, both of which were placed on a plate that was balanced in her mouth. Applejack handled the delicate balance well, and soon the tea cups were safely in the hooves of Applejack and Fluttershy. When Applejack sat down, she was looking right at Fluttershy’s eyes, and couldn’t help but admire them. It was as if everything about the Pegasus mare was pretty. Her eyes, her coat, and especially her mane. Applejack wished she could have looks like that.
“So what are we going to do for her?”
Applejack blinked once. She realized she’d spaced out. She was blushing, although neither Fluttershy nor she herself noticed. “I, uh, I don’t know. I mean, I’d expect her to stay home right now. I don’t think she wants to go around town and have to talk to ponies about it.”
“That’s true,” said Fluttershy. “Maybe I could go visit her tomorrow, if that seems like a good idea.”
Applejack nodded. “That does sound good. I wish I could go with ya.”
“Me too. Maybe I can convince her to come down and visit or something like that.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Applejack rose from her seat, grabbing her hat from the hook over the door. “Sorry to be leavin’ so quick like, but I’ve got some chores to finish.”
“I understand,” Fluttershy replied.
Applejack turned around as she was leaving the room. “But just one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“You said Rainbow Dash ain’t got nothin’ but flyin’, but are ya sure? I mean, she has us, right?”
Fluttershy didn’t respond immediately, but eventually, words came. “I know, but do you really think that’s enough?”
“I don’t know, sugarcube. I just don’t know.”
=-=-=-=-=
Within the next few minutes Spike, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash were seated around a table. Like Fluttershy, Twilight’s first reaction in a time of stress was to make tea, and so each sat with a cup of tea. Rainbow Dash had insisted otherwise, but Twilight had gone ahead and done it anyway, which Dash was not glad for, since the warm drink did make her feel a little better. As she put the tea down she looked at the two across from her. Silently, she wondered how she had come across such great friends in this farming town. Although she was now a three year resident, she had meet all of her friends within the first couple months or so. Fluttershy she had sort of known from flight school but hadn't really gotten to know until she moved here. And within the first week or so she'd also met applejack, and the two had been great friends - and competitors - ever since.
It had been another few months before she met her other friends in the Nightmare Night incident. Although she didn't feel as much of a connection to Rarity as she did the others, Pinkie Pie was now one of her best friends. And of course, she had met Twilight and Spike, both of whom were her friends for different reasons. Spike had a humor that was only matched by her or Pinkie, and that connection was her main reason for them being friends. On the other hand, Twilight was her friend because they shared some common interests like Aeronautics and of course the Daring Do series.
As her gaze shifted from one to the other, Rainbow Dash realized that although Fluttershy and Applejack were probably her best friends, she couldn't pick two better ponies - or in Spike's case a dragon - to confide in.
Swallowing the last sip of tea, Rainbow Dash slumped back in the chair. She had taken Twilight's advice and had sorted out just how she felt about Scootaloo at the moment. The verdict in her mind surprised her, but at the same time calmed her immensely.
"So, did you figure out it out?"
Rainbow Dash looked over to Twilight, who had voiced the question. “Yes."
“And what do you think?”
“I do.”
"You do?!" Spike said in shock.
"I figured so." said Twilight, her tone comparatively calm.
"You thought so?" asked Spike in disbelief. "But that's terrible!"
"Spike, let Rainbow Dash explain herself. I don't think it's at bad as you think it is."
"Well, both of you are right, actually."
Not for the first time, Twilight was a bit confused. "What does that mean?"
"Well, it does get better than that. But it’s terrible too. I mean, I feel terrible." Nopony responded so she continued on her explanation. “The reason a blame Scootaloo is because it is mostly her fault."
"But I heard she failed doing some really hard stunt," Spike pointed out.
"Yes, but that's not why she couldn't pull it off." Rainbow Dash went onto repeat what Scootaloo had told her. Spike was awestruck. "Holy Guacamole!"
"So that's why her wing was so badly injured," realized Twilight. "The doctors couldn't explain it."
"So yeah, it is her fault. But at the same time, I don't hate her for it. I mean sure, she made a mistake. But I did the same thing when I was that age all the time." Rainbow Dash paused, thinking back to the memory of Gilda. But she did not want to talk about that right now, since it was a bitter-sweet memory. "And I probably could have done more."
"What do you mean?" asked Spike.
"When I was in Junior Speedsters, the coach always asked us how our wings felt. Everypony always told the truth, because if you got injured, your spot would be taken over and it would be hard to get back. If I did that every day with Scootaloo, none of this would've happened."
Twilight leaned forward in her chair, looking up at Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow, you can't keep thinking about the 'what ifs'. You'll drive yourself crazy."
As she said this, Spike stood up and walked over to her. "She’s right. Just try not to think about it."
"But that's really hard," Rainbow whined.
Twilight followed Spike's example and walked over to Rainbow Dash's chair, standing to the opposite side of her dragon assistant. "Rainbow, I know you can do this. Just remember, you've got us and the rest of your friends here for you. We'll get you through this."
"Well thanks a lot Twilight! Now I don't have anything to say!" said Spike, exasperatedly
Twilight chuckled a little at this, despite the seriousness of the situation. Even Rainbow Dash was smiling now. Rainbow wasn't sure if it was the support from Twilight, the joke from Spike, or both at once. But something had lifted her out of the dumps. The fire that had always drove Rainbow Dash on was all of a sudden lit once again. The determination was back, and the old Rainbow Dash with it.
"You know what? You're right. I can do this. My life's not over; I'm still alive!"
Twilight smiled. "Welcome back," she said.
Rainbow Dash turned to Twilight. "Well thanks for bringing me back. You too Spike," she said, giving him a spirited noogie.
"Hey, quit it!" shouted Spike light-heartedly.
Rainbow Dash now full of joyous energy, felt like running out of the library and soaring out into the late morning sky. But the only problem with that was that she couldn't fly. Her heart sunk a little at the thought, but she rebounded.
"Oh Twilight?"
"Yes?"
"I just remembered why I came over here."
"I was wondering that myself. I thought there must've been a reason for you coming. What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if I could borrow your balloon. I need to get to my house."
Twilight realized with a shock that she had never considered how Rainbow Dash would get back home. Nopony had thought about it. "Of course you can."
"Thanks Twilight, I'll bring it back when I'm not using it." As she said this, she ran out the door of the library.
"Wait, Rainbow!"
Rainbow Dash heard Twilight as she was rounding the corner, and walked back to the still open door. "Yeah, what?"
"Keep it."
"Keep what?"
"The balloon."
"Really? Are you sure?"
Twilight nodded. "Positive."
"Wow. I was going to ask for it before, but I figured that would be a little uncool."
"It's fine, really. You'll make better use out of it than me."
Rainbow Dash nodded, and after thanking Twilight a half-a-dozen more times, finally walked back outside.
Spike, who had been somewhat silent up until this point, now spoke up. "Bye Rainbow Dash!"
She chucked. "See you around Spike!" She turned the corner of the library and went to the back where she knew Twilight kept the contraption.
When she walked up to it, Rainbow Dash realized that once again, she needed Twilight's help. She had no clue how to get the thing off the ground. She turned back around to go into the library, but Twilight Sparkle was already walking to the back.
"I just realized that you don't really know how to get this thing running, or how to fly it." she explained.
"Yeah, I was just about to ask you that one.”
Twilight walked over to the balloon. "Well, the design is very basic as balloons go. I made it so I could fly it with little to no experience."
"Wait, you made this?!" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief.
"Well, me and Shining both built it, but I designed it." she said proudly.
"When did you build this?"
"Funny you should ask. She turned ten years old yesterday."
"Wait, I have to go up in this old thing with no way out if it breaks?!"
"Rainbow, you'll be fine. I do it all the time and I can't break my fall either."
"But can't you do a spell that slows you down before you land?"
"Yes, but if I went terminal it wouldn't make too much of a difference. There is a spell for nullifying all velocity, but it skirts the laws of physics, and those kinds of spells are nearly impossible, and largely theoretical under normal circumstances."
Half of what Twilight had just said went right over Rainbow Dash's head, except for the scientific terms that were associated with momentum, which she was very familiar with. But Rainbow Dash smiled anyway. "Maybe you should ask Pinkie how she does it!"
Twilight laughed at that one, and so did Rainbow Dash. When they finished, Twilight walked Rainbow through the procedure for starting the balloon up, most of which was getting the flame going.
"I usually start it with magic, but you can't do that. That means you have to wait for it to start up manually."
"That sounds like it’ll take a while," commented Rainbow Dash.
"Yes, it does take a bit. If you give her fifteen minutes, she'll be fine. Just find something to do during that time and you'll be set."
"Oh, okay."
"Since I'm here, I can start this up right now. I'll go up with you and teach you how to fly her."
"Okay, sure!" said Rainbow Dash. "It'll be so awesome to get back into the air."
Nodding in confirmation, Twilight skillfully lit the flame, and the balloon quickly filled with the expanding gasses, aided by Twilight's magic so it took only a minute or two. The two then stepped into the basket and flew off into the sky. Meanwhile, Twilight explained how to fly the balloon.
Although Rainbow Dash was trying to focus on what Twilight was saying, but a question was eating away at her thoughts. She spoke up, Interrupting Twilight's continued explanations. "Twilight?"
"Yes?"
"Why do you keep calling it 'her'?"
"Oh, the balloon? It's an old Unicorn tradition from back in the days of sea exploration. Crewmembers got familiar with
the boats and started referring to them as a lady, because during that era only stallions were allowed to captain boats."
"Yeah, Pegasi have always been ahead on the whole social equality thing," she said in a superior tone. "Back then we had just as many mares as stallions as warriors."
"Hey, we all learned eventually. On the other hand, the entire Equestrian navy was unicorns, which was mostly because Pegasi are too scared of open water to fly over it. If your kind had gotten their acts together, there wouldn't even have to boats!"
“Hey, it's not our fault we're awful swimmers. We can't be good at everything. Oh, and the gay rights movement; we started that."
Twilight rolled her eyes. There was one thing about Rainbow Dash she hadn't missed: the constant gloating. Her annoyance caused her to do something she rarely did in conversation: use a comeback.
"Well I bet you of all ponies are the most proud of that one." she said, smirking at her.
Dash, who immediately saw the comeback for the joke that is was, retorted. "Hey, I'm proud of being a filly-fooler," she said light-heartily.
"Filly-fooler? I though you went both ways?"
Rainbow Dash couldn’t help laughing at her comment. That whole sentence was so uncharacteristic of Twilight, who almost never used slang. "Well of course I do. It's more fun that way. I mean, there's more options. But I have to have a favorite, don't I?"
Twilight blinked. "You never told me you favored mares."
"Didn't think it was important," she replied. "Actually, you're the only pony I've told other than Applejack."
"You told Applejack? Why her?"
Rainbow paused for a second before answering. "She asked about it one time."
Twilight narrowed her eyes. She didn't think that Rainbow Dash was outright lying, but the pause had been rather suspicious. Twilight figured this meant that Rainbow Dash was telling her only part of the truth, but not wanting to be rude, Twilight didn't dig any farther.
"So, do you understand how to navigate the balloon?"
That sentence was more like Twilight. "I'm not too sure about some of it, but I think I can figure it out as I go."
"Okay, I'll trust you on that." she said. "We're only a few minutes away from your house."
"Oh, good." said Rainbow Dash. For the first time since they had taken off, Rainbow Dash took time to look at the sky around her. Indeed, it did relax her to be among the clouds again. It was where she was meant to be, and even if she couldn't fly through them anymore, she could at least be there to see them. It was nice, she thought to herself.
In no time at all, they were level with the cloud which made up Rainbow Dash's home's foundation. Twilight maneuvered the craft so it was over the clouds, and opened the door, allowing Dash to safely jump down to the soft, cotton-like surface.
After waving goodbye to Twilight, and once again thanking her for the ride, Rainbow Dash walked back to her house. Twilight, on the other hoof, lowered the balloon back to the library, since she didn't have any other way of getting back down to the surface. That meant that Rainbow Dash was stuck up in her cloud home for the rest of the day. Rainbow Dash was fine with that. Being stuck up her was better than being pestered down in town.
Walking up to her house, Rainbow Dash spotted her mailbox. Realizing that she had two weeks’ worth of mail to pick up, she walked over to it.
There wasn’t too much mail in there considering her usual load of athletics magazines, letters from fellow competitors, and the occasional fan mail. Thinking about these things hurt a bit, but she buried the feelings. She picked up the letters her mouth and walked back to the house, kicking the flap closed with her back hoof.
When she got in, she found the door unlocked as always and went in. She lied down on the couch and started leafing through the letters.
She didn't find anything important, or at least not at first. Nearer to the end of the stack, she found a letter whose envelope was solid blue, with a jagged line of yellow down the side. It took Rainbow Dash a second to realize what that meant, but when she did, she dropped all of the other letter and tore into the one still in her hooves,
As she read it, her eyes grew wider and wider, and her heart sank lower and lower. All the happiness that she had regained at the library left her as she once again sunk into despair. Choked with tears once again, she only managed one word. "No--"
=-=-=-=-=
It was midafternoon in the capitol city of Canterlot, and the sun hung at the apex of its course, shining its rays upon the surface of Equestria. And yet, there were some places where the sunlight couldn’t quite reach. These were not the places where you took a leisurely stroll, nor where you sat down to read a book. These places were occupied sparsely, because the only ponies who went there did so because they had to avoid something or somepony. The reasons behind this need for avoidance are sinister more often than not. But regardless of the reason, there are always ponies that have to keep to the shadows.
It was in this sort of place that a shadowed figure lay in wait; who they were or even their basic appearance could not be made out in the dark. What they were doing there was equally a mystery, but there was one thing that was clear: they were waiting. Within a few minutes, another figure passed by the alley. As they stepped into the light, it was apparent that they were a pony: a unicorn stallion with a grey coat and light purple mane. There was nothing about them that would raise any suspicion, other than where they were lurking at present.
The figure paused at the opening of the alley. After a few seconds, a sickly green light started to emanate from their body. The once faint luminescence became a blinding glow, and then cut off suddenly. What was left in the place was a completely different creature, with a form that could best be described as alien. To those who had been in Canterlot during the royal wedding, the beast would be easily recognized as a changeling.
The changeling knew that fact perfectly well, which is why he had made sure of the vacancy of the area before transforming. There had only been one pony in the vicinity, which had been dispatched easily, and was now laying unconsciously in an alley down the road.
Now fully transformed, the changeling walked into the alley. Only now did the figure in the alley reveal themselves. "What have you learned?" they asked.
The changeling assumed a bow; much like ponies did when approached by Celestia or Luna. And to this changeling, they were indeed royalty. "You grace me with your presence, my queen."
"Mannequin, I thought we were past this formality." said Chrysalis, smiling a little. "After all, you are my mate."
Mannequin swallowed. This was a fact that he often forgot about temporarily. He was still in awe that he had been selected for that honor. "Forgive me, but is only out of respect and out of habit that I do so."
"I know that." she said, waiting patiently for him to speak.
"Thank you," he responded. "And I do have some news for you."
"What kind of news?"
"News that could allow us to move forward."
On the inside, Chrysalis felt exuberant, but she contained her emotions. "What is it?"
"The Element of Loyalty is currently in a treatment facility with a damaged flying appendage."
Chrysalis looked at her fellow changeling with a look of confusion. "How does this fact help us, Mannequin?"
"I am sorry my queen, I did not make myself clear. As you know, that type has the purpose of flying and managing the weather. But many of them also use these abilities in recreational endeavors. As fruitless as they are, they tend to become emotionally attached to these activities. As far as we can tell, the pony's injury will keep her from participating in the sport they call flying. In my tracking of the Elements, I have seen that she does this even more than most. Thus, I believe that we could use this weakness to push emotional instability, and thus be able to capture her."
Chrysalis thought this over for a while, then spoke up. "This plan has promise. How do you plan to take advantage of this weakness?"
"As of yet, I do not know. But I have made sure to put agents on constant watch, as well as myself. If we see something promising, we will alert you."
"No need to alert me, I intend to watch her myself," she said confidently.
"You do? I believe that it would be safer for you to wait until we are sure of a course of action."
"Yes it would, but this is no time for caution." Chrysalis looked off into the distance, remembering her home as she had left it. "Our people are starving, and before long may die from that starvation. We must move forward."
"Yes, Chrysalis."
Chrysalis smiled. It was comforting to hear one of her own call her by her true name. Especially the one whom she respected the most. "I am confident your plan will be the one we've been waiting for. All we need the patience to see it through."
"And then our people will thrive one again." he finished.
"Precisely," said Chrysalis, walking over to him. "You have always been a magnificent adviser."
"Thank you."
"Now we must begin our planning," she said. "Let us return to our base." With that, Chrysalis teleported away with a green flash of magic. Soon afterward, Mannequin followed. After the light died out, the alley became dark and noiseless once again. All was silent. All was still.