"It ain't right." mumbled Applejack, with a scowl on her freckled snout.
Crisis had been averted the night prior. They had managed to stop their friend from destroying her wings, though the event had been frightening for them all. To walk in on your friend in such a way, right after the relief of knowing she was safe. Knowing she was going to be alright. Then having that happen. It was cruel, in a way. Like a cosmic joke played by the universe, just to shatter any optimism they'd had. Dash had been restrained. Words were said, voices shouted, and blood had flowed. The doctors were called. They'd wanted to take her away. Take her somewhere to keep her safe, and healthy. But that had given Dash renewed strength to resist. To fight back those who only wished to help. In their desperation they turned to the medication. And before long, their friend had been assuaged. But the damage had been done. In her state she'd never fly. Her grief was great, greater than before and she had begged for something. Anything, if it could be done.
Once more Celestia had been called. Once more the solar goddess had arrived as a guest in the home of Loyalty. And once more she had used her arcane divinity to heal wounds, and try a new experimental spell. One to increase the fortitude of the young mare's torn wings. It hadn't been perfect. But progress was progress, and the rejuvenated renewed wings had been bound, tightly to her sides. This couldn't happen again. She had been given a medical truncated cone about her neck. Sealed with a plastic button on the back, a place she couldn't reach. The apprehension as the doctors placed it on her had been great. They expected her to fight, to curse, anything to not feel a restriction in her movement. But she did nothing of the sort. Dash's spirit had been broken. All the fight had left her that night and she remained perfectly still as the plastic cone was set in place, giving little more than a sad sigh as they informed her that it was for her own good. So she couldn't hurt herself further. The lack of reaction to this news put everyone at unease. Something was wrong with their friend. And not just physically.
Applejack had been most upset. Arguing that such a thing shouldn't be done to an adult pony. It was a barbaric way of stopping a foal from biting at her wounds. But for an adult? Shameful. It was an affront to their dignity as a sentient creature. She had snorted angrily and stormed out of the house, now sitting on the cloud bank steps near the front door. She stared angrily into the sky, seeking solace. Fluttershy had left shortly after, joining Applejack out front. Seeing her lifelong friend in such a state was proving to be simply too much for the generally skittish mare.
"It just ain't right." Applejack continued, kicking a tuft of cloud angrily. "Havin' that thing on her face. Like some sort of wild animal."
"I know it's terrible. But, we can't let her do that to herself again, AJ. She'd hate us if we didn't find a way to let her fly again. Even if it means forcing her to wear that....cone." Fluttershy wiped her eyes.
"She probably already hates us. I ain't ever seen her look so furious. Those eyes.....pure anger. She would have bit us if she could, I reckon."
"I think.....this is like something that happened before."
"What's this, now?"
"When we were little, Rainbow got expelled from Flight School. I'd never seen her sad before, you know. She always hid it. But...she started acting really strange. She stopped flying and all she wanted to do was lay around. It was one of the only times I ever saw her cry. And she ended up crying a lot."
"Rainbow Dash? Cryin' huh? Can't even imagine that."
"This reminds me of those times, Applejack. I think she's depressed. First the crash and then all the bad things that have come out of it. I can't......I just can't imagine how she must feel. Like her whole world has ended."
The front door to the house swung open as Celestia, two doctors, a psychologist, and the other Elements of Harmony exited, all looking quite downtrodden. The doctors hopped into a golden chariot with Celestia, bound for the city of Canterlot. The four young mares took their places in front of the psychologist, a very wrinkly brown stallion with a white mustache and comb-over. He beckoned for Applejack and Fluttershy to join him.
"Now the others have already heard this, but you two haven't." he began in a gentle voice. "Your friend Rainbow has been through quite alot this week. Her mood has taken a very bad turn. Self-neglect, self-harm, a feeling of worthlessness. It's textbook depression. This came on very quickly, which leads me to believe it could very well be gone very quickly. Anxiety, stress, grief, the usual."
"So she might be ok?" Fluttershy peeped out.
"Well, I hate to say yes. Nothing is ever set in stone. I don't think this was caused by fear of the crash itself. Possibly a hormonal imbalance. Personally, I think this is just her rather disturbing way of dealing with grief and life-threatening injuries. She may very well try to cause harm to her body again. There are plenty of ways to harm oneself without using ones mouth. You five need to find a way of keeping an eye on her. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Think of it as a watch or an intervention. She'll need attention, and lots of it. And even then....probably counseling. Therapy. See if it changes her condition."
"When can we take that thing off her head?" Applejack asked bluntly, her face still scowling.
"If her condition clears up and she seems able to function without help....maybe. When her wounds are healed, definitely. But, if she continues to try to harm herself after the cone is removed, then she NEEDS to get psychiatric help. And it is your responsibility to make sure she gets it. I've left my address and phone number on the counter near her medications."
"And are you available at any time, Mr.Crates?" Twilight gave the doctor a small respectful nod.
"Any time, Miss Sparkle. This is my main job and....." he raised an eyebrow and returned the nod. "I do it very well. Now I must go and tend to other patients. Let me know if anything goes wrong."
"We will. Thank you, Mr.Crates."
And with that he picked up his briefcase and galloped to the chariot, hopping in with the others. With a small woosh of air, the construction was airborne, pulled by two winged guards for Celestia. Those that remained on the front lawn of Dash's house sat in a small circle.
"We need to do this in shifts." Twilight said solemnly. "I can watch her on Mondays. Hardly anyone comes to the library those days anyway. When are you guys free?"
"I...might be able to get away from work on Tuesday." Applejack commented, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof. "It's cider season after all. The rest of the family can't do it on their own. I might not be able to get here until the evening."
"What about you, Rarity?"
"I have Monday free as well. Rest of the week I have orders to fill. I could bring my sewing machines up here while I keep Dash company."
"I dunno, Rare." Applejack said with an honest smile. "I doubt the loud sounds of you sewin' all day is gonna make Dash too happy."
"If I come every day I'd need someone to look after all the animals." Fluttershy commented. "I can't bring them up here. They can't walk on clouds and I doubt Twilight could enchant them all. I'm also sure Dash wouldn't want Angel Bunny around. Angel doesn't like Dash very much."
"Angel doesn't seem to like anyone much." Twilight said with a small eye roll.
"Um....I could....stay." Pinkie suddenly stated, kneading the clouds with her hooves.
"Stay?" Twilight asked. "Here?"
"Well yeah, I mean. The Cakes don't need me much down at Sugarcube Corner. I help when I can but I know I could get them to let me stay here with Dashie for a while. I could keep an eye on her, make sure she takes all her medicines, and try to keep her....you know....happy! She's going to need help with a lot of stuff with that thingy on her neck and all of her broken bones and I think I should be here to support her in her time of need!"
"Wow Pinkie that's......very responsible of you." Twilight said, a large smile appearing on her face. "If anyone could lift Rainbow Dash's mood it'd be you."
"That's quite a noble thing, Pinkie." Rarity agreed, a small mischievous grin creeping onto her snout. "You are Dash's best friend after all. I'm sure she'd be very pleased to have you around."
Pinkie turned to Fluttershy. "Could you give me a lift, Flutters? I want to make sure the Cakes will be fine with this brilliant idea of mine! Aaaaand I need to grab a few things. Board games and cards and stuff to help keep Dashie's mind off of how messed up she is right now. No reaction if there's a distraction!"
"Of course I can, Pinkie. We can just.....um........" Fluttershy's eyes glazed over as she tilted her head to the side, her left ear flicking in the air.
"What's wrong?" Applejack asked, giving Fluttershy a small nudge in the shoulder.
"....do you girls hear that?"
The five walked back inside the house, to hear the quiet tones of weeping. Dash had decided early on that she preferred the couch to her bed. She was still lying there, and although the plastic cone was covering her face, the small sniffles and squeaks that echoed from it told them that everything. They all approached, gently laying down next to their friend, eager to help. Looks of worry passed between them as they lay in the quiet. Applejack placed her hoof on Rainbow's back and stroked it lightly, humming a small tune.
"Dash, I know you don't want that thing on your head." Twilight said with a small tremble in her voice. It was hard to keep her composure, watching one of her bravest friends reduced to this sobbing mess. "We just want you to be safe. And it's only a temporary thing, you know! Once you've recovered we can take it off."
"It's not that." Dash croaked out.
"Then what's wrong, Dash? Please tell us. You know we only want to help you."
"I don't want to die alone."
Twilight's eyes widened. That was not exactly the response she was expecting, if any.
"I feel like I'm dying, Twilight." Dash cried. "It hurts so much. Everything."
"I know it hurts, sugarcube." Applejack whispered. "But it's gonna get better. I promise."
"You aren't dying, dear." Rarity chimed in, giving Dash a small reassuring nuzzle. "You're just......really really....sick."
"You're going to be fine Dash." Twilight placed her hoof gently on Dash's arm. "You have no reason to worry."
"You're wrong, Egghead." Dash tried to bury her head into the couch cushion, but the cone prevented it. "I don't think a pony body is meant to hurt this much in such a short amount of time. I don't wanna be alone when it happens."
"Dash, I'm more of a doctor than you are. You'll be alright. You just need some rest."
"In case....in case I'm not....there's some stuff I wanted to say...."
Dash pulled her legs in, pushing her broken body upward so she could shift it sideways, tilt her head and look at her friends. Their faces were so sympathetic. She loved them so much. And if she didn't say this now, she felt like she might never get the chance.
"Fluttershy...."
The yellow mare let out a frightened squeak as she crawled over to be closer to her friend.
"Shy....you remember how...when we were lil' fillies and I thought it was silly to let what others say bother you much? I didn't understand. But I do now! I do understand how it feels now! And....I'm sorry. I'm sorry Fluttershy. You're my best friend and I'm sorry. Fluttershy, when I'm gone, could you make sure Tank is ok? He probably won't understand why I'm not around. He was the best gift you ever gave me and I never told you how much I love that dumb turtle. Thank you, Fluttershy."
Dash beckoned for her to come closer. She slowly approached, nervously looking around as she was suddenly pulled into a tight hug, the bandages on Dash's arms scraping her face. Fluttershy shot Twilight a worried glance. Twilight shrugged and mouthed the words 'maybe this will make her feel better' as noiselessly as she could.
"Applejack." Dash muttered, releasing her hold on Fluttershy. Applejack let out a slightly annoyed sigh as she came around the couch, a smile on her face.
"Dash, yer just bein' silly. Y'all are gonna be fine, sugarcube."
"AJ. You remember that time when you found a huge hole in the henhouse and I told you it was a shooting star? Well that was a lie....it was me. I'm sorry."
"Pfft. Well shoot, I knew that, Dash."
"Y....you did?"
"'Course I did. Y'all are an awful liar, Dash. Shootin' stars? Heck y'all are worse at lyin' then I am."
"You're so good at understanding other ponies, AJ. That's what I always liked about you. You understood me perfectly the first time we met. And you treated me like an equal even though I'm nothing compared to you. I'm sorry for those times I flirted with your brother just to annoy you. I'm sorry for all those times I cheated to win our contests. I just wanted to feel like I was as good as you."
"Awww, t'aint nothin', Dash. You're a good pony. Don't ever think otherwise, ya hear?"
"Thanks, AJ." Dash quietly spoke, her eyes welling up again as she broke down. "It means alot to me."
"Dash you should really try to rest." Rarity whispered. "You're wasting all your energy with this crying and confessing."
"Rarity come over here, please." Dash beckoned to her. Rarity sat in front of Dash, a look of exasperation on her face.
"Rarity promise me....that when I'm gone that....you try to find a way to be happy by yourself. I know you're always looking for Mr.Perfect, but you don't need him. You're perfect, Rarity. When I first met you I thought you were a snob. But I was so wrong. You made me even learn to like wearing clothes and I hated clothes. You always made sure I looked my best whenever we went somewhere fancy and I never really thanked you for all the stuff you've done and made for me. And now it's too late for me to pay you back for it all and I'm sorry."
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Dash, you shouldn't ever even dream of paying me back for anything. I do it because I'm your friend. And as your friend, I have to say that while I enjoy these compliments, I think I'd be happier if you tried to get some sleep."
"I will when I'm done. Twilight I guess that you're next."
"Oh goodness." Twilight sat in front of Dash, trying her best not to frown.
"Twilight....I know that we haven't known each other for very long and....I'm sorry for those times I've made fun of you for being smart. I don't know why I do that. I think I'm just jealous over how talented you are. How you don't screw everything up like I do. You changed my life, you know? You showed me how great reading is. I don't even know what I did all day before you showed me how wonderful books are. You're such a sweet pony, Twi. Tell Celestia..... I'm sorry for breaking up the Elements of Harmony."
"Breaking up?"
"I can't be the Element of Loyalty if I'm dead right?"
"Oh, Dash. You aren't dying. The chemicals in your brain are just in panic mode and-"
"Pinkie." Dash interrupted. "C'mere, Pinks."
Pinkie crawled over the armrest, laying her head onto the cushion in front of Dash, looking her friend right in the eyes. There was so much anguish in those scarlet eyes. She wanted more than anything to make it all go away. Turn it into a sad distant memory that they'd never have to dwell on again.
"Pinkie....I.....don't know where to even start. You're such a fun and kind and wonderful pony. Just....being around you makes my day. Even when the day is awful. Sometimes when I wake up....I'm just glad I'm alive cause it means I get to hang out with you. You've made me a better pony just by being my friend. This is stuff I should have told you a long time ago but I didn't because....well you know me. I don't generally do this sappy stuff. I'm gonna miss you, Pinkie. So much."
"Don't say such things, Dashie." Pinkie squealed sadly, jutting her hooves into the cone and rubbing her friend's temples with her hooves. "Don't you ever say such things! You are gonna be here tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that. And we can hang out every day. I'm gonna stay here and I'm gonna make sure you're ok. I'm gonna take care of you and make you better and then we can just have fun all day. So don't you say you won't be there because then I'll be all alone."
She gave Dash a hug, which was difficult with the giant plastic cone protruding from her neck.
"I'm gonna be right here while you sleep, ok? And you need to sleep. The doctor told us you need lots of rest, Dashie and so far you aren't following his orders. I don't think it's against the law to disobey the doctor but it's still very bad and you need to go to sleep ok? Don't be scared cause me and Twilight and Applejack and Rarity and Fluttershy are all gonna be here when you're awake."
"What if you're wrong? What if I'm not here tomorrow? What if I don't wake up?" Dash whimpered.
"Then I'll miss you a whole big old bunch. But you will be here tomorrow. I pinkie-promise."
"If I'm not well.....one last thing.....I'm sorry about the crash at the track. I'm sorry I put everyone through all this."
"You didn't mean to, Sugarcube." Applejack said soothingly. "Accidents happen."
"Just cause its an accident doesn't mean its not my fault. I just wish....that I.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz."
With a final quiet sniffle, Dash passed out onto the cushion of the couch, collapsing onto her stomach surrounded by her friends. She began to snore. It wasn't very loud but it was enough to break the silent awkward reverie of the moment.
"Well. That was......mortifying. Poor dear." Rarity brushed Dash's colorful messy mane with her hoof. "She really is in bad shape."
"Yeah....I've never seen Dash like this." Applejack removed her hat to scratch her head. "It's kinda scary. You'd think she was actually on her way out with the way she was carryin' on. Looked pretty terrified."
"Its just all the anxiety and pain." Twilight muttered. "She's going to be embarrassed she said all this later. I guarantee it."
That little prediction would turn out to be quite true. And as the five silently watched their slumbering friend, covered in stitches and bandages like some Hollywood movie monster, their minds all contained the same thoughts and worries. Would things ever return to normal? How would their lives be affected? Could their friend truly be helped? The limits of their friendship had already been tested these last few nights, along with their patience and sanity. The mental images of the accident still kept them up at night. But watching their friend sleep so peacefully brought solace. As if the atmosphere was telling them that it was alright to be optimistic, just excercise extreme caution when doing do. One by one they departed the house. Some for supplies, some to return to their lives. Each would return, in time.