Chapter seventeen: Rainbow’s Wave
Time seemed to painfully slow down as Rainbow Dash heard her oldest friend’s voice for the first time in…she didn’t even know how long. But even so, she hoped that she wouldn’t have to hear that voice this soon. She was just starting to get her confidence back. She couldn’t deal with something like this!
The pegasus knew that she would have to face Fluttershy sometime, but now? Why now? Out of all the times her friends could have picked, it had to be now for her to see Fluttershy? Couldn’t they have at least asked her if she was ready for this? Instead, they just assumed that she was. She wouldn’t blame her friends for being ignorant to that fact, but she was certainly annoyed at them.
Speaking of blame…
“Rainbow Dash…? Are you a-alright?” Fluttershy asked, her soft voice once again infiltrating Rainbow Dash’s unwilling eardrums.
“Yeah…I’m just fine,” Rainbow Dash spat out once she found her voice. She was surprised at how much malice there was in her own voice. Rainbow Dash was mad, there was no denying that, but she didn’t expect herself to be that angry.
There were only a few times in her life when she wanted to punch some pony in the face as much as she did right then, but she just couldn’t. For two reasons. One, she couldn’t aim, and two…no matter how mad she was at Fluttershy, she just couldn’t hit her. But that didn’t mean that she was just going to make up with her right then and there. No. There were certain reasons why she couldn’t, and Fluttershy seemed to be very aware of those reasons herself.
“Um…I…” Fluttershy began awkwardly.
“You what?” Rainbow Dash ground out. She could feel her teeth grit together as she waited for Fluttershy to come out and say whatever it was that she had to say.
“Well, I just wanted to…”
“Okay!” Twilight interrupted, coming in between the two pegasi. “Why don’t we get started? Rainbow Dash, can you come with me please?”
“Sure, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash agreed, wrapping her wing around Twilight’s back. But, before she completely went off with her unicorn friend, she cast a spiteful look over her shoulder where, hopefully, the pegasus could see it.
Fluttershy could see it very clearly and yet she wished that she couldn’t. The shy pegasus let out a sad sigh, wishing that things would go back to the way they were before the accident. Everything was just so messed up now, she thought to herself as she heard Rarity come and stand beside her.
“I told you she hates me,” Fluttershy sighed, staring intently at the ground.
For once, Rarity was at somewhat of a loss. Maybe she was wrong about Rainbow Dash.
“I…I’m sure she’s just saying that as a…” Rarity grumbled as she tried to think of what she could possibly say to make Fluttershy feel better.
“It’s okay, Rarity…I-I don’t blame her for it,” Fluttershy grumbled bitterly. “In fact, if I were her, I would hate me too.”
The look she gave Rarity was one of the saddest things the unicorn thought she had ever seen. It was so full of longing, but so full of sadness and self-loathing. There wasn’t one thing she could think of that made her heart rip itself inside out more than this look her shy friend gave her. And in that moment of sadness, there was another feeling that was produced. The burning feeling of determination. With Celestia as her witness, she would get the two pegasi together as friends again.
“Oh, come now, Fluttershy, let’s go see what the girls are saying,” Rarity offered, trying to get Fluttershy’s mind off her current problem. She put her front hoof out as an offer for Fluttershy to go ahead of her. “Shall we?”
After a bit of prompting, Fluttershy finally retaliated. The pegasus slowly walked up to the four other ponies gathered in a half circle around Twilight and a bill board that had seemed to magically appear out of nowhere, probably thanks to Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy stood beside Applejack, who was standing to the far right of Rainbow Dash. If anything was clear, it was that Fluttershy didn’t want to take her chances and was staying as far away from Rainbow Dash as she could.
Rarity sighed bitterly as she joined Fluttershy and watched the purple unicorn go over what needed to be done to get their blind friend flying once again.
“Now,” Twilight began. “Once you get up into the air, Rainbow Dash, you need to find…”
To Rarity, the words that spun out Twilight’s mouth at a professional level were lost to her. They weren’t her instructions, after all. Still, she tried. There was no need to be rude. But she found it hard to concentrate with another crisis on her hooves. How was she going to get two pegasi, two of which who have been friends for a very long time, to talk to each other again? From the earlier look on Rainbow Dash’s face, it was clear that she wanted nothing to do with her old friend. But, Fluttershy seemed to be the exact opposite. She could see it in her eyes that she wanted things to be right again. Just as she was pursing her lips in thought, Fluttershy’s voice invaded her concentration.
“Do you think she’ll be able to do it?” Fluttershy asked quietly as the two watched Rainbow walk with Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie over to the wide open field just behind them.
“Do what?” Rarity asked.
Fluttershy’s eyes widened for a moment until she shook her head. “You weren’t listening, were you, Rarity?” she asked knowingly.
Rarity sighed. “No, I’m afraid I wasn’t, dear. I was just so caught up in my own thoughts.”
“What kind of thoughts?” Fluttershy asked, suddenly curious as the two followed their friends just a few meters ahead of them.
“I was just thinking of possible ways to help you and Rainbow Dash…well, kiss and make up, so to speak,” the unicorn said, beginning to make the first steps towards their other friends.
“Oh…” Fluttershy answered, putting her head down once again as they walked. Rarity was astonished at how the pegasus didn’t trip over her long pink hair. “You don’t have to do that, Rarity. Although, I-I do appreciate the effort you’re putting into it….it’s just…” Fluttershy trailed off.
“It’s just what?” Rarity pressed on.
“I already told you…Rainbow Dash hates me,” Fluttershy sighed longingly. She looked up and stared at the pegasus, who was just getting careful instructions from Twilight. Fluttershy felt a stinging pain in her chest as she watched the two happily converse. For a few moments, she wished that she could be in that position. And what made it worse was that she would have been. She would have been…if only she hadn’t been such a cowardly door mat. “It’s not like she’ll ever want to be my friend again.”
“And, as I already told you, I’m sure that there’s a way we can help you two get back together,” Rarity encouraged lightly. “Now, you go over and listen to what Twilight has to say, and I’ll handle the rest.” With that, the white unicorn trotted away daintily, leaving Fluttershy behind again.
“Hey, Fluttershy!” a shrill voice suddenly exclaimed from behind her.
Fluttershy jumped about five feet in the air and let out an audible scream. As she was in the air, she began flapping her wings just so she could get away from the absolutely terrifying creature behind her. Then, as she turned around, she saw that it was only Pinkie Pie. She rolled her eyes internally. That was one thing she should have known.
“Oh, um…hello, Pinkie Pie,’ Fluttershy whispered as she landed on her hooves gracefully. “What are you doing?”
“Eh, I was just hanging around and listening to Twilight, when I saw that you and Rarity weren’t with us. So I looked around and saw you standing here! You looked all saddy-waddy, and I came over here to cheer you up!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she hopped in place.
“Well, I uh…” Fluttershy began uncertainly, lowering her ears as she watched her pink friend hop up and down. “Thanks you for trying…Pinkie, but I just can’t be cheered up…”
Pinkie Pie gasped a bit too loudly for Fluttershy’s taste. “Can’t be cheered up?” the party pony echoed incredulously. “Well, that’s crazy talk! Actually, if it was crazy talk, it would sound something more along the lines of, ‘gbblaadaablegh hebleegggdahebleg bleghbleghblegh blelelelagahalelel - !”
“Um, I get it, Pinkie,” Fluttershy said nervously, stopping her friend in mid…sentence.
“Well, that’s good! I wouldn’t want to have to explain that to you again,” Pinkie Pie giggled at something Fluttershy was unaware of. “It was already hard enough to say the first time! Anyway, what do you need help with? I’m sure your Auntie Pinkie Pie here can help you really quick!”
“Oh, no, you don’t have to,” Fluttershy laughed nervously, taking a few steps backwards.
“Of course I do!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, hopping closer. “I like cheering my friends up, and YOU-” She pointed at Fluttershy for emphasis. “-are no exception to that. Please?”
“…fine, if it will make you happy,” Fluttershy sighed.
“Great!” Pinkie Pie smiled, clapping her front hooves together. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie’s ears went back, and she stopped bouncing. Now it was Fluttershy’s turn to be concerned.
“Are you okay, Pinkie Pie?” she asked hesitantly.
“I’m not pressuring you, am I?” Pinkie Pie asked worriedly, sitting down on her back haunches. “Because if I am, I’m sorry, I’m just trying to…”
“Oh, no, don’t worry, Pinkie,” Fluttershy assured kindly. “I really appreciate you trying to help me with this. But, you see, Rarity’s trying and…”
“Great!” Pinkie Pie squealed, hugging onto her shy friend tightly. “Now, just tell Pinkie Pie what’s wrong and…”
“Fluttershy! Pinkie! Get yer butts over here!”
“Coming, Applejack!” Pinkie Pie called back cheerfully. Then, she turned to Fluttershy. “Come on, Fluttershy! We need to go over there and…” As the pink pony was just about to grab her friend’s hoof, she noticed the utterly terrified expression Fluttershy’s face.
“No, I-I-I couldn’t…not over there,” the pegasus squeaked out. She started to bite her lip and back away. There wasn’t any way that she was going over there. Not with Rainbow Dash and everything. She was just too scared. She was always just too scared, and that was what got her into this mess in the first place. And she knew that no matter how much she wanted to, she just couldn’t change that.
As Pinkie Pie moved in to encourage Fluttershy to get going, something inside her told her that what she was planning to do wouldn’t be a very good idea. The pegasus was clearly scared out of her wits by the prospect of going over there to watch Rainbow Dash. What kind of friend would she be if she forced Fluttershy to do something she didn’t want to? Not a very good one, that’s what!
“Hey, Fluttershy?” Pinkie Pie began softly.
“Y-yes, Pinkie?” Fluttershy whimpered.
“Do you want me to stay with you and we can watch Rainbow Dash from here?” Pinkie Pie smiled as Fluttershy’s look of fear transformed into a look of honest curiosity.
“B-but, don’t you want to watch Rainbow Dash with the girls?” Fluttershy asked cautiously. “I know how much Rainbow Dash means to you, and I would hate to cause a rift between you two just because I’m too scared to go and talk to her…”
“Don’t worry, Fluttershy! I’m totally okay with it!” Pinkie assured, taking a seat on the dirt below her. “Besides, even if I’m not watching her with the others, I’m still watching her with you, and that’s much more awesome. And you’re not too scared to go up and talk to her.”
“I’m not?” Fluttershy echoed.
“No, you silly filly!” Pinkie nodded, lightly tapping the pegasus on the nose with her hoof. “You talked to her before, right? Now you just need to do it again!”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Okay, Rainbow,” Twilight began, looking her friend over a few times. “Do you think you’re ready to do this? If not, we can always try again some other day.”
“You worry too much, Twi,” Rainbow Dash laughed breezily, snapping the goggles into place. “I’m ALWAYS ready. I needed to stretch my wings anyways.”
“If you’re sure…”
The lecture was done, the preparations were set, and now all Rainbow Dash needed to do was fly a bit. That wouldn’t be too hard though, Twilight thought to herself. She was just flying blind for the first time right beside a potentially dangerous gorge that would spell disaster for them if the blind pegasus just so happened to fall into it…
On second thought, why did they come here again?
The unicorn shook her head to rid herself of such thoughts. She knew that Rainbow Dash was going to do just fine. Twilight knew that Rainbow Dash was paying attention during the time when she was explaining how they were going to do this. She also knew that the pegasus wasn’t stupid, no matter how many contradicting things she did. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t risk something like this, especially since it involved a way to get her back up in the sky.
Her sky.
Something about seeing Rainbow Dash fly again, if only for a moment, brought something up in her that she could not explain, no matter how many times she had tried. She knew that it was getting a bit old and clichéd, but she couldn’t help it. Twilight felt a rush of joy whenever she thought of Rainbow Dash flying…or Rainbow Dash at all. There was just something about the pegasus that brought a smile to her face. Perhaps it was her attitude, perhaps it was the way she carried herself, perhaps it was…
She had to force her thoughts to come to a halt to stop a blush from physically showing on her face. There was no need to cause suspicion around her friends.
Suddenly, a gust of wind from Rainbow Dash’s wings brought her back to reality. She looked to see Rainbow Dash hovering just above her head.
“How does it feel?” she called up to her.
“Feels awesome!” Rainbow Dash answered excitedly. Even from the ground Twilight could hear the determination in her voice. “Can I go now?”
“You know what to do when you’re up there, right, dear?” Rarity made sure, looking up at her friend with an expression that matched Applejacks. Worry.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Catch the thermals and the updrafts and blah, blah, blah. I got this, Rares.”
“We know, Dash,” Applejack said reassuringly. “We just want ya ta be careful.”
Rainbow Dash’s confident smile seemed to vanish for a moment. It wasn’t that noticeable to any pony who wasn’t looking for it, but to Twilight it was as clear as Celestia’s sun. That alone filled her with worry. But, she had to cling onto the hope that Rainbow Dash would indeed be safe up there.
“Don’t worry, guys,” the pegasus smirked. “I will be.”
With that, Twilight felt that it was time to begin.
“Alright, Rainbow. Now, I want you to stay close to the ground this time,” the unicorn said.
Rainbow Dash nodded in response and began flapping her wings forward, making just enough momentum for her to move. The pegasus felt a smile light up on her face. Even though it was miniscule compared to what she was usually used to, she was glad to have the wind kissing her feathers once again. At this level, she didn’t feel any updrafts that might cause her problems, but that was probably a good thing for now.
“So, I’m flying,” Rainbow Dash stated. “What now?” She heard footsteps from beneath her and assumed that the three mares were following her.
“Now, you should probably get used to using just your wings for navigation,” Twilight said matter-of-factly. “Can you fly a bit faster?”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. Of course she could fly faster. With a simple nod of her head, she flapped her wings harder and, inch by inch, she began to get faster. At first, she had felt obligated to go only so fast that her friends could keep up with her, but as she started getting that familiar rush of adrenaline, she began to get faster and faster and faster. Her lips curled into a wicked grin as she sliced through the air. She could definitely pick up each current of air thrashing through her sensitive wings. It was a rather weird sensation at first, mostly because she had never paid attention to it. Now it was different. Very different. But she enjoyed different, if she said so herself.
However, it seemed that she was enjoying it a bit too much.
“Rainbow!” Twilight’s voice shouted.
“What?” she called back over her shoulder.
“Watch out for the -!”
SMACK!
“Tree…”
As she slid down the thick trunk of the tree she had crashed into, she felt an alarming sense of vertigo. Sure she had had crashes before, but not being able to see left her more disoriented than she had ever been. She felt the wood beneath her abdomen waste away until she landed on the ground. Once she was sure she was firmly planted, she plopped down onto her back and lay there, trying to regain her bearings.
“Rainbow!” Twilight’s frantic voice clawed its way into her subconscious.
All at once she felt hooves touching her. She shook them off and sat up carefully, shaking her head as she did so.
“Phew-wee! That was quite a tumble there, girl,” Applejack stated worriedly. “Are ya okay?” Rainbow Dash felt the farm pony’s hooves touch her shoulder. She was tempted to shrug it off, but she just didn’t seem to have the energy.
“Yeah,” a very disoriented Rainbow Dash answered. “I’m fine; I’ve had worse.”
Just then, she heard another set of hoofsteps coming over. She was about to ask who it was, but then she knew, and then she didn’t want to stay there any longer.
“I’m trying again,” she stated, getting back up in the air and taking off once more. This time, she was much more focused. The first time she had been too distracted by how good flying felt after such a long break. Now she was determined to do this without any help. She was determined to fly again.
And, over the next few hours, fly she did. For a little while, anyways. She crashed more times than she could count, and after each fall she could begin to feel her short temper start snapping. Why couldn’t she do this? It was so easy before, why wasn’t it easy now? But, even with the constant discouragement, she kept getting back up and trying again, getting higher and faster each time. And it helped that she had such supportive friends. Each time she fell, the four mares would encourage her. “Keep trying!” they would say. “You almost have it, Dashie!” Even Fluttershy, who hadn’t spoken to her since when they first began, was supporting her in her own little way. So, she kept trying. If not for herself, then for them. For her friends.
Slowly and surely, she was regaining her confidence back. This time, she thought as she was flying through the air with her friends running behind her, she wanted to go faster and higher. She wanted to navigate on her own and not bump into anything.
“Twilight,” she called down.
“Yes, Rainbow?” Twilight answered back. Rainbow Dash could hear her heavy breathing as she spoke.
“I’m gonna go higher,” Rainbow Dash said determinedly, already flapping her wings a bit harder as she prepared. “I’ll see you on the ground.”
Twilight didn’t get a chance to respond as, in a burst of incredible speed, Rainbow Dash took off into the blue sky.
“Well, there she goes,” Applejack commented, looking up as she tried to spot her cerulean friend.
“There she goes…” Twilight repeated longingly. If she was truthful with herself, she was absolutely petrified for her friend. Anything could go wrong up there, and who knew if there would be any time for them, the ponies on the ground, to react. With no other options, all she was left with was a burning hope that Rainbow Dash would be okay.
“Hey, Twilight?” Pinkie Pie asked suddenly.
"Yes, Pinkie?”
“Do you think she’ll be able to do it?” the pink earth pony asked as she eagerly watched Rainbow Dash zip through the skies. The Pegasus looked like she was doing fine; she was just going in a rather straight line, so it was hard to tell. But, she always had those off moments where she tripped up in the air and fell several feet downwards. Each time that happened, the mares would all gasp and lean forward with baited breath, but a few seconds later, Rainbow Dash would recover and she would get flying again.
“Do what?” Twilight responded, not taking her eyes off the sky for an instant.
“Fly again, like she used to. You know, go in competitions and all that fun stuff she used to do,” Pinkie Pie answered. The tone of voice she was using felt weird for Twilight. It wasn’t often that Pinkie Pie got right down into the deep meaning of something, but when she did, it was always an interesting experience for all of them.
“You know, Pinkie…” Twilight said as she watched her friend fly around. “Something tells me that it’s certainly possible.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
There were no barriers, there were no breaks, there were no safety nets. There was just her and her alone.
That scared her more than she would ever admit.
Rainbow Dash could feel herself getting more and more nervous as she flew across the wide open sky. She had taken Twilight’s advice and used everything she could to direct herself through the air efficiently. It wasn’t exactly hard, but it wasn’t easy either. Sometimes she would catch a current that would make her go up instead of down, or she would run into a cloud and that would launch her dangerously off course. She always had her legs out in front of her, just in case something unexpected should come up. But, even that was not secure enough.
She had heard about something that bats used to navigate. Echo…location, was it? Yeah, that was it. Echolocation sure sounded handy right about now, but unfortunately, she had no idea how to use it. But, it was certainly something to look into. Maybe she would ask Twilight for a book about it later. And, speaking of Twilight, she reminded herself that she had to thank the unicorn when she came down. If it wasn’t for her, then flying at all probably wouldn’t be possible.
It was funny, Twilight had done such amazing things in the past few weeks for her. There was just no way she would ever be able to repay her. Rainbow Dash also felt that a strong connection had formed between them, much stronger than she had ever thought possible. She chuckled quietly. That egghead was getting to her.
Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a strong updraft. She grunted as the draft hit her and blew her upwards a little ways, but that was no trouble for her. Rainbow Dash let her left wing tip forwards as she made a heavy bank to the right. She tucked her front feet in hesitantly and leaned forward just a touch. From the air around her body, there were no obstacles in her way, and there was nothing to stop her.
She could do this.
She just had to wait for the right moment.
Rainbow Dash glided onward for a while, banking to the left or right whenever she felt something in her way. She was impressed with herself. For the first time in about five hours, she felt confident in her flying abilities. And, she realized that she was truly flying again. The euphoria that coursed through her very soul was incomparable to anything she had ever felt. After such hopelessness, she had finally found her light at the end of the tunnel, and she finally felt like she could put up a fight again. She was filled to the brim with determination and energy, and she loved it. There it was, the hard thrill that hits you like a brick when you were flying like this, she had accomplished it.
And she wanted more. So much more.
With a silent prayer to Celestia, she tipped her wings upwards as she felt a strong draft hit her. With only a flap of her wings, she dashed upwards through the air and leaned backwards. In a flurry, she thrusted her front hooves out and banked to the right just as she was coming out of the loop. This motion sent her thrusting downwards at a fairly moderate speed. She wanted to go faster, but she decided not to risk it.
“No point in killing myself the first day I go flying,” she laughed inwardly. There would be other times for that, but now was not one of them.
Judging by her calculations, she had been up here for around…half an hour, maybe? She wasn’t really keeping time, she was just enjoying herself. The concept of time altogether vanished for the pegasus after a little while. There were only two things that existed to her at the moment. Flying, and the wondrous rush that coursed through her body. The wind felt good on her feathers and her mane, and she just wanted to stay up in the sky and never let it go again. Suddenly, she felt tears well up in her eyes as the burning feeling of joy flooded its way into her heart. Somehow, they felt good on her cheeks, unlike the many tears she had cried before. These were from pure happiness. Even though she didn’t cry, since it would be way too uncool, she was okay with letting these ones slip down her face.
She felt nothing but freedom as she weaved her way through the skies. Rainbow Dash felt sharp twinges of pain in her jaw from smiling too widely. For a long time, she had forgotten what flying felt like. Now she remembered, and she never wanted to forget again. Even though she was blind, and would still need Twilight’s help with mostly everything, she could still fly. She could still have this wondrous feeling of freedom that she loved so much. And she was never letting it go again, she promised.
But, all good things must come to an end.
As she spiraled downwards for a few seconds, she heard a voice from the ground below her.
“Rainbow Dash!” it called out.
Even with her advanced hearing, it took her a while to hear it. When she did, she carefully made her way downwards, just enough so that she was at a good hearing distance.
“RAINBOW DASH!” some pony called from beneath her.
“What?” she shouted back impatiently. She wanted to get back to flying as soon as possible.
“Come on down!”
Come on down? But she was having so much fun! What pony would take this happiness away from her again? But, then she realized that her friends were still waiting for her. Rainbow Dash smirked. She couldn’t keep them waiting forever. Reluctantly, she tipped her wings and flew downwards. As she did so, she realized something.
She had no idea where her friends were.
Rainbow Dash felt her heart sink. So much for getting down. She flung her hooves downward to try to see if she could land gently, but then she felt something right below her. And it was trying to grab onto her hoof.
“Rainbow!” Twilight’s voice beamed proudly. “I’ve got you, you can stop flying.”
That’s who it was.
She grabbed onto Twilight’s hoof with her own and swept the unicorn up into a hug once she had landed. There was a surprise gasp from Twilight as Rainbow Dash squeezed her.
“Thank you, Twilight!” she said gratefully.
“For what?” Twilight asked suddenly. Rainbow Dash’s grip on the unicorn was loosened as she started speaking again. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Of course you did! You helped me fly again,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
“Aw, shoot, girl!” Applejack laughed. She felt a punch on her shoulder and whipped her head around to where Applejack was standing. “You flew all by yourself.”
Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously. “Yeah, I guess I did, didn’t I?”
“You sure did, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie nodded excitedly. “We all saw you up there and you were like, ‘zoom! Zoom!’ and we were all like, ‘go, Dashie, go!’ and when you started doing those flips that was totally awesome!” Rainbow Dash couldn’t see Pinkie Pie’s hoof movements, but with all the sound effects she was making, they must have been good.
“Thanks, Pinkie,” she said in response.
“I have to agree, that was rather…dashing.” The mares all laughed at Rarity’s clever little pun, even Rainbow Dash herself.
“Thanks, guys,” Rainbow Dash laughed. “But, I seriously couldn’t have done it without you.” She felt the warm presence of her friends wrap themselves around her lovingly. But, there was one pony that was missing from all the mushy gunk that was going on right now. And that one pony was still on very thin ice with her at the moment. On one side, Fluttershy was her friend, and she should be able to forgive her. It’s not like she had meant for that dragon to come and attack her cottage, and it wasn’t like she meant for her to be blinded. It was really only an unfortunate series of events, not one pony’s fault. But, on the other, more emotional side, Rainbow Dash was barely a shadow of what she once was. Sure, she could fly, but that was just one thing. She couldn’t eat on her own, she couldn’t walk anywhere on her own, heck, she could barely take a shower on her own! Fluttershy had crippled her in more ways than she could ever comprehend, all because she was too scared to move out of the way.
So, Rainbow Dash was at a crossroads. She could either forgive her or not, but she still hadn’t made up her mind on what exactly she could do. And she didn’t get much time to think either.
“I know what this calls for!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, snapping her out of her thoughts.
“What?” Rainbow Dash echoed.
“Come to Sugarcube Corner! It’s over there!” Light hoofsteps told Rainbow Dash that her energetic friend was already on her way there. Of course.
“We’ll see ya over there, ‘kay, Rainbow?” Applejack’s voice asked cheerfully.
“’kay,” Rainbow Dash nodded. She smiled as she felt Twilight come over to her and stand parallel to her. “Thanks again, you guys.”
“You are quite welcome, darling,” Rarity smiled. She felt the unicorn give her a quick nuzzle. Then they were gone. Another set of hoofsteps followed them. She sighed; she knew who that was. Once the four others had all disappeared, only Twilight and Rainbow Dash were left.
“Hey, Twi?” Rainbow Dash said as she curled her wing comfortably over Twilight’s back.
“Yes?”
“You’re pretty awesome,” the pegasus teased. “You know that?”
A chuckle from Twilight would have been refreshing to her eardrums, if that was what actually happened. She was surprised when Twilight began to say something, but each time her voice was cut off by…something. It sounded like Twilight was almost nervous, but what could she be nervous about?
“T-thanks, Rainbow,” Twilight finally got out. “It…means a lot to me that you said that.”
Rainbow Dash blinked in surprise as Twilight began leading her to Sugarcube Corner, or that’s where she hoped they were going. She nodded once and all that was between them now was a soft, comfortable silence. But, Rainbow Dash didn’t need to talk. She was just happy with Twilight’s body being pressed to her own.
Maybe she was finally beginning to realize what Twilight meant to her.
The silence stayed for a while, and she could feel Twilight pressing herself up against her side. In turn, Rainbow Dash walked a little bit slower, just so that they could enjoy each other’s presence. It felt nice relying on Twilight, for once. But, just as she was getting comfortable, Twilight caught her off guard.
“Rainbow Dash, what do you think about Fluttershy?” Twilight asked suddenly.
In an instant, the comfort that she had felt before shattered.
“I…I really don’t know, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash answered after a long pause. “I’m still mad at her, Twi. Why do you ask?”
“Rarity was talking about it with me earlier when you were flying,” Twilight answered simply.
A small stab of betrayal pricked at Rainbow Dash’s heart. She couldn’t help it when she felt that her friends were talking about her behind her back. The pegasus couldn’t stand it when ponies did that.
“What does she want to know about it?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Rainbow, Fluttershy did nothing wrong, and you shouldn’t be mad at her for something she never did,” Twilight lectured. “It’s not fair, and as her friend, you should be able to forgive her.”
Rainbow Dash could barely believe what she was hearing. So now she was the offender? Now there were two things around here that weren’t fair.
“She blinded me, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed in a last ditch effort.
“But, that was the dragon that did that! Not Fluttershy,” Twilight answered defensively.
Rainbow Dash stopped suddenly, and it was her turn to surprise Twilight. The unicorn felt the wing slide off her back, and she was worried that she said something wrong. She didn’t want to make Rainbow Dash angry or sad. That was the last thing she wanted. She just couldn’t stand it.
“You don’t think I know that?” Rainbow Dash growled with her head down. “I know that I’m not being fair, okay? I’m really trying to forgive, Fluttershy, but how can I? She took everything away from me! She took away my sight, my independence, everything! I was going to join the Wonderbolts, but how can they accept a stupid blind pegasus who can’t even take a bucking shower by herself?” There were tears flowing down her cheeks as she spoke. They weren’t tears of joy or happiness, they were hot, salty, anger filled tears. Who cared if any pony saw them? She didn’t. “But then she took that away from me because she. Didn’t. Bucking. Move!”
From the silence that followed was devastating for Twilight. In retrospect, the unicorn realized that she was the one who pushed her friend to this point. If only she hadn’t asked about Fluttershy…
Without another word, she moved forward and held Rainbow Dash in an embrace. From there, the blind pegasus wrapped herself around Twilight and buried her head in Twilight’s chest. There it was safe. There she could shield herself from the cruel reality of the outside world. She felt a soft hoof stroke itself across her mane, much like she had done last night, when Twilight had been suffering much like she was at that moment. Twilight spoke soft words to her, and she accepted them silently.
“I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight whispered heavily past the lump in her throat. “I’m so sorry.”
“No…” the pegasus answered at last, pulling herself away from the comforting legs of her friend and wiping her eyes so all that was left of the tears were wet streaks on her cheeks. “No, I’m sorry that I…blew up like that. It was really uncool of me.”
“Don’t worry about it. You needed that,” Twilight smiled. She stood up and helped Rainbow Dash to her feet. “You talk to her when you feel ready, okay? Not because we tell you to.”
“Thanks, Twilight…” Rainbow Dash was more than happy at that moment. She was able to keep going, all because of Twilight. Then, her mind was assaulted with new images. Images of Twilight were replaced by something else. Something that she had forgotten a long time ago.
“TAAANNNKKKK!!!” she screamed, jumping up in the air and grabbing the top of her head with her hooves. How could she have forgotten about her precious pet? She wasn’t usually this forgetful, especially when it came to her pet. True, she forgot to feed him sometimes, but she always made up for it. What if he was…gone? Then it would be all her fault. She would never forgive herself if something happened to him.
“Where is he!? Where’s Tank!” She asked frantically, holding onto Twilight’s shoulders and shaking them harshly. “He’s okay, right? Please tell me he’s okay!”
“Yes, yes, Tank is just fine,” Twilight assured calmly, shrugging Rainbow Dash’s hooves off her shoulders. “Fluttershy took it upon herself to take care of him while you were in that coma. And she still is. The last time I saw him, he looked like he really missed you.”
Rainbow Dash just couldn’t be happier, or feel guiltier. Tank was okay! Thank Celestia for that. But, now she felt guilty for being so mad at Fluttershy. Here she was, acting so rude to Fluttershy when the other pegasus was taking care of the pet she had so faithfully neglected.
“Oh, thank Celestia,” Rainbow Dash breathed out, grabbing her chest with her front hooves in relief.
“Also, while we’re on this subject, have you thought about what we’re going to do about Scootaloo?” Twilight asked. If there was ever a time to bring up this subject, it was now.
“Oh…right,” Rainbow Dash sighed. She had forgotten all about her biggest fan, and little sister figure. A prick of guilt flung at her heart. If there was one pony who was probably freaking out about not seeing her in the last few days, it was definitely Scootaloo. If anything, the little pegasus deserved to be told of this more than any pony. “I can tell her.”
Twilight sounded surprised. “Are you sure? I can do it, if you want.”
“Yeah, I’m sure, Twi,” Rainbow Dash nodded. She put her wing across Twilight’s back and they resumed their journey. “If anything, the little squirt should be told by me. I don’t want her to stop thinking that…well…”
“Yes, I know,” Twilight smiled. “I’m sure she’ll be at Pinkie’s little…surprise. You can tell her then.”
“Oh boy, can’t wait,” Rainbow Dash smirked sarcastically.
No other words needed to be said from there on. The comforting presence of the other was enough for both of them. That was, until, Twilight suddenly stopped and told Rainbow Dash to prepare herself.
“Why?” Rainbow Dash asked jokingly. “Is some pony gonna come out and jump me or something?”
“That could definitely be a possibility,” Twilight answered slyly.
Should she tell her friend that her sentence was meant to be a joke?
“Okay, on the count of three, walk into the room just in front of you,” the unicorn said carefully. She saw Rainbow Dash nod to her. Then, she was ready.
“One, two...” Twilight chuckled softly as she saw Rainbow Dash prepare herself, perhaps a bit too much. Not wanting to make her wait any longer, the unicorn burst out, “Three!”
Rainbow Dash walked forward carefully. Suddenly, there was a loud unexpected pop.
“SURPRISE!”