//------------------------------// // The Journey to Las Pegasus Begins // Story: Hurting Wings // by Mint_Chocolate_Pony //------------------------------// Adventure without risk is Disneyland. Chapter Four The Journey to Las Pegasus (Begins) ------------------------------------------------ Rainbow Dash woke up with a jolt, her wings spreading out widely and her pupils smaller than usual. This made Fluttershy jump up, glaring around for a while before her eyes caught the frantic cyan pegasus. "Rainbow Dash, are you okay?" Fluttershy said. Her wings were clamped, and she had tufts of cloud on her forehead. "You slept all night, even during the day. I wasn't sure if you died or not, from stress." "I'm okay, just got scared." Rainbow Dash turned around, Pound Cake chewing on Rainbow Dash's wings. "Rain-boh!" He cheered, his wings moving quickly. "Rain-boh, I... ah-pull." Pound Cake pointed at Rainbow Dash's jacket. Rainbow Dash smiled and put her hoof in her pocket. An apple was pulled out coolly and a chunk was ripped off, and given to the small colt who asked in the cutest way if he could be fed. "I have a feeling this little guy is going to be best friends with Apple Jack." Rainbow Dash smiled, her wings out spread. "That's good," Fluttershy smiled softly. "Apple Jack can always use more help on the farm." Her wings softly starting to relax, and un-clamp. "If she's alive." Rainbow Dash sighed, her ears flattened down. "I mean, I would say lets go check the apple farm, but," "You don't trust it." Fluttershy finished Rainbow Dash's sentence with ease, her ears flattening down, too. "I'm sure I could go check. We need food, anyways. My pockets are almost empty. All I have in them is a bullet shell, not much use." Fluttershy's wings spread out and started to move up and down slowly. "If you want to check," Rainbow Dash smiled. "feel free. We could make this cloud, mobile, though. Have a slight home." Her legs stretched out, and her front hooves did the same. It took Rainbow Dash a few seconds before noticing that Scootaloo was still asleep, as if this apocalypse didn't even start. "Scootaloo slept all night, too." Fluttershy spoke up. She smiled softly and flicked her ear. "I was impressed, she said that her friends tried to kill her. She might not have been so afraid of you because she knew you were a protector." "Funny," Rainbow Dash muttered. "She didn't say much about the girls when I rammed into the window. She didn't seem too scared." Rainbow Dash looked carefully at Scootaloo, there weren't too many cuts on her. She looked just about fine. "Rain-boh!" Pound Cake smiled as he started squashing remains of apple on her tail. Rainbow Dash let out a slight smile, and her wings flapped warmly. "I ca eee ah-pull!" Pound Cake cheered. "Rain-boh wan ah-pull?" Pound Cake lifted up the squashed remains and brought it to Rainbow Dash's face. Rainbow Dash's face went into awe, the last time she saw the colt, he was too young to say anything, and now during the apocalypse, he almost has a full dictionary. She laughed warmly. "No, Pound Cake. It's yours." Pound Cake cheered and put the apple on his face, not so much chewing it as breathing the squashed bits in. The apple looked good, but Rainbow Dash had to sacrifice herself so that the young colt could live. "I can go get some apples from the farm, Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy smiled. "You can stay here with these two, and I can grab some more food." Fluttershy spread out her wings and exit through the top of the cloud, pushing away a small circle. Rainbow Dash watched her fly away, a smile edging on the cyan ponies face, even more. She looked down at Pound Cake and hugged him warmly. "Good thing you're here, too. Scootaloo sleeping would be boring. Do you have anything to say?" Rainbow Dash stopped hugging the colt and looked at his warm face of joy. His eyes were a sweet chocolate brown. "Ah-pull tase..." Pound Cake started to imitate eating an apple, and he let out a large smile. "Scoot has. Like ah-pull, too?" Pound Cake pointed at the sleeping filly. Her mane covered her eye strangely. "I'm sure Scootaloo likes apples, too, Pound Cake." Rainbow Dash smiled, petting her hoof against the colt's head. Meanwhile, Fluttershy was flying at full pase, spiraling down to the apple orchard. Her pistol in her coat and her mane swaying backwards. She look nothing like her original self at this state, and her wings were flapping almost uncontrollable. Rainbow Dash would have been impressed if her wing power test were this good. Fluttershy made her way to the barn, now. It looked empty, and it was nice to Fluttershy to see that it was empty. The rest of Ponyville was filled with the undead and ugly creatures who were looking for food, and flesh. Fluttershy let out a large sigh of joy, and her hoof was sweating with worry. Making her way into the barn was totally different, though. She felt pressure on her stomach and didn't know what to do now. She was just going to grab a few apples and run, run with all her might. Run like she was being chased and never stop running. She looked up and saw her home cloud, drifting softly. As she entered the barn, she noticed a few things. There were cows, some dead, some about to die. Either way, they were diseased and were no good for milk supplies. It was be idiotic to try that. Looking straight out, she saw a pile of hay and something that stuck out brightly. "A... knife." Fluttershy smiled. An extra weapon would be ultimately handy for killing of unexpected guests. Even in a Zombie Apocalypse, you never know which pony is nice or bad. Fluttershy knew Rainbow Dash would love to have this weapon, and she stuck it in her pocket with her pistol and sighed. She continued walking, hoping there would be a few apples. She didn't think of going to the trees just so soon, she would think there would be apples inside. Fluttershy looked around in awe, her hooves trying to be dead silent, and her eyes almost wet with fear. "Hello? Is anypony here?" She called out, her ears flattening. "I just need some apples." There were few rattling sounds behind her, Fluttershy had looked behind her in worry, and tried to keep her calm. "Hello?" She whimpered, her ears flattening down and her wings clamping. "I don't mean harm. I just need some apples." She repeated, in worry. Nothing made another sound, except for a few moans. Fluttershy screamed and started to run out of the barn, leaving anything behind her. She didn't care, she was going to pick some apples and leave. No longer would she dare go for anything else. Disgusting images rampaged in her mind, and she tried to out run them. Her wings opened, and she had started to fly away as she got out of the barn, it felt endless. Her wings were flying quickly, but not as quick as her heart was racing. Making a quick turn, she wet by the apple trees. Her eyes were too watery to see for any of the red fruit, but has started to notice a small amount of them. She blinked the tears away, but verbally cried. Her hooves out in front of her, ready to grab any apples in her face. This task was finished quickly, as she soon had five apples in her grasp. This would be a good amount, and she turned back around and head for the cloud. The entire time she had done this, though, she never looked behind her to see what was truly chasing her. Her eyes made it quick to look behind her, and her head joined in. Nothing was there, so her wings stopped pulsing to send her forward and she stopped breathing so hard after a short while. "What..." She muttered. "I thought I was being chased." Fluttershy looked down, nothing was there either. Her heart's rapid pacing was slowly down as she took in a gulp and went back to the cloud slowly. Rainbow Dash was still there with Pound Cake, and Scootaloo was still sleeping. How long was she really gone? To her it felt like days went by, and like she had a disease slowly killing her and her pride. This disease was gone now, though. Rainbow Dash spoke up. "You brought some food!" Rainbow Dash smiled. "I'm impressed." The pegasus smiled, her sweater having a large bulge in the pockets. Pound Cake was sticking his hooves inside to see what Rainbow Dash was holding. Nothing, really. It was strange. Just a few bullets, and that was it. "That's not the only thing I brought." Fluttershy took out the second weapon, the look on Rainbow Dash's face was awe-filled. The knife hit the cloud and sat there, gleaming brightly and looked like it had never been used. Except for the hay that was spilled on the sides. "A knife. A weapon!" Rainbow Dash cheered. "That barn was good for more than food, wasn't it. Were there ponies there?" Rainbow Dash's voice suddenly changed. "Did you kill 'em?" She asked, her ears flattened. "No." Fluttershy looked with worry at Rainbow Dash. "Why would I do that, if they were living, we'd want them on our side." Fluttershy sat down onto the cloud, and started to yawn. "Anyways," she started up again. "I'm starved." She dropped all the apples and picked one up. "Would you like half?" "Sure." Rainbow Dash, shook her head. Snapping out of a trance, almost, if she was in one. "Pound Cake already ate and we should probably wake up the Scoot-ster if we're gonna get a move on." Rainbow Dash pointed her hoof at the sleeping filly. She almost looked dead, but if it weren't for her breathing motions. Fluttershy nodded. Breaking the apple in half, using the knife, she gave one half to Rainbow Dash and the other half to herself. Her body turned around and she lightly tapped her hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder. "Scootaloo, wake up." Fluttershy said in her regular voice, calm and collected. Very beautiful indeed. Scootaloo rolled over, her wings waving rapidly. "Not like that, Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes quickly. "Watch," Rainbow Dash snorted as she got up and walked closer to the orange filly. Taking in a big breath, and soon shutting her eyes, Rainbow Dash let go of her breath, as wind blew coldly on Scootaloo's ears. Scootaloo was disturbed by this and blinked open her eyes, her wings stopped fluttering and her hooves curled up. "Whats the big idea? I haven't slept in forever!" The orange pony shouted, her scowl looking almost deadly. "You mean you have slept forever. You practically slept for a quater of the day already. Thought we would just wake you up to give you some food in that starving stomach of yours." Rainbow Dash eyed the filly's stomach, it looked just fine, and, actually, it looked like she ate before Rainbow Dash caught her. "Oh, I slept my hunger away." Scootaloo flicked her ear. "I could use a bite, though." She smiled oddly and lifted her body from the slouching position she was in. Rainbow Dash broke her own apple in half, then gave some to Scootaloo. Scootaloo bit into hers and chomped loudly. "This is really good." Apple juice spurred from her mouth, and after finishing a few bites she coughed. "Well," Rainbow Dash blinked her eyes open. Pound Cake was crawling around and getting ready to fly around, he bumped into Rainbow Dash's rump. Rainbow Dash tapped the colt away softly. "We all got some good sleep, right?" Rainbow Dash smiled. Everypony nodded, except for Pound Cake who didn't know what was going on exactly. "Good. I have a plan," Rainbow Dash started. "Since it looks like only the pegasi have lived, there is only one place to go. It's huge, it's free and there is no way nopony survived. Las Pegasus." Rainbow Dash's wings were out spread in ten seconds and she lifted herself into the air, her hoof pointed straight up and she had almost looked like Celestia without her horn. Her Rainbow trail never leaving her. "Las Pegasus is huge," Fluttershy flattened her ear. "but that could also mean more ponies got bitten." "Well, 50/50 chance, Fluttershy. But what's adventure without a little chance?" Rainbow Dash winked as she came down, spiraling and doing outstanding tricks. "The chance of death maybe." Scootaloo snorted, her ear flicking. "Whats chance without adrenaline?" Rainbow Dash retorted, starting to come down and landing on her own four legs, perfectly balanced on the cloud. "Ah-dren-ah-lin." Pound Cake muttered, his hooves clapping widely. Pound Cake must've been a bigger fan of Rainbow Dash then Scootaloo now, his entire interest based on her, and the fact that Rainbow Dash acts like a mother to him more than a friend. "Exactly, Pound Cake. See, if baby Pound Cake is on my side, you two should join this bandwagon, too." Rainbow Dash winked. Fluttershy had thought about it for a while then let out a sigh. "Well, the adventure to Las Pegasus begins, right?" Fluttershy gave out a weak smile, followed by a snort of Scootaloo. A near death experience didn't exactly sound nice, considering that those two have gotten most of them and Pound Cake have only a half experience of it, they wouldn't be the first to agree of this "chance". "The adventure to Las Pegasus!" Rainbow Dash cheered, her hoof in the air. "Bee-gin!" Pound Cake followed, his language becoming more and more clear.