//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Rainbow Dash (I) Nopony's Territory // Story: From One to Another // by DerpyMoreMuffins //------------------------------// The Crusaders ride down the road, wind in their mane, and fire in their gut. They all have a determination to see their quest through. Scootaloo figures covering as much ground as possible will make their search easier. She raises the speed, causing Applebloom and Sweetie Belle to shake around a little bit with the sudden burst. “We’ve got to find Rarity,” says Scootaloo, with a gritty smile on her face. She takes a quick look back at her friends, who are holding on tight, fearing they may at any moment fall to the ground. Scootaloo laughs impishly at them, but her friends now wear panicked expressions. “Scootaloo, watch out!” says Applebloom, pointing her hoof at the road in front of them. Scootaloo looks forward quickly and sees ducklings crossing the road in her path, her scooter practically about to hit them. She screams and slams the breaks, turning the scooter slightly so that the vehicle stops just short of the crossing ducklings. She wipes her forehead nervously and sighs heavily. “Whew, that was a close one,” she says. Her friends breathe out loudly, and relax their tense muscles. Scootaloo breathes deeply and leans on her handlebars. Suddenly she is jolted out of her position as a blue pegasus with a vibrant mane rushes out of the bushes nearby, and quickly gathers up the ducklings, placing them on the side of the road. She sits with a huff, glaring a little at Scootaloo. “Be careful, you could have hurt them!” she scolds breathlessly, training a stern look on the smaller pegasus. Scootaloo waves her hooves around and rolls her eyes. “They’re fine, see?” she says, pointing in the direction of the ducklings. “I know what I’m doing here.” The older pegasus shakes her head, but continues to coddle her ducklings. “Rainbow Dash?” says Sweetie Belle to the mare. Rainbow Dash takes a little time to nod. “That would be me,” she says, studying Sweetie Belle for a moment. “Oh, you’re Rarity’s sister, right,” she says, taking only a few seconds before returning her attention to the ducklings. She was watching them as if they might disappear at any moment, her nervousness showing in her slightly trembling body and tightened up wings. Applebloom looks at her cutie mark, of three pink butterflies arranged next to each other in a triangle. She looks at the other two Crusaders evocatively, with a devilish grin. Sweetie Belle nods rapidly, but Scootaloo shakes her head, waving her front hooves in a cross format. This only makes Applebloom’s grin wider. “Hey, Rainbow Dash,” calls out Applebloom. Scootaloo nervously bites her lip as the older pegasus turns her head toward the earth pony. “Yeah?” she says curtly. Applebloom takes a short look at Scootaloo and then turns back to Rainbow Dash. “Can you tell us how you got your cutie mark?” asks the filly with a wide innocent beam plastered on her face. Rainbow Dash is a little taken aback, and scrapes the soil for a moment with her hoof. Scootaloo is staring intensely at her, with a kind of desperate attitude. “You see, we want our cutie marks, so we’re asking ponies all around town,” chimes in Sweetie Belle with a charming grin. “We were looking for Rarity!” says Scootaloo with a venomous tongue. Whether it was lost on everypony else or they ignored it, she could not tell, for none had any reaction. “Well,” Rainbow Dash starts, “I don’t see why not…” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle cheer, whilst Scootaloo moans loudly and hits her hoof against her forehead. “But,” continues the blue pegasus, “I have to do some things real quick first. Why don’t you three wait in my cottage for a bit?” The three look amongst each other, not very eager to wait. Scootaloo has a look of absolute rebellion about her. Applebloom looks down for a second, and Scootaloo opens her mouth to speak, when the yellow filly quickly raises her head, and gets in front of her friend. “Sure, no problem,” she says before Scootaloo can utter a single word. The pegasus looks on in shock and near absolute disbelief as the group begins to move, Rainbow Dash keeping careful watch over the ducklings. It isn’t long before they reached the cottage. It is a medium sized building, covered with foliage, and bordering a small stream. There are various birdhouses nearby, but Scootaloo notes the apparent lack of birds visiting them. She huffs as they cross the threshold and enter the cottage. “You three wait right here, I’ll be right back,” says Rainbow Dash as she leads the ducklings into a cage within the cottage. She leaves just as quickly as she came, and suddenly the Crusaders are alone. Scootaloo looks around quickly, and gasps as she sees the multitude of cages surrounding the place, encapsulating all manners of creatures. Some are big, and some are small. Others pound at their cages, attempting to escape. Scootaloo sees all the animals, and note some weren’t even from Ponyville. She wonders where Rainbow Dash got these animals from, and why they were all here. Sweetie Belle shakes a little bit as she says, “This is a little weird.” Scootaloo scoffs and repeatedly taps her hoof on the floor. “Tell me about it…” she says. Then she turns to the other two, a bit of an irritated expression about her face. “Rainbow Dash is such a loser!” she says, stomping the ground a little softly with a hoof. Her friends look at her nervously. “Scootaloo, that’s mean…” says Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo rolls her eyes again. “Yeah, I know, but come on,” starts the pegasus. “I mean, she’s so uptight about all of these animals! She has no idea what she’s doing. And that’s not what a pegasus is supposed to do; we are supposed to fly real fast! At least, that’s what I’ve always wanted to do…” She hits the floor softly with a hoof, and instinctively flaps her small wings. “Well, everypony is different,” reasons Applebloom with a frown. Scootaloo sighs and shrugs her shoulders. She takes another look around the room, looking at all the animals, and shakes her head. Suddenly a foul stench wafts into her flared nostrils and she quickly brings up her hooves to cover her nose. “Uhh, do you guys smell what I smell?” Scootaloo says while waving the air in front of her in a futile attempt to dispel the odor. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle exchange confused glances before it catches them too. “How often do these animals get walked?” Applebloom asks, looking around and noticing various unsavory piles throughout the room and in the cages. She uncomfortably settles back into the couch and tries to cover her nose. Sweetie Belle takes a quick walk around the room and finds a nearly empty jar, with only a few bits inside. “Looks like Rainbow Dash is nearly broke…” she says softly to the others, pointing at the hapless jar. Scootaloo snorts and shakes her head again. “How does she expect to be able to take care of so many animals when she has so little money?” says Scootaloo. The other Crusaders shrug. “Arrrgh! That’s it Crusaders, we’re out of here!” She makes for the door, and though reluctant to be rude to Rainbow Dash, the others follow. When she gets to the door, however, it suddenly opens and Rainbow Dash rushes in. She looks haggard and panicked, and carries a squirrel with her that looks just as bad. It struggles against her grip until Rainbow Dash inserts it into a cage with a few other squirrels. She breaths deeply and sinks into her couch. “So you guys want to hear my story, huh,” says Rainbow Dash. The Crusaders look at each other nervously, and though Scootaloo objects with every part of her being, the other two are genuinely curious, and nod. “If it’s no problem, Rainbow Dash,” says Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo huffs loudly behind her, but Rainbow Dash doesn’t notice, and nods lightly. “Well, it began when I was in summer flight camp,” she begins, and Scootaloo sighs and sinks into a chair. Rainbow Dash was flying, weaving through clouds and catching updrafts. The wind was heavy on her mane, and her wings beat rapidly to maintain her speed. She smiled, knowing she was easily one of the best fliers in her class. She was quick, and agile, and extremely cool, just like her idols, The Wonderbolts. She was flying her usual practice course when she saw, out of the corner of her eye, a yellow coated Pegasus sliding off a cloud bank, and being launched into the air. She flew into an orange flag and took it with her as she plummeted onto a cloud below, wrapped up in the fabric, and disheveled. Rainbow Dash chuckled, knowing she could recognize her friend Fluttershy anywhere. As she continued, however, she noticed that her clumsy friend had been set upon by two rambunctious colts, who seemed to be giving her a hard time for her fault. Rainbow Dash frowned, and narrowed her eyes into a determined glare. She saw a look of surprise on Fluttershy’s face as she zoomed past behind them, and with a deft and agile flourish, landed beside her, in between the bullies and her friend. “Leave her alone!” she said to the two colts, lowering her body and tensing her muscles. “Ooh, what are you gonna do, Rainbow Crash?” taunted the one on the right, a light brown fellow with three basketballs on his flank. Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes in irritation at the all too frequent insult. To her right Fluttershy seemed upset and taken aback, but Rainbow Dash paid it no mind. “Keep making fun of her and find out!” she returned, her glare intensifying. Her adversaries tensed up their bodies in response. “You think you’re such a big shot? Why don’t you prove it?” said the colt to Rainbow Dash’s left, a dark brown pegasus with a white mane. Rainbow Dash’s scowl turned into a smug smile. “Whaddya have in mind?” she challenged, confident that she had what it takes to beat these jerks. They look at each other for a moment, and then back. “Umm, how about…” started the one on the right, his chin upturned in a confused manner. His friend shared his abashment for a moment, before looking right at her with a grin. “A race!” said the dark brown colt. Fluttershy’s eyes widened and she nervously looked at Rainbow Dash, but the blue pegasus was already raring to go. “Pfft, anytime, fool!” she said, her smile widening and becoming even smugger. The bullies glare at her, and tighten their stances. “Fine! We’ll race on the practice track through the cloud loops!” said the lighter colt with a glare. His friend nodded. “See you there, Rainbow Crash!” he said, with a brief patronizing wave. They laughed at his insult as they took off, heading for the practice course. Rainbow Dash tensed her legs and prepared to follow when she was tapped lightly by a hoof. “Um, excuse me, Rainbow Dash…” said Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash turned around and looked at her, but Fluttershy anxiously averted her gaze. “Well, you see, I’m…” “Don’t worry, Fluttershy,” interrupted the hot shot pegasus with a smile. “Nopony’s picking on my friends! Not while I’m around!” Fluttershy nervously smiled, and looked up at her. “What about the race, though?” said Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash laughed heartily. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” she trailed off. “Don’t worry about me, Fluttershy!” said Rainbow Dash confidently. She began walking down the cloud path, beckoning the other filly to follow. “Come on, just watch me; I’ll show them that they aren’t so great.” Fluttershy smiled and began to walk beside her. “Well, I think you are the best flier in our class,” complimented Fluttershy softly. Rainbow Dash felt her cheeks heat up and laughed it off, taking a moment to run her hoof through her mane. Fluttershy looked away nervously. “Well, I know I can fly better than those morons!” said Rainbow Dash after a moment, looking back at Fluttershy. Her friend smiled and nodded, with a content expression. The practice track was quite far away, but Rainbow Dash knew Fluttershy would have a hard time flying there. Plus, she had no qualms about making those stupid bullies wait. They walked there at their own, peaceful pace. Though it wasn’t often Rainbow Dash took things slow, she still enjoyed this calm moment, taking time to look at the majestic cloudscape of the flight camp. Below them stretched a large plains, and nearby a thick and deep forest. The ground was mostly just a set piece, however. Rainbow Dash had never considered what it was like. She quite enjoyed doing things Fluttershy’s way, even if just for a moment. They didn’t have much in common, but deep down she knew Fluttershy would always be a good friend. Fluttershy walked gracefully along the clouds, humming softly, but audibly. It wasn’t long before they arrived at the practice track. There, a crowd had gathered, and the two colts were stomping the clouds impatiently. “Ha, if you’re that slow you’ll never beat us, Rainbow Crash!” said the dark brown moron with a grin. Rainbow Dash smiled and shook her mane softly. “Why don’t we put that to the test?” she said as she got closer. They smiled, and a devilish twinkle seemed to appear in the lighter brown colt. “Ha, if we’re racing for Fluttershy, then why doesn’t she wave the flag to start it?” he said. Rainbow Dash lowered her body to the ground and glared, opening her mouth to object, but Fluttershy stepped forward first. “Ok, no problem,” she said softly, but with an iron will. Rainbow Dash looked at her with surprise, and then rejection. “No way Fluttershy, you can’t do that,” she said to her friend, trying to be as quiet as possible. The flag waver would stand in front of the racers, perched on a single cloud platform. She couldn’t let anything happen to Fluttershy. “It’s okay Rainbow Dash, it’s the least I could do,” she whispered back. Rainbow Dash looked at her pleadingly for a moment, but Fluttershy would not change her mind. After a while, she heard a loud and obnoxious yawn behind her, and shook her head. “Ok,” said Rainbow Dash, walking forward, and retrieving the flag. She handed it off to Fluttershy and went with her to the edge. The platform sat there in the midst of an open void in the cloudbank, not too far away. Rainbow Dash patted Fluttershy on the back, and took a step back, looking at her nervously, but readying herself for the worst. The two jerks behind her smiled gratuitously, but she ignored them, training her eyes on Fluttershy. The yellow coated filly took a capricious step forward, but then tensed her legs. With one push, she was off, over an expanse of nothing but air. She flapped her wings wildly and pushed herself forward. She landed on the platform and sighed in relief. She looked back at Rainbow Dash with a smile, through the flag pole clenched in her teeth. Rainbow Dash looked proudly back at her and got into position. “You’re going down!” said the light brown colt. Rainbow Dash tensed her body, ready for flight. “In history, maybe!” she declared. “See you boys at the finish line!” Fluttershy waved the flag, and the three took off with all the speed their strong wings could afford them. Rainbow Dash flew with all her might, stretching her wings to their limit. Their forceful start created a sizable draft, but she paid it no mind, focused entirely on staying ahead. She accomplished this with ease, and was quite a ways in front of her adversaries. She rounded a bend, flying through the cloud loops with perfect accuracy, and heard one of them crash through a cloud, unable to make the turn. She smiled as she picked up speed, the rush of adrenaline filling her body with joy. The wind blew through her mane, whipping it up and down as she accelerated. She beamed widely as she rushed down a series of loops, passing through each one with accuracy and precision. Her mood was spoiled when she was hit in the side by the light brown colt, who had seemingly skirted the lines of the course. “Later, Rainbow Crash!” he said with a smug wave, capitalizing on his interruption of her momentum. She was shocked first before her expression turned to anger. “Hey!” she yelled, beating her wings faster, flying nearly straight downward to catch up to her opponent. Her heart burned with a new desire: to win, no matter what. She had nearly caught up, but then, just out of the corner of her eye, she saw something amidst the thin air. She turned her head, to see a yellow-coated, pink-maned pegasus, her legs waving about. Her heart skipped a beat and she stopped dead, looking forward to see her opponent continuing to fly the course. For a moment she wanted to do nothing more than catch up to him, surpass him. She knew, however, that she couldn’t fly idly while her friend was in danger. With a turn she turned her flying prowess toward Fluttershy. With a quick twist of her body she had turned all her momentum toward the pony in distress, directing her movement downward. She was flying as fast as she could, her muscles beginning to tire and wear, but she would not stop. She felt the air clenching around her as she dived through it, resistance forming as she flew ever faster and faster. She felt quicker than anypony ever was. For all her effort, though, she could not seem to close the distance. She yelled as she continued to move, the air seemingly forming a barrier around her, her adrenaline and rush propelling her to incredible and unknown speed. Her face began to feel as if it might be peeled off. She could not see anything but her friend in peril, however, and she was still too far away. Despite all her speed and power, she began to have doubts. It was her fault this happened. She put her friend in a dangerous situation, and disregarded her when she was in trouble. Her heart sank, and filled with despair, and suddenly she felt as if all the air she was pushing out of her way just a moment ago formed a wall. Just a short distance away from Fluttershy, she was stopped completely, and her momentum was bounced back. She lost control of her flight path, and flailed wildly, unable to see what was around her, or where she was going. She screamed wildly as she fell, all the speed from her flight being maintained. She could feel the ground looming near her. She had no idea what she was heading for, and her fears came to realization soon enough. She slammed into an immovable object with an incredible force, and screamed with pain as she crushed her wing against her body. She felt her head lighten as she began to fall down, hitting protruding branches and crashing through leaves. When she landed on the ground, she caught only a few glimpses of the wooded area around her before she passed out. Rainbow Dash awoke a few hours later, groggy, disheveled, and in a lot of pain. She moaned as she pulled herself onto her hooves, and attempted to stretch her wings. As she did, she suddenly felt a sharp, potent pain shoot throughout her right wing, and she quickly pulled it back against her body, clenching her body until the pain settled. She eventually got up again, with a groan. It was still broad daylight, but everything seemed so dark to her. The sun should be out, but it seemed to be hidden under the canopy of wood and leaves that stretched out above her for miles. She could see little around her but more trees. Her hooves felt awkward against the rough, hard terrain, much different than the cloud cover she was used to. All around her were various plants and underbrush, growing out wildly everywhere. There was little order; Rainbow Dash felt a touch of fear travel throughout her body. She didn’t know much about the ground, but she did know there was a place nopony travels to, where nature went wild on its own: the Everfree Forest. She saw broken branches strewn around her, and looked up, to see that the tree she was next to was heavily damaged, and up near the top was a visible scar. Suddenly she remembered exactly the circumstances that had led her here, and she fell to the ground in shame. Fluttershy had fallen from the sky, and it was her fault. She couldn’t even save her, no matter how hard she tried. It was the kind of feeling she could not shake, no matter how hard her efforts. She screamed, and shook her body, but it only triggered the pain in her wing, and the ache in her joints, and she collapsed. She was in a forest alone, with a broken wing and no way to fly. The forest was the most feared wood in Equestria, and she didn’t think anypony would know she was there. Her whole body was in pain, and her best friend was probably dead. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, unable to grasp any kind of hope. There, under the tree she had ravaged with her own body, she lay for quite some time. She had thought she might just lie there forever, when she suddenly felt a soft touch on her face. She quickly opened her eyes, and saw a creature skitter backward until a few feet away from her. It was a rodent, with a bushy tail and puffy cheeks. She looked at it for a while, and it just stood there, looking back. She thought about it for a moment, and realized she was looking at a squirrel. She didn’t know much about animals, but everypony could name a few, even Cloudsdale pegasi. “Hey…” she said softly and raspily. It turned its head to the side a bit. She continued to stare, coughing once or twice, but it didn’t budge, neither running nor approaching. After quite a while, the creature, took a few tentative steps forward. Rainbow Dash did not move. Quickly, it covered the distance between them, and set down an acorn near her head. Just as fast as it had come, it scurried away, up a tree and into the leafy cover above her. She stared at the little thing for a while, in shock and confusion. After a while, she realized how hungry she was, and without a second thought gobbled it up. She didn’t feel restored, or rejuvenated, or recomposed, but she did feel a little better. She got up, slowly, but surely, and once more looked around the area. The forest was in reality neither barren nor dark. As she surveyed the forest she began to see life everywhere, and she was enchanted. Rainbow Dash had never realized how populated the world was before, but she had an idea now. She wondered what the big deal was with a forest that just had a bunch of animals in it. She began to move, step by step, and soon found herself viewing nature head on. There were a few squirrels and chipmunks abound, that kept their distance but did not appear overly fearful. Up in the treetops were birds of many shapes and colors, singing pretty songs to each other, and filling the forest with sound. Watching the animals go about their business, she found places to find food. There was no grass, or apples, but there were acorns, and on a few trees delicious figs grew. There was a stream nearby where she got water, and by the end of the day she was neither thirsty nor hungry. She wondered briefly for a moment whether anypony would find her, but she tried to put the thought off. As night began to fall, she began to fear being caught out in the open in the dark. She didn’t know where she should go or what she should do, but after watching animals crawl into hollows in trees, or burrows underground, she saw a small overhang nearby, covered with vines and moss. She frantically rushed in, but upon parting the mossy cover she noticed it was occupied. A ferret was staring at her standoffishly, and she stopped. That continued for a moment, and eventually Rainbow Dash took a shaky step backward. The ferret adjusted its head, but then, to her shock, relaxed its position and lay down. She stopped, but the ferret continued to lay there and look at her, not with challenge, but with a certain amount of accommodation. She smiled at it, and it turned its head to the side. She took another step, and fell onto her good side, careful to avoid moving her broken wing. Though her body still was weak, she felt like she might make it. Looking at the ferret, and remembering the squirrel that had fed her, she knew exactly who to thank. She had never known how incredible animals could be, but she was shown here. Her exhaustion and ordeal caught up with her, and eventually she fell asleep in the ferrets den. Though she tried her hardest to not think about it while conscious, her shames and fears caught up with her in her dreams. Her night was abound with images of her failure. Come early morning, the damp, bumpy ground and underlying panic awoke Rainbow Dash. In the den, she was curled up amongst leaves and rocks, the ground around her disturbed as if she were thrashing about in her sleep. She yawned raspily and turned to look at the other end of the den. The ferret was not there, and indeed it was as if it never were. She raised her aching body up to her hooves, and took a peek through the brush covering the area. There was a dim light throughout the forest, telling her the day had just begun. Various birds sung in the trees, and she could already see a considerable amount of animal activity. It surprised her just as it had yesterday, not having known animals were so active. She looked skyward through branches and leaves, and saw the sky was tinged with clouds of various sizes. There were no structures, just plain clouds, moving along the sky lazily and without direction. Rainbow Dash wondered about that for a moment, considering that everything she had ever known about clouds implicated the involvement of pegasi. These clouds, they were so rough, so raw, so wild, she could hardly comprehend them. This whole forest had this odd kind of feeling to her, one that she had not noticed the previous day. The plant life was overgrown and unrestricted, and the animals were unrestrained, and uncared for. It was so unlike not only her home, a sky-bound city with incredible cloud architecture, but also the rest of Equestria. This was the place she had been thrust into, perhaps by her own arrogance, or as some kind of ironic punishment. She had always been wild and free spirited, and now she was in the midst of the most unrestrained place in Equestria. She was unsettled, and unnerved, but mostly she was just scared. Thinking back on the conditions that brought her here, she had almost no hope of being found. She spent a sizable time intertwined in this internal conflict, and she eventually began to feel pangs of hunger, and parches of thirst. At the very least she had resources at her disposal that she had learned from the animals. She thought about all of them, scurrying about to gather food and water, and realized they were in the same situation as she. To her, the animals seemed happy, and free of worry, and despite her misgivings, she admired that. She followed them to food, and to water, and thought that this place indeed had its own kind of peace. She found it hard to miss Summer Flight Camp when all her thoughts of it only brought her shame. She got fresh water from the stream, but food was scarce. She wandered around for a while until she noticed a rabbit sitting at the base of a tall tree. She cautiously approached, careful not to alert the creature, and it eventually turned its head at her quickly. Rainbow Dash thought she must look pretty harmless, because the rabbit did not flee; it turned back to its activity. She eventually sat beside it, but at a distance, and took a closer look. It had, among its paws, a small, and half eaten apple, colored green, and rather roughly shaped. It was unlike anything she had ever seen, a sort of stark testament to the rawness of nature. She thought, based on the rabbit’s enthusiasm, that it might also be a delicious testament to nature, and looked around the nearby ground. There was naught but twigs and leaves, however, and she frowned. Within a moment, however, it struck her that apples did not grow on the ground, and she looked up. Indeed, the above tree bore quite a few of these fruits, high in its branches. She instinctively moved her wings out, and cringed when a searing pain shot throughout her body. She lay there for a moment, her hooves drawn inward, and her body arched, until the pain passed, and resolved once more to leave her wing alone. She frowned as she looked back at the tree, and the delicious food it contained, and thought of how she might retrieve it. She took a brief running start and attempted to jump up and latch onto the tree, but her body was far too small to get a good grip, and she could feel her strength and stamina draining. To her left, the rabbit had withdrawn a small distance, and was watching her with a strange sort of look. She ignored its judging gaze, and tried once more to ascend the tree, and failed once more as a result. She was not deterred, and tried again. Her effort was fruitless. Rainbow Dash paused a moment, finally having realized that she would not attain her goal like that. She looked at the apples, and thought about the farms they came from. It suddenly occurred to her that when ponies harvested apples, they bucked the trees. She looked at her figure, and wondered if she had what it takes. She was no earth pony, but she was athletic, and if she could get enough speed, she might be able to dish out some force. She walked away from the tree for quite a distance, the rabbit watching her all the while, and turned toward the tree. She narrowed her eyes and stamped the ground, her focus on the apple tree in front of her. Then, she was off, pumping her refined leg muscles as much as she could, her steps echoing throughout the forest. When she was within point blank range of the tree, she thrust her body out from under her, bracing on her front hooves, and twisted her body with incredible agility, losing no momentum. Rainbow Dash felt her hooves hit the tree with all the force of her run, a great sound cracking throughout the forest, and fell down, unprepared for the back blow of her hit. She dizzily held her head with her front hooves, but then she felt something hit her head. The suddenness of the blow knocked her down, but only for a moment. Looking to see what it was, she noticed it was one of those small little apples. She took a bite with delight, and although it was somewhat bitter, its juices and substance filled her mouth with pleasure. Around, a few others had fallen, although not many. She didn’t mind, knowing she couldn’t eat many. She looked to her left for the rabbit that had been there, but she noticed it was absent. She was a little unsettled about this, but returned to her meal shortly. It was not the kind of food she was used to, but it was the most fulfilling sustenance she had acquired in quite some time, and she quickly adjusted to the strange taste. Rainbow Dash was halfway through the second apple when she heard something behind her, and noticed a shadow looming over her. Her whole body was almost instantly pumped full of adrenaline, and she bent her whole figure as close to the ground as it could go, moments before a heavy claw seared the air above her, and cleaved a sizable chunk of wood from the apple tree. She slid along the ground and jumped to her hooves, whose soreness from her kick had entirely vanished. Rainbow Dash took only a moment to look back at her assailant, which was some kind of large, beastly creature with a lion’s face and a scorpion’s tail. It looked irritated, and she soon turned her attention back in front of her, knowing no option other than to flee. It chased after her, chafing the tree as it went by, causing the whole thing to topple over, and heading toward Rainbow Dash. She yelped and increased her speed as much as she could, just barely managing to avoid being crushed by the trunk. She heard a crash and a smash behind her, and felt splinters of wood scatter about and pelt her body. She rounded a tree, dove under some branches, and jumped over a rotting log with incredible speed. She heard each of these obstacles being obliterated by raw power, and increased her speed. As she ran, she noticed there were no animals on the nearby ground, but saw a few in the trees. There were a few scurrying animals diving into dens here and there, and the sight made Rainbow Dash wish she had somewhere of her own to retreat to. However, she did not, and the beast would not relent. She jumped over a stream, and passed through a narrow gap between two thick trees. Behind her, she felt a loud crash, but not the splintering of wood, and figured she had made a little headway in her escape. She heard a low and forlorn moan as she darted through trees and slid down a small earthen bank. She ran a little while longer, and eventually took a look behind her to see if the chase was still on. To her astonishment, there was no beast in sight, and she sighed in relief. Her hooves continued to move under her, however, and she soon felt her momentum halted by a tree. She fell to the ground, on her good side, and clenched her face in pain. Everything was a blur for a little while, her adrenaline having been reduced once she was out of danger. She got up, eventually, and rubbed her aching head, taking a lazy look around. It was safe enough, it seemed, as the activity in this section of the woodland was normal. She got up, but noticed a sound nearby. It was a sort of whine, or perhaps a kind of shriek. Though soft, it was loud to her, seemingly coming from within a few feet. She took a look around the whole area, scouring the brush near her feet, until she saw something odd. She bent in closer, and observed a sort of circular structure made from twigs, slightly disheveled from an apparent fall. Rainbow Dash identified it as a nest. Inside the nest, she saw a single youthful bird, which was covered in a grey pigment, though the tips of its wings were tinged a grey blue. It has a wide, thick beak, and a round featureless head. Rainbow Dash paused and looked at the bird, which was lying down, clearly hurt, and shrieking for help and it sunk in that what happened was her own fault. Shame and indignation rose in equal quantity as she watched the bird, and almost without a thought she picked up the nest and carried it with her as she set out to find it food and nurse it back to health. She walked away with the nest with a heavy heart, upon which was laid the responsibility to take care of another living being. She looked at the bird, which seemed to be looking upward, and crying repeatedly and almost rhythmically. It seemed to almost meld into the landscape; its grey feathers made no contrast against the brown and green backdrop of the forest. Rainbow Dash stopped after a moment, thinking of any kind of help she might offer the creature. She was no expert on these affairs, but she assumed a degree of food and water was necessary for the little bird. She sat down and set the nest down in front of her. Her charge made little reaction, continuing its former actions as if it was still in motion. She thought for a moment, and studied the bird for a while. She had seen many birds of all colors in the forest. There were red birds with crests, grey birds with white bellies, brilliantly colored blue birds, and a variety of brown small birds that fed amongst the trees. She noticed some grey birds feeding on the ground, but they had red bellies, unlike the bird she was caring for. She went through many of the other birds she had seen, but their visages were temporal amongst her mind scape, and she did not have a good grip on what exactly they might have fed on. She remembered golden birds with black streaks that caught her eye, but they could not have been the same as her small bird. She looked at the small grey bird, but she could not remember seeing other birds like it ever before. Her mind befuddled by the prospect that her bird was seemingly unique, Rainbow Dash gave up on identifying its diet by its peers. She sighed and took a look around the forest nearby, which was as vibrant as ever, yet still carried a high element of immediate danger. She would not be fooled into complacence again, and she kept on high alert. Looking at the small bird, crying in need, and in her mind, need for her, she resolved to maintain her guard. She did not go far from the small nest, and foraged in the nearby area. With no idea what the bird may have to eat, she decided to instead go through trial and error. To her gratification, the young bird seemed to have a broad diet. It ate the berries she offered, as well as the small bits of crushed acorn, after some reproaching. It had finally stopped crying, and Rainbow Dash sighed in relief, and sat down next to the chick. It seemed to be sleeping now, curled up in the nest with pleasantness about its countenance. Rainbow Dash smiled softly and relaxed for a moment. She closed her eyes slowly. They snapped back open when she heard a harsh shriek blare through her ears, and she looked around, getting up onto her hooves in a moment’s notice. There was nothing around, but she could still hear shrill calls around her. She heard a rustling above, and suddenly saw a pair of brilliantly colored blue birds descending upon her. She looked at her charge, and put herself between it and these assailants. The two blue birds shrieked and tried to get around Rainbow Dash, but she would not let them. She did not know what these birds wanted, but she had a duty to take care of the small bird. The two birds circled around above, and then suddenly descended upon her. Rainbow Dash heard the chick screaming behind her, and then felt sharp beaks pelt her from above. She yelled in pain, but did not back down. The two aggressive birds continued to peck at her, opening wounds. One took a shot at her broken wing, and she nearly seized from the pain. The pegasus buckled, but stayed her ground, and curled herself above the shrieking chick she was taking care of. The angry birds continued to peck at her, and the pain worsened. She could not give in. Rainbow Dash felt obliged somehow to take care of the chick, as it was her own fault it was in danger. The birds pelted her at attempts to presumably do something to the small bird below her, but she did not move. As they pecked at her, she shielded only her eyes, leaving them free reign to pelt her whole body. She felt her wings be pecked at, and it hurt more than anything ever had, but she stayed her ground nevertheless. After what seemed like an eternity, the birds drew back, and shrieked at her again. Rainbow Dash looked at them, but they no longer seemed to be angry and just looked at her blankly. The pegasus’ consciousness undulated as she watched them, but after a moment they just flew away, their cries lower and less shrill then they had been. Rainbow Dash crawled forward, and then fell on her side. The small bird was sitting there, looking at her. Rainbow Dash moaned loudly as she got up, and took a look around her. Where it had last been bright still, she could see the sky was becoming dark. She picked up the bird and limped forward in a bid for shelter. Somewhere close by, near a stream, she found a steep cliff with a deep impression in it, and she looked inside. It was empty, and floored with discarded leaves and pine needles. She set down the nest. She winced as she set about getting water to drink, and gathering vines and leaves to lie over the entrance. Eventually she had a good shelter, and she settled in the dark hole next to the chick. She lay down softly, careful not to disturb her wounds, and curled around the chick for the night. Her sleep did not come for a few hours, and when it did it was far from pleasant. At the crack of dawn, Rainbow Dash awoke with considerable discomfort. Whereas yesterday she had been full of determination and adrenaline, today she had no restraint on the wounds that covered her body. She moaned and wondered how such small birds could cause so much damage. That kind of effort and ferocity was completely unprecedented. As she lay there she spared a moment to wonder why the birds had attacked, and what they were after. She knew they wanted the chick, but not why. They were blue birds that ate nuts and berries, she knew from watching them. There was no reason, no connection. The previous day she did not need a reason; she merely needed to protect her charge. After thinking about it, though, she realized it didn’t make any sense. That aggression and determination that the birds displayed was the territory of angered mothers, she thought offhandedly. Rainbow Dash suddenly froze and took a look at the chick beside her. It was mostly grey, but she knew she saw some blue on it. She didn’t stir again for a few hours, and few thoughts crossed her mind. Light began to pour through the cracks of her makeshift den, and the fledgling continued to sleep. Rainbow Dash was hungry and thirsty, but she couldn’t get up. She didn’t feel like she could do anything. Eventually the chick woke up, and began to cry shrilly. Rainbow Dash turned to look at it, and slowly pulled her aching body up. She picked up the nest where the fledgling was stuck, and carried it upon her back the same way she had been doing. She winced at every motion, but carried on nevertheless. Outside the forest was bright with the light of morning and full of chirping birds, crying squirrels, and rustling leaves. The sounds fell deaf on Rainbow Dash’s ears, however, and she simply began to move in the direction she had thought she had come from. After a moment she stopped to feed the chick, but then kept moving right after. Eventually she reached her destination. The ground between the trees was covered with broken twigs, rustled leaves, and just a small amount of blood. Her wounds needed no reminder to give her pain, but she still felt unsettled being here. She blocked the pain and set down the nest in the clearing. The baby bird cried the same way it always had. Rainbow Dash moved away from the nest to a spot between the trees, and then sat and waited. The bird’s cries continued, echoing throughout the forest, and dampening Rainbow Dash’s heart. She waited for a few hours for the cries to be answered, but none came. There, in the clearing, in the aftermath of a futile struggle, it waited, but the only creature that heard or cared was Rainbow Dash. After a while, she found she could not possibly let the fledgling wait any longer. She slowly walked back to the baby bird, and it turned its head up at her. Its eyes were small, bright, and enticing, and she sat down next to the bird and gave it crushed acorns to feed on. After a while the cries stopped. Rainbow Dash smiled ever so slightly, but her expression betrayed her affront. As she took up the nest and headed back toward where she had made a den, she wondered about the chick, and the two birds that had fought her for it. She had hurt all of them. She took from the animals, but she never gave back. To this chick, and to the animals around, she knew she had little to offer. She landed in this forest with nothing but a broken wing and a damaged soul. As she entered the den in the evening, she made a silent vow to herself, one that she would never break. Rainbow Dash watched the bird until nighttime, when a building force of hunger and thirst began to overtake her. She walked out of the den to gather, swearing to be back shortly. The sky was dark, but there were no stars. The only light there was in the sky was a full moon. Despite her cravings, she spared a moment to look at the mysterious orb of light. She was suddenly felt with a sense of foreboding, and the moon locked her in. She had heard legends about the moon before, and few were good. The light from the full moon seemed to dim for a moment, and, startled, Rainbow Dash focused on it. Across the moon there seemed to fly a large pegasus, but Rainbow Dash noticed there was something strange. It had a horn as well, like unicorns were supposed to have. She was filled with dread and suddenly cowered as the shape flew by. Though in truth she had no idea what it was that passed over, it was that unknown factor that scared her. Stories about the moon echoed in her mind, and fear filled her. She cowered there in the bushes with no thoughts but to stay hidden. It was as if apprehension paralyzed her body. There she sat, doing nothing at all in near terror. Her body shook, and she felt relief from her physical ails as her instincts began to act. It was after a while in this still state that she began to feel something from afar. It was as if the ground was rippling, and ever so slightly she could feel her body trembling with the earth. She stood at alert, but she had nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. She looked around, but could see little through the darkness and foliage. She felt the tremors increase in severity and frequency and looked around more and more, but could still see nothing. The fear of the unknown paralyzed her, and Rainbow Dash found she would give anything for a sight of the danger facing her. It wasn’t long before she could see. Suddenly the forest was alive with noise and light. She saw it coming from afar, a dim orange glow, and a crackling. In just a few seconds, the light reached her and suddenly she felt a heavy steam of heat rush over her head and through the area. Where just a moment before the forest had been cold, quiet and calm, it was now hot, loud, and full of activity. She looked frantically around her, but she saw little but broken branches and flames. Smoke began to rise and fill the area, obscuring her vision and clouding her head. She coughed and waved the smoke away, running forward around the fire that spread around the forest. Without a clear grip on where she was, she blindly moved forward, her eyes squinting through the grey and black clouds of smoke that filled the area. The area was the same she had been in the whole time, yet she could not recognize it. Try as she might, she did not know the way. That an area could change so quickly was a surprise to her, but she swallowed it along with her fear. She leapt over a fallen branch, wincing as she felt her legs cry out in pain. Her belly barely cleared a smoldering twig, but she felt the heat nonetheless. She landed with a slight roll, having lost her balance, but she soon got back up. She stopped and looked around frantically. This time, she noticed that the trees, though caught up in a blaze, were familiar, and that right beyond them a stream passed by, unaffected by the fire. A gasp came out of her mouth, though it was obscured by coughing. She walked forward to where she knew there was a hidden cavity, but a flaming branch broke above her and began to descend. She dived forward, but she felt her leg sear as it was hit by part of the flaming branch. She screamed louder than she thought she even could as she rolled to the side. The part of the branch that had hit her was sharp, heavy, and covered with fire, and though she managed to get out from under it, she had not escaped it fully. She could not bear to look at her wound, and settled with merely grabbing her leg in hope the pain would cease. It did not, and Rainbow Dash continued to shout, wishing anypony might hear her, to just stop this pain. She heard her screams echoing above the cracking of fire and the crash of fallen branches and trees. She looked up at the out stretching branches above her, and hoped that none would fall, for she knew she would not have the strength to avoid them. Her screaming ceased as she ran out of energy, and she took one last look at the den she had made. Though faint, she could hear cries coming from within, and she stretched out her hoof as far as it would go. Through the sounds of the great fire, she could hear the sounds of the stream, and the faint rush of wind. Then, quietly, but unmistakably, she heard the beating of wings. She turned over and looked skyward, and saw two uniform clad pegasi with lightning bolt decals on their flanks, coming from the sky, and deftly dodging flaming branches. Within just a second they landed on the forest floor beside her. One was a mare with a mane much like the fire that covered the forest, and the other was a stallion with a deep blue mane. She felt lost hope being restored to her. Despite all her doubts, the Wonderbolts, the fastest pegasi in all of Equestria, were standing right in front of her. She nearly squealed, but all that came out of her mouth was a gasp of air. She looked at them, but she felt her eyelids droop. “What’s a little filly doing all the way out here?” said the stallion, bending down to take a closer look. She opened her mouth to speak, but could only cough. The two looked at her in pity. “Doesn’t matter,” said the mare with a shake of her head. “But we gotta get her to Cloudsdale fast.” She bent down to Rainbow Dash to pick her up, but she shook her head and pointed at the den. The mare looked a little confused and looked up at the stallion, but he merely shrugged. She went to scoop up the filly again but she struggled. “Wait…” she choked out, crawling toward the den at the expense of her body. She yelped in pain, but kept moving. The two Wonderbolts exchanged worried looks and hurried toward her. “The… bird,” she continued, barely getting the words out of her mouth. Her limbs screamed out in pain, and she could hear her labored, exhausted breathing even over the ambient sounds of the forest fire. “The birds will be fine, we’re in Everfree,” said the stallion. The mare nodded and went ahead of Rainbow Dash, trying to wrap her hooves around the filly’s damaged body without causing harm. Panic rose in Rainbow Dash as she realized she would be taken away from the bird, and she slipped out. Though her hind leg was in no shape to move, she dashed toward the den, every movement deepening her wounds. She thrust her head in and saw the bird, looking at her, with panic in its eyes, its small beak opening only to cry out for help. It was faint, and hardly noticeable. Rainbow Dash tried to get closer, but then felt thick hooves wrap around her body and pull her away. Within just a second she felt a rush of air and heat as she was whisked into the sky. She looked up to see the stallion looking at her with pity. “This is for your own good,” said the mare, who was flying to the side. Rainbow Dash futilely struggled, but gave up and looked down at the burning forest she left behind. Her frustration gave way to lament, which in turn led to exhaustion, and she felt her body succumb to the allure of unconsciousness. To be continued...