Chapter XIX
Swimming. Dash had to keep swimming. If she could just keep her head above water she'd be fine. The narrow window of sunlight had given out long before her strength, but soon even that was fading. Now, facing the encroaching darkness, the bottomless well and the end of her reserves, she finally had to face her doom.
She couldn't fly. Even if her wing still worked, even if the cold and the wet hadn't seized the muscles tight, she doubted she could fly with soaked feathers. Especially not carrying another pony. And she knew Fluttershy couldn't.
Dash didn't blame her friend. She'd tried her best, and no pony could reasonably ask anything more. Deep down she knew it was her own fault that had gotten them both into this situation. That didn't stop her from whining, complaining and begging for help. She was Rainbow Dash! She'd survived Apollyon for neighing out loud! It couldn't end here; it just couldn't.
"Well, Fluttershy." Dash had trouble getting her tongue to work through the shivers. Her body refused to give up, sacrificing everything to stay warm. Slowly she turned, swimming to face her friend. "I think this might be-- What are you doing?"
"Huh? Oh."
Fluttershy's face flushed red instantly. She had one leg in the air, scrubbing furiously. Her wings were already clean, and she'd managed to wash her tail. Now she paddled there, looking guilty as sin, wet mane plastered to her face.
"Are you taking a bath?"
"Well, um, we were here in the water already, and I thought that, since, you know, I was kind of filthy I might, um, fix that?"
Rainbow Dash planted a hoof in her face. "I can't believe it. We're about to die and you're concerned about how you smell."
"But you said--"
"I know what I said!" Dash sighed. "You're not worried?"
"Of course not, silly." Fluttershy grinned.
"Why not?"
"Because I'm with you."
That stopped her cold. Did Fluttershy really trust her that much? Then again, did she trust Fluttershy? Staring into her friend's upturned, smiling face, Dash recognized the truth. Sure they trusted each other, but it was more than that. She trusted Miss Skywishes to be right, or Coach to be tough, but that didn't mean Dash would trust them with her life. No, this was a bond of friendship forged through experiences.
The pair had cried together, laughed, loved; they'd fought bullies and monsters and thugs, stayed up late whispering to each other. The two of them knew more about that school than all the other students combined. They'd spent all winter break together. They'd been to Cloudsdale and the Everfree Forest, to the Head Mare's office and down the gullet of a dragon.
And through it all they'd been together. And they'd survived everything life had thrown at them. Together. So no, it wasn't that Fluttershy just blindly trusted that everything would be alright; she had faith. It was like Princess Celestia sometimes said: faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Dash felt braver. Perhaps not stronger, she was still exhausted, but certainly stronger. Fluttershy swam concentric circles around her in the well, humming to herself lightly while she shivered as well. And then Dash had faith too. Things looked bad now, but she was with Fluttershy; everything would be okay. Everything was always okay.
"You're right, Fluttershy."
"I know." The pony paddled.
"I've been so concerned about myself."
"Well, we are stuck in a well." Fluttershy giggled.
"Did you just make a joke?"
"Oh, uh, did you not like it? Sorry it wasn't very good."
"No, it's fine." Dash lifted a leg, watching the dirty water spill off. Making a decision, she started to scrub. "I guess you're right to take a bath. I mean, we were looking for fresh water anyways."
"Exactly."
"Hey, can you get my back?"
"Um, okay."
Swimming over, Fluttershy pressed in close. She was much warmer leaning against her friend like this. They'd be able to fight the cold much easier if they stayed together.
Gingerly she reached a hoof out, rubbing down her friend's back, being careful of her sore wing. Dash unconsciously leaned closer, tongue lolling out as her mind went blank. She loved having her back scratched.
"Uuuuhhhhh, that feels good mom."
Fluttershy stopped. Did Dashie think she was her mother? Maybe it was just the cold and the back scratching talking. It was just a slip of the tongue, right?
Observing her own reflection in the water, Fluttershy began to wonder who that girl looking back at her was. Her ears had always been too long, and her nose too short, but it looked like she was starting to grow into them. She'd been changing lately, growing a little older just like Skystriker said she would.
He'd been so kind, just a wonderful father figure. But he didn't know; he wasn't Fluttershy. He didn't have to wake up in the morning and decide if she should hide or not. He didn't have to wonder which bully would beat her up today. He didn't feel the ache in her wings and legs like she did, as her limbs tried to out grow her body. He didn't have the vivid dreams she did...
Pressing in closer, she hugged Rainbow tight. Yes, she was changing. It was just a natural part of growing older. But she had a good friend to help her through it. They'd be together forever. They'd faced troubles before; they would face monsters in the future. And that future meant that they'd be getting out of this well.
"What are we going to do, Rainbow Dash?"
"I don't know." Dash clung to the wall. "The stones are too smooth to climb up. Besides, we're ponies, we can't climb walls. Maybe if we had special pets, or knew a masked heroin or something."
"You read too many books, Dashie."
"I hate reading." Dash stuck out her tongue.
"What if, um, we pressed out backs together? We could lean on each other and climb out."
Dash looked back, judging the distance. "We'd never make it; the walls are too far apart."
"Oh." Fluttershy bit her lip. "Well, um, we could, oh, um, lckwngs..."
"What?"
"I said we couldlckwngs..." she trailed off again.
Dash turned to her friend. Fluttershy was red from the neck up. Not like when Dash caught her bathing, but super-embarrassed, red. Admitting-she-had-a-crush-on-Ace, red. Whatever was going through that pretty little head of hers, she didn't want any pony else to know.
Silently Dash just stared at her. Finally Fluttershy got the hint. "I said we-could-lock-wings!"
That just might work, Dash realized. If they locked wings and pressed against one another, they might gain enough traction on the wet stones to climb out. It was a great idea! So why was Fluttershy so emberas--
Oh. Dash remembered the conversation with her mother, and what she should and shouldn't do. But Firefly just said not to let any boys touch her wings. So Fluttershy was okay, right?
"Um... I don't think my mommy wants me doing that." Dash tried to cross her legs, to look cool and aloof. Instead she forgot to paddle and sank deeper in the dark waters before bobbing back to the surface, coughing. "Besides, I hurt my wing, remember?"
"Right. I'm sorry, it was a terrible idea. I should never have brought it up in the first place. Oh, Fluttershy, you and your silly filly brain." She bonked her head.
"Hey, it's okay, Fluttershy. It was a fine idea. I just... mine don't work like that, okay?"
"What?"
"My wings. They fly. That's it. Honestly, the thought of them doing anything but flying creeps me out, alright?"
"You think that's creepy? Wait till it happens to you. Then you'll really hate it." Fluttershy sank lower, her nose and eyes just above the water line, hiding behind her pink locks.
They paddled for a while, trying to find warmth together in the frigid liquid. Soon even maintaining a float became more difficult, paddling an effort, and their breathing slowed. Neither of them knew it, but hypothermia stopped by to visit, making sure to become acquainted with the girls.
Dash didn't know what else to do. She was so cold and wet now. Just thinking was a struggle, and words were almost lost all together. Looking up, she gawked at the streaks of color far above.
"What time do you think it is?" she mumbled weakly.
Fluttershy gazed skywards as well, replying in a softer voice than usual. "I think it may be about six. Maybe seven?"
"They're eating dinner back at school by now. Tonight's fruit salad night."
"My favorite."
"Mine too."
Necks craned upward, they both watched the purple and pink wink out, replaced by a wide-brimmed silhouette. Dash thought she was hallucinating until the voice spoke.
"Hey! Y'all alight down there?"
What was she going to say, yes, they were fine, thank you for asking?! Fluttershy spoke first, finding her voice loud and powerful in the echoing walls of the well.
"Help us, please! Get us out of here!"
"Alight, y'all just hang on now, ya hear?" The high-pitched, squeaky voice replied. There was a splash as something long and snake-like fell into the water. "Y'all just hitch that there rope around yerselves and we'll have y'all out in a jiffy."
Fluttershy and Dash scrambled for the rope, their actions fueled by adrenalin alone. Within moments they were tightly wrapped up together, but the knot was causing them both troubles. Finally Dash got it as the line slipped through her hooves for the last time.
"Okay, we got it!" Dash shouted. Nothing happened. "Hello?" She looked at Fluttershy who could only stare back and shrug.
"Alight, big brother. Pull!"
The voice came faintly over the edge of the well. The rope quickly picked up the slack, snapping the water as it grew taut. Both girls squealed as they we pulled tight, rising upwards. At last glad to be out of the water, they realized that the air was even chillier than when they had been swimming around. Hanging onto each other, they barely had time to register when the knot gave way. Suddenly Dash was dangling by nothing but Fluttershy's hooves.
"Dash!"
Too weak to hold on for long, both of their grips slipped and Dash went falling back down the shaft, slapping the wall and the rope on the way. Then Dash did what she was best at. Assessing the situation, she reacted, just like flying. Grabbing the trailing end of the rope between her teeth, she held tight, feeling a jolt as her mouth tried to outrun her body.
She could see above her as Fluttershy slipped over the edge. Then two orange legs reached over, grabbing hold as it was Dash's turn. She spilled over the rough stone, flopping unceremoniously to the so-close ground on the other side. Upside down, Dash could not see anything but the legs of their rescuers. Nothing had ever looked so good. Not the red, muscular build of the soon-to-be-stallion, nor the orange hooves of the filly about their own age. She didn't even care as they stood around, watching the two water logged Pegasi.
"Well by Celestia's Beard. Where'd y'all come from?"