//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Dreams // by Incredible Blunderbolt //------------------------------// The train lurched to a halt with its wheels screeching and various bits and bobs clanking and banging. A voice came over the intercom and announced our arrival in Canterlot. Dozens of voices flooded the hall outside of the room as ponies made their way out of their rooms and off of the train. "Hey..." Applejack said softly. “Sugarcube?” She tapped my on the shoulder lightly—like she thought I was going to bite her face off or something. "C'mon, we're here..." I groaned and dug myself deeper into the damp folds of my pillow. “Lemme 'lone!” I choked. “'m goinome!” “Rainbow...” She shook me harder. “C'mon, you've been mopin' around for hours!” I sniffled and picked my head up. Applejack smiled warmly—too warmly. It reminded me of the look that Twilight always gave me—so soft and caring... I wiped my eyes and opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out. Applejack wrapped a foreleg around my hoof and guided me off the bed. I set a shaky hoof on the floor and tried to pull away from her, but AJ's grip was like iron. “Lemme go!” I whined, jerking against her. “I don't wanna go!” “Rainbow Dash!” Applejack's words cut through the air like a knife. Her tone was sharp, but not uncaring. I stopped pulling. “Look at me.” I wiped my eyes with my free hoof and looked up with a sniffle. I tried to slow my breathing down, but I couldn't do anything about my shaking limbs. “Wh-what?” I tried to sound angry, but my voice cracked instead and made me sound pathetic. Without warning, Applejack pulled me into a hug. “Ah know you made a mistake, Sugarcube,” she said softly, patting my back. “But cryin' about it ain't gonna do you any good, okay? There are other flight teams, right?” I tried to protest—she was treating me like a baby!—but all that came out were blubbers and moans. I hated this. I hated all of it! I hated that Applejack kept acting like this; I hated that I'd blown up at Fluttershy; I hated that I'd turned down the Wonderbolts; I hated that Twilight had thrown me out of her room like a sack of garbage—but most of all, I hated what all of this stupid stuff had done to me! Me! Rainbow Dash! I wasn't supposed to cry! Rainbow Dash doesn't cry! But... but I didn't really feel like Rainbow Dash at the moment. I felt more like... like... I didn't know. All I knew was that I couldn't have been in more pain if somepony had just ripped out all of my internal organs or sprayed me with dragonfire. Applejack squeezed me tighter and patted me on the back. After a moment, she sighed and let me go. She grabbed her saddlebags and motioned for me to follow her. “C'mon, Sugarcube,” she said softly. “Let's go.” I wiped my nose, grabbed my book off the table, then followed her out the door. The hall was bustling with activity. Ponies were wandering about, all talking about this or that with their friends or hurrying to the exits. I cried out when a particularly rude stallion shoved his way through the crowd and pushed me into Applejack. I tucked my wing in close as a jolt of pain rocked through it. I bit my lip and sucked in a deep breath. Yep, that's definitely sprained. “Hey!” Applejack yelled, stomping her hoof. “You can't just—aw horseapples, he ain't even listenin'...” She helped me back up and gave me another one of those stupid pitying smiles. “You okay?” “I'm fine!” I snapped, pulling my hoof away and standing myself up. I didn't need any of her stupid pity! So what if I felt like the whole world was broken? So what if my wing was hurt and I probably wouldn't be able to fly straight for weeks? So what if all I wanted to do was lay in bed and cry? I was Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dash does not accept pity from anypony! Especially not ponies named Applejack! “I'm not a baby!” Applejack frowned. “I never said you were, Sugarcube. I just wanted to help—” “Maybe I don't want your help!” I growled. “Maybe I don't need it!” “Rainbow, I'm worried—” “Don't be.” I pushed past her and spotted Pinkie Pie bounding down the hall. “Let's just get off this stupid train,” I said, forging a beeline to the exit. The Canterlot sky was darkened and coated with angry looking thunderheads. They swirled and shifted and pulsed and lit up the sky with sparks of lightning. There wasn't any rain falling yet, but with clouds like those, it was only a matter of time. Pinkie and Rarity were sitting off to the side, next to a wall with a cork-board that was coated with various fliers, advertisements and “lost dog” posters. I made my way over to them and sat down with a sigh; if they said anything to me, I didn't hear it. I watched the clouds swirl and churn in the air and waited for something to happen—anything! Anything would be better than being there right now. I wished I was back home in my bed with my blankets wrapped up tight around me. At least there I could sleep or cry or... or... or something! I felt like screaming and laughing and howling in pain all at once. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have ever even thought that I'd had a chance? How could I have messed everything up in any worse way? My breath caught in my throat as I noticed Twilight making her way towards us. She looked... different. Her beautiful face was all twisted up like she'd just swallowed a lemon and her eyes never left the ground. I knew that look; that was the look of a deeply disturbed pony. It didn't suit her at all. I did that... I... I made her mad... I blinked back a few tears and took a deep breath. C'mon, get a grip! I wanted to say something to her when she caught up, but I wasn't sure what. Should I apologize? Should I pretend like nothing happened and talk to her about something else? Should I leave her alone? Would she even still want to be my friend anymore? Every step she took was sluggish and limp as a wet noodle. If I didn't know better, I'd say she'd just got done running a marathon. I bit my lip as she drew close enough to speak to. “T-Twilight, I—” Without so much as an acknowledgment of my existence, Twilight walked straight past me and sat down on the other side of Rarity—far away from me. She turned her head away and watched the street with closed eyes. I stared at her for a few moments, hoping against hope that she might turn around and give me a smile, or answer me, or tell me she hates me or... or something! “Hey.” I winced as Applejack elbowed me in the wing I'd landed on. I was probably going to have to get it looked at by a doctor or something and get it splinted for a few days. She leaned in close and spoke softly enough that the others couldn't hear. “Did somethin' happen between you two?” I wiped my eyes and sniffled. “Shut up!” I answered with a huff. “J-just butt out!” “Rainbow...” “Shut up!” I screamed, stomping my hooves on the concrete floor. It seemed quieter, suddenly. I soon noticed that it was because Pinkie Pie and Rarity had stopped talking and were staring at me. Pinkie looked at me with more stupid pity in her eyes than I could handle. “Dashie?” she said, her voice taking on an eerily quiet tone. She took a wary half-step in my direction. “Are you—“ “I'm fine!” I cried. “Shut up! All of you just shut up!” I gave each of them a sharp glare before turning away. I wiped my eyes again. Stupid! I wasn't even sure what I meant by that anymore. I was so angry and tired and hurt and I just wanted to... to... I don't know! Stupid... A few moments later, the air was filled with discussion and everypony had forgotten about my outburst. It was just as well, I hated the looks they were giving me—curious, judgmental looks that drove into me like daggers in my back. It was only made worse by the fact that Twilight still hadn't even looked up. I snorted and forgot about them. ...Tried to forget about them. I could see their reflections in the train windows. They chatted happily with one another like nothing had happened. Twilight hung off to the side, her bangs low over her face as she stared at the sidewalk. She was shaking and her tail was tucked firmly against her body. I knew that if I turned her around and looked at her eyes, they'd be damp. I felt a sudden burst of renewed fury rush through me. That pony had, quite literally, thrown me out of her room when I kissed her and she wouldn't even look at me now! She didn't have any right to be sad! I gritted my teeth as I heard her door slam once more; my wing twinged with pain. This... this was all her fault! I growled and turned around to give her a piece of my mind, but before I'd even taken a step, a pony-drawn carriage bearing the royal seal rounded the street corner and came to a stop just before the curb. The guards pulling the carriage were, like most of the Celestial Guard, white pegasi. Their faces, like always, were frozen and plastic. I don't think that even a meteor striking the ground five feet from their hooves would have made them so much as blink. I wondered how they did that; did they have to be specially trained? Did they just not feel any emotions at all? I certainly looked like they didn't; they stood tall in their harnesses, gazes locked firmly ahead. I would have killed just to trade places with one of them. My friends began boarding the cart, dragging their luggage behind them. Pinkie disappeared for a moment, only to pop out of one of Rarity's fancy suitcases when she least expected it—much to the dressmaker's frustration. Twilight slunk into the vehicle behind Fluttershy without so much as a glance anywhere but the steps. Applejack stopped a few steps short of the entrance and looked back at me. Frowning, she set her travel bag down. “Hey, you comin', RD?” I realized I hadn't moved a hoof since the guards had arrived. Nodding, I made my way down to the carriage and tried to control how hard my hooves hit the concrete—stomping was so uncool. Applejack frowned as I climbed into the cart and sat in a seat by the window; the cart shook and everypony looked at me with concern etched on their faces. Well, everypony that wasn't a cute, lavender genius. Not that I cared anymore. Stupid mare. I opened my mouth to tell them all to mind their own darn business, but when Applejack took her seat, she crashed into my side, sending a torrent of pain down my wing. “Ow!” I shifted to the side so I could rub it with my hoof. “Watch it!” I spat, giving the farmer the fiercest look I could muster. “That's the second time!” Applejack's ears slicked back. “Uh... sorry?” she said carefully. She eyed my wing. “What's wrong, Sugarcube?” “Nothing!” I crossed my forelegs and stared out the window. “Just leave me alone!” A few moments of silence passed, during which I watched a couple colts playing ball in the park. One of them, a short, brown colt probably in fourth grade went after the ball—he was just shy of hitting it when I heard the whispering start. In retrospect, I suppose that it's not surprising that my friends were beginning to talk behind my back—every word might as well have been a dagger, though. Fluttershy nodded with a frown as Rarity's hushed words flowed into her ear; I didn't know what she was saying, but I caught the words “childish” and “rude.” Heat washed into my face. I could feel my pulse in my ears. “Shut up!” I screamed, stomping my hooves on the floor. Fluttershy shrieked and hid herself behind her forehooves. Rarity scowled and narrowed her eyes. “Rainbow Dash,” she growled, “I've just about had it with your attitude of late! You've been nothing but unpleasant and unfriendly ever since you got home!” My jaw dropped. “Me?” I cried. The chariot hit a bump and I was forced to scramble for hoofing. “Why, you little—“ “Rainbow.” An orange hoof settled on my shoulder. “Why don't you sit down before you get yourself hurt.” I shrugged off Applejack's hoof and glared at Rarity. My eyes stung. “What right do you have to tell me how to feel?” I cracked. “What right do any of you have?” “Dashie,” Pinkie Pie practically whispered. I swear that's the quietest I'd ever heard her speak. “We just wanted to— “Shut up!” Suddenly, the chariot made a sharp turn and the ground disappeared from under my hooves. “Gah!” Instead of hard wooden wall or the bare seat, I crashed into something soft and comfy. I took a deep breath. I couldn't believe my luck. I opened my eyes to have my vision filled with lavender. A unicorn with tear-stained cheeks looked down at me with a distant expression on her face. I gulped. I really couldn't believe my luck. My ears, somehow suddenly achieving sentience, instantly pinned themselves to the sides of my head. A torrent of emotions raced through my gut; I was gripped by guilt, attacked by anger, swollen with sadness and filled with fear. I opened my mouth to try and say something, but all that came out was: “Uh...” Twilight's face contorted into some kind of unreadable expression. “Rainbow...” she mouthed, as if testing an alien word on her lips. She was looking straight at me, but her eyes were so glazed that I wondered if she even knew that I'd landed on top of her. Say something! Anything! “Hey, Twi,” I began hoping my voice wasn't as shaky as it felt. “I wanted to talk to—“ I was ripped from my words when a set of pink legs pulled me up and wrapped themselves around me. “Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie screamed in horror. She pulled back for a moment and examined every aspect of my face. “Are you okay?” My ear twitched. “Yeah, Pinks,” I snarled, “Thanks.” Judging from her ear-to-ear grin, I didn't think that Pinkie realized how upset I was. “That's great!” she cheered, jumping back into her seat. “I was so worried when you started flying around the carriage without your wings!” “Yeah, yeah...” I mumbled, sitting back down and taking another look at Twilight, who'd cast her gaze out the window once more. Following her lead, I ignored the looks that my friends were giving me and watched the town pass by. The room stayed silent for a while. Outside, ponies were wandering around town, occasionally stealing glances at the darkened clouds. I hugged my book close to my chest and sighed. I wondered what Daring Do would do if she were in my place. Probably pull Twi over and make her listen... Briefly, I entertained the idea of making the guards stop the chariot so I could kick everyone out but Twilight, but I ultimately decided not to. Not only would my friends be upset with me—well, more upset than they already were—but there was no guarantee that I could even get Twilight to listen to me. Maybe I could get her to talk to me at the castle. My heart seemed to settle at that and it became slightly easier to breathe. Yeah, I'd talk to Twilight when she calmed down. In the meantime, I simply watched the ponies of Canterlot go about their lives on the busy city streets. Merchants soled their wares. Foals laughed and played. We passed several ponies eating dandelion sandwiches at a restaurant. In the distance, a wall of pitch black clouds loomed for miles.