//------------------------------// // Worry // Story: The Winds of Change: Fog of War // by AgentSnail //------------------------------// Worry "Jason. Come on, it's getting dark." Eravel said, shaking the changeling gently awake. "We should get moving." "Yeah." He said, slowly pulling himself to his hooves. "I'm so hungry." "How bad?" "We better be close, I guess. I've not got much left." Jason stuck a hoof to his horn, feeling that the missing couple inches had mostly come back already, albeit slightly thinner from what he could tell. Jason sighed, his stomach rumbling slightly. It was funny that his stomach even reacted, he was pretty sure it wasn't responsible in the slightest for doing things with love. Maybe just a residual effect, assuming his theory about having ponies as a common ancestor was correct. Jason reached to his back hoof and pulled off the metal shoe, ignoring the still slightly disfigured hoof under the protective cover. A photo slipped off the surface, the one he made sure to always keep on him. It was of Dash and Scoots, the former on her back on their bed, looking up at the camera. Scoots was looking up as well as she tried to avoid Dash's tickling hooves, an innocent expression of joy spread across her face. A tear hit the laminated surface, sliding off and nestling itself into the soft fur of his chest. For some reason his mind focused on something Dash had said not too long ago, when she'd scolded him for letting his wings get into such bad shape. With hardly another thought on the path his thoughts had taken he turned his head around and pushed his nose into the feathers. They felt just like Dash's, mostly because they had been expressly modeled after the shape of her wings. He only felt more homesick and guilty, thinking how sad it was that he'd basically resorted to a photo and his own wings to try to feel Dash's gentle touch, the loving caress that somehow he knew wouldn't ever be the same. Maybe she'd keep him around, but he knew that there was some sort of trust bond damaged that he just couldn't fix. Jason uncrossed a few feathers, brushing his chin against the leading edge of his wing as he transferred to the other and shivering from the decidedly welcome tinge of pleasure. Eravel had taken to testing his bowstring, notching an arrow and shooting it into the tree they had taken shelter beneath. He nodded happily and unstrung the apparatus, grabbing his arrow a moment later and wrenching it out of the tree. He glanced at Jason, looking away sadly a moment later. Eravel felt sorry for the guy. He could tell Jason was dying, and even past that he had to deal with all the guilt of something that wasn't really his fault. And as it was clear to see, Jason didn't do a good job dealing with guilt. "You ready to get moving?" Jason asked, his voice cracking as he pulled his muzzle away from his wing. "Yeah, you sure?" "I don't have much of a choice on the matter." "Fair enough." Eravel replied, feeling another tinge of sadness towards the changeling. "I don't want your pity." Jason said, slowly pulling his saddlebag onto his back and beginning to walk up the side of the mountain again. "How can I not feel sorry for you? You're starving, and there's not much I can do. All my love is going to healing you, and even then it's not offsetting the loss. And you won't stop beating yourself up over kissing a mare that said you called her Dash anyway." Jason didn't respond, only speeding up his pace slightly. "You know that you've got nothing to worry about with Dash, she'll still love you given the circumstances." "You don't get it Eravel!" Jason snapped, turning around. "I'm going to have to say, at some point, that I may have slept with another mare. No matter how justified I am, even if by some strange logic she accepts it, I never will! It's not just some thing, it's constant proof that I'm not worthy of this relationship. And even if nothing changes with Dash, well, I'm- I don't know what to do about it." Eravel didn't really know what to say. He let the air fall silent as they finally crested the ridge and a golden sunset came into view, appearing to melt into the now gentle heat of the grasslands. "It's pretty." Jason said simply, surprising Eravel with the fact that he had even spoke at all. "I'm going to make sure it isn't your last." The griffin replied, taking a quick gulp of water and staring out over the land. "You're a good friend." Jason said, letting a slight smile grace his lips. "And wouldn't you say that that looks like the beginning of eastern griffin territory right there?" He asked, pointing to the beginning of a tree line. "I hope so." Jason replied, beginning to walk down the other side of the hill. _____________________________________________________________ "I got your stupid thing, Twilight." Dash said with a sigh, carefully pulling Jason's hoof piece out of her saddlebag. Twilight's face turned a little green. "Is that-" "Yes." She finished, setting it down on the table. "The chunk of him they cut off." "Oh my god." The purple mare continued, struggling to take her eyes off the thing despite her obvious discomfort. "So can you do it?" Dash asked, breaking the other mare out of her trance. "Yes, I think so." "Dash, can I come in?" Scoots asked, poking her head through the door. "Yeah, just try not to look." She replied, watching the filly trot in. Her friends followed her, and she watched with some humor as Scoots leaned against Rumble the same way Dash usually leaned against Jason. It sort of made her sad, making her remember the fact that as of late she'd had hardly any time for anything romantic, even the normal gestures they shared. That, in turn, made her miss Jason even more than she already did. It was amazing how quiet things were without him, and how boring they seemed. "Had to borrow a bit from Zecora for this." Twilight said, lowering her head and flaring her horn as Dash set down the hoof on top of a map. "When things come to changelings, well, normal magic doesn't seem to really work the same." "So I've seen." Dash murmured, watching the crusaders plow their way upstairs despite the complaints of Spike. "He's never really been Average Joe." "Who?" "It's just a thing he says, like the embodiment of normal." "Ah. Hey, while I'm prepping this, you know anything about dreams?" "Yeah, I- well, maybe, I mean it's not like I have much to go on really." "It's just that Spike kept having these recurring dreams where I was up in the middle of the night as an Alicorn, apparently reading books. I mean, an Alicorn. How ridiculous." "Yeah... Like how many dreams?" Dash asked, pretty sure who the suspect was already. "I'm not sure, a few at least." "I don't think there's much I can say, I doubt it means much. When Jason dreams of things, I know that they're coming from his head for a reason, I mean, it's almost always relating to something that's happening, whether it's some fear or homesickness. By the same logic we've shared happy dreams, in the first of which he saw a Sonic Rainboom." The blue mare finished, putting a hoof to her chest and grinning, possibly to disguise a giggle at the fact that Jason had taken the precautions to leaving at night to read. Maybe he was worried about her worrying about him, but she knew by now that he had his reasons, especially with the time she'd died in his recent memory. It's not like she remembered dying, seeing as it had never happened, but she knew how it felt to hold Jason in her hooves when she'd thought he was dying. "Alright here goes." Twilight began, flaring her horn and stopping as Dash pressed her own to the other mare's chest. "Kids, get down here and keep a movement to a minimum!" She yelled, watching the four Crusaders run down the stairs at the same speed they had ascended, a tired looking Spike plodding down behind them. "This'll find Jason, right?!" Scoots yelled, looking ridiculously excited. "I made an art project in class that I want to give to him!" "What is it Scoots?" Dash asked, trying to keep the foals distracted while Twilight worked her *ahem* magic. "I- well, I'm not sure if I can trust you..." She replied, narrowing her eyes and giggling. "Come on, you know I can keep a secret." "Fine, I made him a- well, this'll sound kinda dumb but I saw that wing around his neck and I wanted to make one for him since he loved the one that you gave him so much and I- I dunno, it was kinda stupid." She sighed, continuing before Dash could say anything. "So we made one." The filly said, holding out an orange triangle that was partially covered in glue and twigs. "It's- pretty nice Scoots." Dash said, her acting worse than terrible. "That? Really? That was just the first one, before Rumble said that he knew how to do this kind of thing. Made me waste an old feather on that first one before he told me, too. Then Applebloom made little reinforced holes in them and made them into necklaces, and Sweetie, well, she actually did a good job with the straps. It went so well we made an extra for you, mom." "What?" Dash asked, taken aback. That clever filly, she'd done a good job keeping the surprise until the last second. "Yeah, lean over." Scoots said, watching Dash's head dip as she slid on the necklace. "You like it?" "I love it." She said, going silent for a moment before she broke into laughter. "Dash! Quiet down!" Twilight growled, silencing the mare. "What's so funny?" Scootaloo asked, her eyes growing a little foggy. "I just- when I gave Jason something like this I couldn't figure out why he liked it so much. And now here I am, probably feeling the same way. Come here." She said, wrapping the filly in a hug. "The rest of you, come on, join in." Dash continued with a giggle, watching the other three tentatively add to the blob of ponies. "Done." Twilight stated, taking a few steps back to stare at the map. "See anything?" "What am I supposed to be looking for?" Dash asked, looking around the map. "Is this something?" Spike inquired, pointing with a claw at a tiny ball of green flame that was a few feet off the side of the table. "Yeah, you could say that." Twilight responded, her eyes going wide. "If I would've known he was that far away, I would've gotten a bigger map." "You're saying he's so far away he's not even on the map?!" Dash yelled, getting slightly angry. She'd figured she'd use this and find Jason in the morning tomorrow in a way that didn't involve traveling a billion miles. "Well, fuck! Why can't anything just go smoothly for once?!" "Dash, the foals." Twilight warned. "So what? Nopony understands these words anyway." "With the way you're throwing them around, it won't take long before that isn't the case." "Well what do you want me to say? Oh, ponyfeathers, my fiancé is a million miles away and Pinkie has the wedding scheduled for the day after tomorrow. And I miss him, I'm worried as all get out, and because of the fact that I haven't had contact with him in days, I don't know what the situation even is!" She watched the flame splutter and go out, before lighting again. Twilight checked the spell, making sure that it was still running correctly. "That can't be good." ________________________________________________________ *piff* Eravel's ears perked and he turned, jumping slightly at the fact that Jason had appeared to have passed out behind him. The griffin ran backwards a few steps, grabbing the changeling by one of his hooves and putting him onto his back. He moved over to a now more common tree, setting him down against the trunk. "I'm not going to get back." Jason mumbled, his eyes staying closed as a tear slipped out of one. "I'm not getting there like this." "Jason, it's fine, I'll just-" "No." He said, opening his eyes. "I'm not getting back this way. But by wing, we might stand a chance." "But how're you going to fly when you can hardly even walk?" "I'm not going to, you are." Jason replied, concentrating and shrinking himself down to the less-than-foal size he had been when Dash had carried him weeks ago. "I'm not going to stay conscious after I heal you, there's no way. Ponyville is that direction exactly." Jason said, drawing a long line in the dirt with a hoof. "Don't miss." Without another word his horn glowed, sending a large twinge of pain into his forehead. But he was mostly healed already, it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. And at this point, he needed to fight through it no matter what. He watched Eravel's limp wing snap into place as he reconnected the tendon and healed up the rest of the wound, blowing a joking kiss towards the griffin as fatigue caught up with him and the world went black. Eravel hardly wasted a moment, immediately throwing one of his saddlebags to the ground and clearing out a side. He picked up Jason with a talon, trying not to make an 'ooh' noise at the cute little foal before he placed him in the pocket, using it like a hammock. Jason somehow fit, slightly amazing Eravel even though he had expected such an outcome. His hooves peeked over the rim as well as his forehead, bringing the overall cute level so high that Eravel had to look away. Concentration was important at this point, more than anything. The griffin spread his wings, aiming in the direction that Jason had pointed and taking off. It felt amazing, the previously stagnant air blowing against his face in the act of something he hadn't been able to do for weeks. He'd have to get something to repay Jason for this when he woke up. There was just something he missed about the way he could look down on the foliage below, the way it quickly moved beneath his reach. He rose towards a low cloud, realizing at the last second that Jason wouldn't go through. He pulled up hard, his previously uninjured wing the one giving protest. He wondered if Jason's healing went beyond just a simple repair, that at this point his wing was superior to what it had been before. That, or it was back to its optimal health and the other had atrophied. Either way, the healed one felt great. He'd never been healed before, besides with a few small cuts, and the whole experience of, well, this, was just strange. His wing had gone from mostly immobile to fully functioning in under a minute, with no soreness or hint that he'd ever been hurt. There was a scar, but that was hardly something to worry about. The ragged one Jason had in a diagonal between his eyes was something that could stand to be healed. But then again, Jason couldn't work that magic on himself. If he could, well, they wouldn't really have much left to fight by now. Thoughts of Ponyville soon overtook Eravel's mind, with doubts and fears that could easily be founded in reason. While he was here to reassure Jason that Dash would still be there for him, Jason wasn't exactly able to tell Eravel that he would fit in at the present time. The mere fact that his name was in the news didn't seem like enough of a buffer when ponies could more easily see the fact that he was a griffin. All things considered, if he saw a griffin coming towards him right now he would probably attack it without a second thought. Of course, he wouldn't kill the thing without a good reason considering the war had ended, but the idea remained the same. Jason seemed to find his place though, and if he could chances are Eravel would be able to. Canterlot wasn't very easy, he was mostly around guards that were told, somewhat grudgingly, to protect him. He'd had intelligence, and he'd been useful that way. But now he didn't have a buffer, and that worried him more than everything else. Eravel wasn't the close combat fighter that the others were, hell, he had trouble fighting even some of the most incompetent griffins with knives like Jason and Dash did. That pair seemed to fight like it was as second nature as knowing how to breathe. Kinda like him shooting an arrow. He supposed the point of his thoughts led up to one point: if the civilians decided they didn't like him enough to wipe him out, well, by the time he put on brass knuckles and took one down there would just be another, and then another. He couldn't survive those odds, even if he had his bow at the ready. Eravel shook his head, speeding up his flying past anything he had attempted before. It wasn't as if he hadn't thought about trying to find a top speed before, it was more due to the fact that he wasn't able to attempt it. When he'd lived under griffin rule, the calorie usage was astronomical and worthless, and while he was fighting it was pretty far back in his mind. Maybe that was what allowed him to push all other thoughts out of his mind and focus on the joys of flying, the only other circulating thought about the fact that pushing himself now was what he needed to do. He had all the food he needed for a flight like this, especially with the cool air floating over what he was sure were griffin lands keeping him fresh. _______________________________________________________ "Twilight, get it back!" Dash yelled, watching the mare hurriedly flip through a notebook. "I don't know what happened Dash, the spell's still running and everything, I mean-" "So what? Was that not Jason at all?!" "No, I'm sure it was, unless this isn't his hoof." The purple mare went silent for a few moments, flipping another page. "Get Zecora, hopefully she'll be able to make sense of some of this." "I- fuck." Dash replied dumbly, turning and spreading her wings. She jumped into the air and shot through an open window, staying close to the rooftops as she sped through the center of town. It was dark and beginning to snow again, to make up for the lack of snowpack that they had lost when the rain had made it all melt away. Of course, the ponies in the weather factory were still MIA, which gave Dash a sinking feeling that they had been related to one of the enemies they still had to fight. That was only one of the reasons why she was so nervous, and her heart so loud in her chest right now. If that light flickering meant what she could assume, and realistically was the easiest thing to assume for that matter, Jason wasn't doing too well. Dash couldn't say why exactly, or what had happened to lead up to the problem. But whatever link she usually felt was gone, replaced by an eerie emptiness and a lack of the feeling of power that came with the love swirling around her, ready for use. Whether that was to her advantage or Jason's though, it didn't matter. She just knew that she missed the feeling. Dash's eyes widened, as a thought went through her head. She'd done a few spells before, that proved that Jason was still alive. She screwed up her face in concentration before stopping. But if he needed the love, well, she could end up taking some pivotal amount. The mare felt a tear slide down her face, covered up by the snow melting across her cheeks. She didn't like being so worried all the time about things she shouldn't even have to deal with. She was twenty three goddamn years old, and she felt like she was aging past thirty. She wouldn't even mind if Jason were by her side, at this point the griffin war seemed like a cakewalk compared to how torn up she felt right now. It became obvious all too quickly that she'd bottled up her feelings too long, ignored possibilities that she knew she should entertain, and that just made things all the worse for her in the present. She loved him, and everything in the world only seemed to exist to throw that in her face like it was some kind of lame joke. Almost as if, despite their power, they could do nothing to keep their own relationship functional. She just wanted Jason back, cuddling with her and stroking her back and telling her that it would be alright, that she was overreacting. Dash wanted to feel his wings around her again, that warmth that dwarfed her own and made her feel that special kind of safe. And all the universe wanted for her was to make things the opposite. She was cold and numb, her mane was full of snow, and she was more worried than she could ever remember feeling. Jason was out there somewhere, and she couldn't do a thing to help him. She couldn't curl up in his recovery bed, or talk to him or even look at him. He could be dead, and given how hard it had been for Twilight to find a living changeling, it would be impossible to find a dead one. Dash crashed through Zecora's door, bringing a hoof to her eyes to wipe away the tears. She didn't know why she even cared, her red eyes were a give away by themselves. "Just- no rhymes." The blue mare began, taking a ragged breath. "I need you to help with something." Zecora opened her mouth to respond before closing it again and grabbing a small sack. She gestured for Dash to leave before leaving herself, closing and locking the door hurriedly before she took off at a gallop towards Ponyville. Even through her muddled thoughts, Dash had to admire how fast of a mare Zecora really was. It would put most normal ponies to shame, honestly, and Dash knew she wasn't going full speed given the muddy ground. The time it took to get back was hardly longer than the time it had taken to find her way there, and as soon as they ran through the library door Twilight began briefing Zecora on what had happened. The zebra walked over and stared at the map, watching a green flame pop up again slightly closer to the table. "It's been doing that for a while, I'm not sure what it means!" Twilight said quickly, watching the zebra calmly stroke her chin. "This is quite an abnormal target to pick, are you sure that this is not soul magic?" "What?" Dash breathed, her eyes going wide. "How do you know about that?" Twilight only stared at the two of them, completely out of the loop. "I do not claim to be an expert, but you can learn about these things with surprisingly little effort." She watched the flame flash again a few moments later, blowing it out immediately and watching a blue orb spin for a moment before dissipating as well. "I've never seen a spell like this, but of one thing I am sure not to miss. There is something off about this soul, but I doubt that is what's taking the toll." "You've got to be kidding..." Dash muttered, her contact with the soul magic pony coming back into her head. He'd said he went after Jason for a reason, but she'd just passed that off as some stupid excuse. Then again, this also made her wonder what exactly he'd been after. Jason was a self-evident changeling, and she knew he had a strong will, but that was about all she could pin about him that would merit torture in the slightest. It hardly seemed like a good enough reason for all the effort. "What do you mean, soul magic?" Twilight questioned, staring at Dash. Dash wiped her nose, trying to pull herself back together. "It's, uh-" "Yeah, I'm sure it's classified. That figures." "Christ, Twilight, it doesn't matter!" Dash rebutted, unintentionally taking some of her emotions out on the mare. "Well maybe it does to me! I used to know everything, and now I'm kept in the dark about all of it!" She responded. "You're Celestia's student, have you ever thought of the idea that maybe, just maybe, that only applies to things about her?! This involves Jason, Luna and me, and anypony else we decide to get involved. If that's not you, then tough shit!" The duo stared at each other for a time, as Dash watched Twilight visibly grind her teeth together. "The reason," The lavender mare began, "That I feel entitled to such a thing, is that the elements usually have to stop the things that pop up." "Yeah well hey," Dash responded, throwing her hooves into the air and making the bystanders take a step back in surprise. "the world doesn't revolve around the stupid elements. They have their uses, but they couldn't have fought that goddamn war, and they definitely couldn't have brought me back to life or moved that storm. They aren't a magical cure-all like everypony seems to think." "You- they-" She cut herself off, looking at the map and then back again. "This isn't a contest, Twilight, if you want to know things you better be damn sure that you want to put your life on the line to find out enough to tie up loose ends!" Dash finished, narrowing her eyes. "And I'll tell you, going out there with no training, no resolve to kill somepony when you need to, well, it's pretty much the same as a death sentence." She paused, taking a breath. "So if you want to know more, you better think hard about whether or not you'll be able to help out. Information isn't free." Twilight didn't respond, only staring at Dash for a moment longer before looking away. Dash walked back to the map, staring momentarily at the space where the green flame had been showing up. "I do not mean to pry, but have you used that potion of, shall we say-" "No, not yet." Dash responded, her cheeks turning a deep red despite all of the other things that should be keeping her anything from embarrassed. "I was- I dunno, waiting for a special occasion." "It's not something to use on a whim, for I hope you know how it will affect him. Not to say it is terrible, more to say that it has its-" "Yeah, I read the directions. I'll be honest, I'm kinda jealous that you have the recipes for all of these things." Dash responded, making sure to cut the zebra off before things got too descriptive. "But considering Pinkie seems adamant about making sure I'm married in two days, well, I dunno. Maybe then." The mare's neck suddenly twisted as the green flame showed itself again, almost a foot closer to the table than it had been before it flickered and went out again. "He's moving." "Who is?" Applejack asked, walking into the library and staring at the ponies. "Applebloom, we should get goin' pretty soon here, ya don't want ta be too tired for school tomorrah." "But sis," She whined, "Twilight's got 'er magic mumbo jumbo goin' tryin' ta find Jason, and Ah want to see what happens to 'im." "Ahm sure we can-" "He's still moving!" Scoots exclaimed, looking straight up at the place where the flame was appearing. "And fast, too!" Zecora scrunched up her face in confusion, something not missed on Dash as she felt hope flood her body. He was still coming back, and she would get to see him again. He wasn't dead in the middle of a desert, only- wait. "I thought you said it looked like he was passed out?" Zecora only nodded. "He is not moving under his own volition, I believe he may have formed some sort of coalition." "So... he might not even be coming back. Something could have just grabbed him." Dash stated, her face going white. "What if that's what happened? I mean, he was all alone, and Chrysalis could have figured something out about where he was, and I know he can fight but he doesn't have any of his guns or knives, and he can't take on an army by himself, I mean-" "Sugarcube, yer worrying yerself ragged." Applejack said, wrapping the mare in a hug. "He's gonna come back, he'd never stay away from a mare he loves so much for long." Dash didn't respond, only burying her muzzle into Applejack's shoulder and letting out a sob. "Nothing ever goes our way, it's just one bad thing after another!" She wheezed, feeling Scoots hug around her hind leg. "Mah granddad used to say somethin' about that, after a buncha years a floods and bad weather, before Ponyville was big enough ta have its own weather team. He always said that things ain't gettin' better 'till everythin' seems at its worst. Ya can ask Granny, she was with him the year things finally turned fer the better." Applejack paused. "Ah know it's no war, but surely things're gonna go well for ya. Think about after this is over. Ya'll have just front-loaded yer bad luck, I'm sure it'll come around." "Thanks." Dash sniffled. "Just think a what comes later. Ya'll have a family to plan, somethin' that honestly makes me a little jealous. But mark mah words, Ah'm sayin' you'll be over and done with, at the rate you're goin', 'fore we even hit spring. Ah don't know if you're tryin' this Estrous or another, but ah bet you'll be done with time ta spare." "You willing to stand by that one?" Dash asked with an ever so slight smile, removing herself partially from the hug. "Course. Ah'd be stammerin' over mah words if ah was lyin'." "Yeah. I guess so." Dash replied, allowing a gentle chuckle into her overly crackly voice. "At this rate he'll be here soon." Rumble said, watching the flame appear again on the corner of the map. "What's the scale on this thing?" "An inch to ten miles, give or take a little." Twilight answered, looking rather tired. "Well this is nowhere near Dash speed, but it's not too shabby either." Rumble said, pointing to the dot as it appeared again and marking its position. They all waited another forty or so seconds before it appeared again, about a third of an inch farther along. Dash's heart fluttered, and she turned to move towards the door before deciding against it. "How long?" She asked simply. "We got a ruler?" Rumble asked, taking one from Twilight and holding it up to the map. "Thirty four minutes." "How'd you do that so fast?" Twilight asked, slightly taken aback. Rumble giggled, looking up at her. "I like math." "Thirty four minutes..." Dash breathed, unsure exactly how to feel. "I want to meet him halfway." She said, turning before Applejack stopped her. "And what if that's not somethin' friendly?" "I don't care!" "Yeah, but ya can't take on a dragon or somethin' worse, 'specially if Jason couldn't." Dash only stared for a moment before she went silent, walking over to one side of the library and curling up into a ball. She just wanted the next thirty whatever minutes to go by, and then she would just walk over and meet Jason, and they would go back to her house and she wouldn't have to be lonely like this. That was what would happen, she wouldn't let herself think otherwise. The mare began to doze off, a combination of her exhaustion and previous sleeplessness catching up with her. _________________________________________________ "Dash, four minutes!" Somepony yelled, jostling her around. How had she even fallen asleep there? It hardly felt like she'd done any more than close her eyes. "Looking like it's coming in from the south-southeast, if I'm right." Rumble yelled as Dash got up, grabbing Scoots and tossing the foal onto her back as she ran towards the door. Applejack got there with her sister first, running outside with Dash in pursuit. The snow was falling faster now, an inch of fluff covering the frozen ground as the four ponies blazed down the street, their eyes plastered to the sky. Dash skidded to a stop, setting Scoots down without another word as she crouched and launched herself into the air. She saw somepony in the distance, and she aimed to figure out her enemy as soon as she could. She felt her blood nearly boil as the flyer flew through a bream of light, letting her know that it was indeed not of a friendly race. Dash only sped up, running into the side of the griffin and sending them both far off course. He spread his wings in an attempt to slow down, flailing an arm back to check something in a saddlebag. He pulled out a ball of fur and pushed it into his chest as the duo crashed into the ground, the snow and still soft dirt below them helping to break their falls. "You- What have you done with him?" Dash asked cooly, watching the griffin roll over wide eyed. "Why did you attack me?" He asked, smearing a blob of mud from his face and bringing with it a sudden wave of recognition in Dash's mind. Distress overtook her mind, as she watched him uncross his arms and present a pony, smaller than a foal, towards her. "I think," He panted, "That we should get to a hospital." "What happened?" Dash asked, immediately taking Jason and cuddling him in her arms. "He- He ran out of love." Eravel replied, pulling himself to his feet. "I'm glad you're alive." Dash said, before she tucked Jason to her chest with a hoof and took off as fast as three legs could carry her. Eravel followed behind without a second thought, his eyes meeting with Applejack's as they moved. The farm pony only squared her hooves, pushing Scootaloo behind her with a hoof. Dash stopped momentarily, staring between the two. "He's friendly. It's a long story," She looked at Eravel, "For more than one of us, but we just need to get along long enough for us to get him to the hospital." Applejack nodded, watching the griffin pass before she herself began to move. "Where's Jason? I thought you said we were getting him to the hospital." "Yeah, we are." Dash replied, holding Jason out slightly from her chest and watching Applejack furrow her brow. "He's finally back home." A tear streaked out of her eye at the thought, but from her others it had one crucial difference. She wasn't sad when she shed it. She was still worried, but she had something tangible to worry about. And that small victory, no pun intended, was enough to change her mood for the better.