Twilight woke up to the sound of metal on metal, a scraping sound that was rhythmic enough that she knew it was not random. She slowly crept downstairs and into the kitchen, where she found Spike scrubbing an already clean pot. Her eyes scanned the kitchen, taking in the clean dishes and sparkling floor. “Spike, are you…?”
Spike jumped and turned back to Twilight. “Am I ok? Of course I’m ok! Why wouldn’t I be ok? I mean, why would you even ask that?”
Twilight gave him a flat look. “Besides the obvious?”
They had a little staring standoff, but Spike cracked first. He dropped the pot and ran to Twilight, burying his face in her chest. “I didn’t mean to! I made it awful!” he wailed. “I just couldn’t stop talking and she just looked so sad and I just didn’t know what to do…”
Twilight tried to comfort him as best she could. “I know. I didn’t even think of running through various scenarios.”
“But I want to make it better!” He popped up and brusquely wiped a claw across his face before defending himself, “I wasn’t crying, you know.”
Twilight didn’t say anything.
“Do you think we should do something for her? Give her a card or something?”
Twilight sighed. “I don’t know, Spike. I think it’s best if we stay away from her for a while. She’s hurting, and she doesn’t want anypony to know.”
“We’ll hurt her if we ignore her,” Spike argued.
Twilight nodded. “But we’ll hurt her more if we make her relive everything. She’ll probably feel like we’re rubbing her injuries in her face.”
Spike threw his pot scraper into the sink in disgust. “This stinks!” he grumbled. “Isn’t there anything we can do?”
Twilight thought. “Research? We spent so much time at the hospital, I haven’t even started looking up scar-healing magic.”
Spike nodded, a true smile spreading across his face as he took off his apron and got into study mode. “Yeah. Let’s do that.”
* * *
Macintosh watched his sister quietly. She was bucking furiously, working harder than she had in a long time.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with working hard. The problem was, something was bothering her; and that’s something that he just didn’t like. Of course, he knew about the accident. He knew how Rainbow Dash had saved Spike from getting filleted like a griffon delicacy, and had gotten a face full of magic flames for her trouble. He knew how close the two had been before, and it didn’t take a Twilight Sparkle to see what the problem was.
Of course, even Twilight Sparkle would have no idea how to even start talking to her about this.
He knew. He and Twilight Sparkle had had discussions about that very subject, and every single time their conversations turned out empty.
Sighing, he returned to work, feeling oddly helpless.
* * *
“Pinkie! That’s salt, not sugar!”
Pinkie quickly dropped the shaker and turned and smiled sheepishly at Mr. Cake. “Oh, it is, isn’t it… I’m sorry!”
“Are you alright?” Carrot asked, struggling to balance the bag of flour he was carrying as he rested a hoof comfortingly on her shoulder. “You’ve been distracted all morning.”
“Well… I’m worried about Rainbow Dash. She’s all hurt, you know; and I don’t know how to help her. I mean, I don't think a party is going to make her smile again.”
Carrot Cake nearly dropped the bag of flour. Had Pinkie Pie just said what he thought she said? “Maybe you should go take a quick break,” he said, removing his hoof and shooing her away. “I can handle it from here.”
Pinkie Pie nodded and walked back to her room.
* * *
”Spike?”
“Spike!”
“Dragons!”
“They’re killing him!”
“Not on my watch! I gotcha!”
“Rainbow!”
“You pony wh-”
fire fire fire fire fire
Rainbow woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath. She rubbed her eyes and groaned. At least her body had healed to the point that that didn't hurt anymore.
Now, getting up, on the other hoof… She’d taken to sleeping on the cloud floor, as her body protested too much at climbing up onto the bed. Of course, it didn’t really like her sleeping on the floor, either; and it took her a good four seconds to push herself to her hooves, but soon she was upright again. Instinctively, she ruffled her wings, but only one really ruffled. Her right wing was still devoid of feathers, and what few were growing in were coming in very itchy. Her whole body ached, and she couldn’t spin and preen herself.
Not like she had enough strength to flap her wings hard enough to keep herself aloft, anyway.
She plodded slowly over to the kitchen and poked her head into the cooling cloud, which was empty, just as it had been yesterday.
Groaning, she withdrew her head and sat dejectedly at the table, wincing as she sat. She couldn't just walk out in the open like this. If Applejack couldn't even look at her, nopony could. If only she had a hood or something, like maybe a mask.
Rainbow Dash brightened. That sounded like something Rarity could do.
Now she only had to figure out how to get down from here...
* * *
As she usually did in the early afternoon, Applejack stood at her stand, smiling broadly as she watched ponies go by and hopefully come to buy the apples she had just harvested this morning. She wouldn't admit she was distracted...
“No, see... This is a ten bit piece, idiot. I gave you a five, and you need to give me one in change.”
...but she was indeed distracted. Blushing, she corrected her mistake and slid over the correct change. “Thanks for your honesty,” she said.
Bon Bon rolled her eyes and trotted off with her purchase.
As soon as she was lost in the crowd, Applejack deflated. That was the third time she’d been wrong while counting. At least, it was the third time she’d been corrected; there were probably more that she had missed. Luckily, Applejack’s next customer seemed much more approachable, if also distracted.
“Hey, Pinkie Pie,” she greeted her. “How’re ya doing?”
Pinkie Pie looked up. “I’m not sure,” she said truthfully.
Applejack blinked. Was it just her imagination, or was Pinkie’s mane looking somewhat less bouncy today? She tried to continue the conversation. “You here for supplies for the Cakes?”
Pinkie shook her head. “Nah. Mr. Cake told me to take some time off.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. She’d been part of this town long enough to know that the Cakes had been barely scraping by before Pinkie Pie had arrived. As much as it defied logic, Pinkie’s baking and her numerous, free parties ended up bringing them enough business that even ponies from neighboring towns would come to buy their wares, guaranteeing them a profit. If they had asked Pinkie to take a break, that must have meant something was terribly, terribly wrong.
But, of course, she couldn’t just say that outright, and instead went with a much safer, “Is that so?”
“Yeah,” Pinkie said. “I want to cheer up Rainbow Dash, but I know she doesn’t want a party right now.”
Applejack’s jaw dropped. “Pinkie, you feeling ok?” she asked, bringing the back of her hoof up to Pinkie’s forehead to check her temperature.
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” She sighed and turned to trot away. “I’m going to go braid Gummy’s hair.”
Applejack dropped her hoof in surprise. “Pinkie, Gummy’s a reptile. They don’t have hair,” she pointed out.
“That’s never stopped me before.” And with that cryptic message, Pinkie Pie vanished into the crowd.
Applejack groaned again. She needed Rainbow back to normal, and fast; and not just for the sake of her business. And if Pinkie Pie was out of commission, there was always one pony she could count on for help with Rainbow Dash.
* * *
“So what do you think?” Applejack asked. “How can we best help Rainbow?”
Fluttershy scuffed a hoof and shrugged. “I really don’t know,” she admitted. “But I don’t think I’ll be able to help much.”
“Why not?” Applejack asked.
Fluttershy slowly spread her wings. Her beautiful, bright yellow, completely-feathered, fully-functional wings that permitted her to leave the ground behind and fly. “If I went to go see her, I’d feel like I was taunting her,” she admitted. “I haven’t gone yet because I’m afraid of what she might feel. I think right now the best thing is to let her heal without prying too much. Except, you know, you should be there, too, for the healing process.”
Applejack looked up. “What?”
“She really loves you, and I don’t think that has changed.”
“She does, does she?” Applejack murmured.
“Yes,” Fluttershy said. “You’re all she talks about sometimes. If you do it right, I’m sure with your help, she’ll heal faster than she thought possible.” She smiled. “You’d be surprised at how much love can help heal injuries.” She paused. “If you still love her, that is.”
Applejack looked around and various animals nodded their agreement. “Ah do. You know, Ah'm surprised you can talk so freely about this.”
Fluttershy shrugged. “It’s not so strange, really.”
Applejack was astonished to see that her mouth kept moving even as her mind told her to stop talking. “Ah mean, Ah thought you and Rainbow… you know… were… ‘together’ or something when you were younger.”
Fluttershy giggled behind her hoof. “Oh, no. We were never like that. Besides, I haven’t really been looking for a special somepony; but if I were, I’d be looking for somepony a little like me. A little smaller, a little quieter, but very cuddly.” A blush spread across Fluttershy’s face. “Somepony who would hide under the bed with me and share a blanket.”
Applejack chuckled good-naturedly. “Well, best of luck findin’ him. Or her. Anyway, thanks for your help. In fact, Ah’m thinkin’ Ah pay Rainbow a visit right now.”
Fluttershy flinched. “Right now?”
“Eeyup. And you’re coming with me. Ah need a ride up there somehow.”
“Oh, um… I- I guess that’s ok… but how are you going to walk on the clouds?”
Applejack slapped a hoof to her forehead. “Knew Ah was forgetting something...”
* * *
Rarity looked up at the knock on the door. “Coming~!” she sang. Setting down her needles, she trotted over to the door, paused to ensure her mane was presentable, and then opened it.
Now, she’d been there with the rest of her friends, and she’d seen Rainbow’s healing first-hoof; but that didn’t stop her eyes from widening as she took in Rainbow’s damaged appearance. It’s one thing seeing damage in a hospital; very different when it comes knocking on your door.
Rainbow’s eyes narrowed, but she chose to assume Rarity's reactions had been a trick of the light and the reflection of her glasses. “Hey, Rares. Can I come in?”
“Oh, certainly!” Rarity stepped aside. “Should I put on some tea? You look like you can barely walk.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes as she shuffled in. “Yeah, well, I’ll get better. And no.”
Rarity hid a smile. “So if you’re not here for my tea, what are you here for?”
“A favor. I need something to hide this,” she gestured at the right side of her face.
Rarity’s first thought was ‘a mask’, but then realized just how rude that would sound were she to say it out loud. Unfortunately, that was the only thing that came to mind for a few seconds, leaving a somewhat awkward silence between them. “Uh… Makeup?” she finally said.
Rainbow snorted. “Do I look like the kind of pony that would wear makeup? You remember how hard it was to get me to dress up for that wedding.”
Rarity nodded. She remembered. “And the blush looked fine on you. I still say a little eyeliner would have suited you...”
“No! Enough with the makeup! I want a mask and a hoodie or something.”
“A mask that just covers… uh… one side?” Rarity tried.
Rainbow threw a hoof up in celebration… then winced and set it back down. “Yeah. Just like that. And then the hoodie to go over it.” She sighed and looked down. “Can’t tell you how many stares I’ve gotten today…”
Rarity smiled, already feeling a burst of inspiration. “Oh, I believe that can be arranged…”
Within seconds, Rarity had sketched out a simple design and presented it to Rainbow, who nodded approvingly. “How soon can you finish this?” Rainbow asked.
“Are you kidding? Within the hour, darling! Find someplace comfortable to sit, and I’ll get started.”
Rainbow shuffled over to the couch and spread her wings to help her hop on… before hissing in pain and clenching them against her side again.
Rarity understood immediately. “Oh, Rainbow, not that couch; it’s dreadfully lumpy. Here, just use the cushions.” She lit her horn and slid the cushions onto the floor, making them much more accessible to Rainbow.
It wasn’t a very good lie, but it saved both ponies some pride so Rainbow didn’t mind; and she settled down and waited.
* * *
Across town, Fluttershy and Applejack soon arrived at the library, and Applejack knocked on the door.
Twilight's voice sounded exasperated as she answered. “For the last time! This is a public library! You can just come in!”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Ah know, but you live here, too; and Ah’d hate to walk in on somethin’ Ah’d rather not.”
Twilight huffed. “Just come in.”
Applejack opened the door; and had she not heard Twilight’s voice before, she would have thought Twilight were absent. Books littered the floor, sat on tables and shelves, and Applejack could clearly see that almost everything was out of place.
“Twilight?” she asked slowly. “What happened in here?”
Twilight raised her head from behind a small fortress of books. “We’re looking for something to help Rainbow. Anything about scars and healing, we're looking for it.”
“Any luck?” Fluttershy asked hopefully.
Twilight coughed. “Our results have been somewhat less than encouraging,” she said.
Spike popped his head out from behind his own sizable pile of books. “We've found squat,” he translated bitterly.
Applejack winced. “That's... not good.”
“Yeah, but we'll keep looking.”
Applejack looked at the few books left on the shelf and grimaced. “Before you do, could you help me out? Ah want to go see Rainbow Dash and Ah need that cloudwalking spell.”
Twilight grinned and lit her horn. “I've got something better. Check these out.” She levitated what appeared to be sandals, woven with long straps that were apparently designed to wrap around the foreleg. To be honest, they looked somewhat like ballet slippers, and Applejack couldn’t help but cringe at the thought of wearing them.
“And these are…?”
“Slippers with the cloudwalking spell woven into the fabric,” Twilight answered. “They’ll last a lot longer than just the spell. Should be perfectly safe.”
“Should be?” Applejack said, raising an eyebrow.
“I’ve done routine testing,” Twilight defended herself. “They have yet to fail.”
“Comforting…” Applejack murmured as she slipped them on. “All right. Wish us luck!”
Spike waved as the two mares left.
Ten minutes later; Spike lifted his head. “Wait a minute… how are they getting up there, anyway?”
* * *
“You ready?” Applejack asked. She bounced once, and to her surprise, the sandals held nicely.
Fluttershy attempted to catch her breath. When her adrenaline was flowing, she was fairly strong; but physically dry-lifting Applejack up here had been quite the effort. “I’m not so sure,” she panted as she followed Applejack. “I don’t know if this is such a good idea...”
“Welp, guess we're about to find out,” Applejack said as she neared the door. “Now or never.”
“Can't I take a third option?” Fluttershy whimpered.
But it was too late, for Applejack had knocked on the door.
And then she knocked again. And again. And again.
After ten minutes, Fluttershy spoke. “I don't think Rainbow is here,” she said.
“We'll leave her a note or something,” Applejack said.
“I don't have paper,” Fluttershy said.
Applejack frowned. “Neither do I. Scratch that idea.”
The two returned to ground a bit more quickly than they'd ascended, thanks to gravity; but Fluttershy managed to land both ponies safely, and Applejack walked Fluttershy back home.
“Thanks again,” Applejack said as Fluttershy unlocked her door.
“Oh, you're welcome; but I’m thinking…” Fluttershy steeled herself. “I think this is something you’re best suited for, not me. I think it’s best if you keep seeing her, alone. If you really love her, you'll find a way to help her heal much better than I can.”
Applejack nodded, looking much more confident than she felt. “Ah can do that.” I think.
* * *
That evening, Rainbow shuffled confidently down the street. Sure, she couldn’t walk very well, and she still couldn’t fly, but her outfit—also known as ‘the temporary covering apparatus to restore maximum coolness’—helped her not draw too much attention. Her first stop for her night on the town was a restaurant that was somewhat classy by day, and somewhat less so at night. She walked in and was quickly greeted by the harsh smell of greasy hay fries and alcohol.
Perfect.
She sat at the bar and ordered her favorite sandwich, complete with sides of hay fries and coleslaw. For some reason, she was the only one in her family that liked the stuff, and relished the chance to eat some unmolested.
Berry Punch brought her a glass of water to start, and Rainbow lifted the glass of water to her mouth. Sure enough, her mask remained in place as she drank, letting her have a semblance of normalcy.
Soon, her food arrived. Rainbow grinned, stuffed a corner of her napkin down her sweatshirt, licked her lips, and raised her sandwich to her mouth.
It was then that Rainbow Dash realized something somewhat important—her mask prevented her from opening her mouth very far, which meant that she couldn’t eat.
She set the sandwich back on the plate and glared angrily at it, as if it were the source of all her problems. She thought and thought, but soon realized she had no choice: her options were starve, or take the mask off.
Even through the darkness, Berry Punch could tell something was off. But when she neared, and realized exactly what she was looking at, she jumped, dropping the glass she had been cleaning.
Rainbow’s left eye twitched.
“C- cider?” Berry offered in meager apology. “First one’s on me.”
Rainbow nodded tightly. This was not going according to plan.
* * *
Applejack walked into the same restaurant around half an hour later. Having finished her chores early, she decided she’d come in and drink something she didn’t have to make herself.
As soon as she saw the extremely intoxicated pegasus at the bar, though, she instinctively hid herself behind the coat rack. In hindsight, it wasn't a very good hiding spot, as it was not yet cold enough for the ponies there to wear jackets and thus the rack was but a bare pole; but she hid there all the same. Rainbow looked really drunk, and she wasn't a very approachable drunk. Maybe she could sneak in and sit down in the back before Rainbow saw her. Or maybe…
Or maybe, the universe had other ideas. A very drunken stallion stumbled by, bumping Rainbow’s left flank.
“Hey!” she hissed, trying to spin to face him down, but instead wincing in pain.
The stallion looked over her, and his eyes widened. “Dude, what’s wrong with your face?”
“Nothing,” Rainbow snapped, speaking far too quickly. “What’s wrong with yours?”
“Seriously,” the stallion said, reaching up a hoof as if to poke her cheek. “What happened?”
Rainbow slapped it away. “Leave me alone,” she growled.
“Aww, don't be like that...”
Applejack could only stare in shock as Rainbow Dash lifted her glass and shattered it against his face, sending glass shards and cider droplets everywhere. He collapsed to the ground, but Rainbow wasn’t done yet. She got off her stool, picked it up, and smashed it over his unconscious body. Turning, she reared up, looking around wildly. Eyes blazing, she roared out her challenge.
“Anypony else wanna ask about my face? Huh? Anypony?”
A stunned silence reigned in the bar, only broken by the downed stallion's pained groans.
Rainbow Dash dropped to all four hooves and marched out of the bar, leaving behind her mask and walking out so quickly that she didn't even recognize Applejack. Berry Punch raised a hoof to inquire about her tab, but Applejack made a waving-down motion and pointed at herself, indicating that she would pick up the tab. She sank back down in her hiding spot and watched Rainbow walk away, growing smaller in the dark night before fading from view.
On second thought…
She walked up to the bar and ordered another of whatever Rainbow had been drinking, and then drank it in one shot. The painful burning in her throat was a welcome sensation, and she quickly ordered another.
* * *
Rainbow lay on the floor of her bathroom, too weak to even crawl back to her bedroom. The alcohol had dulled her pain for the moment, and allowed her to do some pretty cool things, but it was now coming back to her—with a vengeance.
Both the pain and the alcohol.
Rainbow groaned as another wave of pain and nausea racked her body. She had been a fool. She didn’t belong outside. No one like her deserved to be outside. Not with everypony unable to stop staring at her like that. Even Applejack had hid instead of talking to her, Rainbow Dash, the freak of nature.
She suddenly realized she’d left her mask at the bar, but it wasn’t like she needed it. She knew who she was now: a monster.