Chapter 23: Man Down
Over the next few days Bryce diligently went about doing his chores, always making sure to get done in time to mess around with Dinky and Apple Bloom. In that same time Corn had made a speedy recovery almost literally overnight, much to the amazement of everypony. Bryce simply stated his dog was happy to just be back with his owner. With no other explanation, everypony accepted his claim.
Now, on a Sunday morning, everypony decided it was a good day to take a break and go for a picnic in the park. Bryce, on the other hand, told everypony he wanted to go with them all, but preferred to have a little time alone. Even after much pleading and begging from Apple Bloom, Bryce was still adamant in his decision. Though the little filly was discouraged, she still went along with her family.
To pass the time, Bryce decided to go for a walk through the apple orchard. Along the way he would throw Corn his tennis ball for him to catch and bring back. Eventually they both stopped to rest under one of the many apple trees to allow Bryce to catch his breath. "Well, Corn, I don't understand how you can have so much energy. Although I haven't been able to have my usual diet. This whole damn world of horse things is full of nothing but green loving vegetarians. They probably don't even know that chickens are good for more than just egg laying. Or pigs are more than just for... What the H do they do with pigs?"
Corn only stared at Bryce, waiting for him to throw his ball.
Bryce sighed. "Well, you're no help." Bryce threw the ball away. "There, go get it."
Corn took chase without a second thought.
"Damn dog. I love him to death, but he's good for nothing except for someone to talk to." Bryce dropped his head back onto the tree he was under and looked up into the branches. Looking at an apple on a low branch, it fell off. Bryce caught it in his hand before it could hit the ground. By then Corn had returned with his ball.
As Bryce went to take a bite of the apple, he took notice of a rainbow trail zig zagging up in the sky. As he watched the trail, Bryce took notice of how it looked to be getting closer. Watching it a few minutes longer he could just make out a shape at the head of the rainbow trail. "Holy shit... is that..."
When the rainbow zipped past overhead his suspicions were confirmed. Damn, Rainbow said she was fast, but this is off the damn charts. From his vantage point Bryce watched as the rainbow mare went this way and that, accomplishing cork screws and loop de loops in midair, never once slowing down for a second. He could only look on in awe inspiring amazement at her display of skill.
After a while Bryce finally caught her stop in midflight and hover in place. Shit, she didn't see me did- Suddenly, Rainbow shot up vertically into the air to where she was but a small, rainbow colored speck in the blue sky. When she stopped shrinking down, Rainbow came hurdling back down towards the earth at an angle, quickly picking up speed as she went along.
As his view of Rainbow began to enlarge, Bryce had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. But sure enough what he saw was true. He could see the very air around the mare form over her body like a bullet, her speed making her lips blow back and expose her teeth. Damn, she is fast. Looks like she's about to break the sound barrier.
Just as she seemed close to doing just that, she had caught a snag and was violently thrown backwards. Rainbow attempted to correct her course but couldn't. Bryce could only watch as Rainbow fell down below the tree line, a flock of birds taking flight at the point of impact. He could just feel the ground shake under his feet. "Shit, that looked too good for comfort. Corn, get your ball. We have to make sure she's alright." They both ran off in Rainbow's direction.
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Rainbow Dash slowly pulled herself out of the impact crater she'd left in the ground. Taking a look at the crater she could see it was the exact outline of her body and legs. She shook her head to clear the stars. "Ahh, so... so uncool." She could hardly hear herself over the ringing in her ears. Rainbow decided to sit down and wait for her head to stop aching before she flew off.
Sitting there for a minute she began to hear somepony calling her name. Looking around she found nopony, however. "Huh, I must... must have hit my... my head harder than-"
"Rainb...!"
Over the ringing still banging into her ears, and the drilling pain in her head, that second calling of her name sounded louder. And just the thought of its owner made her cring. "It... it better not be him, he's... he's the worst... Wait, who was it?"
From behind Rainbow Dash, Bryce came storming through the trees. "Rainbow, there you are! Are you... HOLY SHIT!!!"
"Ugh, not you."
"Rainbow, I know we've had our differences, but I think it best you-"
"I, I, I don't need... whatever it is you're trying to sell. I'm just going to... going to... take a little nap and I..." Rainbow Dash suddenly drifted off to sleep.
Bryce shook the rainbow mare awake. "Rainbow, you have to stay awake."
Rainbow began to throw punches at the human, but they were too weak to cause any real damage. "Just... just leave me... What am I doing out here?"
"Rainbow, you have a concussion and your head's bleeding. You need-"
Rainbow slowly got on her hooves and walked away in a random direction. "I'll tell what I need... all I need is-" She smack her head into the side of a tree. "What... who put... who put this here?"
"Rainbow, you really need-"
"HEY! What the hay are you... Uh, I don't feel..." Rainbow then threw up on the ground and fell down on your side.
Bryce rushed over and forced her on her back. "Rainbow, you need to listen to me. Now just lie back and-"
Rainbow threw her fore hoof out and socked Bryce in the lip. "Ha, now you know... how..." Rainbow Dash once again feel asleep.
"Damn it. Corn!" Corn's ears perked up at mention of his name. "I want you to show me the way to Fluttershy's house." Corn barked to confirm he understood. Turning back to Rainbow Dash, Bryce shook her awake a second time. "Rainbow, stay awake. If you're feeling any worse I need to know. Now just focus on me."
"Hey, what's the big... Ahh, what'd you do to me?"
"Good, you're awake. Are you feeling-"
"I feel like... ugh, my head."
"How bad does it feel?"
"Like... like someone dropped a brick on... on..."
Bryce tried to shake her awake, but she wouldn't stir. He brought his ear down to her chest. Good, her heart's still beating. That's good. He got up and look down at her. Shit, she's fading. He put both hands onto her chest and started pumping down. After ten pumps he brought his mouth to hers and blew in a few times. When he was finished he got off her and looked down at here again. Damn, she's still fading. There's only one thing left I can do. Bryce slapped both of his hands together, fingers pointed up, and started rubbing them together vertically, the friction releasing a warmth between his fingers.
Rainbow cracked her eyes open to find Bryce knelling over her, vigorously rubbing his hands together. When he was finished rubbing them together he placed one hand over her eyes and forehead. Instantly, Rainbow felt a cozy warmth roll over her entire body. The last thing she saw was a bright glowing light in the darkness.
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When Rainbow Dash awoke she felt a burning pain sink into her forehead. Smacking at it with a hoof, she felt it connect with something hard.
"OW, Rainbow!."
"Wha... Fluttershy...?"
"It's alright, everything's going to be okay."
"I... what are you doing?"
"I'm just finishing up your stitches."
"Stitches...?"
Fluttershy rubbed the alcohol soaked cotton ball into her forehead again. "When Bryce brought you here. You-"
"Bryce...? He-" Rainbow was cut off by the sting of the blood stained cotton ball.
"There, all done. Bryce brought you here. He said you were practicing and that you hit the ground hard."
"I... Yeah, I remember. I was trying to create a Sonic Rainboom. I was this close to doing it and... it must have been too much for me. Where am I?"
Fluttershy was busy cleaning up after herself. "You're on my sofa... at my house. Bryce's still here if you-"
"I... I don't want to see him."
"Oh... He's right... here." Fluttershy moved out of the way to show Bryce, lying up against the wall opposite them both. What got Rainbow Dash the most was how pale he looked. Before she had called him pale, but now, now Bryce looked like a ghost. He almost looked like he was shivering. "A... are you sure you're okay, Bryce?"
Bryce took another draw from his coffee cup. "Yeah... bleh, I'm fine. I'm just shaken up about what happened with Blitzkrieg."
"Does that coffee taste okay."
"Well, I don't really like coffee. I just wanted it to keep me awake."
"Oh. Do... do you want any cream... or sugar."
"Well, I'm done with this cup. Do you think you could get me some more? Add a few sugars and some cream?"
Fluttershy nodded before taking the cup and saucer from Bryce and heading into the kitchen.
Now alone with Bryce, Rainbow Dash turned to him and asked, "Hey, what's your deal?"
Bryce didn't turn to look at the rainbow mare. "What do you mean?"
"Why'd you... why'd you save me?"
"Because you were hurt."
"So, I get hurt lots of times."
"Oh, so everytime you get hurt you sink yourself six inches into the ground? And get a huge gash on your forehead?":
"Big deal. It's just a few stitches."
Bryce shot back, "We could see your skull."
"... My skull? Really?"
"Yeah. That and you could hardly stand up, threw up, and you kept blabbing on about kissing someone named Spitfire the whole way here."
Rianbow blushed. "Why'd you do it?"
"Why'd I do what?!"
"Why'd you save me?"
"Because you needed help."
"That's not an ans... AHH." Rainbow made an attempt to get up, but a surge of pain went through her head forced her to lie back down.
Fluttershy called out from the kitchen, "Is... is everything okay in there?"
Bryce answered, "Everything's fine, Fluttershy."
"Oh... How many sugarcubes do you want in your coffee, Bryce?"
"Four, if you could." Bryce lowered his voice to talk to Rainbow. "What do you want me to say?"
"The reason why you helped me."
"Because I don't want you dead. I might not like you, and for a few very good reasons, but I would never want you dead."
"So... so you..." Rainbow Dash scowled as she turned away. "You were trying to make up for everything you've done to me, didn't you?"
"No."
Rainbow turned her attention back to Bryce. "What do you mean 'no'?"
"I will admit I was wrong when I called you a boy, and being descriptive about how you really look like one, but that is all I feel bad about."
"What about dropping that can of paint on me?"
"That was an accident. I was trying to get myself over the side of the roof so I could paint the front of the spire, and it got away from me. I swear to God it was an accident. I should ask you about what you did afterwards."
I wasn't trying to... I didn't know you would act that way about it. It was just supposed to be a pra-" Rainbow put a hoof to her mouth, but she had already said too much.
"So, you find wetting someone you hardly know... having no prior knowledge of how they'll react... a prank?"
"Look, I-"
Rainbow stopped dead when Bryce began to laugh. When he was finished, he said, "I give you an A for the ambush; a B for the execution, because you yelled out before you did it; a C for creativity, because I doubt it's very original; and an F for the lasting impact. If you're going to prank someone, be at least ninety percent sure it's not going to hurt the mark. So overall your prank deserves a C.
Rainbow Dash could only stare at the human opened mouthed.
"I've... done a few myself in my time."
"*Pfft* Yeah right, I doubt you could-"
"I once rubbed all the white icing off a cake and replaced it with shaving cream."
"Well that seems kinda funny, but-"
"It was my sister's wedding cake."
"... Really?"
"Well, she was a bitch anyway."
Rainbow Dash began to laugh. It started out slow, then it started to grow.
"If you think that's funny, you should have seen how red her face was with her black hair and white wedding gown."
Rainbow grabbed at her sides.
"Every time I would mention it to anyone afterwards, her face would always become that same shade of red."
Between laughs, Rainbow asked, "How... how red?"
Bryce simply shot back, "Red!" This only made Rainbow laugh harder.
"And to make things worse for her, everyone else would laugh at her too."
Rainbow let out a few final laughs, stopping because her head couldn't take it anymore. Wiping away a tear, Rainbow asked, "Everytime?"
"Everytime."
"Okay, I'll admit that was a good prank."
Bryce rebuted, "It wasn't a 'good' prank. It was a damn good prank. Not only was it funny then; it's going to funny whenever somebody mentions it."
"How did your parents react?"
"*Pfft* They were pissed. But she got what she deserved. She'd been stealing my stuff and refused to give any of it back. Let's just say she got the message."
"Okay, I've gotta try that one sometime."
"Well if you have the shaving cream, the time, and can be quick and clean about it then go for it."
"Go for what?" Fluttershy asked as she came back into the living room, Bryce's coffee cup on her back.
Bryce answered, "We were talking about all the pranks we've done."
"Oh... At least you two weren't... fighting. Rainbow Dash, do you want anything to drink?"
"Could I just get some water, I'm really parched." Fluttershy smiled and nodded. She gave Bryce his coffee before heading back into the kitchen.
"Hey, Rainbow. I know we've had our differences, and I'm sorry for saying you were a boy, but can we call a truce before it gets any worse?"
"Are you still going to call me a boy?"
Bryce sighed. "I promise I won't be nasty about it. And I promise that if you promise to at least let your mane grow out."
"Why should I do that?"
"Because the haircut you have now is only seen on people in the military, and butch women; and you don't look like you're in the military. If anything, so you actually look like a girl from behind."
"He... he does have a point, Rainbow," Fluttershy said from the kitchen.
Rainbow Dash grunted. "Fine."
Bryce stood up and walked over to the sofa. He stuck out his hand. "Truce?"
Rainbow smirked before she spat on her hoof. She stuck it out to Bryce. "Truce."
Bryce hesitated. "You know, this doesn't help it when I do call you a boy, right? But I'll be a good sport about it." He spat into his own palm and gripped Rainbow's hoof. "Truce."