Huffing and puffing, Rainbow Dash galloped under glittering night. Ahead of her, a hill with apple groves flickered under the amber hues of a blazing fire. A thick column of smoke rose, blotting out the moonlight above.
"Oh jeez... oh jeez..." Rainbow Dash whimpered. She jumped multiple times, flapping her wings in a desperate bid to fly. She fell down every time. Her wings were useless; of course they were useless. "OmigoshOmigoshOmigosh!" She gulped and fought the urge to cry. "Please be alive! Please don't be dead!"
At last, she galloped over the crest of the hill. It was no easy task. Her legs gave way once she reached the summit, and she fell forward onto her chest, grunting. Looking up, she allowed her eyesight to come into focus—then immediately wished she hadn't.
Sweet Apple Acres was a smoldering mess. The barn, the hen house, and the other nearby structures had all burned to the ground. As horrifying a sight this was, Rainbow Dash desperately scanned and scanned the surviving patches of ground until she found four bodies and a canine huddled together.
"Applejack!" Breathless, Rainbow slid the rest of the way down hill. Her legs gave out again. So, with tingling limbs, she crawled the rest of the way, slumping to a stop beside the farm family. "Applejack, listen... I'm sorry... I-I'm so... so sorry..."
"Sorry? Not as sorry as I am, I reckon." Applejack turned, her eyes glossy with tears that reflected the ongoing blaze. "You th-think I wanted any of this to happen?! My whole life is ruined now, thanks to you!"
Rainbow Dash winced, her ears folded over her trembling head. "Applejack, please, don't cry. You're so strong... so capable..." She gulped. "You have no idea how much it tears me up inside to see you sad..."
"Like you care!" Applejack snapped, causing Granny Smith and Apple Bloom to flinch. "You took everythang from me, Rainbow!" Tears streamed down Applejack's face as she snarled. "Ya shoulda known that there'd be dragons chasin' after you! What business didja have in truckin' all that shadowy junk around, huh?! They flew here breathin' fire on everythang cuz they were comin' after you! Now look what's become of everythang I believe in!"
"Please... AJ, you have to understand..." Rainbow Dash gulped, pointing at her useless wings. "I didn't want this to happen! I needed money to b-buy potions to keep me flying long enough to find another cure besides that stupid operation!"
"You were thinkin' about nothin' but yerself..."
"I wanted to be strong, Applejack!" Rainbow Dash hissed through chattering teeth. "I wanted to be strong, like you! I wanted to be the kind of pony that... th-that you might have w-wanted to be with..." She stared down at the grass, sniffling. "A pony worthy of being on your level. I totally couldn't do that without my wings. The blasted operation wasn't even enough to give me the legs I wanted. Please, you have to understand..."
"What I understand is what I see right here in front of me!" Applejack shouted. "A coward! A selfish, misguided, plum-stupid coward! You actually think I'd ever would have loved you?! I don't even like mares, ya feather-brained ass!"
"Applejack, please..." Rainbow Dash fought the urge to sob, stretching a hoof forward. "I... I had such wonderful dreams..."
"Well, you should have k-kept dreamin'!" Applejack stumbled back to Big Macintosh's side as smoke enveloped her quivering figure. "You were selfish and foolish and I hate you! I hate you! I dun care if you wallow by your lonesome forever!"
"Applejack, wait! Don't go!" Rainbow Dash plunged helplessly forward through the gathering smoke. "Forgive me! I beg you! I-I just wanted a chance to know you more! I wanted a chance to... to..." She fell to her chest, every limb in her body going numb. "Applejack, don't leave! You're all I have... all I want!" She clutched her skull as the sound of dragon wings echoed louder and louder through the blazing smoke. "Please! I don't want to be alone! I hate being alone! I hate—"
Rainbow's wet eyes fluttered open.
She lay in bed, smelling of sweat, grit, and tears. Her body laid across tangled bedsheets.
Groaning into the deathly quiet of her cloud home, she sat straight up, teetering dizzily. Bringing a hoof to her face, she rubbed her eyes, then glanced at her forelimb. The beads of tears slid down to her fetlock.
"Nnnnngh..." She sighed, hanging her head in the shadows. "...friggin' idiot."
Silence.
Rainbow squirmed. She brought her forelimb up again and flexed the crook of her hoof. Tingling sensations ran down to her spine, ribboning out in every direction.
"Hrmmm..." Her muzzle tightened and untightened. "Looks like it's time for Dosage Number Two, Zecora." Taking a deep breath, Rainbow Dash slid out of bed and shuffled limply across the floor. "Guess today I go shopping—Whoah crap!" Thud!
Rainbow lay on the middle of her floor after having tripped on something.
"Guh... mnnngh..." She sat up, rubbing her flank. "What in the crap?!" She glared towards the floor.
A gray stone horn lay between her bed and her opened saddlebag.
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to speak, but lingered. She scratched her head, blinked, then reached a hoof out. Gently, she picked the long shard up, turning it over in the crook of her hoof. It was a small thing, with one sharp end and a dull base from where it had been snapped off. Staring closely at it, she saw porous little holes, as if the thing was made out of limestone.
Tonguing the inside of her cheek, Rainbow Dash stood up on wobbly legs, shuffled across the room to a table, and stood the horn up on its flat base. It stretched ceilingward like a jagged obelisk on the edge of table. Without thinking, Rainbow reached over and twisted it around, as if making sure it caught the light better.
After a few seconds, she rolled her eyes and shuffled back to the saddlebag. She picked the thing up and prepared to hoist it over to a nearby coat wrack. In so doing, however, a familiar envelope slid out. Rainbow scooped it up, but paused suddenly. Blinking, she pulled the envelope flat open, peering inside. Tilting the thing about, she realized there was something else inside the envelope besides the map. It was a tiny strip of paper tucked away into the far corner.
"The fuzz...?!"
In a swift jerking motion, Rainbow knocked the paper loose. She held it in the flat of her hoof and used her teeth to unfold the thing. On the tiny strip was a note, scribbled hastily in glaring red ink:
"Romulus, do not tarry with this task. The whelps of Big Boss want these shards. They're not the only ones. Don't let the idiot young guard at Canterlot fool you. This package is very, very hot." ~Noir
Rainbow blinked. She lowered the note and gazed thoughtfully out the sunlit window to her bedroom.
"... ... ..."
Part Seven: A Rainbow in the Horn Section
(That Part Where You Wonder if Dash Has Actually Lost It)