//------------------------------// // I Don't See Your True Colors... // Story: A Pony In The Wasteland // by Ribe_FireRain //------------------------------// A week had passed and Rainbow still hadn't come out of her house. Of course, hearing no response from her for a while did concern some of the townsfolk, but mostly the ones she was close to, such as Moira. In the early afternoon, Moira came to her house to check if she was alright or needed anything. She knocked on the door but got no response from her. She tried again. No answer. She tried turning the door handle, and to her surprise it opened with a small click. Quietly, Moira entered the house, immediately greeted by a waft of cold air. She walked quietly, looking around for any signs of Rainbow being there. ''Rainbow? Are you there? Its Moira.'' She called, but got no response. ''Rainbow?'' No response. Just silence. She walked up the stairs, heading for the bedroom. When she got to the top of the stairs, she saw a dim light emitting from the room, presumably from a small lamp. When Moira was in the doorway of the bedroom, she found Rainbow, only something seemed different about her. Her usual, beautiful cyan coat and rainbow mane were now a shade of grey, giving her a lifeless appearance. She was curled up on the bed, sleeping softly and had tears matting her cheeks. ''What the...'' Moira quietly mumbled, trying not to wake the sleeping Pegasus. She gently sat down on the mattress of the bed and placed a hand to the back of Rainbow's head, beginning to gingerly stroke her mane up and down, trying to warm her cold figure. As she did so, Rainbow gently shifted around in her sleep, mumbling lightly as she gently pulled up and touched hoof to Moira's hand. She weakly cracked open an eye, seeing Moira's hazel eyes looking down on her, seeing her once beautiful magenta eyes that were now grey and seemed almost lifeless. ''...Moira?'' Rainbow said slowly and weakly. ''Hey, Rainbow. Sorry to wake you.'' Rainbow didn't respond, instead she closed her eyes and tried shifting herself into a more comfortable position. ''Leave me alone, Moira. I don't wanna be around anybody for a while.'' ''Rainbow. You're hurt. You aren't yourself. You're freezing...'' ''I'm fine, Moira.'' Rainbow said sharply. ''But you're not. You're grey! What happened to you?'' ''I gave up, that's what happened. Brady's dead and I'm all alone in this world! I just want to go back home, but I can't! I'm trapped here forever!'' Moira froze, taking her hand away from her mane and looked deep into her eyes, sensing the coldness within them. Neither of them said anything for a while, letting a deep and awkwardly uncomfortable silence enter the room. Still being quiet, Rainbow looked up at Moira, and slowly got herself out of bed and stood there, her cold breath being felt by Moira. ''Rainbow is gone. I'm not Rainbow anymore. I'm a nobody. I'm not loyal anymore.'' Rainbow said coldly as she stared into Moira's hurt eyes. ''Rainbow, that isn't true. You are still you, you're just saying that because you don't believe in yourself.'' Moira stated, placing a hand to Rainbow's shoulder. ''You're right, Moira. I did stop believing in myself. There's nothing to live for anymore. The one who I loved is dead and now I'm all alone. I'm not me. The Rainbow Dash I knew before is dead. If I were still her, I wouldn't be moping around and stay being mad at myself for not being there for him when he needed me the most.'' She said, knocking Moira's hand away, taking her back a bit. ''Listen to me, Dash. There is still something to live for. You have friends here, and we'll always be with you in your time of need.'' Moira told Rainbow as she pulled her into a hug, holding her closely and tightly. Despite the fidgeting from Rainbow, she didn't let her go, but surprisingly, Moira was stronger than Rainbow thought she was. Just being in that hug made Rainbow feel more secure, just like the times when her and Brady would cuddle together on nights. It made her feel warmer inside, and suddenly, she didn't feel too alone anymore. ''Let go of me, Moira.'' Rainbow managed to utter out as she was crushed in the hug. ''No, Rainbow. I won't. I don't want to leave you like this. I can't leave you like this. I want you to come back with me to my shop. Please? Its cold in here, you're bound to catch something if I let you stay here like this on your own.'' Even though Moira's words moved her heart a little, still knowing that someone cared about her, her stubbornness could easily be felt as it tugged at her mind, telling her to resist the offer. ''Moira, I can't. I'm not going with you. I think I'm just gonna stay here for a while.'' ''Please, Rainbow? Is this what Brady would want for you? To mope and drown in your misery?'' ''Well...no.'' ''Well then, what do you think he'd want?'' ''For me to be safe...'' ''Exactly. I know you're upset, Rainbow, but I will always be there for you whenever you need me.'' ''But you won't be around forever, Moira. I've already lost Brady to something, and I don't know if I could bare to lose another one of my friends...'' Rainbow trailed off. ''I...I-I-I can't stay here...I need to go...'' Saying nothing, Rainbow forced herself out of the hug and flew out of the room at such a high speed that Moira didn't have time to react, and by time she had ran after her, she had already left, leaving a greyscale rainbow trail behind her that went high into the sky.