“You're gonna love this!” Rainbow Dash says, dragging you down the hallway by the foreleg.
“I'm sure I will, but why does it have to be now?”
“Shhh!” She places a hoof on your mouth. “Don't ask questions. You'll see! We just gotta stop by my locker to pick something up.”
With most of the students already gone on their way to the auditorium, the two of you have a clear path through the building. As you follow, you keep hearing Rainbow Dash say “so awesome” under her breath. I'm just gonna have to go along with this, aren't I?
“Here's my locker. Just wait a sec, okay?”
You stand back as she works the lock. “How about a hint, at least?”
She stops for a moment. “Hmm, well, there is flying involved.” Thanks, rainbow-mane. “There, got it!” Swinging her locker door open, she begins rooting through her belongings. You take a peek inside. What the—no books! It's all flight paraphernalia! Suits, goggles . . . this mare is serious. Nice Wonderbolts picture, though.
“It's here somewhere,” she says, her face buried in her locker. “Wanna help?”
You lean closer. “Sure, what are we looking for?”
“It's a key.”
“All right. Let's see . . .” You push some stuff around with a foreleg but can't find any keys. As you search, an unmarked envelope catches your eye. “Oh, are you mailing something?”
“Hmm?” Rainbow Dash steps back.
“You have a letter.”
“R-Really? Somepony must have slipped it in my locker.” She snatches the envelope and tears it open.
“Well?”
Rainbow Dash becomes wide-eyed as she scans the letter. Rereading it over and over again, her breathing pace quickens each time.
“What does it say?”
“Nothing,” she says, still reading. “Don't worry about it.”
“Come on, you've gotta tell me! You've read it about five times now.”
“No, forget it.”
You step closer to Rainbow Dash, gently placing a hoof on her shoulder. As soon as you touch her, she spins around and slams you against the lockers. “I said no!” she screams.
“Okay, okay! I'm sorry!”
She hastily stuffs the letter in her saddlebags. “Look, forget it, okay? It's just a stupid note. I . . .” she trails off, closing her locker door. “. . . I've gotta go.”
“Hey,” you call out, “come back!”
Rainbow Dash is already out of sight.
----------
“. . . can be dangerous to fly through. If you see an unscheduled raincloud in the area, immediately report to . . .”
Wow, rainbow-mane was right. This safety lecture is gonna be brutal.
Having crept into the auditorium mid-presentation, you slink into the back row, taking one of many empty seats. It only takes minutes for your eyes to gloss over as the presenter drones about the hazards of rogue rainclouds.
“Hey, this seat taken?”
You look up as Rosewing slides into the chair next to you. This must be a joke. “Uh, I guess not. Be my guest.”
She flashes a grin as she looks directly into your eyes. You turn back to the presenter, but her focused gaze on you makes it difficult to ignore her.
You scratch your head. “Can I help you?”
“Oh, don't mind me,” she says in a honeyed voice. “Just enjoying the view.”
“Wh-What?”
She puts her foreleg around you. “You're awfully cute.”
What the hay is going on?! I don't even know how to properly react to this!
“Okay, thanks. Uh, can we just watch?”
“Don't worry, sweetie. I'll watch all I want.” Rosewing looks you up and down.
“That's not what I—”
“You know,” she says, leaning close to your face, “we should hang out after class. I think we would have a great time.”
“N-No, no thanks.”
“Oh, that's right. You're sweet on Rainbow Dash, aren't you?”
You shoot her an incredulous look.
Rosewing rubs up against you. “Come on, I'll show you things Rainbow Dash would never do,” she whispers. As her lips graze you, she licks your face. With a wicked gleam in her eye, she rises from her seat and saunters off. “Think about it.”
“ . . . just remember, proximity and size are your biggest factors. After you determine the raincloud's strength . . .”
Somepony tell me what just happened here.
----------
At the end of the day, you escape to the academy greenhouse. You have to admit, Fluttershy was right; it was the best place to go to be alone with your thoughts. Although several plants are now gone, everything has been cleaned up and reorganized, returning that soothing, peaceful aura to the greenhouse.
You pace back and forth between the displays. Wait until rainbow-mane hears about Rosewing! I'm not even sure how to begin that story . . . then again, maybe I shouldn't bother. The last thing I want to do is stir up trouble.
Not that it matters. She's not interested in talking to me anyway.
As you pensively tour the greenhouse, you hear soft hoofsteps. You rush toward the entrance to find Fluttershy standing before you.
“Fluttershy! You're okay!”
She gracefully fans out her wings. “I'm sorry to have worried you.”
“Are you kidding? I'm so happy to see you here! Are your wings fully healed?”
“N-No . . . I can move them, but it's too dangerous to fly.” She carefully folds her wings back. “I still need two more weeks to recover.”
“I'm just glad to see you on your feet again.”
“The doctors said it was remarkable. They told me I was very lucky.” She points out a small, purple flower petal clipped to her mane. “I think they were right.”
Blushing, you rush closer to her, admiring her wings. “Luck or no luck, you're here, and that's what counts. Hey, let me show you what we put in while you were away!”
You lead Fluttershy through the greenhouse, excitedly talking about the new plants. “Somepony planted these a few days ago. They blossomed quickly.”
“Ashflowers?” She takes a closer look. “They're very pretty.”
“Oh, you've seen these flowers before?”
“Yes. After they bloom, a single touch turns them to ash. You can't move them at that point.”
“Th-That makes a lot of sense now,” you stammer, attempting to hide a nearby pile of ash with your legs. Fluttershy brings a hoof to her mouth, giggling.
After making your rounds, you finish at the greenhouse doors, still only half-repaired after Coach Cloudmane tore them down. You fumble for words to describe what had happened here last week, but Fluttershy shakes her head. “I already know,” she says. She trots up to you, looking into your eyes. “They told me everything at the hospital,” she continues. “I don't know anypony else who would fight five griffons just like that!”
“Well, that's not exactly how it went. It was more like running from five griffons.”
She strokes your foreleg carefully. “You're a true gentlecolt.” She leans in and gives you a warm kiss on the cheek.
Your eyes instantly brighten. “At your service, miss,” you say, your mouth locked in an unrestrained smile.
“In that case, would you mind, um, escorting me to the laboratory?” She extends a wing, testing its strength slowly. “For now, I'm still on my hooves, and it's a long walk . . .”
“Laboratory. You mean Thunderhead Labs?”
“I'm getting some extra help to catch up on what I missed last week. I'd really like you to come along. That is, if it's okay with you.”
“Of course, Fluttershy! Today, I'll be your wings.”
She gasps. “Y-You will?”
You bend down, motioning her over. “I'll carry you there.”
After a quick fit of blushing, Fluttershy straddles you, wrapping her forelegs around your neck. The two of you take to the air, gliding through campus at a steady pace. As you pick up speed, she squeezes you tightly, her head resting on yours.
In short order, you arrive at Thunderhead Labs and coast up to the second floor.
“Here it is,” she says. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
You kneel as she slides off your back. “It was my pleasure. Good luck in there!” You wave as she enters the room.
Once the door shuts behind her, you close your eyes, reliving the memory of her kiss. Your back still carries the residual warmth of Fluttershy's body.
You canter blissfully down the hallway. Suddenly, your legs become snagged on something, forcing you to stumble forward. Catching yourself in mid-air with your wings, you look down at what nearly tripped you.
A pair of saddlebags, seemingly discarded, sits against the wall. Several of the books within have spilled out across the floor. A flashy, rainbow-bolt mark adorns the side of each bag.
These are rainbow-mane's saddlebags! Sensing no one else around, you slip them on and fly away.
----------
Later That Night
I'm never going to finish this essay.
Having sorely underestimated the length of your latest Draconic Literature assignment, you are forced to spend the greater part of your night scrambling to finish your report on “The Disappearance of Ancient Dragontongue.” Just as you seem to hit a groove, a loud knock at your door interrupts your writing.
“Hold on,” you call out. You crack open the door to your room and see your third wingball teammate hovering in mid-air, his wings flapping rapidly. “Oh, Fairweather.” You open your door further. “What's up?”
“Hey, we're wondering if you've seen Rainbow Dash anywhere.”
“Me? No, not since this morning.” You eye her saddlebags, now sitting in your room behind the door. “Why do you ask?”
“Nopony has seen her all day,” he says, frowning. “Some folks were hoping you've been with her, but I guess not.”
“I'm sorry. I wish I knew where she was.”
“No problem. Catch you later.”
As you shut your door, you steal another glance at her saddlebags. Rainbow-mane . . . what's gotten into you all of a sudden?
You return to your desk to finish your essay. Despite your best efforts, you find it difficult to focus, your mind continuously wandering back to Rainbow Dash throughout the evening. It's not until several hours later that you manage to complete your work.
All right! This paper should score, at the very least, a solid B. Well, I hope.
After placing your materials away, you collapse onto your bed, glancing over at your alarm clock. 12:45 am! Wow, that's the last time I let Draconic Lit sneak up on me like that.
As you rest on your bed, Rainbow Dash's saddlebags taunt you from the corner of your room. Well, I put in a lot of hard work on that essay. I might as well reward myself, right? And rainbow-mane owes me.
You glide over to her saddlebags, tipping them over and allowing their contents to spill out. As her bags are emptied, the mysterious letter lands face-down on the ground. Hold on. I shouldn't be reading this. The letter belongs to her. But, if it was so private, why didn't she just tell me? Did she have to push me against the lockers? That rainbow-mane can be so frustrating. Whatever! I'll just read it real quick.
Shaking your head, you pick up the letter.
Dearest Rainbow,
You've been a very bad pony. You've forgotten who your real friends are. You need to be punished.
Meet us in the storage room across from TL213 right after classes. If you don't show up, your loser coltfriend will regret it. If you tell anypony, we'll make sure he'll never want to show his blank flank at Wingbury again.
No. No way. You fall to your haunches in a daze, dropping the note. She didn't actually go through with this, did she? You remember Fairweather's words. “Nopony has seen her all day.”
Something must have happened in that room.
You stand back up and look at your alarm clock. It's almost one in the morning. I can't get help now, and I could get in serious trouble for roaming around campus so late at night. You read the letter one more time. But that doesn't matter! She put herself in danger to protect me. I'll just have to figure this out on my own. And there's only one thing to do . . . follow this letter's instructions.
You crack your window open and slip out, flying toward Thunderhead Labs. Your body shivers as you cut through the cold night air. As you approach the building, you look around for an open window. Spotting one on the third floor, you slip inside and find yourself in a classroom. The darkness within reminds you of how ill-prepared you are. Are there any security measures here? What am I going to do if I get caught? I don't even have a flashlight. Either way, I can't stop now.
You creep out into the hallway, squinting your eyes in an effort to orient yourself in the shadows. A single window at the far end of the hallway provides dull moonlight. All right. TL213 is on the second floor, and I'm on the third floor. Gotta find the way down. Unable to see beyond your own hooves, you slink across the floor, taking careful steps while following the walls. A few awkward minutes later, you reach the second floor.
Now to figure out where TL213 is. You find the nearest classroom, struggling to read its number. TL211. You edge your way to the next classroom. TL212. Your pace quickens as you reach the final classroom. Here it is. TL213. A shiver runs down your spine as you slowly turn around. And there's the storage room. Rainbow-mane could still be in there!
You rush to the door to find it locked. An odd, ammonia-like smell emanates from the crack beneath the door. “Rainbow-mane! Are you in there?” No response.
What if she can't talk? What if . . . Not allowing yourself to finish your thought, you fly like an arrow toward the door. Although you bash it with all your weight, your light pegasus frame just bounces back. You try bucking it down, but the door holds fast. Still undeterred, you ram it over and over again, each impact sending a heavy shock throughout your body. Despite the pain, each failed attempt is a reminder that Rainbow Dash could be trapped inside in desperate need of help.
You pause for a moment to catch your breath. As you rest on your haunches, the image of Rainbow Dash unconscious in some dark closet drives you back to your legs. With a primal yell, you blast the door with every remaining ounce of your energy. As you collide with it, the hinges give way, snapping apart.
Your momentum carries you as you tumble into the room. You immediately raise a hoof to your nose. What is that stench? It's unbearable!
You scramble to your feet in a panic, unable to see what is causing the smell. “Hello? Anypony here? Rainbow-mane, please answer me!” Without the hallway window's pale light as a guide, you wait a moment for your eyes to adjust to the darkness.
The room is mostly empty. Some unknown chemical is splattered across the floor, its heavy odor saturating the air. Carefully scanning the floor, you see several strands of multicolored hair.
You clench your teeth. What have they done to her? Shaking in anger, you back out into the hallway and dash back up toward the classroom on the third floor, the hallway's path still fresh in your mind.
As you enter the room, you freeze—a white-maned pegasus mare is climbing in through the open window. Most of her body is concealed by a black, skin-tight hooded uniform. If somepony is here dressed like this, it means only one thing.
“Hey!” you call out. “What have you done to Rainbow Dash?”
The mare flinches. As soon as she sees you, she quickly dives through the window. You tumble outside after her, surging through the air. That's all the confirmation I needed. I'll chase her to the ends of Equestria!
The mysterious white-maned mare streaks across the sky with incredible speed, but she is no match for your adrenaline-fueled wings. You burst forward and strike her with a rough tackle. Your forelegs hooked around her neck, you drive her into a nearby cloud, pinning her.
“Tell me what you've done!” you shout.
She looks up at you, a tear running down her cheek.
As you examine her face, your grip softens. “Wait,” you whisper. “Those eyes . . . those are rainbow-mane's eyes . . .”
The pegasus mare pulls off her hood to reveal a frayed, colorless mane. She breaks down, sobbing. “I'm not . . . rainbow-mane . . . any more.”