The sun was nearing noon and ponies were walking around town. The cool breeze was welcome against the heat of Celestia’s sun. Everypony enjoyed the comforting weather and looked forward to a pleasant day. Everyone, except one.
Anypony who passed by Rainbow Dashes cloud home would receive a cold feeling that had nothing to do with the weather. It was as if the entire house absorbed Rainbow’s emotions from the previous. The pony herself was still asleep, her body exhausted from absorbing what the book had told her.
The first thing Rainbow Dash woke up to was the feeling of something damp on her pillow. Groggily sitting up from her bed, she noticed the tear stain where her head was resting. Memories of the night before rushed through her head as she fought to suppress more tears.
I need to get a hold of myself, maybe if fly around for a bit… With that in mind, Rainbow took about few minutes to settle herself. She decided to take a shower to clear her head. Taking a moment to rinse her face off to rid herself of the tear stains, she took a moment to look at herself in the mirror.
If Rarity saw me right now she’d freak and take me to the spa. Rainbow shuddered at the thought as she took a careful look at herself. Her mane looked as if she flew through a storm cloud. Her eyes were red, puffy and baggy from crying and lack of sleep. Her coat was matted down with sweat from the nightmares she had after reading the book.
She enter the tub next to the mirror and turned on the shower head. After the adjusting the water to a more appropriate temperature, she proceeded to clean herself.
Try as she might, she couldn’t help but look back at what she learned from the book. Based on her memories, there was a full moon the night her brother was gone. A lycan wouldn’t have been able to resist the change. The howl she heard had fit the book’s description perfectly, and the descriptions the guards had given her moth-
Rainbow slapped herself in the face in an attempt to prevent further thinking. More unwanted memories were beginning to surface in her mind. I need to get of here, clear my head. She hastily turned off the water, and without stopping to dry herself down, flew to her bedroom and out the window for a quick flight.
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For the first time in years, Rainbow felt like she was running. Even after her brother’s death, she did not run away from her problems. What was meant to be a flight around Ponyville turned into a race to escape her memories.
Get out of my head dammit! Tears were streaming down her face even as she closed her eyes shut to the point of it hurting. GET OUT!! As if trying to dislodge the thoughts, she shook her head furiously. In doing so, she did not notice a tree coming up her path.
“RAINBOW!”
She opened her eyes at the sound of Twilight’s voice, but it was too late for her to change directions. Try as she might, she tried to avoid the tree but her right wing brushed along a thick branch, sending a lance of pain all the way down to the base of her wing. She gritted her teeth, her wing feeling as if it was on fire. With no way to elevate her flying, she braced herself for the crash landing.
She landed on her back and skidded about ten feet, eyes opening wide as the wind was forcefully knocked out of her. She laid motionless on the ground and gasped for air as one would gulp down water after three days without it. The moment she was able to regain her breath, her friend arrived at her side, worry evident in her voice. “Are you okay?”
Rainbow merely nodded, taking a few more moments to control her breathing. She rolled herself onto her stomach and tried to stand, her legs slightly shaking from the crash. Immediately Twilight grabbed her by shoulders to prevent her from falling, while also checking for injuries.
Dirt and multiple cuts were etched along Rainbow’s back. The cuts flared an angry red and little traces of blood could be found closer to the wings. Her right wing was missing nearly a quarter of its feathers, no doubt from having them forcefully plucked from the tree branch. Upon closer inspection, Twilight sighed in relief that the appendage was not broken, but it seemed to be badly sprained. She touched the wing with a hoof to apply pressure and received a pained hiss from Rainbow, confirming her thoughts.
While Twilight was inspecting her body, Rainbow took a moment to look at her surroundings. It seemed at some point she had flown near the park in her haste to leave her cloud home. As she searched for whatever had broken her flight, she found the tree and noticed one of its branches was broken and hanging. Within the leaves she saw several cyan feathers. Well that answers how I-OWWW! The sudden jolt of pain rushing through her injured wing brought her out of her thoughts. She turned her head and saw Twilight’s hoof on the appendage.
Before Rainbow could say anything, she felt herself being lifted in the air by Twilight’s magic. “We need to get you fixed up,” she said as she trotted to the library with her friend in tow, “and it looks like you won’t be flying for a while.”
Rainbow sighed in defeat knowing Twilight was right. With the amount of feathers lost, it would take roughly a month for them to regrow. Great, how am I gonna get home? As if her friend heard her, Twilight said sternly “You’ll be staying at the library until your wing is better.”
That takes care of that. “Can I at least walk?” Rainbow whined. She would have pressed further but the glare on Twilight’s face immediately shut her mouth. Reluctantly, she let her friend levitate her home.
The walk to the library felt like a few years. As they entered town square, ponies would stop to see her being carried by her friend. Rainbow felt her pride take a hit from being seen as weak and helpless. The clipped wing did nothing to help.
She shut her eyes tightly when a small crowd began to form. Memories resurfaced from flight camp, she heard whispers all around her. Hey it’s Rainbow Crash! The voices only grew louder. I know a place that has a crash course, you should be a test dummy! All she wanted was to disappear from there and fly home. A Wonderbolt? Like that’ll happen! The voices were deafening. You’re a joke, I don’t know how your parents can stand you!
Rainbow snapped.
“SHUUUT UUUUP!!!!!”
Everypony jumped from the intensity of the yell. Those who were passing by stopped in their tracks. Twilight looked at her friend in shock. It was enough to make Twilight stop her spell. As soon as her hooves touched the ground, Rainbow made a run for the library. Within seconds she made it to through the door, slamming it shut, the bookshelves vibrating from the violent impact.
Rainbow stood in the center, shaking uncontrollably with heavy breaths. She willed her body to calm down with no success. Moments later Twilight arrived, quickly shutting the door behind her. She stood frozen when she saw her feathered friend trembling.
The entire library would have been deafeningly silent were it not for Rainbow Dash’s heavy breathing.
Twilight hesitated at first but she slowly made her way towards Rainbow. Twilight’s hoofsteps echoed throughout the library, each gentle clopping sound bringing no amount of comfort to Rainbow. Before she could lay a hoof on her friend’s shoulder, Rainbow rounded up on her, the intense glare bearing down on her. Twilight willed herself to stay put but nonetheless quivered in fear. “Never…do that…again,” Rainbow growled.
“I was jus-”
“NEVER AGAIN!” Rainbow shouted as she thrust her face to Twilight’s, making her sit on her rear hooves.
Twilight had come across many threats since she was assigned to Ponyville. She faced Nightmare Moon head-on on the night before the Summer Sun Celebration. She and her friends defeated Discord using the Elements of Harmony. The Changeling army and King Sombra were nothing but foal’s play to her.
All of those were nothing compared to the amount of terror she felt being in Rainbow’s presence right now.
Never once had Twilight seen her friend display such strong emotions. Sure, the normally laidback and optimistic pegasus would show signs of irritation or annoyance and few times anger but never anger to this extreme.
In an attempt to quell her anger, Rainbow Dash crouched down before launching herself to the library front door and flying out.
Twilight followed her friend out of the library, and upon noticing the jerky movements in Rainbow’s flight, grew deeply concerned for her friend’s safety. Without hesitation, she ran after her, paying no mind to those in her path.
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“Stupid Twilight… Who the hay does she think she is carrying me like I’m useless?!” Rainbow nearly shouted out loud. She was barely flying with stability, her anger consuming her the more reasonable part of her mind. “I don’t know why she thought it was a great bucking idea to treat me like a cripple!”
Maybe because your hurt and she bucking cares?!
“Doesn’t mean she has to levitate me like a foal!” Rainbow shouted, her thoughts in a mix.
You could barely stand up! She had to hold you!
“I don’t bucking care! No one makes me look like a f-AHH!”
Pain flooded throughout Rainbow Dash’s right wing, enough to make her shut her eyes tightly. A moment later she opened her eyes when she realized she had no idea where she was going. When she opened them, she saw the quickly approaching Everfree Forest. She tried veering away but her injured wing screamed in rebellion as the pain nearly doubled in strength. All Rainbow could do was close her eyes and brace herself for impact. Her last thoughts before crashing were of Twilight.
I’m so sorry…
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Sweat was rolling down her fur, her legs were begging for a moment of rest, and her lungs and heart were pounding relentlessly against her chest.
Despite all of this, Twilight kept running.
Her eyes never left Rainbow, even when she weaved through the crowded market place and ran out of town. She followed her until Rainbow suddenly was losing altitude.
You Featherbrain! Your wing is still injured! Twilight mentally shouted at her friend. Her irritation turned into fear when she noticed where Rainbow was heading.
Celestia, please, no…
Running faster than her limit, Twilight charged into the Everfree Forest.
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Ow…
Rainbow was greeted with numbing pain throughout her body. Her face stung with newly aquired scratches from flying through the tree branches. Slowly, she opened her eyes and scanned her surroundings. Her blood ran cold and her heart dropped when she realized where she crashed into
The Everfree… Shakingly, Rainbow stood up, ignoring her body’s plea to lay down and rest. She knew it was only a matter of time before something would come after her, especially with how hard she crashed. The impact was enough to create a small crater in the ground, causing a strong enough quake to alert any animals nearby.
Before she could take a step, she heard a shout. It was weak but she was barely able to recognize the voice. Her eyes widened with fear when she realized who it was. “Twilight?” Rainbow whispered to no one in particular. As if by magic, Twilight appeared in front of Rainbow moments later, her head facing the ground and panting in exhaustion from all the running she had done.
How long has she been looking for me? Rainbow could only stare at her friend with a mixture of shock, guilt and concern. Before she could speak, Twilight snapped her head up, her eyes expelling waves of anger and worry at Rainbow. Twilight opened her mouth, ready to give her friend a thorough shouting, when a deep growl echoed nearby.
The two mares stand frozen with their eyes shrunk and hearts quickly pounding in their chest. Silently but quickly, they moved and stood right next to each other facing where they heard the growl. A twig suddenly snapped to their right, the sound followed by two more growls.
Without a second thought, Twilight and Rainbow sprinted away from the sounds.
Neither ponies knew where they were heading. The only thing on their minds was to escape the beasts heading their way. They ran through bushes, earning cuts all around their bodies. Despite changing paths every now and then, the snarls of the three beasts could still be heard.
The few minutes of running felt like hours as they manuevered through the Everfree. As they continued running, the growls began to slowly get louder. Rainbow Dash turned her head around and instantly regretted it.
Please Celestia, no…
Trailing behind Rainbow and Twilight were three wolves nearly twice their size, bloodshot yellow-eyes bearing down on them with ravenous hunger.
No…
The wolves snapped at their tails. The distance between closing rapidly.
NO…
One wolf was ready to pounce.
NO!!!
Time seemed to have slowed down. The wolf leaped into the air, fangs bared and eyes filled with intention to kill. Rainbow flapped her wings and grabbed onto Twilight, carrying them both into the air just as the wolf was within biting distance. Rainbow pumped her wings, ignoring the numbing pain, using sheer willpower to lift her and her friend to the sky. Letting out a yell, she narrowly dodged the wolf and managed to fly above the tree level. She flew as fast as she could with her injured wing while carrying Twilight in her arms. As soon as they were past the borders of the Everfree, Rainbow made to land, albeit a bit jerky along the way.
What was meant to be a safe landing became a rough impact with the ground, the two ponies rolling a good fifteen feet before stopping. A trail of dirt followed them. When the dust settled, there was no movement between the two ponies laying on their sides. The silence was broken in seconds with pained groans whispering in the open space.
Rainbow laid motionless, not daring to move after putting her body through so much torment. Her ears were numb from her injured wing screaming in numbing pain, her back also angrily voicing its suffering. She couldn't hear the whimpers escaping her throat.
Above it all, Rainbow managed to hear Twilight’s groans as well. Rainbow wanted to stand up and instantly check on her friend, but all she could manage was opening her eyes into small slits and gazing at her friend with great concern.
Twilight was welcomed by the burn and jelly-like feel in her legs, along with a sore throat and exhausted lungs. All of that was ignored after hearing the small whimpers of her friend. They were barely audible but the unbearable pain was clearly heard. Twilight willed herself to roll on her stomach, ignoring the protests in her legs and stood up.
At that moment, the two made eye contact with one another. The world seemed to be still except for the occasional fall breeze.
Rainbow was about to speak but was cut off. "You... You Featherbrain! Wha... what were you thinking?!" the voice was barely a whisper but the anger was clearly present.
Rainbow prepared to retort but all that came was a rough coughing fit, forcing her to close her eyes. Her throat felt dryer than the desert of Appleoosa, her mouth rougher than the dirt roads of the town. When her coughing eased up, she took notice of the change of scenery. The rough texture of the ground was now smooth. The cool fall breeze was no longer present, now replaced by warm, still air. She heard heavy breathing and realized that it was not from herself. As she looked for the source, she noticed she was now lying in front of the chimney of the library. After letting her gaze wonder, her eyes rested upon Twilight and her disheveled figure.
The room would have been in a deafening silence were it not for the pants of both ponies. Not one word was spoken. Not even when Twilight began healing Rainbow with her magic.
Rainbow made no move to refuse. She couldn't after everything her body went through. As a matter of fact, she didn't want to, not when Twilight's magic felt soothing on her sore body. While Rainbow couldn't see it, she felt the small cuts closing up, the numbing aches in her wings and muscles slowly turning into mild throbbing. With exhaustion finally taking hold, Rainbow's body began to relax, the time for rest coming sooner than she expected.
Twilight felt Rainbow's breathing slowing down through her magic. She took a look at her pegasus friend's face to find it peaceful, a complete contrast to how it was earlier.
What's going through your mind?... Worry began to take hold of Twilight's heart. While she was healing her friend's physical wounds, Twilight wanted desperately to heal any emotional or mental wounds Rainbow has kept from others. Twilight knew that whatever caused Rainbow's outburst was not something small or insignificant.
After treating Rainbow Dash's wing, Twilight gently levitated her friend to the guest room of the library. With Spike out with Rarity, she knew there would be no disturbance any time soon. As Twilight gently laid Rainbow in the bed and covered her with the blanket, she couldn't help but gaze at the peaceful look on her face. Unconsciously, Twilight lowered her head closer to Rainbow's, her snout merely a few inches from her face.
It wasn't until she was nuzzling Rainbow's cheek did she become aware of what her body was doing.
Twilight jumped back in a panic when Rainbow moved, afraid she had awoken her friend. Her breath hitched in her throat until Rainbow settled down. Twilight closed her eyes and let out a sigh of relief, realizing just how tense she was in the moment. When she opened her eyes, she glanced at Rainbow to find the same peaceful face.
This time however, a small smile had grown.
Twilight couldn't help but smile as well, glad to see her friend was happy even if she was asleep. Not wanting to disturb Rainbow's slumber, she slowly stepped out of the room and gently closed the door behind her.