Hold Your Color

by Quillery

The Mare Next Door

A breeze wafted in through the open window and caressed the bed as Dash lay still. The wind brushed her nose and she opened her eyes. The sunlight poured into the room from the window and brought warmth to the covers that wrapped around her. She smiled, rolled over, and reached out her hooves for Twilight, blinking when she felt nothing there.

She lifted her head and scanned the room from underneath the blankets. Her ears twitched as she looked over to the mirror, where Twilight stood brushing her mane. Her smiled widened as she saw Twilight’s reflection in the mirror. She was humming a quiet song in tune with the birds that passed by the window.

Twilight’s reflection was fixed on her mane, but she glanced briefly towards the bed and found Dash’s gaze. Her own smile deepened. “Good morning, Dash.”

Dash sighed and stretched out in the bed. She pulled the covers tighter around herself and mumbled a reply. “Good morning yourself. I think I got a few more minutes left in me before I’m getting up.”

Twilight giggled as she set down her brush. “Oh, okay. You earned it considering how late we were reading. But don’t think that gets you out of your chores.”

Dash groaned. “I know, I know. I promised, didn’t I?”

Twilight walked over to the bed and placed a hoof on the sheets. She leaned in and kissed Dash on the head through the blanket. “It’s only a few things. Spike said the garden needs some fresh rainwater, and after that, we can do something special together. Maybe lunch?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

“Wonderful. Now I’ll give you a few minutes to—”

A knock sounded at the door. “Twilight!” a voice said from the other side. “There’s somepony here to see you!”

Twilight turned to the door. “Okay, Spike. I’ll be right there!”

She turned back to Dash. “Who on Equus would need to see me this early?”

Dash shrugged and coiled herself in the blankets. “Who knows? All I know is they’re cutting into my morning nap.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and walked towards the door. “I’ll be back up with breakfast in a few minutes. After that, it’s time for work.”

Twilight shut the door behind her, leaving Dash alone. She stretched out again and rippled her muscles. She felt a dull ache seep into her legs, and a lingering exhaustion tugging at her eyes. She blinked it away, and rolled over again. “Sheesh,” she mumbled. “I’m more worn out than I thought. Maybe I should take it easy for a bit.”

She parted the blankets and stared at the ceiling. “Maybe a nice, quiet day with Twi is exactly what I need.” She nuzzled the blankets around her and inhaled deeply. “They still smell like her.” She let out the breath with a long, peaceful sigh. “I should spend more nights over—”

Twilight shouted from the main room below. “Rainbow Dash! It’s for you!”

Dash sat up in the bed and grunted. “What the hay? What would anypony be doing looking for me here?”

She rolled from the bed, not bothering to discard the blanket. She trudged along the room towards the door with the sheets still draped over her head. She passed through and descended the stairs, listening to the conversation drifting up from the foyer below.

“I’m so sorry to bother you, Princess Twilight.” A bright, cheerful voice said. “It’s just real important that I talk to Dash.”

“Oh, you don’t need to call me that, Ditzy. Twilight is just fine.”

Dash paused on the stairs. She looked down to the door, and frowned at the fact that Ditzy Doo was actually standing at the door chatting with Twilight.

“Oh, okay Princ—” Ditzy’s eyes widened as she stopped herself and placed a hoof on her mouth. “Oop, sorry,” she said, blushing. “I almost did it again.”

Twilight laughed. “It’s fine, really. Dash should be down any—” She looked away to the stairs, and smiled. “There she is.”

Dash sighed as Ditzy smiled and swung her leg in an energetic wave. “Hi, Rainbow Dash!”

Dash waved, sleep still dulling her senses. “Hey, Ditzy. What’s up?”

Ditzy stopped waving and blinked. “That’s right. I came to talk to you, didn’t I?” She placed a hoof on her chin and frowned. “Well, I was trying to find you at your house, but you weren’t there. So I started flying around town, checking all of your favorite napping places, and then I ran into one of your friends who said you might be with your marefriend.”

She smiled and pointed at Twilight. “And I felt so silly that I didn’t remember that you might be staying with Princess Twilight and—” She stopped and slapped a hoof to her face. “I did it again.” She looked at Twilight with an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

Twilight laughed, but Dash’s frown deepened. “Okay, but why were you flying all over to find me?”

Ditzy blinked again. “Oh, because your dad’s in town.”

Dash raised an eyebrow. “My dad? What’s he want?”

Ditzy sat down and shrugged her legs. “I have no idea! He just told me to get you really fast because it was really, really important.”

Dash started down the stairs again. “Hmph. And it couldn’t kill him to write ahead or—” Her sentence was cut short when Dash felt the blanket on her head tug at her legs. It wrapped tightly around her and she felt her front legs lock together, while her rear legs kept going. She tumbled over forward and rolled down the stairs. Instinctively, her wings tried to open, but the blankets had lashed them shut.

She landed in a heap at the bottom. Pain burned at her sides as she groaned in an attempt to move. She felt a pair of hooves on her. “Dash!” Twilight shouted. “Are you okay?”

“Nng,” Dash groaned. “N-not one of my better mornings.”

She felt the blankets being pulled off her. “Let me have a look at you. You might have broken a bone or—”

Twilight gasped. Dash craned her head to see her face, and blinked. There was a still look of horror on Twilight’s face. She took a step back. Her leg was trembling. Dash glanced over to Ditzy, and she too had a surprised look on her face as she stared straight at her, despite her crooked eyes.

“Uh… guys? What are you staring at? You’re kinda freaking me out.” She felt around her body, wincing with pain. A jolt of worry shot through her as her search hastened. “Please tell me it’s not that bad,” she breathed. “I don’t have a bone sticking out or anything do I?”

Twilight shook her head silently. “N-no… It’s your...your mane!”

Dash tilted her head. She rolled onto her belly and rubbed her head. “My mane? What’s wrong with my mane? Don’t tell me I’m bleeding into it or anything.”

“It’s not blood. It’s—I—just see for yourself.” A violet glow appeared in the air in front of Dash. It formed a small circle in the air as Twilight focused her magic. The air within the circle began to ripple and shimmer like a mirror.

Dash looked at her mane. She frowned as she looked over it, and although it was ruffled and un-brushed, it looked as it usually did. She ran a hoof through it, brushing over each of the colors that made up her namesake: violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, re—

Her eyes widened as she saw that the tips of her mane, where it was usually a bright shade of red, was darkening into a dull gray. A few errant strands of red remained, but they seemed to be fading away before her eyes.

“W-what?” she gasped. “I’m...going gray? What the hay is going on?”

Twilight blinked and scratched her head. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like this before. Even if it was some kind of genetic predisposition, it wouldn’t take like this overnight.”

“But my dad never went gray! His mane is brighter than mine! And—whoa...” Dash’s head started to spin again. She felt like her brain was in a torrent as the room started to wobble and blur. Twilight’s voice started to echo from different directions and she seemed to shift to different places in the room all at once. Strangest of all, was that the colors seemed to drain and fade away. Twilight’s purple coat turned dull, Ditzy’s blonde mane lost all brightness, and the slice of blue sky outside began to darken.

“Dash!” Twilight shouted. “What’s wrong?”

Dash shook her head. The spinning slowed as everything returned to normal. The colors returned, the spinning stopped, and Dash could feel her ability to breathe return. She was shaking on her legs and felt compelled to sit, holding a hoof to her head. She panted a few ragged breaths and lifted her head to Twilight. “What a rush…” she said. She still felt a lingering dizzy feeling, but the worst of it seemed to over.

“That’s it,” Twilight said. “I’m taking you to the hospital. Something is really wrong with you Dash.”

Dash’s head was swaying. “S-sure, Twi. I’m not feeling so hot right now.” She struggled to get back to her hooves. Twilight leaned against her and put a leg over her back to steady her as she helped carry her to the door, but Ditzy was still standing in the way, now pacing.

Twilight stopped in front of her, frowning. “I’m sorry, Ditzy, but I have to get her to the hospital. Could you please step aside?”

Ditzy paused and turned to Twilight. Her eyes were closed a moment as she shook her head with a slow, sorrowful sigh. Her tone turned worrisome, and Twilight’s ears wilted as she spoke. “I’m sorry. I can’t do that. I gotta bring Dash to her dad.”

Twilight blinked. “Ditzy? What’s gotten in to you?”

Ditzy opened her eyes. Despite the skew of her left eye, there was a feeling of dread and seriousness seeping from her now concerned expression. She took a step forward and reached out for Dash, and Twilight took a step back. Ditzy bit her lip. “I really can’t waste anymore time, Twilight. I need to get her to her dad. He’s the only one who can help now.”

Twilight twitched as she tried to shake her head. “There’s time for an explanation. Why is this important to you?”

“Because there is no hospital that can help her now. I really need to get her to her dad and…” She turned her head quickly to the street outside, scanning up and down before turning back. “Her life is now in grave danger.”

She stepped forward, quicker than Twilight could react. In a moment, Ditzy had overtaken Twilight’s hold on Dash and hoisted most of the weight to herself. “You should be fine to fly on your own soon, Dash, but we have no time to waste.”

Dash groaned. “What’s going on?”

Ditzy shook her head as she guided Dash out the door. “I can’t explain, not here. Your dad will have more to say when get back to your place.”

“I’m coming too!” Twilight said.

Ditzy turned and gulped. “Please don’t. Nopony else is to come. Khroma will be really mad at me if I bring anypony but Dash.”

Twilight glared. “That’s my marefriend you have there. She’s sick, and you think you’re going to take her away from me? As Princess, if you think I’ll stay, you have another thing coming.”

Ditzy blinked and stared. She slumped her head and sighed. “You will find too soon, Twilight Sparkle, that your title of Princess has less meaning than you think. If you have to come, then you will have to deal with Khroma. He can deal with you if he sees reason to.” She spread her wings and started into the sky with Dash in her grasp. “So if you’re coming, keep up. I really don’t have any more time.”

A gust of wind rushed into the open door of the library as Ditzy surged into the sky. Twilight gasped a moment, inhaling a cloud of dirt at Ditzy’s departure. She sputtered and coughed, skipping ahead in a stumble as she tried to open her wings and take off. She was unbalanced but she managed to get airborne after a few tries and took off after Ditzy towards Rainbow Dash’s home.