//------------------------------//
// Chapter 16 - Making Choices 
// Story: Facing Consequences, Making Choices 
// by 1Bit 
//------------------------------//

By the time that the early sun rose up above the forest, the last wisps of smoke from the base of the fire had retreated. Only the charred remains of firewood was left in the small stone campfire. Rainbow Dash's eyes opened slowly. Her entire body seemed to ache as all of yesterday's escapades seemed to catch up to her, giving her even less reason to get up. She tossed and turned on the cold, hard surface beneath her, finding no spot of comfort anywhere and so, groaning in annoyance, her joints creaked and cracked and she raised herself up onto all four hooves. In such a hazy and sleepy state, she felt somewhat at peace with herself. The wind blew through her mane gently and the sun warmed her coat with its bright, inviting rays. 

But as she let out a yawn, memories of the night before came flooding back to her. The loss of Applejack. Rarity's outburst. The nightmares. The pegasus felt her hooves falter beneath her. "Ugh, so much for getting up." She muttered to herself, curling up into a blue, fuzzy ball on the ground. "Luna, please wake me up from this nightmare. Or, you know, give me an answer for my suffering...you know what? Invite Celestia too! We'll make a whole hour long therapy session of it!"

"Um, Rainbow Dash?"

"Well I didn't mean now! I don't need therapy yet!"

"Um, it's just me, Fluttershy." The timid, yellow mare whispered quietly. Despite everything, she had a warm and comforting smile on her face. To Rainbow, her expression just radiated with compassion and calm. "Are you feeling a bit better this morning?"

"Sure, Flutters." Rainbow lied. She curled back up again, enjoying her own body warmth as she tucked herself in. "Doing awesome."

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. She lay down next to Rainbow almost silently and rolled her eyes. "Look, I know t-that Rarity said some very awful things b-but you have to understand-"

"Understand what, Fluttershy? That I'm a dirty fillyfooler?" Fluttershy seemed to openly cringe when Rainbow Dash said it. "Because, you know, I kinda got that part."

"Oh, Rainbow." Fluttershy looked like she was about to cry when she spoke. "Rarity didn't mean it. We're all under a lot of stress and I'm s-sure that such a...surprising revelation just caught her off guard."

"Really?" Rainbow raised her head to scowl at Fluttershy. She growled softly in her throat, anger welling up inside of her. "Oh yes, I'm sure that the entire outburst was just an accident!  Just face it! She hates me!" Her head made a loud thud when it landed back on the ground facing away from Fluttershy and the now awake Twilight.

"She doesn't hate you Rainbow." Twilight sighed. "She just...needs some time to herself."

"Gee, thanks for the motivation there." The muffled reply came.

Twilight's expression turned angrier, and a purple aura surrounded Rainbow and lifted her off the ground. The pegasus' eyes burst open and she squirmed around to break free.

"Hey, what gives!" Rainbow growled. She unfurled her wings and tried flying, only to be brought closer to the unicorn. 

"You listen to me." Twilight's voice came across as cold and harsh just like the environment that surrounded them. "I know it was hard hearing all those things Rarity said to you and believe me when I say, I'm sorry. But you seem to be forgetting that we are here for a purpose. We have almost died multiple times already! So, starting from right now, we're going to stop with the tears-" A faint purple glow gently washed away the few tears on Rainbow's cheeks. "-and we are going to focus on finding our friends and stopping this forest before it's too late. You got all that?"

Rainbow blinked. And blinked again. She knew Twilight often took the leading role, but this was...different. Everything just clicked in Dash's head. A grin formed on her lips. "Alright Twi, I got it." She was lowered to the ground, and Rainbow set about doing a few more stretches. "We'll kick this damn forest's flank!" She did a loop in the air, laughing triumphantly as her good spirit began to return to her. 

From the ground, Twilight and Fluttershy stared up at the pegasus, smiling. "Come on girls." Twilight reared up, before breaking into a gallop back down the mountain side. "We've got some friends to save!"

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were swift in following Twilight back down into the forest and as the preliminary attacks came, they were more than ready. Twilight's horn glowed with raw energy as she fired blast after blast of magic into the vines. Smoke slowly drifted out from within the vines as they fell to the ground, a horrifyingly shrill scream seemingly escaping from them as one after another fell in Twilight's path. Rainbow kept close to Fluttershy, swooping in to deflect any and all attacks that tried to halt their advance. The air was filled with a cacophony of battle sounds as more and more of the forest howled in pain. 

Even as the sweat began to form on Rainbow's brow, she licked her lips and just pushed herself harder. The adrenaline that coursed through her body, the cold winds that broke on her muzzle, the sound of her own beating heart ringing in her ears; she hadn't felt so alive in a long time. She channelled everything into each consecutive kick she landed. The forest seemed to blur around her, all of her focus residing on the pegasus she was trying to defend. Like a lightning bolt, she shot from side to side, letting out all manner of war cries and yells which echoed up and down the forest floor. She carved her path of destruction through the tree-line, trying her best to follow Twilight's lead while still maintaining her awesome display.

And almost as quickly as it began, everything just stopped. Vines and tree roots slithered away from the mares, sinking into the dark undergrowths. Trees groaned as they returned to their original resting place. And Fluttershy finally allowed herself to open her eyes, in hopes that it was all over.

Rainbow's hooves touched down on the damp, decaying leaves that covered the ground and the only sound that filled the air was the rustling underneath her hooves as she trotted forward. Her breath's became more regular, as her heart returned to it's normal pace again and she allowed herself a moment to sit down. She grinned up at the forest canopy, where the sun's rays cut through the thick leaves and beamed down onto the ground around her. 

"Now THAT was awesome."