• Published 28th Mar 2012
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Wingbury Academy - Chesterfeather



[2nd person] You've just transferred to a new school, but Rainbow Dash isn't making it easy.

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Chapter 8: Retaliation

Later That Night

That's it. Back to square one. I couldn't save Rainbow Dash. I lost Fluttershy. Don't get me started on the wingball match.

Despite a valiant effort, the lack of a third teammate proved troubling during your first wingball match against Chesterfeather High. Coach Cloudmane had congratulated you and Fairweather on your performance—you had played well considering the uneven teams. If I learned anything, it's that we need Rainbow Dash back.

You creep through your room window shortly before midnight. With most ponies now asleep, the academy grounds are quiet. All you can hear is the wind as you soar across campus. I only have one chance left. The observatory. I can only hope she hasn't completely given up and is still checking for letters.

Once you enter the observatory lobby, you resign yourself to pacing back and forth. You glance at the clock on the wall, but its hands are stuck. Figures.

Minutes bleed together as you lose track of time. How long has it been? An hour? Why did I even bother? You check the clock for the tenth time. And why do I keep looking at this thing?

A voice from the entryway startles you. “That clock doesn't work, you know.”

Rainbow Dash slowly walks inside, the light casting a sheen on her white mane. You spin around, your face opening into a smile. “Rainbow Dash . . . I'm happy you're here.”

She continues to walk, straight-faced, coming right up to you. “Why are you here?”

“Look, I really wanted to see you again. And your letter—”

“You never wrote back,” she says sternly. “Not a single word! I thought the one pony I was close to would at least try.”

“You don't understand—”

“I don't even know why I bothered to come here.” She turns away. “I should be halfway across Equestria on some cloud-pushing job or something.”

“You didn't give up, and neither—”

“Forget it.” She hikes up into the air. “This was a waste of time.”

“Stop!” As she heads for the door, you leap over to her, pulling her back down to the ground.

“L-Let go of me!” She twists herself to try and escape your grip, but you maintain a firm hold.

“You have to hear me out!”

“I don't have to hear anything!” She shoves you off, flaring her wings. “Leave me alone!”

“I wrote you letters! Rosewing stole them!”

She freezes in place. You trot over to her, this time using a foreleg to turn her head toward you. “I wrote you every day. Each time I left a letter, it was gone the next day.”

“You . . . you wrote to me?”

You softly exhale. “Let me show you.”

----------

“All these letters . . .”

Rainbow Dash stands at the far end of the greenhouse, reading your letters slowly. You stand back as she leafs through them. “Yeah. I really wanted you to come back.”

“I feel terrible.” She continues reading, her eyes shimmering. “I-I let you down.”

“No. You could never let me down. I knew I'd get to see you again.”

She suppresses a tear with a sniffle. “You kept writing . . . even when you didn't get any responses?”

“Like I said. You didn't give up. Neither did I.”

She rushes up to you, wrapping her forelegs around you in a tight embrace. “I'm glad,” she whispers, crying. “I'm so glad I checked one more time.” Her wings fan out as she releases you, stepping back with a smile.

“I'm glad too. I need you, Rainbow Dash. I need you to help me take care of Rosewing.”

Her smile fades. “What? We can't do anything.”

“Yes! We can!” You grab hold of her shoulders and give her a light shake. “She stole these letters. She stole you away from Wingbury. She stole you away from me. I can't let that go.”

“You don't get it,” she says, shaking her head. “She . . . she knows ponies. Just forget it.”

“I don't care if she knows Celestia. We have this.” You produce a carefully-folded sheet of paper. “Her blackmail letter to you.”

As you unfurl the letter, Rainbow Dash recoils, turning her head away. “That won't get us anywhere.”

“No, probably not. There are two more things we need.” You stare into her eyes. “We need you, and we need whatever else we find in her room.”

She remains still. “Her room.”

“Tomorrow. I'm skipping last period. Everypony will be in class. We're going to break into her room, and we're going to find something to expose her. I want to make sure she can never hurt us or anypony else. Ever again.”

Rainbow Dash returns your grim stare. After a moment of silence, she carefully nods. “Fine. Let's do it.”

----------

The Next Day

The bell rings for lunch. You fly outside amid the crowd of students, working your way toward the cafeteria.

Wait. Maybe I should just eat somewhere else. This is going to be too awkward.

. . . No, I have to at least try.

After grabbing some food, you walk over to your usual table. Fluttershy sits alone. “Is it okay if I sit here?”

She looks up at you. As soon as her eyes meet yours, she sinks her head back down. “H-Hello.”

You quietly sit down and take a bite of your sandwich. A moment later, Fluttershy rises from her chair.

“Excuse me.” She turns around, leaving her tray of food behind. “I have to go.”

You watch her leave, staring at her abandoned salad. I can only hope there's room for forgiveness when this is all over.

“Oh, that's so sad.” Rosewing hooks a foreleg around your shoulder. “It's okay. I'll be your friend instead.”

I was right. I should have eaten somewhere else. You stand back up, taking your food with you. Without sparing her a word or a glance, you walk away as she laughs.

Enjoy this moment, Rosewing.

----------

It's just about time.

With one minute before the final period of the day begins, you leave your saddlebags in your locker and wait for the hallways to clear. Once the bell rings and the last few students zip into their classrooms, you slink outside. Like I needed a reason to skip Draconic Lit.

As you arrive at the mares' dormitory, Rainbow Dash is waiting for you near the outer wall. You ask, “Are you ready?”

“Yeah.” She runs a hoof through her mane. “Let's get this over with.”

“All right. Which one is Rosewing's room?”

Raising a foreleg to her chin, she hovers from window to window, peering inside. “This one. Right here.”

With a grunt, you try to slide the window open, but it does not budge. “No good. You think her door might be unlocked?”

She sighs. “I have to do everything, huh?” She turns her back to the window. After a quick glance around, she gives the window's hinge a light buck, cracking it.

“You broke it!”

“What?” She shrugs. “You said we'd have to get our hooves dirty.”

“I didn't say that!”

“Okay, okay. Let's just get in there before somepony notices us.”

With the hinge broken, the window slides open effortlessly. The two of you slip inside Rosewing's room.

Rainbow Dash trots over to her desk. “Whoa. This is messed up.”

You look over her shoulder. A pile of photographs covers most of the desk. Pictures of Fluttershy. Pictures of Rainbow Dash. Pictures of you. This mare is disturbed. How does she have all these pictures of us?

As she flips through them, Rainbow Dash staggers backward. “I-I think I'm going to be sick.”

You step up to the photographs. There are countless pictures of Rainbow Dash, blindfolded and held down, a strange liquid being rubbed into her mane and tail. These were taken in the storage room! What are these, trophy photos? You push them around with your hoof until one catches your eye: Rosewing dragging a limp Rainbow Dash, a sinister grin on her face. This is what we need!

“I think I've got it,” you say, taking the photograph. “Did you find anything else?”

You don't hear a response.

“Rainbow Dash?” You turn around to see her cowering by the corner.

“I can't believe . . .” She falters, her voice breaking away. “I can't believe she took pictures of me like that.”

You calmly walk over to her. “I know. I'm sorry.”

She turns an eye toward you. “I'll be fine. Just . . . just keep looking.”

As you slide the rest of the photographs aside, you find a collection featuring you.

Heading to class.

Eating at the cafeteria with Fluttershy.

Sitting at the auditorium.

Practicing wingball.

Night flying.

Entering the observatory.

She's been watching me since I joined Wingbury. A chill runs down your spine. Just who is this mare?

. . . And why did she choose me?

“Rainbow Dash,” you call out. She rises to her hooves as you pass her the photograph of Rosewing. “Here. You take it.”

“What? Why me?”

“You're the only pony who can do this. You have to come forward on your own.”

She stares at the photograph, unblinking.

“Talk to the academy officials tomorrow. Show them the letter and the picture. If you tell them everything that happened, Rosewing will have no chance.”

Rainbow Dash slowly lifts her eyes from the picture. “Tomorrow. I can do it.”

You nod, giving her a rigid smile. “You go ahead. I'm going to wrap things up here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow, right?”

She looks outside. “I'm not going to run any more. Count on it.”

As Rainbow Dash flies out the window, you rip a blank sheet of paper from one of Rosewing's notebooks. Time for a taste of your own medicine. You begin to write.


Rosewing,

Today's your last day at Wingbury. I just wanted to say goodbye before the academy officials show up to take you away.

Maybe they'll drag you out of here the same way you dragged Rainbow Dash by the mane after abusing her. I wonder, was there anypony else there with you that day? The picture I have just shows you.

----------

Later That Night

A knock at your door rouses you from sleep. You turn toward your alarm clock. 1:15 am. I'm glad Rainbow Dash is back, but I don't have the energy to fly tonight.

The knocking continues. Wait, that's not the window. You drag yourself out of bed, cracking open your door. “Hello?”

A dejected Rosewing sits in the hallway with reddened eyes. “Please, please don't show that picture!”

This is rich. “Always nice to see you,” you sigh. As you open further, she slides her way inside and closes the door.

“I'm sorry! I really am!” Rosewing sinks down to her haunches, forelegs raised up to you. “Look, I'll change. I'll tell Dash that I'm sorry, and you won't have to show anypony that picture.”

You cross your forelegs. “Yeah, that will make things all better.”

“Please! I messed up. I'm sorry! I made a lot of mistakes, okay? What do you want me to do?”

“Do you really think—”

“Anything!” she bursts out. “I'll do anything! Just don't show it, please! I swear I'll leave you alone forever!”

“That's what you said last time, and look where it got me.”

“I-I'll do whatever it is you want right now. Just tell me! I'll turn my mane white too, if you want. I'll—”

“I don't care about your mane.”

“I'll apologize to Fluttershy. I'll tell her it was all fake.”

“I don't need you for that.”

“I'll tell Rainbow Dash I'll never bother her again. Please!”

You point toward the door. “I think it's time for you to leave.”

“I can't! I can't leave without that picture. I'll do anything to get it back, aren't you listening?”

You flare your wings. “Go!”

Rosewing reels back, stunned. “Please, won't you reconsider? There has to be something I can do to change your mind.”

You remain silent. As you stare at her, you notice a slight smile forming at the corner of her mouth. “I guess saying sorry just doesn't cut it with you, huh?”

She rises to her legs and opens your door, but does not exit. Instead, she turns to face you once more. “So we get to do this my favorite way after all.”

As she says this, three other pegasi quietly enter your room, closing the door behind them. You don't recognize any of them.

“These ponies are from Chesterfeather. They're not very happy that you gave them such a hard time at the game yesterday.”

You back away. “What is this?”

“I know a lot of ponies. You could say . . . they owe me favors.” As she licks her lips, a mare hands Rosewing a soaked rag.

“Oh, this?” she continues, holding the rag up. “I like to do the dirty work myself. They're just here to make sure you don't give me any trouble. Just like Rainbow Dash.”

“You're horrible! How can you live with yourself?”

Rosewing simply smiles. “If you had just minded your own business like a good little pony, I wouldn't have to do this. Really, it's your fault.” She saunters up to you. “It's not too late, you know. Give me the picture.”

“It's already on its way. Out of my hooves. You can't stop it.”

“I don't believe you,” she says, giggling. “I think you know exactly where it is.”

You step back, but she immediately closes the gap.

“And I wasn't kidding. I really will do anything to get it back. Anything.”

Rosewing hooks a foreleg around your head, pulling you forward. You open your mouth to yell, but she covers your face with the sweet-smelling rag, muffling your voice. Despite your attempts to wrest yourself free, the other ponies are already holding you down, pinning your wings.

“I wonder how far we'll have to go with you . . .”

Rainbow Dash, it's all . . . up . . .

You slip into unconsciousness.