• Published 5th Jun 2014
  • 6,085 Views, 255 Comments

Wear Flowers in Your Mane - jkbrony



On a day she spends with her surrogate little sister, Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash receives news that will change her life forever. Everypony must deal with loss at some point or another....

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Chapter 6 -- Broken

The moon rose in the night sky just as the sun went down, signifying that Luna was hard at work at her most consistent task of the evening. Twilight and Spike sat upon the balcony of Golden Oaks Library, watching the moon as it finally reached its peak. An empty plate previously containing nachos that had not eaten during the day's Twilight Time sat between them, which they had finished off together as they watch the sunset.

"You think you'll ever do that someday?" Spike asked when the moon was finally in place.

"Do what?"

"Raise the moon...or the sun," said Spike.

Twilight shook her head. "I wouldn't really know how. And besides, it requires a ton of magic that I don't have."

Spike shrugged. "Maybe you will someday?"

"I doubt it, Spike."

They sat in silence for several minutes, staring up into the starry sky. Twilight mentally counted as many constellations as she could see.

"Do you ever miss living in Canterlot?" Spike suddenly asked.

"Sometimes," Twilight answered several seconds later. "It feels like so long ago that we moved here."

"You know, when you became a princess, I actually thought we were going to move back," said Spike.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I thought maybe you would have to go back for princess training, or something like that."

Twilight sighed softly.

"Yeah, I really needed a whole lot of training for making appearances and signing autographs...," she mumbled.

"Huh?"

Twilight shook her head. "Nothing. It's nothing."

"When I think about Canterlot now, I remember how much different everything seemed there," said Spike. "Everypony just kinda kept to themselves."

Twilight nodded. "Mhm."

"That includes you, you know?" Spike said harshly.

"I know, Spike," Twilight replied, rolling her eyes. "You don't need to remind me of how I was back then."

Spike shrugged. "Yeah, well, you've come a long way since then. You've earned this."

Twilight did not reply, allowing another brief bout of silence to pass between them.

"By the way, I forgot to tell you, Princess Celestia sent another shipment of books this morning," said Spike. "I put them in the basement. If she's going to keep sending all these books, we're really going to need a new place to live soon. Unless you finally feel like giving some of them up, that is."

Twilight shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Why not?" asked Spike. "I mean, they're just books."

"They're not 'just books'", Twilight said irritably. "They're really important to me."

"Why?"

"Because they remind me of good times. Times like...," she paused, lowering her voice. "....like when I was still Princess Celestia's student..."

Spike looked at her. "You still want to be Princess Celestia's student?"

"Well, it's just...I wasn't expecting this," said Twilight. "Some days I wake up and for a brief moment, I think about the reports or whatever other assignments I have to complete that day. Then I get out of bed and I realize that I don't have any reports or assignments to complete. I don't really have anything to do except read through all these books Princess Celestia keeps sending, none of which have anything to do with being a princess. So it's like the only reason she's sending them is to keep me occupied until I have to fulfill some princess duty, which usually just consists of smiling and waving."

Spike scratched his head, surprised by what he was hearing. "Do you not like being a princess?"

"I didn't say that. I just...I wish I—"

Spike suddenly shot upward and belched, causing a gaseous stream to eject from his mouth until it materialized into a letter. He coughed to clear his throat immediately afterward.

"I'm not really used to that anymore. Princess Celestia doesn't really send as many letters as she used to, so I've kinda stopped expecting it."

"What does it say?" asked Twilight.

Spike grabbed the letter and opened it.

"'My dear Twilight. The Grand Galloping Gala will be coming up soon once again, and though I know that it was an experience you would not like to repeat, I would be honored if you stood by my side as a greeter. Additionally, I would also be honored if you were the one to deliver the closing speech. I'm sure that many of the attendees will be glad to know that someone other than me will be giving it. Of course, your friends may attend again if they so desire. Just let me know and I will send tickets. Sincerely yours, Princess Celestia.'"

Twilight groaned and dropped her head.

"Weren't you greeting ponies last time you were there?" asked Spike.

"Not officially," she answered. "I was just standing next to Celestia, so ponies just started greeting me, and eventually I just started doing it on my own."

Spike looked back at the letter. "Oh, wait, there's more."

Twilight sighed. "What does it say?"

"'P.S. Please let Rainbow Dash know that she has my deepest condolences.'"

Twilight turned her head towards him. "What?"

Spike squinted his eyes at the letter. "Yeah, that's what it says."

"Let me see it," said Twilight, levitating the letter from his hands and holding it in front of her face. "What could that mean?"

Spike scratched his head. "I don't know."

"Well, Princess Celestia does..."

"Should we write her to ask what she's talking about?" asked Spike.

Twilight thought for a moment then shook her head.

"No. She obviously thinks that we already know about it, whatever it is. I don't really think letting her know otherwise would be a good idea."

"Do you think it has something to do with what happened at the party yesterday?" asked Spike. "I mean, Rainbow Dash was kinda vague about what she ran off about."

"You may have a point," Twilight noted. "But I still don't see how Celestia would know about it."

They both went silent, lost in thought.

"Why don't we just ask Rainbow about it tomorrow?" asked Spike.

"We could, but....why do I get the feeling that this is going to end up being a matter similar to when Applejack refused to come home from the rodeo competition and wouldn't tell us why?" replied Twilight.

Spike shrugged. "Maybe it will be."

"Come on, it can't be anything that big, right?"

Spike shrugged again and walked back inside the massive tree. Twilight took another thorough look at the letter and followed after him.

****

The moon had peaked in the sky several hours ago; it was surely well after midnight by now. Rainbow Dash sat on her bed in darkness, the curtains drawn over the windows to prevent the light from the moon to penetrate her room. No sleep would come this night—there was no point in even trying. She could scarcely think of anything besides the glare Scootaloo had shot at her moments before leaving the house. It was so fierce, so vicious, as if Scootaloo absolutely hated her guts. And perhaps she actually did?

Rainbow Dash had never seen her so angry, and she certainly would not have expected to see such anger directed at her. Scootaloo had been her biggest fan since almost the moment they met. She had idolized her, glorified her, and even once started up a fan club in her name. But now, Rainbow had lost all of that—just as she had lost her father, just as she had lost her dream, just as she seemed to be losing anything she once had a firm grasp on.

"I...I can't do this anymore...," she whispered to herself.

"No, you can't," Fluttershy's voice replied almost instantly.

"Fluttershy?!" Rainbow cried, and rushed to the window to open the curtains.

The moonlight revealed Fluttershy standing a few inches away from her with a warm, comforting smile on her face.

"What are you—?"

"It's okay," Fluttershy interrupted. "I'm here for you, just like I said I'd be. I'm going to help you through this. Everything is going to be okay now."

Rainbow Dash blinked hard, unsure whether this was real or not. "Fluttershy...how are you—?"

Her words died instantly as she was taken aback by Fluttershy's comforting smile transforming into a contemptuous glare.

"There. Now how do you like it when somepony lies to your face?" she asked in a harsh tone.

"What...?"

"It's funny," continued Fluttershy. "There was a time when I didn't believe that there was anything that I would not have done for you. Because you were worth it. Because I owed so much to you. Because you would have never done anything to damage the bond that we shared."

Rainbow gazed at her in confusion. "Fluttershy...I..."

"Don't speak to me," Fluttershy said with ferocity. "I don't want to hear your lies anymore."

Rainbow blinked. "I..."

"You're on your own," said Fluttershy, contempt still heavy in her voice. "But that's how you want it, isn't it? Because you're doing so well on your own, aren't you?"

Rainbow Dash was utterly lost for words, unable to believe that what she was seeing and hearing could possibly be real. She shook her head and struck it with her hoof repeatedly, yet Fluttershy remained standing before her.

"Just look at you," said Fluttershy, shaking her head. "You're so pathetic."

"Very pathetic," said the voice Scootaloo, who then stepped into the moonlight to reveal herself. "I can hardly even stand to look at you. This is the Rainbow Dash that I've been idolizing all these years? What a joke."

Rainbow Dash dropped to the floor, their words now stinging her from the inside out.

"Why....why are you here...?" she asked, feeling tears moisten her eyes.

"They're here to see you crumble," said the voice of Wind Lily, stepping into the room to stand alongside Fluttershy and Scootaloo. "And so am I. I told you not to keep this from your friends. You should have listened to me."

"Get up!" Scootaloo demanded. "Get up before I start thinking even less of you!"

"No...," Rainbow whispered, fighting back her tears.

"Get up!" ordered Fluttershy.

"Leave me alone!" Rainbow shouted as she turned and flew out the window.

Without a single thought as to where she was going, she soared through the night sky, flying with intense speed towards the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. The night did not offer her much visibility, even with the moonlight. Flying fast in the dead of night was not a particularly wise thing to do by any means, yet Rainbow did not care as long as she managed to escape from the harsh and unforgiving words that were piercing through her heart like a knife.

"Nice night for a fly, isn't it?"

Rainbow turned her head to see Scootaloo flying directly beside her. She stopped instantly and hovered on the spot, her jaw dropped wide open.

"See? I'm just as good a flyer as you," Scootaloo said, stopping next to her. "Actually, no..."

In a dazzling blur of orange, Scootaloo zoomed ahead and performed several midair loops, twirls, and spirals with a speed faster than Rainbow Dash had ever seen any pegasus fly before. She circled back around to where Rainbow hovered.

"...I'm a better flyer than you. So why do I even need you to look up to anymore? It's not like you could ever fill the hole that my mom left..."

Rainbow shook her head rapidly and resumed her flight, her eyes tightly shut in the hopes that no longer seeing Scootaloo would make her go away.

"No, no, no, no...you aren't there...," she muttered to herself.

"Oh, I'm here, all right," said Scootaloo's voice. "And you had better watch where you're going."

Scootaloo zipped away as Rainbow opened her eyes to find herself flying directly towards a large hill. Unable to avoid it at her speed, she struck the peak headfirst and rolled over down on the other side, tumbling and tumbling without end until she finally came to a stop at the bottom, lying face up and motionless in the grass. There was no longer any question concerning whether or not this was real—the pain she now felt was certainly not imaginary.

Scootaloo landed by her side and chuckled with malicious satisfaction.

"And here I thought that you were aware of everything while you fly. I guess you're not as good a flyer as you thought, huh?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head slowly, slipping from consciousness. "Stop..."

"I'm off to join the Wonderbolts now," said Scootaloo. "I don't think they'll be needing you anymore. You might as well just stay right where you are."

Scootaloo flew away. Rainbow Dash lacked any energy or strength to pick herself up. Perhaps she had a few broken bones, or even a broken wing. She couldn't be sure—all she knew was that her entire body was sore. Looking up, Rainbow was able to see a cloud floating in front of the moon. She wished that she could summon it down to her, as grass made for a cold and itchy bed, but clouds were softer and lighter than anything in the world...

Fluttershy suddenly walked into her field of vision, smiling menacingly.

"Well, well, if it isn't Rainbow Crash. You sure do live up to that name."

"You're...not there," Rainbow said weakly. "Go...away..."

"Because that's what you want, isn't it?" she said sharply. "Just look at yourself. Look at how broken you are."

Rainbow finally closed her eyes after struggling to keep them open. She could no longer see Fluttershy's contemptuous glare.

"Just stay there," Fluttershy said viciously. "You're not getting any help from me."

Lying utterly still in the cold grass, Rainbow heard Fluttershy's voice no more.

****

Twilight and Spike awoke early the following morning, searching all over Ponyville for Rainbow Dash after failing to find her at home. There did not appear to be any sign of her anywhere—she was not creating the day's weather, nor could she be found in any of her favorite areas or napping places. Asking Ponyville residents about her whereabouts turned up nothing; not even the weather team had any idea where she was. They ultimately returned to the center of town after searching for her for more than an hour.

"Why don't we just ask our friends if they've seen her?" Spike suggested. "In fact, she might even be with them."

Twilight replied with a sigh. "I wasn't planning on telling them about it until after I talked to her."

"What if they already know about it?" asked Spike.

"I don't think—"

Twilight went silent she noticed Applejack running swiftly in her direction with a grim expression on her face.

"Twilight! There you are!" she called out.

"Applejack? What's wrong?" asked Twilight.

Applejack stopped in front of her and paused for a brief moment to catch her breath.

"It's Rainbow Dash....she's in the hospital!"

Twilight gasped. "What happened?!"

"I'll explain on the way," said Applejack. "Everypony's there already. Let's go!"

After exchanging a concerned look, Spike hopped on Twilight's back and she followed Applejack as she set a course for Ponyville Hospital.

"So what happened?" Spike asked once their running speed reached its peak.

"Big Mac found Rainbow Dash lyin' in the grass in our south field early this mornin'," said Applejack. "She was just lyin' there unconscious."

"Why? Do you know how she got there?" asked Twilight.

"I don't," answered Applejack. "She hasn't regained consciousness yet, at least not since I was there last. But she was found near the bottom of a hill, so we think that she might have crashed into it."

"Oh no...," said Twilight. "How is she doing?"

"She'll be fine, I hope. I haven't been there in over thirty minutes 'cause I was lookin' for you. Where have you been?"

"I was actually out looking for her," answered Twilight.

"What for?"

"Because there's something going on with her, Applejack," said Twilight. "I don't know what it is, but....this can't be a coincidence."

"Whaddya mean?"

Twilight shook her head. "I'll explain when we get there."

They arrived at Ponyville Hospital minutes later, brushing quickly through the reception area and into the ICU. Twilight followed Applejack to room 27 and walked inside. An unconscious Rainbow Dash was lying upon the bed, the top of her head bandaged with an IV connected to her foreleg and an electrocardiograph monitor hanging on the wall behind her, beeping every second. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie each sat by her bedside, solemn looks adorned upon their faces. Fluttershy took a tissue to her eyes, wiping away the tears that fell.

"How is she? Any change?" asked Applejack.

"No...," answered Rarity. "This is just awful..."

Twilight slowly approached the bed. The last time she had seen Rainbow Dash lying on a hospital bed, she was fully conscious and covered with bandages from injuries that Twilight was well aware did not exist. But this was not like that at all. Rainbow was surely not faking these injuries—she was surely not faking unconsciousness.

"I can't believe this...," she said, as a tear fell from her eye.

"Is she going to be okay?" asked Spike, hopping off Twilight's back to stand beside the bed.

"The d-doctor took some X-rays a little wh-while ago," said Fluttershy in a shaky voice, taking the tissue to another wave of fresh tears. "He'll be able to t-tell us when he finishes looking over them."

"But he said she wasn't in any life-threatenin' condition. I reckon she'll be fine," said Applejack.

No one responded as Rainbow Dash's unconscious body stirred for a brief moment.

Applejack frowned. "I hope she'll be fine..."

The door opened again and the same doctor who treated Rainbow Dash back when she had broken her wing stepped inside.

"Okay, I know much more about her condition," he said, and every conscious eye in the room fell upon him.

"To get the thing you folks are most concerned about out of the way first, her life isn't in danger in any way," he said. "I can say with certainty that she will make it through this."

An enormous wave of relief spread throughout the room. Pinkie Pie cracked a smile, and Fluttershy closed her eyes, muttering "thank goodness" under her breath.

"Now for the more concerning news," said the doctor, and the relief died almost instantly. "She has suffered some head trauma. Not much, but she has suffered some. As of this moment, she is in a coma. It may not last very long, but I cannot say for certain. I can't give a proper prognosis until we see how she responds to our treatment. She's breathing on her own, so that's obviously a positive sign. We'll need to monitor her brain activity every hour, but assuming she responds well, I don't see this lasting very long."

The six friends exchanged ambiguous looks, unsure exactly of how they felt about the news. Fluttershy quickly wiped away new tears.

"She has suffered other injuries, but she does not appear to have any broken bones," the doctor continued. "Needless to say, she was very lucky. This could have been a lot worse."

"Thank Celestia...," said Rarity.

"Will she suffer any....permanent damage from this?" asked Twilight, fearfully.

The doctor paused for a moment.

"At the most, she'll probably forget everything that happened in the last few hours leading up to her injuries, but nothing really suggests that she'll suffer any permanent or long-lasting damage. As I said, she was very lucky."

Twilight smiled with relief. "That's good..."

"I suppose I'll leave you folks alone for now. We'll be back to monitor her brain activity shortly," he said, and turned to leave the room.

"See? I told ya she was gonna be okay," said Applejack after the door closed again. "Feelin' better, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy nodded, and tears no longer emerged from her eyes.

"But since she'll lose her memory of the last few hours, we're probably not going to know how this happened," said Twilight, lamentably. "When exactly did Big Mac find her, Applejack?"

"It must've been around six thirty this mornin'," Applejack answered. "He said that he found her near the south orchard, just lyin' in the grass at the bottom of a hill. She might have been there for several hours. Maybe even all night long."

"She may not lose all of her memory, Twilight," said Rarity. "She may be able to tell us something."

"I hope so," said Twilight.

Pinkie Pie walked over to the comatose Rainbow Dash and gently caressed her hoof.

"Poor Rainbow..."

The room went silent as everyone turned their attention towards Pinkie, unsure of what to say to her. Her supremely positive and fun-loving mind seemed the least capable to cope with a situation like this.

"Oh, Twilight, what were you gonna say earlier? About how this couldn't be a coincidence?" asked Applejack.

Twilight sighed, suddenly unwilling to share her information for fear of worsening the mood. She glanced at Spike, who nodded, urging her on.

"I got a letter from Princess Celestia last night. The postscript read, 'Please let Rainbow Dash know that she has my deepest condolences.' Would any of you happen to know what she meant by that?"

Twilight glanced at Fluttershy who returned a perplexed look. Everyone else responded similarly, either by shrugging or shaking their heads.

"I didn't think so. But this can't be a coincidence," Twilight continued. "There must be something going on with her. First the party, then the letter, and now this? Before Applejack told me that Rainbow was in the hospital, I was actually trying to find her to ask about it. And now that's going to have to wait."

"Why not just write to Princess Celestia and ask what she meant?" suggested Rarity.

"That just wouldn't feel right," said Twilight. "She obviously thinks that we already know about all about it, so it would just feel uncomfortable to ask. Besides, I would rather hear it from Rainbow Dash anyway."

Fluttershy suddenly gasped, jolting upward onto her hooves.

"Oh no...," she whispered.

Twilight blinked. "Fluttershy?"

"I...I have to go for a little while," said Fluttershy. "I think I may know what she meant."

"What are you thinkin' it is?" asked Applejack.

"I...don't want to say," said Fluttershy. "I actually hope I'm wrong about this..."

"Where are you going?" asked Spike.

"Cloudsdale," Fluttershy answered. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Should I come with you?" asked Twilight, surprised by Fluttershy's sudden motivation.

Fluttershy shook her head. "No. I need to do this myself."

Without another word, she hurried out of the room, leaving the others to share the same ambiguous looks as before. Pinkie Pie looked back down at Rainbow Dash as tears gradually permeated from her eyes. She leaned down and kissed her hoof.

"Please wake up, Rainbow. Please...."

****

Thirty minutes passed as everyone in the room anxiously awaited Fluttershy's return. The room was utterly silent, and each subtle motion that Rainbow Dash's unconscious body made turned every head in her direction, offering the slightest bit of hope that she was finally awakening from her deep sleep. Yet there still remained no sign that it was going to happen anytime soon. Pinkie Pie remained closest to her side, continuing to stroke her hoof, with a solitary tear falling from her eye every so often. Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity were each reminded of when Pinkie had remained close to her mailbox, expecting a letter from Rainbow Dash after she had left for the Wonderbolt Academy, and became more and more convinced that Rainbow had forgotten all about her with every minute that passed without its arrival. They surely expected that Pinkie would not be leaving Rainbow's side until she eventually woke up, whenever that would be...

"Oh dear, I hope Rainbow Dash won't have to cancel her Wonderbolts debut on Saturday," Rarity said suddenly.

"Golly, I didn't even think about that," said Applejack. "I can't imagine she'll be in well enough shape to fly in the next three days. Shoot, we don't even know if she'll be awake by then."

"I'm sure they'll just postpone it to a later date if need be," noted Twilight. "It'd just be a shame if Rainbow had to wait even longer to finally fulfill her dream."

"What if she doesn't wake up for a super long time?" asked Pinkie, her voice more somber than anyone had ever heard it before.

"That's not going to happen, Pinkie," Twilight reassured her. Pinkie did not respond, and another teardrop loosed itself from her eye.

Rarity sighed. "Could this possibly get any worse?"

The door suddenly opened again and in walked Fluttershy, her eyes downcast with a newspaper dubbed The Daily Cloud News gripped in her wing.

"Uhh...Fluttershy?" said Applejack.

Fluttershy released the newspaper from her wing and closed her eyes, as though too ashamed or embarrassed to look at her friends.

"I know. I know what Celestia meant..."

"What is it?" asked Twilight.

Without saying a word, Fluttershy dropped the newspaper to the floor, opening it to the obituary section.

"Look...," she said, pointing at a single name.

Twilight magically lifted the paper from the floor, and everyone gathered around to see the name Fluttershy pointed at.

"Rainbow Blaze...," Twilight read, her eyes widening.

"That's Rainbow Dash's father," said Fluttershy. "He...he died."

"Oh, goodness!" Rarity said, instantly placing her hoof over her mouth.

"I...I don't believe it...," said Applejack, her ears lowering.

"Died...?" said Pinkie, tears streaming quickly down her cheeks. "He's gone...forever?"

Everyone looked back at Rainbow Dash with pity-filled stares. Lying motionless on the bed, she suddenly appeared to be solemn and grief-stricken, as though the blank expression on her face was now showing intense sorrow and grief where it had previously been unreadable.

Twilight turned back to the newspaper and continued reading through the obituary.

"It says here that he....died this past Friday."

"Yeah...," Fluttershy said, nodding.

"This past Friday?!" said Rarity, almost incredulously. "Surely, she must have known!"

Fluttershy nodded again.

"And yet she didn't say anythin'....," noted Applejack.

"No," said Twilight with a shake of her head, dropping the newspaper. "Of course she wouldn't say anything..."

Fluttershy lowered her head, tears dripping down her face again. "She wouldn't even tell me."

"Was this what you thought it was, Fluttershy?" asked Spike.

Fluttershy nodded, wiping the tears away.

"The subject of her father had been coming up lately, and I just thought that maybe something terrible had happened to him. I went to Rainbow Dash's old house where he lived and nopony was there. I picked up the current newspaper to take a look at the obituaries....and there he was."

"What do you mean 'the subject of her father had been coming up lately?'" asked Twilight.

Fluttershy took a deep breath and shook her head.

"I don't know if I should tell you about it. It's always been a very personal matter for her."

"Please, Fluttershy," urged Twilight. "There's already so much that we don't know right now; don't keep another thing from us. Whatever it is, we won't tell her that we know about it."

"Umm...well...alright, fine," Fluttershy said, finishing with a sigh. "You'll probably know about it soon anyway. Rainbow Dash wasn't very close to her dad. She always wanted to be a Wonderbolt, but he never believed that she would ever become one, and that really put a strain on their relationship. She eventually left home, telling him that the next time he would see her, she would be wearing a Wonderbolt uniform. She kept to that vow. She hasn't seen him in five years, never once even paying him a visit, not for anything."

Every eye was fixed on Fluttershy, each one widened with shock. It suddenly made sense why Rainbow Dash had always been so reluctant to talk about her family.

"My, that sounds awful," commented Rarity. Fluttershy nodded.

"I tried to tell her that was a mistake and that she ought to pay him a visit every now and then, but I never could get through to her. After everything she's told me, I can't blame her for leaving, but I still thought that she should have at least checked in on him from time to time. But she just...wouldn't."

"Wait a minute," said Twilight. "Are you saying that she was only going to visit him again when she was wearing a Wonderbolt uniform...which was going to happen this Saturday?"

"Yes," answered Fluttershy. "The other day when I talked Rainbow after she ran off, we got into a discussion about her dad. She told me that she was worried about seeing him again, and I said that it was a good thing that they would be able to rebuild their relationship after so many years apart. But...she knew. He was gone, and she knew it. She knew he was gone, and she chose not to tell me."

Fluttershy hung her head and closed her eyes. "She....she lied to me..."

"She lied to all of us," replied Applejack, looking downward bitterly.

The door to the room opened again and a worried Scootaloo stepped inside, quickly rushing towards the bed.

"I just heard from Apple Bloom," she said instantly. "How is she? Is she going to be okay?"

"She'll be fine," said Twilight reassuringly. "She'll be just fine."

Scootaloo cracked a smile that faded almost immediately.

"Has she woken up yet?"

"She's in a coma," said Fluttershy. "But it won't last long...we hope."

"How did this happen?" Scootaloo asked, looking down mournfully.

"We don't know, darling," said Rarity. "We'll have to wait until she wakes up."

"If she even remembers, that is," added Applejack.

Scootaloo suddenly shook her head rapidly, as though trying to reject some feeling from inside her.

"Okay, this has gone on far enough. I can't keep it from you guys anymore."

"What are you talking about?" asked Twilight.

Scootaloo let out a sigh. "Rainbow Dash...her dad died a few days ago."

"We know," said Applejack.

Scootaloo looked up at her. "You do?"

"We just found out," said Twilight. "But how did you know?"

"I....I was with her when she got the news. She told me not to tell anypony, and I didn't. But I didn't know that she wasn't going to tell you guys."

"So that's what you meant yesterday," Fluttershy realized. "When you said you were with her when she got the news, I thought you were referring to her Wonderbolt letter."

"I was about tell you, but I just couldn't do it," Scootaloo said to her. "I was thinking that maybe she just wasn't ready to tell you guys yet. But I was wrong. She was never planning on telling any of you. In fact, she told me right to my face that the only reason I knew was because I had been there."

"Why, that's the most—!" cried an indignant Applejack, suddenly stopping herself. Rarity let out an exasperated huff while Pinkie and Fluttershy looked over at Rainbow Dash with a mixture of disbelief and sorrow.

"Scootaloo, I want you to tell us how Rainbow Dash has been these last few days," said Twilight. "This is very important."

Scootaloo briefly rubbed her chin in thought. "Uhh...well....she's been kind of passive about the whole thing. She acts like his death hasn't affected her at all when I know it has."

"How do you know it's affected her?" Twilight immediately asked.

"Well, she denies it so much that it's like she's purposefully trying not to let herself feel," answered Scootaloo. "Yesterday, I saw a bunch of empty apple cider bottles scattered on her kitchen table. She must have drank through all of them at once. And with cider season a long way away, that didn't strike me as something she would normally do—not unless she was trying to ease her pain, that is."

"Yes," said Fluttershy with a nod. "She told me about that."

"Has she made any...disturbing statements?" asked Twilight. "Anything that would have made you worried for her well-being?"

"What are you gettin' at, Twilight?" Applejack asked before Scootaloo could respond.

Twilight sighed. "Like I said, this can't be a coincidence. It just can't be."

"What are you tryin' to say?" questioned Applejack.

Twilight looked hard at her for several brief seconds.

Rarity gasped. "Twilight...you aren't suggesting that Rainbow Dash did this to herself on purpose, are you?"

Twilight looked down, signifying her answer.

"No!" Fluttershy cried at once. "She wouldn't do that! She would never do that!"

"Well before today, I never would have thought that Rainbow Dash would have hidden something this big from us," said Twilight. "But I was wrong, wasn't I? In fact, I think we all were."

"But Twilight, this is Rainbow Dash we're talking about!" cried Rarity. "I don't want to think that she would ever even consider..."

"I don't want to think so, either," said Twilight. "I would certainly hope that she would never consider it. But right now, I'm just not so sure if I really know Rainbow Dash as well as I thought. I'm just saying that...it's a possibility."

Fluttershy began to weep and Rarity wrapped a hoof around her, eventually breaking down into tears herself. Scootaloo closed her eyes and turned her head away while Applejack glared fiercely at the floor. Pinkie now looked more somber than ever before, her eyes glued to Rainbow Dash as though fearful that she would slip away if somepony was not watching her.

"I...I could be wrong," Twilight said, sorry that she had brought the notion up. "I mean, we all jumped to the conclusion that Rainbow had lost her Reserves membership after she ran away from the party? I could just be jumping to conclusions again..."

This did nothing to change the mood in the room, as the thought had already sunk in far too deep. Twilight plopped herself down, not saying a single word more.

Pinkie watched as Rainbow Dash stirred slightly in her sleep.