Azure Edge

by Leaf Blade

89. Safe

Rainbow took a deep breath underneath her shirt, careful not to breathe in the smell of burnt and rotting wood as she crawled underneath the collapsed ruins of a Baltimare house. She was just small enough to squeeze through, though it took some effort and a couple of cuts across her wings, but she managed to lock hands with a terrified pony trapped underneath the rubble.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Rainbow said softly, the other pony nodding with tears in their eyes. Rainbow tapped a gem attached to the collar on her neck, and in the blink of an eye and a flash of yellow light, Rainbow and the pony were teleported by Celestia’s magic outside the ruins.

“Is there anyone else inside there?” Celestia asked the frightened pony as they sat on the ground, sobbing as Celestia washed a healing wing over them. They shook their head.

“Next house, then,” Rainbow said, pounding her fists together.

The fire that tore through the town when Rainbow’s team arrived had been finally extinguished by the rain, and the downpour had settled into a mere drizzle by now, but there were still several houses and buildings that had been completely collapsed in the attack, and dozens of ponies reported missing, injured, or were simply unaccounted for.

So there was no time to lose.

“Rainbow Dash,” Celestia said firmly as she guided the fragile pony under her care toward the nearby safe zone, where professional medics and the like were waiting to take care of the injured and terrified.

“Yeah? What is it?” Rainbow said agitatedly, chomping at the bit to get back to saving more ponies; if she let herself stop focusing on the task at hand for even like two seconds she’d remember how terrified and sick she felt, and she couldn’t bear to be that pathetic in front of the Queen.

“It’s time you and I took a short break,” Celestia put her hand on Rainbow’s shoulder, and while Rainbow flinched at first, she then sighed and tried to loosen up a little. “We don’t need to do everything ourselves. There’s plenty of professional rescue and relief specialists working all over the city to take care of everypony as much as we’re all able, and we all need to do our parts, and that includes taking rest when we require it.”

“Okay,” Rainbow wanted to argue, but it’s not like she could talk back to Queen Celestia. Especially when she knew Celestia was right and she just didn’t want to admit it. “But,” Rainbow bit her lip and stood completely still, even as Celestia tried to guide her away from the ruined buildings behind her, “maybe I should just save a few more—”

“Rainbow Dash,” Celestia’s tone was soft, but firm, “if you can’t be trusted to take care of yourself, how can anypony trust you to take care of them?”

Rainbow had heard the old adage of taking care of yourself first, but she hadn’t really thought of it in that way before. The idea that she couldn’t be trusted to take care of others… that hit her pretty hard.

“Okay, yeah,” Rainbow sighed, hanging her head and walking alongside Celestia away from the disaster zone, “I know, you’re right.”

“I’ve had a long time to consider how to properly take care of my ponies,” Celestia chuckled. “So, is this your first time seeing a dragon in person?”

Rainbow stopped in her tracks, fists clenched, head hung, wings fidgeting. Celestia simply waited for Rainbow’s response, which only got harder and harder to make the more Rainbow’s stomach felt like it was under attack by a violent storm.

“Yeah,” she finally said, barely choking the word out.

Rainbow had been terrified of dragons her entire life, but that was one of her biggest secrets. Some Slayer she would be if she choked from fear in the face of Equestria’s greatest threat, but she couldn’t deny the panic that tore through her entire body as soon as the massive emerald demon had flown over Rainbow’s party.

“Is that why you didn’t want me taking part in the fight?” Rainbow asked shamefully, and gasped when Celestia responded by pulling her into a hug and wrapping her wings around Rainbow.

“In part,” Celestia said, softly petting Rainbow’s mane, “but mostly it was because I knew your speed would be an enormous asset to the relief efforts, and I trusted that you and Coloratura would work well together to save as many ponies as possible. And it seems I was correct.”

“You… you trusted me?” Rainbow said hesitantly, looking up into Celestia’s eyes even as her own were bit by tears. “Even though you knew I was gonna freak out?”

“Of course,” Celestia giggled and wiped some tears from Rainbow’s cheeks. “You’re my star student’s partner, and so long as you have her trust, then you have mine as well. And after seeing your bravery and determination today, I’d say that I couldn’t ask for a better partner for my student.”

“But, but I was terrified!” Rainbow said, pushing Celestia away. “I-I panicked, and I was totally gonna choke!”

“And yet you didn’t run,” Celestia said firmly, a serene smile on her face. “You stayed, you followed my orders to the letter, and you went above and beyond to rescue ponies in need, even though the dragon was still so close to the town. You’re everything I could ever ask for in a Slayer, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow felt choked up, and her face twisted into a grotesque frown to try and stop the tears pouring out her eyes.

“Thanks,” she said weakly.

“Just breathe, darling,” Celestia hummed, embracing Rainbow in a safe, comforting hug. “Just breathe, and know that everything will be okay.”

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!

Comments

[ShadowLDrago]

“Rainbow Dash,” Celestia’s tone was soft, but firm, “if you can’t be trusted to take care of yourself, how can anypony trust you to take care of them?”

As expected of an ancient and very wise woman, she has a point.

“But, but I was terrified!” Rainbow said, pushing Celestia away. “I-I panicked, and I was totally gonna choke!”

Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is acknowledging your fear, and being able to keep walking regardless.

[AppleTank]

oh come on, after that cliffhanger?

I mean I'm on a binge read, but still.