Of Love and Loyalty

by Brian Jacko

Seeking Help

It was time Rainbow Dash swallowed her pride and seek help. She needed her friends and she needed to listen to their suggestions. She was willing to try anything to get herself better. She decided to fly over to Sweet Apple Acres to visit Applejack for some advice.

"Well, howdy there partner!" Applejack said as she bucked a nearby tree. Did ya come on over to clear the clouds today? I don't know who was in charge of clearing the clouds last week, but whoever it was did an awful job. I bet it was that Derpy tryin' to help the other pegasus ponies out again. Bless her heart, she only means well. Say, what's the matter with ya? Ya look rather glum today."

Rainbow Dash began drawing a line in the dirt with her hoof, "Yeah," she said without looking up. "That pony clearing the clouds wasn't Derpy, that pony was me."

Applejack looked surprised. "Ya mean to tell me that ya been slackin' off on the job, Rainbow Dash? What did I always tell ya about takin' too many cloud naps before the work is finished?"

Rainbow Dash lowered her head even further and said, "Well, don't worry about it Applejack, because that won't happen again. I got fired."

Applejack gasped. "Rainbow Dash! I'm so surprised at ya!"

"I know," the blue mare said. "That's why I'm here. I need some advice on how to learn to work hard like yourself."

"Well," Applejack said as she straightened upwards and put her hoof to her chest. "We have always been hard workers fer generations on the farm. Hard work runs in the family. Ya just gotta keep working hard, and when ya finish your chores, you simply look fer some more to do. There's always work to be done around the farm. I reckon you'd be a good apple bucker, Rainbow Dash. Here, why don't ya try to buck a few apples with me in the mean time?" Applejack went into the farm house and brought out a few empty barrels for Rainbow Dash to fill. She placed them beside a few trees. "Now go on and get to it! I brought out only three barrels fer ya to fill up. I figured I'd take it easy on ya, since this really isn't your thing. By the time I fill up my twenty barrels fer the day, I expect ya to have at least three of these barrels filled to the top. Ya hear?" Applejack pointed with her hoof and continued, "I'm goin' to start over there and clear those trees. Ya start here and I’ll work my way around to ya. Got it?"

"Got it!" Rainbow Dash said as she prepared her legs to buck.

"Be back in a jiffy now." Applejack trotted away and Rainbow Dash began to buck.

"Wow," she thought to herself. "This apple bucking sure is hard." She kicked harder and harder but all that ever came out of the trees were loose twigs and an occasional leaf. She hit the tree with all the strength that she had in her, but still no apples fell. Rainbow Dash groaned as her body protested from the hard work. She became so fatigued, that she fell over into the barrel and drifted off to sleep.

Applejack whistled as she made her way around the tress. She finally finished her last barrel and walked on over to where Rainbow Dash had started. Applejack looked startled. She saw Rainbow Dash's tail sticking up from inside the barrel. "Why that darn pony has gone and taken a nap." She ran on over to Rainbow Dash and bucked the barrel. "WAKE UP!" she yelled.

Rainbow Dash was startled and jumped out of the barrel. "What the hay are ya doin', Rainbow Dash? Ya haven’t even bucked one apple off the trees."

Rainbow Dash looked to the ground and said, "I don't know what happened, Applejack. I was bucking this tree here and a sudden, strong fatigue and awful pain took over my body. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep. I'm sorry. I had no idea I was asleep for this long."

Applejack sighed. "I think ya need a good kick in the backside R.D. A little hard work never hurt any pony. I sure don't know what happened to ya. Ya used to be Ponyvilles greatest flier, now ya can't even buck an apple off a tree! I don't know what to say, Rainbow Dash."

"I don't either," Rainbow Dash responded.

"OH! OH! OH! I KNOW," Pinkie Pie yelled as she hung upside down from a tree nearby. "Dashie, just needs a little cheering up. She needs a party!"

Rainbow Dash looked even more exhausted. "Pinkie Pie, I don't think now is a good time to..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Pinkie Pie grabbed Rainbow Dash by the hoof and brought her to Sugar Cube Corner. She had already set up a party for her. "My Pinkie senses told me that some pony was depressed and I remembered that you were having a hard time, so I set up an extra special party for you! Look! Gummy wants to give you a kiss!" She brought the baby alligator close to her face.

He opened his mouth and latched on to half of Rainbow Dash's face.

"Yea, that's great," she murmured, as she pried the baby alligator off of her face.

DING!

"Oh that's the oven!" Pinkie Pie yelled out, "Be right back! Don't go anywhere!"

Rainbow Dash put her head in her hooves and began to nod off to sleep. She shot right back up when Pinkie Pie blew her party horn in her ear. "Wake up, Dashie! I made my signature cupcakes just for you! No pony can refuse a smile while eating one!"

Rainbow Dash wasn't in the mood for a cupcake, but her stomach confirmed that she was indeed hungry, so she took a bite from one of the cupcakes. Just then a smile appeared on her face. It only lasted a few seconds, but Pinkie Pie was right. It was impossible not to smile while eating a Pinkie Pie cupcake.

"Awww Dashie, don't be so glum," Pinkie Pie said as she gave her friend a big hug. Rainbow Dash's eyes slightly bulged out of her sockets from the tight hug.

"Listen Pinkie Pie, I appreciate the party and everything, but I'm just too tired right now to party. I need to go home."

"OH! OH! OH!" Pinkie Pie cheered as she bounced in place. "Can we do this again tomorrow? How about we do this every day until you feel better?"

"No, that will not be necessary," Rainbow Dash said in a sorry sounding voice. "I just need to get home now."

"OKIE DOKIE LOKIE!" the pink mare said as she bounced around the room.

Rainbow Dash had left Sugar Cube Corner in a trance-like state. Just as she walked out of the house, she bumped into Rarity.

"Oh my!" Rarity said. "Rainbow Dash, you look like such a mess! When on earth was the last time you had a makeover?"

Rainbow Dash couldn't think straight. She just stood there with a dumb look on her face.

"Hello Rainbow Dash?" Rarity waved her hoof in front of her. "Why do you look so glum dear?"

"I just don't feel so good anymore," the blue mare confessed.

"Oh, well I know just the thing that will make you feel all better." Rarity walked Rainbow Dash over to her shop.

"Are you sure this is absolutely necessary, Rarity?" Rainbow Dash asked, as she squirmed in her seat a bit.

Rarity smiled with her eyes close and said, "Yes, of course it is, my dear. One cannot be as happy on the inside, if she does not look beautiful on the outside." Rarity reached into a container and smeared a mud mask all over Rainbow Dash's face.

Rainbow Dash squirmed again in discomfort.

Rarity put two slices of cucumbers on her eyes. Now just sit there and relax as I give you a manicure.

Rainbow groaned loudly. "Will this take long, Rarity?"

"Not at all my dear," Rarity said.

After about a half hour of grooming, Rarity washed the mud mask off of Rainbow Dash's face. "Well don't you look so much better! Oh! I know what you need!" Rarity said as she grabbed Rainbow Dash and forced her over to a mirror. She started putting Rainbow Dash in various dresses and outfits of all kinds of styles.

Rainbow Dash really hated this. She was never into any of this fancy lady-like business before and she certainly wasn't enjoying it now.

Opalescence watched with a satisfied smirk on her face as Rainbow Dash squirmed around in even more discomfort now.

"There now, don't you look fabulous?" Rarity said as she eyed Rainbow Dash from all sides of the room.

Rainbow Dash muttered something to herself. She shook her body violently and all of the clothes came flying off. "I really appreciate the help Rarity, but I don't think this is the solution to my problem."

Rarity looked disappointed and said, "Well, if you ever want to meet at the spa with Fluttershy and I, just stop on by."

Rainbow Dash closed the door and wandered around for a bit. This was ridiculous. None of her friend’s suggestions were helping her at all. She wondered what was wrong with her. That's when it hit her. "I know who to go see about my problems," she said aloud. "I'll go visit that egg-head, Twilight Sparkle! She'll know for sure how to get me better!" Rainbow Dash knocked with impatience at Twilight Sparkle's door. She was greeted by Spike.

He looked up at her and said, "Well hey there Rainbow Dash! What brings you around?"

Rainbow Dash peered around the room and said, "Is Twilight Sparkle home? I really need to talk to her."

"She sure is," Spike affirmed. "She's upstairs studying right now."

Rainbow Dash walked inside and climbed the stairs.

Twilight Sparkle was hunched over a book. Her eyes appeared to be devouring a book word by word.

Rainbow nervously interrupted her studies. "Hey Twilight Sparkle, do you have a moment to help me out?"

Twilight Sparkle sat up straight and turned around. "Oh hey Rainbow Dash, I sure can. What can I help you with?"

Rainbow Dash looked at her with shame in her eyes. "I'm in a lot of trouble. You see, I recently lost my job being a Wonderbolt and I also got fired from clearing the clouds from the skies. I have no job right now and it seems that I'm too tired and in too much pain to do much of anything."

"Hmmm," Twilight Sparkle pondered to herself.

Out came a barrage of books that flew from the shelves.

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash did their very best to find out what illness she could possibly have, judging from her symptoms.

Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep with a book still in her face.

Twilight Sparkle used her magic to grab a book and poke the pegasus on the side to wake her up. "Well Rainbow Dash. I came up with a list of illnesses that you might have. I couldn't narrow it down, but there are hundreds of possibilities that include pain and fatigue. I personally have a feeling that you might be suffering from the common Pony virus, but there is no magic strong enough to cure that."

Rainbow Dash's eyes looked at the list. She let out a deep sigh. "I guess we won't know for sure," she said.

Twilight Sparkle looked back down at her list. "Nope, but I know someone who might be able to help you with all of that pain and fatigue. Zecora."

By now, it was very late and too dangerous to venture into the Everfree forest.

"Rainbow Dash, you look very tired, would you like to sleep over at my house? I have an extra bed for you upstairs."

That thought sounded wonderful to Rainbow Dash. She wanted nothing more than to sleep right now. She quickly accepted the offer and fell asleep. She dreamed peaceful and sweet dreams that night.

"Rainbow Dash! Wake up!" Spike gently shook her awake, as he held a plate of two pieces of toast in his other claw. "You have over slept the day. It's already three O' clock in the afternoon and Twilight Sparkle has been waiting all day for you to get up. I made you some toast." Spike left the plate of toast next to Rainbow Dash's bed on a desk.

Rainbow Dash took a bite. "Thanks for the toast, Spike," Rainbow Dash said with a mouthful of toast.

Twilight Sparkle walked upstairs. "Oh! You’re awake now. How about we head on over to Zecora's hut to see if she has any herbal remedies for you?"

Rainbow Dash nodded as she took another bite of her very late breakfast.

Soon, they were out the door and on their way into the Everfree forest.

Once inside the forest, Rainbow Dash had to struggle to keep up.

Twilight Sparkle looked back and said, "Come on Rainbow Dash, you need to pick up the pace if you want to catch Zecora on time."

Rainbow Dash struggled. She was so tired, even after all that sleep that she had last night. Finally, they made it to Zecora's hut.

Twilight Sparkle knocked on her door.

The door opened immediately.

Zecora appeared and said, "Welcome my pony friends! What do you say? What brings you out here today?"

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash walked in.

Twilight Sparkle started to explain. "Well, it's my friend Rainbow Dash. She has not been feeling well for many months and she suffers with chronic fatigue and pain. Is there anything you can give her to make her feel better?"

Zecora nodded. "I have some turmeric to fight the inflammation and pain and some vitamins that will put her back in the game." Zecora went over and chopped up a root of turmeric. She got out some herbs and supplements and mixed them together in a pot. She stirred her brew around and poured it out into several bowls. She instructed Rainbow Dash, "Now drink one bowl a day until you're all done, and then see if you feel better, as your wings fly you to the sun."

Rainbow Dash thanked her as she and Twilight Sparkle helped Zecora put lids on the bowls and pack them away into Twilight Sparkle's back packs.

"Take care and get rest," Zecora instructed. "Very soon you should feel your very best."

"Will do, Zecora," Rainbow Dash said.

"Thank you so much, Zecora. It means so much to Rainbow Dash and I," Twilight Sparkle added, as she left some money on the table.

Zecora smiled as the mares left her hut.

Rainbow Dash galloped over to Twilight Sparkle's side. "So, do you think this stuff will really work, Twilight Sparkle?"

"I don't know," Twilight Sparkle replied. "All we can do is hope for the best and try."

Back at Twilight Sparkle's home, Rainbow Dash drank the bitter and earthy tasting brew. It didn't taste so well to her, but she swallowed it all as quickly as she could. The brew did make her feel better, but it was only a temporary feeling. Still, she was desperate and she took whatever help she could get.

Several days after she finished her last bowl, her pain and fatigue returned full blast.

She couldn't afford anymore help from Zecora and she was too embarrassed to ask her to help her at no charge, even though Zecora was kind spirited enough to do so. Making that brew looked like a lot of work and she would feel guilty if she couldn't pay her any money for her labor.

Twilight Sparkle walked over and put her front leg around Rainbow Dash. She sighed in frustration. "I don’t know what else I can do for you, Rainbow Dash. I have tried everything I could possibly imagine and nothing has gotten you back up on your hooves again."

A single teardrop fell from Rainbow Dash's eye and hit the floor. "Thanks for the help Twilight Sparkle. I really appreciate what you have done for me. I guess I'd better go home now."

Not knowing what else to say, Twilight Sparkle wished her to get better soon and Rainbow Dash was out all alone again.

As she wandered across Ponyville, she started to become bitter and hate herself for what had happened to her. Her anger only made her more tired and she fell asleep under the shade of a tree on the outer skirts of the Everfree forest.

A soft, tiny voice awakened her from her slumber. "Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash. Wake up please."

She opened her groggy eyes and saw that Fluttershy was sitting patiently with Angel sitting on her shoulder.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash. Angel told me that you were sleeping out here. It's getting late and all sorts of dangerous critters come out at night. I don't want you to get hurt. Twilight Sparkle told me that you have been very sick and I'd like to offer to take care of you. Would that be okay?"

At this point, Rainbow Dash didn't even need to think about receiving help. She would take any possible help that she could get. She willingly got up and walked over to Fluttershy's house.

"You look a bit dirty, Rainbow Dash. Let me get the bath water running so you can take a nice relaxing bath. That should help with your pain level too."

Rainbow Dash, exhausted, stumbled over to the tub. She got in and relaxed.

Fluttershy instructed, "Now while you take a nice warm bath, I'm going to make some homemade soup for you to enjoy. Doesn’t that sound good?"

Rainbow Dash smiled and thanked her before she left. She was comfortable in the warm bath water, but she was deeply worried about her well being. She took her hoof and swished the water around a bit. It had been so many months since she hasn't been able to function at all and she felt guilty about all this help she was getting, without being able to return any favors to her other friends.

"Rainbow Dash, your soup is ready. I know you must be hungry. Please come out and have some."

Rainbow Dash got out of the tub and enjoyed the soup that her friend had made her. Rainbow Dash could clearly see why Fluttershy represented the element of kindness. She was so soft spoken, kind and so very gentle with Rainbow Dash. All she could do was thank the yellow mare for her kindness.

Fluttershy let her rest as much as she wanted and only woke her up for some food or water when it was time to eat.

After weeks had passed, and still no improvement was made with Rainbow Dash's health, Fluttershy decided that it was time to seek professional medical help.

Rainbow Dash, however, did not like this idea at all. She wasn't the biggest fan of going to see the doctor, but she really didn't have a choice since she was under the care of Fluttershy.

They did all kinds of blood work on her and all kinds of medical tests. All of the very serious diseases came out negative which was good, but it still left Rainbow Dash without an answer regarding her suffering. Finally, she had a test that came back positive for something.

The doctor walked into her room with a chart. Rainbow Dash sat up in anticipation.

The doctor cleared his throat and began. "Well, it looks like we found the cause of your fatigue and pain, Rainbow Dash. According to the latest blood work, you tested positive for the common Pony virus. The Pony virus count was so high in your system, that it was impossible for our machines to calculate an exact number. This explains your extreme fatigue and pain."

Rainbow Dash looked worried. ”Will I ever get better, doctor? Why have I been so sick for so long?"

The doctor continued, "Well, you see, Rainbow Dash, most ponies get this virus sometime in their life time. It's commonly caught by kissing or sharing a drink with some pony else."

Rainbow Dash's mind went back to when she dated Rapidfire. She must have caught the Pony virus from him, but they never kissed while he was sick, so that didn't explain how she had gotten it.

The doctor continued, "The Pony virus is a very tricky disease. One moment it can remain dormant, but another moment it can flare up, causing you to be very contagious to others. It's hard to determine when the virus is active in your system or not. Even if you feel like you're all better, you can still be contagious to others."

Rainbow Dash looked down at the floor in sadness.

The doctor continued, "There will never be a time when you'll be cured from this virus, Rainbow Dash, but rest assure that the virus has the possibility to go dormant in the future. You have been very sick for a long time. Your immune system must be shot. Have you had any recent losses, traumas or heart breaks?"

Rainbow Dash picked her head back up and said "Yes. All of the above."

"Well," the doctor said. "That would explain why you probably haven’t recovered in such long period of time. You've probably weakened your immune system more than it could handle, through all of the recent loss and grief."

Rainbow Dash suddenly had a look of desperation on her face. "Well, what else can I do, doctor? Please tell me there is something I can do to feel better."

The doctor slowly shook his head. "I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, but there is no cure for the Pony virus. All you can do is rest. Please get plenty of rest and make sure to take good care of yourself. Stop by anytime if you have any further questions."

Rainbow Dash left the office feeling completely overwhelmed, defeated and hopeless.

Fluttershy was there to greet her in the waiting room. "So, any news Rainbow Dash? Did they find out what's causing you all of these problems?"

Rainbow Dash walked passed Fluttershy without even making any eye contact. "Yeah," she said. "The doctor said I have a severe case of the Pony virus and that there's no cure for it. All I can do is rest and wait until my immune system can fight it off."

"Oh my," the yellow mare said. "Well, don't you worry about anything. I'm going to take good care of you for as long as it takes. Now, let's get you back to bed so you can rest up."

Comments

[dashybrony2012]

Aww oh Fluttershy WHY do u have to be so darn ADORABLE lol!!

[TwibraFlattercordlover]

It bothers me how they kept saying " Twilight Sparkle" and " Rainbow Dash "