RoMS' Extravaganza

by RoMS

Apr. 2013 - Beyond All Thresholds - 2. Doubts Never Die

2. Doubts never die

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By the time Applejack had returned to Sweet Apple Acres, the sun was nearly down behind the western mountains. The events of the afternoon had disturbed her so deeply her mind was shattered and her heart utterly broken. She had now to tell Big Macintosh and Granny Smith, they needed to know. However she strongly believed incapable to tell them the harsh truth.

Applebloom was also an issue she had to raise. She and her friends idolized Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo was even close to worship the latter. And now, Applejack wanted to initiate action, to be responsible and announce the earth-shattering news to her family and her sister.

‘Sometimes a lie is easier to take’. Dredged up from years past, Discord's terrible words resurfaced in Applejack’s mind. Being a liar always brought problems, and the consequences had always been far-reaching. She was particularly aware of this truth. Yet in this particular case, lying was an easy way out.

“Don’t lie, never lie”, she convinced herself, or rather tried to.

A thought popped in her mind. She was not forced to tell a lie nor did she have to tell the truth. Silence was right now absolutely golden. Sorrow soaked her heart. She was pitiful, searching for an escape.
She climbed over the old fence surrounding Sweet Apple Acres. The sun finally disappeared in the edge of her vision. The sky darkened and the first star of Ursa Minor twinkled high in the sky.

Light was bathing the windows of the Apple Family’s farmstead. A sweet smell floated in the air. Granny Smith had made apple pie again, for Applejack’s greatest pleasure. But this enjoyable smell was not enough to chase away her mental goings-on.
On the doorstep, Applejack stopped. She was hesitant and doubtful. With a hoof on the door lock, she tried to calm herself, to mask her inner emotional turmoil.

She sighed, took a deep breath and opened the door. Stomping the doormat in the hallway, she hung her hat on the coat rack and stared at the neighbouring door, half opened.

In the kitchen, Big Mac was already washing the dishes. The Apple Family had dined before the sunset and Apple Bloom was finishing her dessert, a small frozen apple cake. The young filly granted her big sister a broad grin, crumbs stuck on her muzzle.
On the opposite side of the large table, Granny Smith was napping in her rocking chair, swinging back and forth.

“Hi everypony! Hi Winona! How y'all doing?” Applejack greeted, forcing an expression of good mood on her features.

Granny Smith half-opened her eyelids. She caught a drop of sweat rolling on Applejack’s forehead.
Applejack was clearly late. And as elders always disliked anything out of the ordinary, she gazed at the mare who stopped in motion. Granny Smith’s eyes narrowed, her stare pierced her grand-daughter from side to side. Applejack gulped with difficulty.
Granny Smith frowned, relying on her ancient sixth sense. Her gaze met Applejack's and the orange pony instinctively flinched.

“Apple Bloom?” Granny Smith asked gently.

“Yes Granny?”

“Take your pie with you and go to your room, I need to talk to your big sister.”

“But…”

Applejack’s faked smile deliquesced as she understood what Granny Smith wanted… a face to face discussion. She avoided her granny’s stultifying stare, obviously embarrassed.

“Listen to yer gran’ma Apple Bloom. Go up and no arguin’!” Applejack added without much conviction.

She had jumped on the occasion to speak up and turn to somepony who was not oppressing by with a mere gaze. However, Applejack’s words had been too harsh. Apple Bloom scowled at her sister and ran away, tearful.
Applejack took a seat in front of Granny Smith. She held her breath.

“What happened AJ?” Granny firmly asked with her twang voice.

Granny Smith’s forehead wrinkled even more as she sharp-eyed her grand-daughter. Applejack sighed and did nothing but confess the terrible events of the past day. Big Macintosh started stomping the floor, nervously. His left hoof was unsettled.

“She’ll never fly again?” He queried hesitantly.

Applejack nodded. She was livid and thinking about the investigators’ photos still disturbed her. Her cutie marks had been ripped from her stifle. Even worse, she had also taken a look at Rainbow’s surgery report before leaving the hospital. Her eyes… Applejack had absolutely no idea whether Rainbow would ever recover from such ordeal.
The cyan pegasus was broken from now on. Everything that made her the mare she knew so well had been taken away, torn apart. No more awesomeness, no crazy dashing around, no more sonic rainbooms. She was nopony now. Her own identity had been snatched from her.

“You’ll have to be gentle with Rainbow when she wakes up. Watch upon her carefully.” Granny said, keeping her voice neutral. “Don’t be surprised if she tries… well you understand. You remembered what uncle Cidre Doux did when he lost his hindhoof.”

Applejack stuttered, thinking about this old family story.

“Gr… Granny, do yah have to be so crude?”

“But that’s the truth and you know it,” she hammered. “Look… I know you care about her, I just wanted to warn you about that.”

Applejack sighed. She could not argue with the facts. It was time to be honest and face reality.

“Ah...Ah need to think. Ah’m goin’ out!”

On the doorstep, she lit a lantern and put her hat on. She glanced back at the kitchen where Granny Smith went back to napping, then cantered off into the night, bound for the orchards. Ten minutes later, the Apple family could hear somepony noisily bucking apple trees.

Ϩ ϡ Ω ϥ ϕ ϥ Ω ϡ Ϩ

From her room windows, Apple Bloom watched her sister slowly fading in the darkness until the tiny light from her lantern disappeared. The moon had not yet risen.

“Why is she so mean to me?” Apple Bloom complained with eyes wet with tears. “What I’ve done wrong?”

Granny Smith had been so serious when her big sister walked in. Apple Bloom was resented being put aside like this, she was not a foal anymore. Would she always be the Applejack and her grandma’s “silly lil’ filly”?

Thinking, something was clearly afoot and she had to find out what. And this, she thought, was a quest she could not go on alone. She had to gather her fellow friends.

When the Cutie Mark Crusaders inherited Applejack’s old clubhouse, the Crusaders had decided to create a way to assemble. This mode was a signal similar to those “super stallions” had in the comics Twilight kept in Ponyville’s library. Applebloom remembered the joyful face of Scootaloo when she saw the calling signal of Batmane.

She kindled the wick of a candle and brought it to her window. There was a little box which interior was made up of mirrors. Putting the candle inside, Apple Bloom oriented it toward a reflector fixed on a distant tree. A complex system of reflections that the Crusaders had set up should do the rest of the job. Everything put aside, Apple Bloom had to admit that she never really tested it before. She repeated the procedure once more.

Apple Bloom waited for five minutes. Then a large smile cleared her face, she had received an answer. It was infinitesimal, but she could still see a flashing light glaring on the distant apple tree, redirected to her thanks to the mirror. A Crusader had responded.

On second thought, Apple Bloom pouted swiftly. The system had worked, it was an inescapable fact, but she had absolutely no clue about the identity of the filly who had answered. There was always the possibility that an ill-intentioned mare could have responded. That the creature was trying to trick her and keep her away from getting her cutie mark. Applebloom enjoyed imagining herself living a great adventure.

She put an end to her wishful thinkings, grabbed her saddlebags and put on her tabard sporting the Cutie Mark Crusaders heraldry. She faked her shape under her bed sheets with few pillows and then sneaked out of Sweet Apple Acres.

The night was dark and unsettling but Ponyville was not far away. At least she did not have to walk along the Everfree Forest like Fluttershy had to every day… Her cottage was located so close to this creepy place.
She crossed a plaque announcing Ponyville. The only thing she had to do now was to reach the meeting place.

Ϩ ϡ Ω ϥ ϕ ϥ Ω ϡ Ϩ

Anger was running through Rarity’s veins. She was throwing a fit of rage as she never did before, rumbling over her shop. She charged into her models. Carousel Boutique had ended into a monstrous mess since a couple of hours. The unicorn was terrifying. She uttered, cried and was muttering.
Opal, her cat, hid beneath a chest of drawers, trembling and hissing.

She repeated martial arts holds and armlocks on her dummies. One even broke down. In the past she had surprised her friends beating Changelings and even trying to kick a manticore with techniques of her own devising. She, a delicate unicorn, did not fit the role of a powerful warrior. And she was fine with it, refusing to be tagged as an ‘unrefined’ lady. However, as said her mother, it was not a reason to be a complete ignorant in the sweet art of defending oneself.

She was a whirlwind roaring through the boutique. Unfortunately the din she had created was drawing attention. Somepony knocked on the door. Rarity snapped out of her destructive mood and stared angrily at her hallway.

“One moment, please,” She managed to say softly.

She brushed her mane as fast as she could. Her horn started glowing while her magic pushed away the obstacles in the path.

A guard was standing at the doorstep. The reflections of the stallion’s lantern were casting odd shadows on his tired face. With the light coming from below, its shades were utterly creepy. Rarity suddenly remembered some slumber parties where a filly had tried to intone a creepy song .

“Miss Rarity? Is everything okay in there?”

“Oh… Yes, yes, of course. I’m just doing… some spring cleaning.”

Obviously persuasion was not her cutie mark talent. The guard raised a brow, worried and unconvinced. Rarity hid her malaise behind a fake smile. Or at least she tried to.

“We understand what you’re going through,” The soldier reassured gently. “but please, don’t disturb the neighbourhood.”

“I won't…”

She slammed the door.

“Peasant.” Rarity grumbled.

She sat in the middle of the shop, looking at the chaos she had wreaked upon it. She had this horrible felling dwelling in her bowels, this unsettling impression of guiltiness. And she sought for the reason. What had she done to feel this miserable?

“Rarity? Why are you so angry? Have I done something ‘uncouth’… again?”

Sweetie Belle appeared upstairs. She lay low behind the wooden guardrail of the second floor hallway. Rarity sighed heavily and went up. Putting her hoof on the cringing filly’s shoulder she dried her yet-to-be tears and smiled.

“No, no! You’ve done nothing wrong. It’s just… just me.”

Rarity’s hesitation made her sister uncomfortable. Rarity tried to be reassuring, toddling between useless excuses and hackneyed reassuring talks.

“Look, my dear, a particularly terrible event has put Ponyville in grieving. Something that hit my friends and I really hard happened and it keeps bothering me. But it’s absolutely nothing you need to worry about. Now go back to your bed. You need some rest.”

Indeed Sweetie Belle needed to sleep. She had school the next morning.

“Does it have anything to do with… dad and mommy?” Sweetie Belle said, tearful.

“No. Of course not. Now please go back to bed.”

Sweetie Belle was disappointed. Rarity was quiet as the grave about the incident and she would keep it that way.

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Back in her room Sweetie Belle’s anxiousness grew. Rarity had gotten back to her temper tantrum, rocketing heavy loads of dummies in her shop. Sweetie Belle covered up her ears. She hated when her sister was angry. It always made her wet her bed with tears.
Moreover something was afoot, Rarity had admitted it. Sweetie Belle convinced herself she had to get to the bottom of this story.
She paused as something drew her attention. From the corner of her eye she caught a tiny light.

“The signal! It worked! Cutie Mark Crusaders rally!”

Indeed, a luminescent spot was reflected on her wall, right inside the red circle she drew with one of her sister’s markers. It blinked twice for a short period of time and then stopped definitely. Sweetie Belle had to respond. Although to do so, she had to sneak into the kitchen to take the cooking lighter. Inopportunely, the room was downstairs, and she would have to hack through her sister’s mess.
It took her a long time. Sweetie Belle nearly stepped on a broken dummy, but with a lot of sweat and will did fine in the end.

She responded to the call and discreetly left the house.

Ϩ ϡ Ω ϥ ϕ ϥ Ω ϡ Ϩ

“Zecora, what do you think about this? It’s like an everlasting nightmare. I want to wake up.”

Fluttershy was miserably sitting in Zecora’s living room, deep inside the frightful Everfree Forest. As ever before, eerie masks were hung on the wall, doing nothing but saping Fluttershy’s morale.

“Fellow pony, you should not express such demand, Sometimes brash requests don’t go as planned,” Zecora replied, as serene as usual.

“But… I may be harsh, excuse me… but it feels like I’m day-dreaming. I can’t simply believe Pinkie had killed ponies. I simply can’t!” Fluttershy stammered, her cheeks soaked by her small tears.

Gravely, Zecora began alchemizing over her brass cooking pot. Her spatula was scraping and grating inside, making Fluttershy grind her teeth.

“Mop up those tears and cast away your fears. Sometimes nopony can be the right mare in the right place. And then we all shall have dark catastrophes to face.”

A timberwolf howled outside. The wild call echoed in Zecora’s hut. Fluttershy gasped, hiding her head under a pillow. Zecora was worried. It had been two days the creatures had kept shouting to the moon, but it was not the mating season or a period of migration. She was unsettled by these signs, which for sure were of ill-omen.

“Zecora, please. I need advices. What should I do when Rainbow wakes up? I… I’m so afraid she’ll be jealous.”

Zecora raised an eyebrow.

“I can’t figure why she would… I…”

Fluttershy cut off Zecora.

“With Twilight becoming an alicorn and gaining her wings and… that I still have mine… She is grounded now, only able to watch us from there. I’m sure she will be angry at me!” Fluttershy sobbed. “I don’t care about mine because I live on the earth. But Rainbow’s wings were everything for her. They were her life, and her life was up over the clouds, in the sky. I simply can’t look down at her. Life is so unfair.”

“… I can only advise you to let your fears go for what is in the future, we cannot know.”

It was nearly midnight and Fluttershy was afraid to return to her cottage. Getting aware of Fluttershy’s concerns, the shaman offered her hospitality for the night. Fluttershy was pleased, though she first refused the offer. She was kind and reserved and always tried not to bother her friends, hosts or everypony she encountered.
Zecora insisted, and after hearing a new creepy howling, Fluttershy finally consented to stay.

Even if exhaust was laying her low, Fluttershy had not slept since the “sorrowful event”. Each time she closed her eyes, she saw Rainbow Dash, angrier than she had ever been before, pursuing her.

Zecora held out a cup of the brew she had mixed earlier. Thankful, Fluttershy accepted it but took nearly two minutes to start drinking its contents. It seemed to be tea. Bitterness flooded her mouth.

“Eww! What is it?”

“It’s a rare species from where I grew up. It’s a recipe I’ve thought up. It will help you think, making go away what’s kink.”

Fluttershy’s thoughts, which were still bothering her, slowly faded away. The strange potion made her feel better.

“I’m sleepy Zecora.” Fluttershy pointed out.

“My mixture is like a sleeping pill, it will give you a night without what makes you ill.”

Indeed, Fluttershy sunk into a deep and peaceful sleep on the couch of the living room. Zecora covered her with a warm blanket and blew out the candles.

Before she went upstairs, she stared through the windows and shivered.

“Sometimes we have reasons to dread, and thoroughbred monsters we must face head to head.”

Zecora’s hutt darkened as the last candle was blown out.

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Earlier, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had gathered under the city hall. Few weeks ago, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had found an open air vent which led to the archives of Ponyville. There, surrounded by old books and forgotten lists and reports, they had decided to put their mark on the “Z” shelf. For the crusaders, it had looked to be the most unused and remote location of the basement. Besides, Scootaloo had said it was an act of bravery to come down there.

Sweetie Belle sneezed, the dust was tickling her muzzle.

“I tried to find Scootaloo, but she wasn’t here,” Apple Bloom stated.

“Did you see all those guards around the town? Something crazy must be happening.”

“I know, Applejack was so angry this evenin’, she shouted at me. But I did nothin’ wrong! I swear. That’s so unfair.”

“Rarity was on a rampage too. She turned the boutique upside down.”

“Somethin’ is really messed up. We Cutie Mark Crusaders have to find out,” Apple Bloom harangued.

“Wait! We must meet up Scootaloo first!”

“Ah yes. She could be anywhere. Maybe she was caught!” Apple Bloom exclaimed.

“BOO!”
The two fillies screeched and jumped. Sweetie Belle bumped the “Y” shelf, making it crumble down. Somepony coughed. Standing among the fallen books, covered in dirt, was Scootaloo. Her prank did not end as she had expected. An open book was set upon her head. She snorted, launching dust at her friends.

“Stop it Scootaloo.” Apple Bloom said with a sneeze.

“How did you find us?” Sweetie Belle added, still in shock.

Scootaloo moved out of the pile of books.

“I’ve just seen you hanging outside of the air vent. I’ve been up all night. With all those guards on a war hoofing, I can try out my infiltration skills,” The young pegasus showed off.

“Infiltratin’?” Apple Bloom could hardly believe his ears. “I didn’t know spyin’ was within your league?”

Her ton was clearly ironic. Scootaloo had just showed how she can handle being discreet… and dusty.

“Don’t you see how fun this is? There is a huge mystery in Ponyville and we can figure it out,” Scootaloo emphasized. “Armed guards and a black and scary night. This is the occasion to find our cutie marks.”

The three ponies enjoyed the idea.

“Let’s go!” Sweetie Belle cried out after she had wiped her tears.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders pulled themselves out of the archives. The courtyard was so cold and the Crusaders shivered. A soft breeze started blowing through their manes.
From the corner of the street came the slamming of horseshoes. Lantern lights swept about.

“Guards! Run away.” Apple Bloom spoke in a low voice.

The small group hurried up to the next house and hid behind big flowerpots. The guards were from the night watch, the Princess Luna’s personal earth guards. Their coats were dark grey and the plates of their armour were black and purple. They each carried spears except the head pony, who carried a banner displaying Luna's seal, a twisted and terrifying dragon.

Keeping in step, they crossed the place where Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were hiding. The three unfortunate fillies held their breath and waited as the guards disappeared around the corner.

“What did I tell you, infiltration! I’ve mastered it,” Scootaloo extolled.

“You still don’t have a cutie mark though!” Sweetie Belle remarked.

Scootaloo stuck out her tongue. Her friends responded with giggles.
Roaming the streets of Ponyville, the Crusaders were quite lost in the dark, trying to avoid being caught by the creepy guards of the Night Princess. It was really fun though. They passed some typical cottages of the city and crossed the yard in front of Golden Oaks Library.

After thirty minutes of roving and hide and seek, they heard a voice.

Crawling with caution, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle reached a large square in front of Sugarcube Corner. There were two silhouettes facing each other. One was clearly a pony, the other one was quite disturbing.

“Is that…” Sweetie Belle tried to say when Scootaloo cut her off.

“Shhh…”

Indeed it was the shape of Discord, the notorious spirit of chaos.
The three fillies also recognized the voice of Twilight Sparkle when she raised her voice.

“Discord, you should worry about Rainbow Dash…”

Twilight was far from the Crusaders’ safe haven which made her words difficult to understand.

“Did she say ‘Rainbow Dash’?” Scootaloo nearly exclaimed.

“Shhh, I can’t understand what they’re saying.” Sweetie Belle remarked.

“But what about Rainbow?”

Apple Bloom gave Scootaloo a menacing look. The pegasus quieted. Discord leaned toward his interlocutor. The three spectators were now clueless about what was being plotted in front of Sugarcube Corner.
After a few minutes, Discord disappeared. Twilight looked really depressed. Sweetie Belle caught her crying.

“Wow, something really bad must have happened,” she said in a low voice.

In the middle of the esplanade, Twilight sighed.

“Tomorrow I’ll see her at the hospital.” She said to herself.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stared at their pegasus friend. Scootaloo enjoyed a near sisterhood with Rainbow. And now, she was livid.

“The… the hospital.”

Ϩ ϡ Ω ϥ ϕ ϥ Ω ϡ Ϩ

When she returned to Golden Oaks Library, Twilight found Spike as she left him, snoring loudly on his couch. She envied his peace. When she lay down, she, on the other hand, couldn't find sleep.

Tired of her own goings-on, she went downstairs. She was still thinking about Discord’s claims. With her magic, she picked books randomly.

“Mares and Colts of Ancient Times… no! Forgotten Plants from the Arctic Circle! Wait what… how could indexed flora could be listed as forgotten? That’s silly!?”

One by one, she threw books in a pile in the middle of the library.

“Necrodraconoponomicon!?” She exclaimed. “Another fake book... Be… Beyond the realms… I did not even know I had this one, who the buck wrote this… by Star… Star Swirl.”

The name was not written on the book’s cover but it was clearly the mage’s mark that was engraved on it.
Star Swirl the bearded, she could not believe it. How did this book end up here? Moreover, how could she not know about it? Thrilled about discovering absolute magic and knowledge she opened the book.

She only shook her head in disbelief, “How dumb I can be!”

She threw the book away, which fell opened on the floor. Each page was torn or written in a language she had never seen before. She remember to study it later.

Twilight was angry, exhausted and frustrated. Over all, she felt powerless. And she hated that feeling, she who was so organized. She pulled out a book from her shelves, “Nursery magic”. She searched for a spell.

“Sleep spell… Here we go.”

Fed up about the journey she had been through, she went upstairs. She lay on her bed and cast the spell on herself. She fell in a deep but troubled sleep…

She was running as fast as she can, fleeing from something. Was it a monstrous foe? A dark and purple smoke? Or something worse than whatever her imagination could breed? She was clueless and above all, she refused to know its nature.
There was nothing in the world that could compel her to turn and face the threat.

She ran as she never did before. The speed was blowing air through her mane, rustling her fur. She opened her wings and leaped in the air.

For a mere second she thought she would be safe, that the hideous thing could not follow her.
An invisible force broke her hopes instantly. The power tackled her down, shaking her limbs and wings, shattering her inner being. Stunned, she could only witness what was surrounding her…. Mist…. A light grey vapour.
Fear swamped her mind. She was suddenly deprived of all her magic. She shrunk to the size of the filly she was in kindergarten. Powerless, she could only cry. She felt so miserable. And the laugh of invisible bullies did nothing to help.

A well-known silhouette emerged from the haze. It was a deformed, crooked and crippled image of the pony she knew so well.

“Rainbow?”

The so-called pony’s eyeballs had been removed, her mouth was drooling a blackened blood and riveted to a bone necklace dangled both of her wings.

“I’ve no bounds now, but that means no boundaries either!”

Rainbow drew a knife out of her lacerated flank. Slowly she came closer to the young filly. The twisted grin spreading on her ravaged face was the most alienating thing Twilight had ever witnessed.

“Here comes the reward!” Rainbow laughed out loud.

The pegasus’ shadow was in the sobbing pony’s light. It had a weird shape, too big, too torturous, like a draconequus’. Two glowing red eyes gazed at the terrified victim.

“Had enough Twilight?” The monster asked.

Twilight sat up and took the deepest breath she ever took. She was running with sweat and she had wet herself. That hadn't happened since she was a foal. The nightmare had been so… real. But as strange as it could be, she could not remember it well. They were just… Rainbow Dash.

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Once Twilight had gone out of sight, the Crusaders dragged themselves out of the shadows and stood in front of Sugarcube Corner. The warning yellow strips amused Scootaloo, the two others were surprised. They had only seen such bands in investigation movies and series.

“Twilight said Rainbow is at the hospital, we must hurry!”

Scootaloo insisted, shaking up Apple Bloom. The pegasus had started panicking and was on the verge of crying.

“Ah’lright, ah’lright, but stop please! You’re gettin’ spooky!” Apple Bloom conceded, slipping away from Scootaloo’s clutch.

Dodging a couple of patrols, the three novice spies headed to the northern part of Ponyville. The hospital was standing at the exit of the town. It was also surrounded by a large park where the convalescents could “enjoy” their recovery.

Even by night, some parts of the hospital were still lit up. Through the windows, the three fillies could see doctors and nurses in urge. Emergency happened at every moment of the day.However, the east wing of the building was plunged in darkness. It was reserved for the sleeping patients.
Strangely, there were guards here too.

“Not again,” said Apple Bloom. “They are everywhere, like if there are some dark mares hangin’ around the town.”

“There might be one,” Scootaloo spooked with a ghostly tone. “Rainbow Dash can’t hurt herself, she must have fight an enemy! She is super-ultra-extreme-awesomazing.”

“I dunno, but if we want to see her, we have to be quiet,” Apple Bloom stated.

“This isn’t a game… If we get caught, Rarity will be even more furious!” Sweetie Belle pouted.

Everypony except Scootaloo seemed to be on the back hoof in this situation.

The Crusaders hid behind a bush. Scootaloo drew a hardly matching scheme of the hospital. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had difficulty to see it. The stars’ light was not enough to lit up the garden.

“See there,” Scootaloo pointed out. “I think there is a back door, we could sneak in and make our way through the hospital… to find Rainbow. Are you with me?”

“I… I guess,” Her two friends answered.

Skirting around the principal entrance where two guards were standing, the Crusaders arrived to the mentioned door. It was the one for the medical service. Scootaloo took the lead. She was worried about her “adoptive big sister”. And each step which made her closer to the hospital did nothing but increase her anxiousness.

“You took me under your wing, I have to help you,” Scootaloo whispered.

“What did you say?” Sweetie Belle asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing, absolutely nothing.”

The door grated on its rusty hinges, causing the crusaders’ fur to bristle out of fear of being caught red-handed.

“Shhhhh…”

“I ain’t the door!” Scootaloo responded with an ounce of irony.

The east wing of the hospital was really quiet and dark. Rainbow Dash loved telling horror stories about this kind of place when they used to go camping. They were white tiles everywhere and the smell of antiseptics was poignant. The small group faced dozens of doors and each one had a name on a stamp.

“Green Hoof… Shiny Nose… Light Den… Where is Rainbow?” Sweetie Belle gave up.

“We must split up!” Scootaloo firmly said.

“Sp… Split?”

Sweetie Belle was not amused.

After five minutes negotiating, Scootaloo went upstairs while Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had to stay together on the first floor. Each group had to find out where Rainbow’s room was. Scootaloo wandered about the hall of the second floor. They were four large rooms which could host ten ponies. The first three were full.

She was going to check the last one when clamouring came from downstairs. She heard the blabbering voice of Sweetie Belle. Crawling towards the stairwell, Scootaloo heard her friends verbally duelling.

“Let us go or I’m gonna buck you up!” Apple Bloom menaced.

The guard was on the brink of bursting out laughing. He had grabbed Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom by the scruffs of their necks.

“You can’t go in by night, trespassers shall be prosecuted. This isn’t the hour or the place for young mares. I’ll bring you back to your relatives. Did another filly come with you two?” the guard outlined.

Scootaloo held her breath. Apple Bloom’s hesitation had been explicit for a mere second.

“No! We went alone.”

The guard was not convinced but he did not try to question the youngsters for further information. The large stallion went outside with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.

Alone, Scootaloo stayed stoic for a couple of minutes. She was waiting for something to happen. But the guard did not show up again. Slowly she got up, turned around and headed to the last room. There was a unique name… Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo panted, her wings buzzed. And the door was not locked.
In the dark, Scootaloo recognized Rainbow’s sleeping form. Close to her bed was a beeping heart monitor. Intravenous fluids were hanging on a metal stand.

“Rainbow?”

No response. Scootaloo slid towards her “foster sister”. She climbed on the bed. In spite of the dark, she clearly saw the bandages around Rainbow’s head, covering up her eyes. There were burn scars.
Shakes ran through Scootaloo’s limbs as her eyes filled with tears.

“Ohhh, what did they do to you big sis’?”

She cuddled up to Rainbow Dash. In a way, she was happy. Happy to be there, next to the one she adored, the one she wanted to stay with, the one she had always liked to be. Scootaloo hugged Rainbow, she wanted to fall asleep next to her and stay like this forever.

She groped around.
The wings! Where were Rainbow’s wings. Scootaloo checked two, three, four times. She started sputtering. Quivers invaded her body. Her fur ruffled. Where were they, for pony’s sake?
Scootaloo’s eyes lay, horrified, on the large and stained gauze and bandages wrapping Rainbow’s body. She started panting heavily, sweating her anxiousness.

She checked over and over again. This madness lasted for a long time.

“No! No! No…”

In the end, she had to admit the terrifying reality and face the facts. Her face turned ghoulish. She dissolved into tears and felt like vomiting.

“How will you teach me how to fly? What will you…”

“Please stop…”

Scootaloo jumped and fell from the bed. Getting up she put her front hooves on the bed linens. Rainbow's voice was weak and sickly.

“R… Rainbow, are you okay?”

Rainbow turned her head in Scootaloo’s direction in fits and starts. Even if they were damaged and covered up, the young filly felt like two wide opened bloodshot eyes were staring at her. Two glowing eyes seeking for a victim.
Rainbow’s voice was harsh. She lifted her hooves and scrabbled toward Scootaloo. Rainbow was drooling, unveiling few broken teeth. Her tongue dangled horribly. She crawled like an insect.

“I… want home… to go Home.”

Then the pegasus let out a long and discordant lament before passing out. Scootaloo had already run away. The fear had shaken her, refused her from loitering next to her hero. The complaint echoed for a long time in her twisted ears.