Everfree
A Bluebird’s Song
~~~
Lift off this blindfold, let me see again
Bring back the water, let your ships roll in
In my heart she left a hole
~~~
Everfree
All they could do was watch.
Twilight stared, fixated, as the twisting prismatic trail marked Dash’s tumbling descent. Somehow, she could not bring herself to look away. Her ears felt blocked; the confused murmuring of the crowd that had changed to cries of horror was dimmed and muffled as if underwater.
The communication spell had fallen utterly silent as the ragdoll figure fell, still arcing forwards at an incredible speed.
Desperately, Twilight turned, her horn flaring, casting desperately around in her mind for some spell that might be of some use. Scarcely aiming, she tried to seize the distant pony with her magic, flinging burst after burst of glowing light crackling out across the sky, but her target was too far away and moving too fast for even her powers to take effect.
Suddenly spent, her knees were shaking too badly for her to remain standing, and she sank to the ground.
How could you do this to me?
Sunset… The shouted word echoed in her head; a warning. Dash had obviously worked something out, in those last desperate seconds.
It doesn’t matter. Sunset didn’t do this. She did.
The rainbow-trailing dot sank ever lower. Then, suddenly, it sank through the canopy of the distant Everfree Forest, and was lost to sight.
Twilight buried her face in her hooves, and screamed an inarticulate, ugly sound into the cloud beneath her, hot tears pooling on her cheeks.
This was wrong. It was so, so wrong. She was utterly powerless. She had never felt more needed, but never less able.
It was her all along. Sunset had nothing to do with it. All this time, I’ve been so scared for the wrong reasons.
I thought I could trust you.
Then; she realized.
I still trust you, Rainbow.
You wouldn’t do this to me.
She forced her eyes open, forcing away the bitterness of her earlier accusations. She felt angry, frustrated, abused, but deep down she knew. Dash would not do this to her; not the Dash that she loved. Something had been done to the pegasus, she knew it with absolute certainty.
The unicorn got to her still-shaking hooves, and turned to her friends. Applejack and Fluttershy were staring in mute horror at the spot where the slowly-dispersing rainbow trail vanished into the dark Everfree. Rarity was crying, quietly; her usual bawling drama and affectation was nowhere to be seen. Pinkie Pie seemed to be in shock.
The crowd had fallen silent, but for the vague buzz of a thousand whispers and the occasional fearful shout.
“I’m going after her.” The words were quiet and choked, but they instantly caught the attention of the four ponies. Her mind was sparking, making connections, linking thoughts and memories and pure gut instinct. Throughout her life, many ponies had described her as a genius, some in jest, and some in something close to fear as they observed just how true their words had been. She could solve any puzzle thrown at her, and she felt achingly close to the solution of this one.
“How?” burst out Applejack. The mare was angry and frustrated, and the fire of that anger was turned on Twilight, simply because she had been the first to speak. “Ya’ll ain’t learned to fly, and ‘sides, she fell from miles up. What’s the use…?” She shook her head, and Twilight looked away as the usually stoic mare succumbed to open tears, the pride leaving her eyes.
She’s a pegasus. They’re like cats; they’re good with falls. She might well be alright, but not if she’s left in the forest for long. Her trail points to where she landed, but it’s disintegrating. I don’t have time for this foolishness.
Foolishness.
That was it. She did not quite realize why, but she knew that she had the solution. Her eyes roved, at first not knowing for what she was searching. Then her gaze alighted on an empty glass bottle, thrown aside by Dash moments before takeoff.
The pieces clicked together in an instant.
“Root Blacksap,” she growled, her eyes narrowing furiously.
“I fear so, my student,” came a familiar voice from behind her, commanding yet as gentle as always. The barest of shakes was audible in her tone though, hinting at an underlying pain.
“Where were you just now?” Twilight turned to Celestia, who had approached in silence. Her accusatory tone was unintentional, but audible nevertheless.
“I realized what was happening as soon as Rainbow Dash started arguing with you. I had to take steps to apprehend the caterers. They didn’t try to get away; I doubt that they know anything.” The princess hung her head. “I failed, Twilight. I failed to see the obvious, once again.”
She bowed her head, respectful once again despite the time of crisis. “Princess, I failed too. I didn’t imagine this for even a moment. But now isn’t the time, I need to go to her. I’m going to bring her back.”
“I’ve sent a squad of pegasi. They’re on their way now.”
Twilight gritted her teeth, her voice suddenly rising to a frustrated shout, in spite of herself. “They won’t get there in time. The trail’s fading and who knows what’s waiting down there in the forest! I’ll teleport down there if that’s what it takes.”
“No.” The princess’s voice was emphatic. “It’s too long-range to be accurate; you’d just as likely teleport yourself inside a tree. Even I don’t have the ability to travel these distances accurately. My guards are fast, the pegasi are all highly-trained flyers. You’ll have to trust them.”
There was silence for a few moments. Twilight knew that Celestia was telling the truth, but still had half a mind to try her luck anyway. This was insane; every conundrum had a solution. She knew that. She just needed the right piece; the right spark.
Rarity walked up beside her, her eyes red, her cheeks blotchy. Looking around, Twilight saw that her friends all looked terrified, but that was good. Fear meant that they still had hope. It was despair that she had dreaded seeing in their eyes.
What if there’s no chance? What if I’m just in denial? Even without the fall, losing control at those speeds…
“Twilight,” Rarity’s voice was scarcely a whisper. “All we can do is wait. It’s Rainbow we’re talking about, remember. She’ll pull through; she always does.”
Twilight pulled away from the alabaster unicorn, lowering her head and snorting. “I am not waiting here, I’ll…”
“Let me through!”
The voice was distant, but it caught Twilight’s attention. To her right, there was a commotion from the crowd. It seemed as if a pony was trying to jump the barrier into the arena. Two guards attempted to contain the pony, but a powerful shove sent them reeling backwards, allowing the intruder a clear flight to the dais.
Twilight’s eyes widened as the newcomer landed on the takeoff area between her and the others. A pure white pegasus, his mane a sun-kissed gold, his eyes fiery. They had all assumed that he had left in a fit of indignation, but apparently he had taken his box to spectate nevertheless.
Lightning Flare furled his wings, his gaze fixed on Twilight. The guards were converging on him from around the arena, but he ignored them.
He’s going to blame me for this, Twilight thought in horror, and then with a crushing sense of defeat: He’d be right to. It's my fault.
Even so, she did not have time for any distractions. Her horn flared, and she knew that she could toss him away from her with ease if he tried anything. Celestia’s horn did the same, and the princess and her student stood side-by-side, preparing to defend themselves.
Instead of advancing, however, Lightning nodded at Twilight, and gestured to his back.
“Get on,” he grunted.
Twilight stared in amazement, momentarily not understanding the seemingly non-sequitur situation. Celestia realized what was being offered before her protégé, and raised a hoof, halting the advance of the guards who had been closing in on the white pegasus.
“What?” Twilight blurted out.
“Get on,” he repeated, his voice frustrated. “I’ll take you to her. We can get there before the guards... and before anything else.”
Twilight opened her mouth, and closed it again, unsure of whether to trust him. For all she knew, Lightning planned to dump her off his back at the first opportunity, and fly away considering Dash avenged. On the other hand, he might just be genuine. There was surely only one way to discover the truth of the situation.
“Twilight…” Rarity began, warningly.
Would Dash take this kind of risk with her life if it meant the chance of saving mine? Twilight thought to herself. The answer was almost laughably obvious, and she hated herself for even this momentary hesitation. She had to go. Now.
“Thank you,” she whispered, gratefully. She hoped fervently that her gratitude was well-placed, as she stepped forwards. Celestia did not speak. Likely she knew that Twilight would not be dissuaded, and that any attempt to do so would be yet another delay.
Lightning did not smile. “I might not be the fastest flyer in the world, but I’ll have to do.”
“I don’t doubt that you’re a faster flyer than I,” Celestia said, quietly. She was clearly not oblivious to Lightning’s open dislike of Twilight, and her voice took on a warning tone. “But remember, I hold you personally responsible for Twilight’s safety until she reaches the forest. Don’t disappoint me.”
Lightning nodded. He was intelligent enough to know not to answer back in a situation such as this.
Twilight positioned herself carefully on Lightning’s back, gripping tightly with her hooves. The stallion’s shoulders were broader than Dash’s, his whole form significantly more muscular, offering fewer means of hanging on. She had never flown at racing speeds with Dash, and knew all too well the forces involved. As an extra precaution, she wrapped a single magical band around two of them, a purple loop that shrank to fit, holding her in place. She saw Lightning’s eyes narrow; given his antipathy to unicorns, such close contact with magic must have been near-intolerable for him.
She felt the pegasus beneath her stretch out his wings, preparing to take flight, and Twilight turned to her friends. “I’ll see you all soon, alright?” she said, in a quiet voice.
None of them, however, had the chance to reply. At that moment, Lightning rocketed up into the open sky.
The sensation was utterly unlike anything that Twilight had ever felt before. The force of acceleration felt as if it were stretching her; her insides were somersaulting. The wind hammered at her face, her tail and mane whipping madly from side to side. Her eyes were streaming, and she screwed them shut, occasionally risking peeks as the sky around them. She was extremely glad of the extra magical grip, and felt sure that without it she would have slipped straight off the stallion’s back.
After a moment’s climbing to clear the stadium’s spires, Lightning leveled out, and then angled himself downwards, rocketing towards the end of the rapidly-fading rainbow trail.
“Why… why are you doing this for me?” Talking took extreme effort. The flow of air tried to hammer the words back down her throat, and it was all she could do to choke out the words.
“I’m not,” came the blunt reply. “I’m doing it for her.”
Twilight nodded, although she knew that he could not see. This made sense. The dislike and contempt in his voice was unmistakable, even shouting over the wind. This uneasy alliance was clearly the best that she could hope for. The forest was approaching fast below them, and Twilight knew that they must have long overtaken the squad of guards dispatched to find Dash.
“Everyone’s heard of you, Sparkle,” Lighting called back over his shoulder. The ground was pounding past below them; his wings were pumping furiously. Beads of sweat ran down his neck and mingled with his fur. “You’re quite a unicorn, I’ve got to admit that. If… if she’s still alive down there, you’re her best chance.”
For Twilight words were excruciating. It was the first time somepony had actually voiced aloud the uncertainty of Dash’s survival. It somehow made that unthinkable risk horribly real; horribly possible.
“Hold on tight,” Lightning growled, looking back to his front. His next words seized Twilight’s fullest attention. “We’ll be going supersonic any second.”
*
For the second time that day, the Cloudiseum was bathed in the light of a pegasus breaching the sound barrier. Instead of a rainbow shockwave, the sky was illuminated by Lightning Flare’s trademark Thunderclap; a sparking, crackling corona of electricity that shot out from the point of the breach. The air seemed to warp as the blue-and-yellow tendrils hissed outwards, warping the air like a heat-haze. Instead of roars of adulation, the sight was met with a low murmur.
This time, the atmosphere in the stadium could not have been more different. Some of the crowd had got to their hooves, and were edging almost guiltily towards the exits. Most stayed glued to their seats, either in the hope of news, or in shock at what they had just seen. Banners hung limply, streamers lay flat and lifeless on the stands.
Celestia had taken control of the situation on the dais. The judges had gone backstage, knowing that this was a crisis beyond their abilities to resolve. Limelight had taken to the announcer’s podium, and was roughly explaining the situation as he knew it to the slowly-thinning crowd, stressing that they had no news as yet, but that with luck, Dash would be safe.
“A chariot’s on its way. I’m going to Canterlot hospital,” the princess announced. “There’s no point sending healers into the Everfree, it’s too dangerous. I’ll have them patrolling the border to wait for them to come out. If all goes well, she can be in hospital within minutes of Twilight getting her out of the forest.”
If all goes well.
Applejack took a step forwards. “No offence, your highness, but surely ya’ll might be more useful down in the forest yourself?”
Celestia shook her head. “As soon as Twilight lands, she will immediately start getting Rainbow Dash of there. The trail’s practically gone, and if they’re on the move I’d have no way of knowing where in the forest they are.” She sighed. “Besides, I trust Twilight with my life. In this case, I trust her with Rainbow Dash’s as well.”
The farm-pony nodded. “Ah understand. We all know Twi’d go ta the ends of Equestria for that pegasus. If anypony’s in with a chance, it’s her.”
“Then we’re in agreement,” Celestia said, briskly. “Now, I’ll need a pony to help co-ordinate the search, one who knows the lie of the land around the edge of the forest. Applejack, you’re with me.”
“Got it, your highness,” replied Applejack, moving forward to stand by the princess’s side, and turning to the others. “They’ll be alright, you guys.” She did her utmost to inject a note of conviction into her voice, but it still rang a little hollow.
“Pinkie Pie, I’ll need you too. Your sense may be of some use.”
Pinkie nodded, uncharacteristically serious. And stepped forward to join Applejack on the princess’s other side.
A few moments later, a carriage drew up, drawn by two burly pegasi in full royal guard regalia. Celestia and the two earth ponies climbed in side-by-side. The princess turned to the other two. “You wait here, or return to Ponyville if you wish. We’ll get news to you as soon as possible.” For a moment, she seemed a little tearful. Rarity and Fluttershy looked away, embarrassed. “I’m… I’m sorry. If it wasn’t for my lack of vigilance...” Celestia said remorsefully.
The carriage’s door closed, and the vehicle took flight, circling the stadium once to gain height, and then sped away in the direction of Canterlot.
The moment it was out of sight, Fluttershy turned to the unicorn beside her. “I’m going down there,” she said, bluntly.
Immediately, Rarity was at her side, her eyes fearful. “Fluttershy, you can’t! The princess wanted you to stay here with me, and besides… what good would it do?”
Fluttershy sighed, hanging her head. “Of course the princess wanted me to stay,” she muttered. “She’s already risking two of the Elements, she wouldn’t want to risk a third. But I could help, Rarity. You know I could. The birds know the Everfree better than anypony, and they’ll listen to me. I can organize them into search parties. We’d find them in minutes that way, even on the move. Besides…” The slightest note of fear shook her voice, but she repressed it. “I should be down there with them. I can deal with the creatures.”
Rarity sighed. “I just… I can’t bear the thought of risking you too.”
“I owe this to Dash,” Fluttershy said, simply. “She stuck by me for years, she was my one friend when I was growing up. She stopped my life from turning into hell, and I can’t stand by and watch this happen. Rarity, can you look me in the eye and tell me that Rainbow wouldn’t stand a better chance of getting out of there alive if I went to her now?”
There was a moment’s silence, and then the alabaster unicorn dropped her gaze, defeated. “Of course she would. Of course she’d have a better chance.” She took a step towards Fluttershy, gently nuzzling her cheek. “Very well. I’m not going to stop you, darling. Just… please be careful.”
Fluttershy smiled at her, warmly, a sudden flush warming her cheeks. “I will,” she murmured, clasping Rarity’s hoof between her own. “Because I owe you, too. All the times I didn’t speak up, and all the times I hurt you by not saying anything. I’m going to make up for those times.”
She knew that she needed to go, that every second now was an unforgivable delay. The memory of an errant thought, now painfully true, flashed across her mind.
Sometimes it feels as if you have all the time in the world, but sometimes the world has ideas of its own.
But what if I don’t come out of that forest? What if I never see her again?
For so many years of her life, fear had held Fluttershy back, but now was not the time for fear. Her heart was hammering, expanding to fill her throat. The unicorn’s breath bloomed across the face, halting her own, but for the first time in her life, Fluttershy felt able to do what was needed. Now there was no time for fear.
She craned her neck forwards, nuzzling Rarity’s blushing cheek in return. Taking a final half-step forwards, she released Rarity’s hoof, and draped her fetlocks loosely around her neck. She could feel the silken, sensual coolness of the unicorn’s fur, and was aware of the pearly mare’s body quivering a little at the sudden contact, her breath catching audibly. Fluttershy’s nuzzles changed to small, sweeping brushes of her lips, moving gradually inwards across Rarity’s cheek, until they were nose to nose, their snouts just touching, their cheeks burning and heated. Fluttershy needed to know that Rarity wanted this as much as she did. She looked deep into the unicorn’s eyes, watching the momentary uncertainty crumble away, replaced with a steady, slow-burn gaze that told the pegasus all that she wanted to know. Rarity’s eyelids fluttered closed, an expectant sigh dancing across Fluttershy’s lips, acting as a catalyst, leading them to the inevitable conclusion.
Their lips melted together in one fluid, mutual motion.
It was easier than breathing. The knowledge that they had mere seconds only served to make the contact sweeter before its unavoidable end. Fluttershy found herself pushing forwards into the kiss, searching, pressing her lips hungrily and aggressively against Rarity’s. She felt as if a lifetime’s repressed emotions were pouring out, leaving her free and near-weightless. The unicorn’s forelegs rose, burying themselves in Fluttershy’s luxuriant mane, pulling the mare closer with the smallest of squeaks.
Then, the connection broke. They leaned back, flushed and panting. Rarity’s eyelids flickered open once again, and she met Fluttershy’s smouldering gaze. “Wait for me,” the pegasus whispered, the words almost fierce.
“Always,” promised Rarity, her voice low and sincere, her expression near-delirious.
The canary pegasus turned, still breathing hard. She was shocked at her own courage, but incredibly glad that she had taken this opportunity while she knew she still could. She supposed that there was nothing left to be said. She could not delay a moment longer.
She took two steps to the edge of the cloud, fixing her eyes on the dark shape that was the Everfree forest.
She took a deep breath, flaring her wings, and leapt into the empty air.
*
“Okay, we’re coming in!”
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling the hammering wind and watching the ground hurtle by was without a doubt exhilarating, but she was chilled to the bone by the frigid air, and the incessant battering had left her aching and numb. At such speeds the journey had taken mere minutes, but to Twilight it felt unending. Other than her cold and windswept appearance, however, she was unharmed. Lightning had been true to his word, and although she knew full well that she was merely a means to an end for him, Twilight could not help but feel grateful to the abrasive pegasus as he coasted to a smooth halt above the forest.
By the time they reached tree level, the end of the rainbow trail had almost completely dissipated. The squad of guards was far behind them, nowhere to be seen. Twilight sighed, realizing that she was going to have to do this alone. She could not expect Lightning to stick his neck out to protect them on the ground. Beyond the rapidly-fading trail of prismatic light, there was no indication among the canopies of Dash’s tumbling passage. Twilight’s heart sped up in fear at what she may find beneath the brooding swathes of leaf.
“Okay,” she gulped. “Take us down.”
Carefully, his wide wings beating slowly, Lightning descended through the canopy, edging between the wide boughs and branches. At one point, they disturbed a nest of small birds, which took fright and rose, shrieking into the sky.
Then, they were through, and the sun was all but lost. Lightning alighted with a soft thud on the leaf-strewn ground, and they found themselves in the gloomy trackless half-light of the Everfree forest. There was no path in this part of the woods, and the earth was carpeted almost knee-deep in the detritus of an ancient forest. Thick, knotted roots twisted beneath the leaves and scraps of bark, snaring at Twilight’s hooves as she climbed off Lightning’s back.
She could not see far, and her vision was obscured by clutches of dark trunks. The forest chattered and squawked with the calls of a million small animals, the darkness around them alive with invisible motion.
There was no sign of Dash. This may have been a good thing, Twilight reasoned; perhaps she was able to move herself, maybe even find some shelter. She wanted to call out to the pegasus, but knowing the inhabitants of this place as she did, that might well be suicidal.
“You’d better go,” Twilight whispered to Lightning.
He shook his head. “I’ll stick with you until you find her. That way I can take whatever news it is back with me.”
Twilight sighed, still scanning the area. “Thanks for this,” she said, keeping her voice low.
“I don’t want your thanks,” replied Lightning, shortly. “You see anything?”
“No,” Twilight shook her head, deciding not to press the issue of gratitude just then. “She must have come down somewhere around here.”
“The trail was faint,” Lightning pointed out. “She could be anywhere in this area.”
Then, through the trees to their right, they heard a single, drawn-out howl.
Twilight’s heart seemed to fall through her stomach at the sound, and she began to run towards the sound, crashing through the undergrowth giving no thought to her own safety. Lightning followed instinctually, hot on her heels. The Everfree was filled with packs of wolves, that much was common knowledge. Usually they roamed by night, but something had disturbed them.
Suddenly, something caught Twilight’s eye, and she pulled herself to a halt. A rare beam of sunlight was falling between the trees, illuminating a patch of moss to her left. It was covered in thick spatters of blood. She closed her eyes at the sight, her stomach churning a little. She was not squeamish, but she could make a good guess at the source of the stains. At the same time, however, she felt a welcome re-ignition of hope.
She’s alive; she’s been able to move herself. She’s hurt, but alive.
She moved a little slower now, listening hard for the sounds of more wolves, and scouring the ground. She was not a natural tracker, but in the gloom she was able to make out occasional splashes of blood on the leaves below, leading her onwards. Lightning picked his way alongside her. He had noticed the flecks of red, but made no comment.
A few minutes later, Twilight was suddenly blinded by the sunlight streaming between the trees, and covered her eyes with a hoof as they adjusted to the illumination. She stopped walking, and Lightning did the same. Evidently, he had adapted to the bright light faster than Twilight, because he gave a gasp, pointing silently ahead of them.
Twilight turned, still half-shielding her eyes. Her mouth fell open, and it was all she could do not to cry out, in equal measures of joy and horror.
They were on the edge of a small clearing, dotted with rocks, the trees encroaching some way overhead, trying to steal as much light as they could for themselves. Against a wide, sun-kissed boulder on the far side of the grassy patch, her motionless face distorted with the shadow of pain, lay Dash’s unconscious form. A speckled, irregular trail of blood led across the clearing, and was seeping into the ground around her, matting her fur. Her chest was moving up and down in ragged, half-choking breaths. She had obviously dragged herself this far before passing out, overcome by the exertion and her injuries.
However, Twilight did not have time to examine the extent of her love’s injuries, for Dash was not the only occupant of the clearing. Around her unmoving form circled six large wolves, sniffing at her and occasionally leaning in for a closer look before hopping back again. They had obviously been awoken by the crash landing, and had tracked down the smell of blood that they knew so well. Twilight realized through her shock and fear that it was Dash’s bright colours that had saved her so far. For the wolves, the pegasus’s vivid coat and mane screamed that she was dangerous, or perhaps even poisonous. It had made them wary, but in a contest between hunger and wariness, hunger would always eventually win out.
Twilight glanced sideways at Lightning, half expecting him to fly away and leave her to resolve the situation alone, but he did not. He caught her eye, and simply nodded, grimly. The unicorn nodded back, and there was something frightening in her eyes. She said nothing, but her horn ignited with a sharp hiss.
She stepped into the open clearing, and looked around at the assembled pack. They might have been wary of Dash’s inert form, but none of them realized for a second that the real danger was directly behind them.
One of them stepped forwards to take an exploratory bite of the pegasus.
It never stood a chance. The crackling beam of purple light smashed into the side of its ribcage, hurling it backwards. Its flying body clipped a tree-trunk with its hind leg, and it span out of sight into the dim forest.
Immediately, the five remaining pack members turned on the newcomers, their yelps of surprise changing swiftly to furious snarls. A bold grey one charged forwards at Lightning, its jaws snapping. Twilight sent a burning bolt towards it, which missed by inches. Taking advantage of her distraction, two great russet beasts, each easily half as tall again as Twilight, began to converge on her. As soon as the grey was near enough, Lightning spun on the spot with surprising grace, and launched a perfectly-timed kick with his powerful hind legs.
Twilight was not focusing on Lightning; her attention was consumed by the two snarling masses bearing down on her, but even so she heard the crunch of impact, and the whine of the injured wolf.
Two down, she thought to herself. She felt no triumph for what they were doing, but equally she felt no remorse. This was a necessity. Friendship, Twilight knew, was kind, but love could be a cruel, selfish thing; it made it impossible to regret even the most unpleasant of things done in its name.
Concentrating her powers once again, Twilight opted for a different approach this time. With a flick of telekinesis, she raised a pebble from the ground beside her.
With a second flick the pebble hissed through the air with the speed of a bullet, smashing home with a sharp thud. She did not know where she hit the wolf, but it lost its balance and crashed to the ground, semi-conscious.
Behind her, Lightning grunted, and there came a second crunching impact. The whining of the fallen grey wolf suddenly stopped.
Of course, the first red wolf’s companion was still a danger. The other two were hanging back, wary now. This one, however, was fuelled by anger. In the time it took for Twilight to take down its counterpart, it had already closed the distance between them, and leapt into the air, pouncing towards her with a furious snarl.
The red-brown beast was streaking through the air towards her, mere feet from impact. Twilight panicked, and instinctually did the first thing that came into her mind.
Desperately, she redirected her telekinesis from the pebbles to the wolf itself. She seized the wolf’s head with the glowing magical field, and gave a sharp twist.
There was a cracking sound that split the air, and the great animal was suddenly nothing but dead weight, its glassy eyes staring at its murderer as its head lolled horribly from side to side. Twilight had a fraction of a second to feel nauseous at what she had just done in her moment of terror, but the dead wolf was still moving, propelled by the force of its final leap.
The sixty-kilogram mass of solid muscle slammed into her, knocking Twilight clean off her hooves. All of the wind was crushed out of her as she and the animal skidded back halfway across the clearing. Eventually, they rolled to a halt. The wolf’s body was slumped across Twilight’s lower torso, its legs giving a few final twitches as they grudgingly conceded the fact of their own death. She strained beneath the warm, furry mass, but could not move. Her magic felt drained, and for the moment there was no way that she could shift the crushing weight.
Lightning stared down the last two wolves, the motionless form of the wiry grey one lying at his hooves. In unison, the black-coated creatures turned and slunk away, defeated expressions in their eyes. The russet one that Twilight had struck with the stone had evidently regained enough sense to make good its retreat as well.
“Lightning!” Twilight called to him. “Get me out from under this!”
The gold-maned pegasus caught sight of her situation, and began picking his way across the clearing towards her on bloody hooves. The whole place smelt of the damp stink of wolf, and Twilight knew that she must smell the same.
Suddenly, Lightning halted, halfway between Dash and Twilight. He looked from one to the other, indecision registering on his face.
With a horrible, sinking feeling, Twilight knew what he was thinking. He could take Dash and leave now; he could return with some story of how they had become separated. Of how there was nothing he could have done.
Lightning sighed, apparently making up his mind.
He closed his eyes, and shook his head minutely, determinedly looking away from Dash; away from temptation. “Let’s get you out of there,” he said, his voice almost gentle. He took a step towards Twilight, who breathed a sigh of enormous relief.
Then, with a snapping of twigs and a low, bitter growl, one of the two remaining wolves came bounding back out of the dark trees, revenge ignited in its amber eyes. The other had apparently given up, but this one was not one to be defeated. It was an enormous jet-black creature, and with a single bound it was on Lightning, whose defenses were down. He was bowled to the ground by the heavy beast, which pinned him down in a vicious flurry. Its jaws snapped down hard on his rear leg, and he screamed.
Twilight let out a yell of shock, and her eyes narrowed. A burst of burning anger overcame her mental exhaustion, and her horn burst into life once again.
I'm not letting you go now.
Her horn pulsed and a shuddering shockwave of magic threw the limp mass of fur and sinew clear of her, and she rose unsteadily to her hooves. A second pulse of light enwrapped the magical appendage, and the wolf was struck with the force of all her fury, crashing sideways into the ground with an earth-shaking thud. Lightning scrambled away from his downed assailant, snorting in pain and clutching his wounded leg.
Twilight advanced on the cowering beast, her eyes and horn glowing with shimmering purple stars. She stood over its stunned form, and prepared to deliver the final blow, forming a shimmering ball of force in mid-air that shook the air with a heat-haze quality. Then her eyes met the eyes of the now defenseless wolf, and she realized what she was about to do, the adrenaline haze fading.
No.
What am I doing?
She closed her eyes, letting the fog of fury leave her mind. She had been borne on the anger of the urge to protect Dash, but now that she had done so, she knew that she had to put her anger aside. She quenched the hissing ball of magic with a thought, and opened her eyes again to look down at the wolf.
“Go to sleep,” she whispered. A single blue spark detached itself from the tip of her horn, and floated down towards the creature’s great furry head. Inches shy of its nose; the spark split into two, and sank into the wolf’s unfocused eyes. Immediately, they drifted closed, and the beast curled itself up almost reflexively, its breathing deep and even. It would wake up in a few hours, doubtless somewhat bruised and sore, but very much alive.
Enough harm’s come to enough creatures today. I won’t be responsible for any more.
There was a low groan from behind her, breaking the sudden silence. She turned to see Lightning hovering unsteadily a few feet above the grassy ground. His leg was an undeniable mess. The wolf’s bite did not go deep, but it had split his hoof and clotted the blood flow to it. His face was pale, and he clenched his teeth. “I can’t walk,” he grunted. “There’s no way I can put any weight on this.”
Twilight looked from him, to Dash’s motionless form. Her heart was in her mouth, and whatever she had to do, it needed to be done quickly. “You’d better go, if you can still fly. There’s no point in you trying to stay down here.”
“You’re sure?” Lightning’s jaw was locked with the pain, but he kept his voice steady. “I guess I’d just slow you down, but I feel bad about leaving her.”
“We don’t have time to argue, I need to see to Rainbow.”
Lightning nodded, beginning to circle the clearing. “Alright then.” He sighed, looking over his shoulder. “Twilight… Thanks. For saving me, and for looking out for her.”
Maybe I don’t want your thanks, either. The unpleasant thought flashed across Twilight’s mind, but she dispelled it, recognizing the olive branch for what it was. “Anytime,” she said, quietly. “Now, go and get that leg looked at.”
Lightning nodded. “Good luck,” he added, before turning and taking flight. A moment later, he was lost to view behind the lowering treetops.
*
Twilight closed her eyes for a moment, gathering her thoughts. When she raised a hoof to wipe the dirt from her cheek, it shook a little. She kept impulsively replaying in her head the image of that wolf leaping at her, filling her vision. Desperately bringing her horn to bear. That awful wrenching crack of the wolf’s neck breaking, and its life ending.
She knew that the memory would haunt her for some time, but right now there were more important things to be dealt with.
Turning, she skirted carefully around the two dead wolves, and crossed the clearing to crouch down beside Dash.
Twilight was no medic, but even the most cursory of inspections showed that the situation was not optimistic. Her breathing was ragged and shallow, her eyes only half-closed but clearly unconscious. Both of her wings were horribly fractured, bent back to an unnatural angle. One lay slumped across her back, the other dangled limply at her side.
Twilight’s stomach lurched when she saw the source of the bloody trail through the forest. The left side of Dash’s torso and her hind leg were lacerated. Falling through the Everfree’s canopy had taken its toll on her, the branches and twigs whipping at her and leaving scores of deep gashes. The pegasus was already horribly pale, and was losing more blood by the minute. Celestia only knew what internal damage had come about when she struck the ground.
I can’t do this… Twilight felt panic clouding her judgment. Cuts and bruises and cracked ribs she could deal with, but this was in another league entirely. This would take a team of professional healers, and even then a healthy dose of luck would be needed.
You can. You’re not in here to heal her, you’re in here to get her out.
If she makes it that far…
“T… Twi’…?”
Dash’s eyes flickered, and Twilight’s heart gave a leap. She knelt down by her side. “I’m here, Rainbow,” she murmured. “I’m going to get you out of here.”
“Twi’… Sunset, they… I’m so sorry…” Dash was suddenly overtaken by a fit of coughing. When it subsided, her lips were flecked with tiny spots of red.
“I know, Rainbow.” Twilight struggled to keep her voice steady and soothing. “Don’t worry, I know. Don’t try to talk. You were amazing.”
Dash’s breathing was hard and laboured, and she winced with pain each time she inhaled. Twilight’s eyes filled with tears of sympathetic agony, but she forced herself to stay on task.
“I’m going to try and stop the bleeding,” she said, quietly. “If you’re in too much pain, I can send you to sleep for a few hours.”
The pale pegasus coughed again, less violently. “Don’t… don’t you dare put me out. I wanna… be able to look at you.”
Twilight smiled, tearfully, and leaned down to set to work. Ordinarily, she would have cleaned the wound before stemming the blood flow, but these were not ordinary circumstances. She had nothing to hand, no antiseptics, no supplies of any kind, and Dash could not afford to lose any more blood.
She closed her eyes, and her horn glowed brightly. She tried to remember the healing spell that she had been taught as a filly, and it fixed itself together piece by piece in her brain. It was designed to repair minor playground injuries, not anything of this scale. Of course, she had greater reserves of magic than most unicorns, which had to count for something.
She rested her horn gently on Dash’s wounded side, and the pegasus gasped sharply.
“I’m sorry!” she exclaimed, wincing.
“It’s okay. Keep going.” Dash’s voice was a little steadier now, although it still shook a little.
Twilight ran her horn over the injured area several times, cocooning Dash’s chest and leg in a light yellow glow. She watched the blood flow gradually wane, and then began going back over each individual gash to ensure that it was properly clotted. She tried to inject a little pain suppression into the spell she was weaving, and Dash gave a weak sigh of relief.
That might have been a mistake, Twilight thought to herself. Pain might just be the thing that keeps her awake. If she slips away now, I don’t know if I can bring her back again.
Despite her rationalization, she could not bring herself to regret what she had done, as she heard the pegasus’s breathing start to ease a little. She began siphoning off the excess blood that was matting Dash’s fur, cleaning her up a little. She had not yet looked at the wings; she had made up her mind to cross that bridge when she came to it.
“Twi’…” Twilight looked up, extinguishing her horn. Her voice seemed slightly more alert now, which could only be a good thing. She seemed a little stronger as well, now that the blood-flow had been stemmed. “Th… thanks for comin’ after me. I’m sorry I messed up so badly.”
Twilight leaned forwards, unable to understand why Dash was apologizing. “Rainbow, you were incredible. That potion’s strong stuff, and the moment you realized what was going on you just threw it right off. I should be apologizing to you; I never even imagined that they’d try something like that… I was so blind.”
Dash broke into another coughing fit, and once more her lips were flecked red when the spasms subsided. Again, Twilight realized the horrible possibility of internal injuries, damage that she had no way of even attempting to repair.
Despite the pain in her eyes, Dash smiled at her. “Hey…” She murmured. “If… if I don’t make it back…”
“Don’t say that,” pleaded Twilight. “You’ve got to; you didn’t get through all this to just give up now!”
“But… if I don’t.” Dash’s gaze was gentle. “There’s this unicorn, she lives in Ponyville Library.” She coughed once again, and when she resumed speaking her voice was quieter. “She’s purple, she’s gorgeous, and a bit… a bit of a nerd, you know?” The pegasus winked at her, even that simple motion painfully laborious for her. “Yeah… If you see her, tell her I love her. Tell her I love her more than anything in the world. Tell her I don’t… regret one second of it.”
She craned her neck forwards as much as she was able, her eyes wide and shiny with moisture. Twilight understood what she wanted, and leaned forwards as gently as she could, making absolutely sure to not rest any of her weight on Dash’s body.
Dash’s lips were a little sluggish and ill-coordinated, but still they danced with Twilight’s, bearing a touch that spoke of gentleness, not weakness. Their tears mingled freely, seeping into each others’ fur.
For the briefest of moments, Twilight feared the worst, but if anything Dash’s strength seemed to be building. Their gazes were locked, and the light in the of the cyan pegasus’s eyes told Twilight that she was so very far from ready to give up.
It was all the motivation Twilight needed. She pulled away, climbing to a half-standing position, a plan already forming in her mind. “You know what I think?” she said, her voice one of quiet determination. “I think you’re going to have to tell her yourself.”
Her horn flared, and she looked down into Dash’s swimming, magenta eyes.
“We’re getting you out of here.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.033 seconds
Total duration
1,003 users online
173,879 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Finally, after 20 chapters of simmering, the RariShy's actually gone somewhere!
Sorry for the long chapter, I just thought that I'd probably get murdered if I left Dash's situation too ambiguous...
Come on Twi - you levitated a friggin' Ursa Minor to it's cave in the Everfree. Surely the mare you love isn't too much for you...
Grab Rainbow and hie thy flank outta there...
Poor Rainbow. That's gonna leave a mark or three. Then again - mares dig scars...
~~~~~
Yet another good chapter....
My god she cant die. I wont let you do that. If you try i will come to your house and threaten you till you change it.
512601
Yes, you would have been murdered SO HARD.
and if you let dash die
but it was a good chapter and i dont mind long chapters so keep up the good work
and keep updating
Amazing chapter and never apologize about length. I was really scared we would just find her dead (since the sad tag in the story) I am really glad she's alive and I hope her wings we still be usable after she recovers. Dash has been through enough hell in this story. Keep up the great work and take two of these
Awesome! Great chapter, and now I'm left not knowing what's gonna happen! I find the RariShy kinda funny, the way you twisted and turned through that for forever.
Also I'd like to say how great the update pace of this is.
ziffenheimer.tripod.com/ani-clapping.gif
That was a well done chapter throughout. Lightning Flare's character development pulled through - once again, weaving more details of the story together making all the little events interconnected - and now proves to be a truly like-able character. We finally got around to some actually Flutterity that you've been building up for ages now, well done on their first actual moment.
You also did a great job coordinating that fight against the wolves (though I'm surprised you didn't use the Timberwolves but I can see how that would be hard for Lightning Flare to fight). Nice diversity to the moments within it too. I like the idea of Twilight using the pebble as a bullet particularly for some reason. Followed by Lightning Flare's moment to decide his priorities was great.
And damn was that whole little speech from Rainbow Dash great. I might've heard something like that before somewhere - though I'm not sure - but it was well placed and used.
My only thoughts are now, if is Sunset is somewhere in the Everfree...
Also, don't apologize for the length. Thank you for the length. And thank you for getting it out so soon.
Spelling errors I noticed (because we're not all perfect)
Her points to where she landed, but it’s disintegrating. - Needs to "trail" after Her and before points
Twilight was no medic, but she knew immediately that the pegasus was in a bad way. - that second half is hard to follow.
Don't apologize for long chapters! I absolutely love them!!!
It is good to see the rari-shy finally go somewhere. I am not very fond of that paring, but you have done a good job making it tolerable to me. Good job with that!
Now I got to see how Dash is going to be saved!
512805 I shall treasure this rare presentation of a double-Spike-o-stache!
Glad you're enjoying the story.
512866 Yeah, Fluttershy isn't exactly the most decisive of mares, is she?
I get the impression that she's being pressured by circumstances into moving the relationship forwards, but she doesn't really mind that because she knows that she wouldn't be able to get that momentum going off her own bat.
513127 Thanks for the feedback, it's always much appreciated!
I'm breathing a huge sigh of relief right now that the RariShy seems to be going down okay, given how many twists and turns it's been through.
About the wolves, I originally considered using the Timberwolves, but I wanted Twilight to seem a lot more ruthless than she would usually be, out of desperation, and having her actually snap the neck of a 'real' flesh-and-blood creature I find makes the whole thing a touch more immediate. (Also Timberwolves are pretty spindly, so I can't really see Twi getting trapped underneath one.)
I've fixed the spelling issue, and cleared up that ambiguity. Thanks for pointing those out!
As always, I'm really glad that you're still liking the story!
Oh YES YES YEAH OMYGOD YES YES YEAH YEAH YEARGH YEAH
Drum Solo
NINTENDO NINTEN NINTEN NINTENDO NINTEN TEN TEN TEN
64 64 OMYGOD 64 YEAH NINTENDO 64 PHOOOOOOUR
Thats my reaction to the chapter. Everything looks promising.
Oh god if you kill Rainbow Dash I will kill you
I will kill ALL of you!
Heh, I'm guessing a dead Dash would've ended up in you taking her place in a rather realistic reenactment of cupcakes
Joking, this chapter was phenomenal.
Also, long chapters are good
.
I read all day today and got to this chapter. Can't wait on your next one.
512805
Meh, I wasn't worried about her actually dieing--generally mane-character death comes with a Tragedy tag, in my experience. I am somewhat wary of her continued ability to fly, even considering that she doesn't need to flap her wings to do so. If they can't fix her wings, it'd be just like a unicorn's horn being snapped off, right?
Not-a-cliffhanger.
Awesome.
Started reading this in bed the other night, stopped around dawn when my battery died, then got my charger and carried on to the end of chapter 34. Aside from the odd spelling or grammar error (which everyone makes) I think your writing is excellent, the characters are well developed, and despite it's length your plotting hasn't felt stalled or bloated which is a very challenging thing to do well. Congradulations on that and I look forward to losing even more sleep to this story. Thanks for posting it and giving us all the privilege of reading it.
520834 Chapter 9 seems to rub a lot of people up the wrong way.
Thanks for pushing on with reading, anyway. It is a fairly radical change of direction, I admit. Actually, I'm considering adding in an Author's Note at the end of Chapter 9 to say something along the lines of: "Don't worry, it is still primarily a romance from this point onwards!"
Thanks as always for the support, everyone.
img.chan4chan.com/img/2009-03-10/1236658535884.jpg
522248
Haha yeah, I'm on 15 right now and so far you have found a way to turn even the darkest of situations brighter that the sun itself and that is a nice chance in pace from the usual tragedies that I have been reading
Keep on with the good work and thank you for giving this amazing story to the community!
Oh my god........ I need to know what happens next. I'm literally crying right now!
SORRY FOR THIS LUNA INDUCED POST; MY CAPS LOCK GOT STUCK EARLIER TODAY, BUT YOU BETTER NOT KILL RAINBOW
AND ALSO WE NEED MORE OF THINE STORY
CLIFF HANGER EVEN THOUGH IT ISN'T REALLY BUT I NEED EMOTIONAL REASSURANCE SO HURRY UP
THIS CHAPTER AAAAAHHHHH
HOMAN
Wow that was a awesome chapter, I cant wait to see what happens next.
Absolutely fantastic job you've done here. I do have one criticism to offer, though--if these are vanilla wolves you're describing here (as opposed to the Timber Wolves introduced in season 2), Rainbow Dash's color scheme should not give them any reason to pause for fear of poison. Canines are color-blind.
Those last lines of Twilight? Oh hell YES.
Damnit, u made me cry like I did at the end of My Little Dashie.
The only time I've cried harder was at my grandpas funeral back in October
Ohhh the tears soo beautiful!
the last little scenes after the wolves battle simply had me on pins and needles. I can relate in sense to this story but not to this extreme. So for me this awoke an old fear long ago when I was little. Quite chilling, but such an impressive addition to the story. 
Brother wakes up right before Twilight gets to RD, so I can't finish the chapter. DANG IT!
Yes...yes...YES!
Yes!
Oh my gosh...that was truly an amazing chapter. You had me going there for a moment. I really thought that you were going to make me hate you for the rest of eternity, but you didn't. Well done with this incomparable chapter.
I believe you meant to say out of there.
That period should be a comma (serious, and).
It's not very often that you see mention of non-timber wolves in the Everfree; though the fact that ponies always specify timberwolves does suggest that there may be other types of wolves out there.
Poor wolves...