Chapter fourteen: The Dark Descent
After being comfortably settled into her new room, she finally heard Spike exhale deeply, and somewhat wearily.
“So, is that everything you need?” the baby dragon asked her. She could hear his footsteps walking closer to her, and she made no effort to keep away from him. In fact, she was quite happy for the sound..
“Yeah, that’s good, Spike,” she smiled, smiling in his general direction. “Thanks a lot.”
Spike laughed quietly. “No problem, Rainbow… I’m just happy that you’re alright.”
Rainbow Dash pricked her ears in interest. There was something about his voice that seemed…different from his usually happy tone. It sounded a bit like regret, or maybe sorrow? She couldn’t tell. But, she thought it was kind of weird nonetheless.
“Ah, I would have been alright anyways,” she shrugged boastfully, puffing out her chest in mock triumph. “Not even a dragon can keep this pony down.”
She listened closely for Spike’s reaction, but all she got from him was an uncomfortable silence. Rainbow Dash sighed and let the air in her chest go quietly. So much for that idea. What was with every pony these days? They were acting so weird. Was something on her face, or in her mane? It was a shame that she couldn’t see whatever was obscuring her natural awesomeness. But, even so, she HAD died…
Had every pony worried for her that much?
Just as the thought was beginning to truly sink in, Spike interrupted her thoughts.
“Maybe…” Spike answered uncertainly. The sound afterwards sounded like shuffling to Rainbow Dash’s ears. “Well, Twilight’s probably got something for me to do; I should get going before she gets mad,” he said awkwardly.
Rainbow Dash nodded in understanding. “Okay, cool.”
“Thanks,” Spike said. His footsteps became more distant as he, most likely walked towards the door of the room. “Call if you need anything.”
“I will!” Rainbow Dash called back as she heard the door slammed shut.
Well, there she was again, she thought to herself quietly. In silence and solitude. She was starting to become used to the concept that was previously so foreign to her. It was just so quiet…and lonely.
In a strange way, she was always by herself. She knew that other ponies were around her, it was just that her dark, sightless world felt empty to her, like she was the only one in existence. Rainbow Dash could hear ponies’ voices, but they sounded distant and artificial, like they didn’t exist, or they were just a figment of her imagination. And, as close as the voices were to her, they would disappear again, leaving her in unimaginable darkness.
She sighed and hung her head. That was it then. No matter what had happened, and no matter how much support she got, she would always be alone.
It was then that she truly wondered just how she was going to move on from this. She had been acting so calm lately, but on the inside, she could feel her emotions starting to come to the surface. Rainbow Dash could feel the pain and loneliness within her clearly now, as they were not hindered by morphine or the hope that her friends might come to visit her sometime. In general, there was always something to distract her in the hospital. But here was different. Here was where she couldn’t get distracted.
She hated that.
But, here also gave her a strong sense of comfort. Here was where she had support and comfort, here was not antiseptic and formal like the hospital she had been in previously. Here was home. She had a home. That fact alone was comforting. And, what made it even better was that she was with Twilight.
Twilight…
There! She was thinking about it again!
The pony that had saved her had been in her mind for a while, and had not wanted to get out, no matter how many times she had tried to think about something else. But, with nothing else to think about, she let her mind think about the unicorn over and over again.
She remembered, to popular disbelief, many things, and Twilight was no exception to this rule. Rainbow Dash remembered when she had first bumped into her purple friend. It was a chance encounter, that was for sure, but she was happy that it had happened.
Oh, how happy she was.
All their times together were times that she would hold forever in her heart. She felt herself growing happier each time she was around Twilight, even more so than her other friends, for some odd reason. Rainbow Dash knew that she wasn’t being very fair, but she couldn’t help what she was feeling. The unicorn was just so nice, and sweet, and maybe even awesome at rare times, few and far between. But, being the rather oblivious pony that she was, she hadn’t really paid that much attention to it. She was always too busy practicing for the Wonderbolts. An awesome pony like her couldn’t pay attention to her strange, stupid feelings and practice at the same time. It was hard to do. And she wasn’t very good at multitasking.
But now, after Twilight’s actions the night of the attack, she found that those feelings were coming back, stronger than ever before. It was indescribable, almost like invisible butterflies were floating around in her stomach and wouldn’t go away. And every minute spent thinking about the unicorn made them even more violent. It made her feel jumpy and nervous, almost vulnerable.
She wasn’t sure if she liked it.
Just then, as she leaned back to sit on the bed, she realized that she had no idea where that bed was. Spike hadn’t shown her it. She figured this out the hard way when her rump landed on the floor with a fleshy thud. Groaning, she rolled her eyes. There was no way she was going to shout down to Spike saying that she needed help finding the bed. No way. That was totally uncool. And she was NOT uncool.
So, she did the next best thing. That included getting up, walking around, and bumping into too many things for her to count before she actually felt the surface of the bed on the tip of her hoof. She sighed in relief and hopped into it. When she did, she found that the mattress and sheets were rather comfy, much different than what she had first expected. They were soft and warm and had a faint smell of…lavender? Ironically, it smelt a lot like Twilight.
Why was life trying to be so mean to her?
As quickly as the strange, euphoric feeling had come along, it passed just as quickly, leaving her with another feeling. This time it was too utterly familiar.
Boredom.
It just hit her that Spike had left her with nothing to do. And now he was gone. Probably downstairs where he couldn’t hear her shout even if he tried. It was at times like these when she wished she thought things through more. But, what’s done is done, right? Still, what would she do? There were two options available to her, as far as she could tell.
Option A, do nothing and think about Twilight some more.
Or option B, take another nap.
Napping was her first choice.
She laid down and gently leaned her head on the pillow. Much like the rest of the bed, the pillow was soft, as if it had just recently been washed, and held the faint, relaxing smell of lavender. She didn’t have a problem with that, of course, she just thought it was weird that Twilight would use such a scent. Then again, it was Twilight she was talking about. She could never really understand that egghead.
Maybe that was why she was so hard to get out of her mind.
She, involuntarily, wanted to know more about the apparently mysterious egghead. Even though they had been friends for a long time now, and probably knew everything about each other already, she still wanted to know more about her magical friend. What was her favorite book? Why did she like the color purple so much? Did astronomy interest her? There were so many things…
And, what was more, every time she closed her eyes, Twilight was there. The image was slow and blurry at first, like a dull ember, but now that ember was turning into a low flame, and that flame was beginning to spark. Right now she was beginning to regret not acting on those feelings, or putting them out altogether. But, she had to wait until she became a cripple, didn’t she?
Rainbow Dash grumbled loudly. What was she becoming? A sap? So not cool.
But, maybe Twilight wouldn’t mind a sap.
With that comforting thought nestled safely in her mind, she pulled the covers over top of her and began the long hardship of trying to fall asleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Twilight always had to be prepared for everything, but Spike interrupting her from a rather peaceful nap was not one of them.
“Book fort!? Are you there, book fort!?” she sputtered gracelessly, shaking her head in all directions available to her neck.
“Book fort?” Spike echoed curiously, looking at her as if she had grown a second head. She could tell he was trying to hold back laughter.
Twilight’s eyes widened and she groaned wearily. “What are you doing, Spike?” she asked in annoyance. “I thought I told you to help Rainbow Dash.”
“I did,’ Spike told her, crossing his arms over his chest. “She’s fine.”
Twilight still looked rather unsure. “You made sure? She didn’t need anything or…”
“Jeez, Twilight! Yes, Rainbow Dash is fine. I’m positive about that,” Spike said, stopping her sentence and forcing her to stay silent until he finished his own. “I know that she’s, like, your best friend and all, but you really need to loosen up. She’s not helpless, you know.”
The unicorn sighed and nodded, getting up from her sitting position and slowly walking over to her assistant. She gave him a smile. “You’re right, Spike. I should have more faith in my friends. Especially in Rainbow Dash. I’m sorry I snapped at you,” she said apologetically. She used her magic to close the book she was now currently finished with, and put it back on the shelf in its proper place.
“It’s okay, Twilight,” Spike said softly. “I know she…well…”
“That’s just it, Spike. She died.” The look on Twilight’s face was dark, almost devoid entirely of any emotion. “That was one of the scariest times of my life, Spike. I almost lost a friend, and I don’t want to have that happen again,” she said sadly, not even bothering to look Spike in the eye.
Spike opened his mouth to speak, but something within him kept it shut. Whatever he happened to say would probably just make the unicorn feel worse, so he just thought it was best to agree with her for the time being.
“Spike…” Twilight began after a long pause of silence.
“Yeah, Twilight?” Spike answered cautiously.
“When do you think I should tell Rainbow about that idea?” she asked, finally looking at him in the eye.
“What idea?”
Twilight grumbled quietly to herself. If there was one thing she didn’t like, it was repeating herself. “The idea to get Rainbow Dash flying again,” she told him shortly.
“Oh…THAT one,” Spike realized, putting a finger up to his chin in thought. “Well, you probably should do it soon,” he said, wondering what direction this conversation would take. By the first few words, he could tell it was probably going to go in one he wanted nothing to do with. But, still he trudged on.
“I know. There are just some things that I have to deal with first,” Twilight explained quickly, barely stopping to take a breath in between her sentences.
“Like what?” Spike asked suspiciously.
“LIKE, I first have to talk to Rarity about this, and then I’ll have to send that offer to Princess Celestia,” Twilight said. “And I want to make sure if it’s okay with Rainbow Dash before we do this.”
Spike looked shocked for a moment, but then burst out laughing for some reason Twilight was not aware of. She gave him a glare laced with venom, but knew that he was right. Why would Rainbow Dash NOT want to fly. It was pretty stupid, she admitted, but she would rather be safe than sorry. Twilight was positive that her friend knew the risks associated with trying something like this, but she still wanted to be sure. There was no way she would lose Rainbow Dash.
Not after all this.
“No offense, Twilight,” Spike got out between snorts and giggles. “But this seems really stupid. Did you forget who we’re talking about here?”
Twilight rolled her eyes in response. “Yes, yes, Spike. Don’t rub it in. Just trust me on this one, okay?” she pleaded.
Spike’s laughter had finally died down enough for him to nod and respond, “Okay, okay. Whatever you say, Twilight.” After that, he walked into the kitchen, leaving a dumbfounded Twilight Sparkle behind him.
“Wait, where are you going?” she asked.
“I’m hungry,” came the simple response.
Twilight sighed and said nothing more to her assistant. She loved him, but Spike could be a real pain in the flank sometimes. Twilight turned around calmly and, to her surprise, found a little slip of paper lying on the desk, just underneath where that book she was just reading used to be. She eyed it suspiciously, picked it up, and levitated it just in front of her so that she could clearly read whatever it said.
“Pick up order from…leather store?” Twilight read aloud. “What could that possibly mean…Oh right!” she said, putting the slip of paper back on the desk and rushing into the kitchen. When she got there, she saw Spike standing just by the fridge, taking an item out of it.
“I’m going out,” she said quickly.
“Okay. Where to?” Spike asked, not looking up from the fridge and whatever it was that he was doing.
“Just to the store to get something I ordered,” Twilight answered nonchalantly, already walking out of the kitchen. “I’ll be back soon.”
She heard a small “okay” from Spike. That satisfied her, and she was about to take her leave, when she remembered a small thing. Without thinking, she turned around and trotted up the stairs to the guest room where Rainbow Dash was staying.
When she opened up the door, she smiled as soon as she saw her friend’s sleeping form. It might have been hard to tell she was sleeping for some ponies, but Twilight could hear the snores that came from the pegasus. Actually, it was really hard NOT to hear them, when she thought about it.
Rainbow Dash was turned away from her and Twilight could see her chest move up and down in slow, steady rhythms.
In a strange way, Rainbow Dash looked rather cute when she was sleeping. She looked so peaceful…
Twilight stopped herself when she realized that Rainbow Dash would probably slap her if she knew Twilight thought she was cute.
A somber thought came to Twilight’s mind. She was going to put her dear friend through one of the most embarrassing and humiliating things a pony could be put through. There was no doubt that Rainbow Dash would probably hate her for a little while, but this way was the only way that Rainbow Dash could move around efficiently. Besides, resting her wing on Twilight’s back had to be at least uncomfortable. But, then again, she didn’t have wings, so she didn’t know.
She had made the decision to do this about two days ago, when Rainbow Dash first woke up and the nurse had told her that Rainbow Dash needed some place to stay. She had wanted to pick it up earlier, but fate just didn’t seem to allow that.
But maybe that was for the best.
“I’m sorry…” she whispered quietly. She knew that Rainbow Dash wouldn’t hear her, but it made her feel a little bit better about what she was going to do.
Sighing, she finally closed the door and her friends sleeping form was lost to her. Without another word, she quickly trotted back down the stairs and made her way out the door.
It seemed that a lot of ponies were inside at this time of day, since she was one of the only ones on the street walking around. That alone made her a little bit angry with herself. Maybe if she had just waited a little bit longer she could have spared Rainbow Dash from the earlier torment. But, on the bright side, at least they had gotten that out of the way.
The rest of the way to her destination was rather plain, luckily. She really didn’t need any pony to distract her right at this moment, all she wanted to do was get to the leather store, just on the outskirts of town, and finish her errand. But, since it was one of the only stores not in the market place, it took longer to get there, and wasn’t really that convenient for her. Still, it gave her the benefit of solitude, and the store wouldn’t be that busy. She would be able to get in and get out without any problem.
Then, she finally saw it. The small black building that held her order. And, just as she had expected, it was vacant. In fact, there wasn’t a pony in sight. If there was, then they would probably be inside at the moment. Speaking of that, that was what she should be doing.
And that was what she did. She walked forward and when she opened the door, a small bell rang out, and the stallion who was behind the counter looked up from his paper cup in a bored fashion. But when he saw Twilight come in, his eyes lit up in surprise and he sat up a little straighter in his chair.
“Hello, ma’am,” he said in a low, accented voice. “What can I do ya for?”
“Oh, hello. I’m just here to pick up an order I put in a day or two ago,” she told him, coming fully up the counter.
“Okie-doke. Can I have your name please?” he asked, putting his head under the counter and waiting for her to respond.
“It should be under Twilight Sparkle,” she said nervously, biting her lip in anxious anticipation. Unconsciously she began to tap her front hoof as he looked through the files under the counter. From the vacancy of the store she was experiencing, they must have a pretty small filing cabinet. So why was it taking so long then? But, when he popped back up, it was only about thirty seconds later.
“Ah, here it is,” the stallion said, pulling the item up from underneath and plopping it back down onto the counter in front of them.
She gasped as she looked at it for the first time. It looked…perfect. Or as perfect as it could get based on what the item actually was. That was the only way to describe it. But, the full reality came crashing down upon as well. It took her a moment to swallow the lump in her throat before she finally replied back to the awaiting stallion.
“Thank you…so much,” she said quietly.
“No problem, Ms. Sparkle. I’m always happy to do something like this, even though it's made artificially. As you could probably tell, we don’t get a lot of customers around these parts, so doing this was quite some fun,” he laughed, but then he got serious as he continued. “I heard about what happened to your friend there; the one that’s gonna need this, I’m presuming?”
Twilight felt a small blush appear on her cheeks. “How did you know?” she asked suspiciously.
“Word travels fast around here, Ms. Sparkle, but I figure that you might know that by now,” he said jokingly.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “More than you would think,” she laughed right alongside him.
After that little exchange, the stallion’s face molded back into a straight expression. “You know, you’re quite the lucky mare to have a friend like that,” he told her, keeping his voice low, even though no other pony was in the shop.
Twilight sighed happily. “I know.”
The stallion gave her a pleasant smile and wrapped her purchase into a bag. Once he was finished, he took it in his mouth and gave it to her. Instead of using her mouth to grab it from him, she wrapped it in her magic and began backing away from the counter.
“Thank you again, sir,” she said, beginning to open the door to let herself out.
“Anytime,” he replied kindly.
She smiled one last time, and finally shut the door. A small bell rang out before it closed fully.
Twilight sighed and began making her way home. Like the trip to get to the store, the trip back to the library was the same, just the other way. Except this time it seemed like there were even less ponies on the street than before.
It didn’t take her very long to get home, thankfully. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Spike eating something at the table and reading a book of some sort. She couldn’t tell what it was from her position. But, he put the book down once he saw her.
“Hey, Twilight. Did you get what you were looking for?” he asked, putting the book down and walking up to her.
“Yep,” Twilight answered, floating the book back to the table and setting it down on the flat surface. She walked over to it with Spike following. When they were there, which was a short walk considering how slowly they went, Twilight turned to Spike.
“Did Rainbow Dash call you?” she asked curiously.
“Nope, she’s still up in her room.”
“Good.”
“Hey, what’s in the bag, anyway?” Spike asked, trying to get his hands on Twilight’s package.
“Be patient and I’ll show you,” Twilight laughed, levitating it away from him.
Spike begrudgingly stopped grabbing and crossed them against his chest, eagerly waiting for Twilight to open the bag. The unicorn winked at him and slowly began unwrapping it. When she was finished, and Spike saw it for the first time, his jaw literally dropped to the floor.
“What are you going to use that for?” Spike asked once Twilight shut his jaw.
“I’m going to use it for Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said distractedly, focusing on looking at the object from various angles.
Spike’s voice sounded unsure. “Are you sure that this is a good idea, Twilight?” he asked worriedly, biting his lip as he waited for Twilight’s answer.
Twilight sighed sadly. She turned to face him, and he could now fully see how unsure she really was on the inside.
“I have to hope it is.”
Without another word, she put the brown false-leather collar back on the table and trotted upstairs.
Purple colored page breaks because reasons.
So, yesterday for me can be summed up as
PIZZA DAMN IT.
Also, the other day I went to see Les Miserables. Tell me, am I the only one that didn't cry at ANY point in the movie?
Except my dad, since we're both heartless bastards.
Here, have a chapter.
Love it.
Collar is an interesting facet though...
hmm, purple works for me
ooooo why not bluey lilac? like when you mix those two's colours together?
Hah, was wondering when the collar from the tumblr would show up. It'll be nice to see the emotion behind it.
A collar on a blind person......Thats........So Damn Cruel... There not animals but I can see where Twilight was getting the idea from.
Good Chapter, Can't wait for Rainbows Reaction, I guarentee its going to be a major freak out.
putting dash on a leash? no way that will work
1993186 purple is good color. i like my mom's purple car, purple MJOLNIR armor, and purple ponies
did you know that in the comments the author's name is highlighted in purple?
This chapter is awesome and you should feel awesome.
Collar, oh god...not...what I was expecting. Why the hell would Twilight try to get Rainbow to agree to be walked around like a pet...literally.
Leather huh?
So...what animal do ponies skin and then use to accessorize?
1993377
Well if you had heard of the Blind Dash Tumblr you woulda expected it.
24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m732hm7xwB1ryzgtno2_1280.png
OK. It's fine that you had twilight buy the collar, and its fine that you're going to have twilight ask RD to use it, but you're not actually going to have her use it, RIGHT?!?!?!? You can't do that man, its filthy and degrading. Besides, we all know RD doesn't mind using her wing to be guided by twilight. RD's esteem has already been ripped to shreds, you can't have her accept being led around with a collar. You can't do it dude, you can't. (I mean, I know its your story, and you can do whatever you want, but please don't)
1993186
Yeah, I didn't cry either; even though I thought it was a fantastic movie.
twilight got RD a leather collar? I didnt know she was into that kind of thing lol
Following the tumblr as expected...
I saw this punctuation error at the end of this sentence. And I'm in the same boat as echriedz, leather sounds off in this world
to those who don't know. this story is based on the recently rebooted.
askblinddash
I knew she was going to be leashed and collared when i read the description.
hearing everyponies pity is going to be harder on her then the bit of embarrassment from being led around like this.
Very well done as always...
1993251 Thank you!
1993283 Because they didn't have that color.
1993293 Hmm, that's certainly interesting.
1993304 It'll be fun to write as well.
1993308 Again, fun fun fun to write! Amiright, Pinkie?
1993319 I agree.
PURPLE
1993372 Thank you!
1993377 Again, based off the tumblr. But, I might be doing something just a little different.
1993441 They use...
Butts.
From what?
Good question.
Maybe that's why Celestia and Luna are the only Alicorns. Watch out, Cadance.1993539 Hmm, perhaps, perhaps. Duelly noted.
1993558 My thoughts exactly.
1993632 Ohohoho~
1993639 Is that a good thing, though?
Thanks for pointing that out!
1993690 Indeed, thank you.
1993730 Thank you!
1993953>>1994024 Thanks for the criticism. I'll try to get it next time. However, I'm not going to be revising the previous chapters, but thank you for the suggestions.
THERE, SHE USED HER MAGIC.
I REALLY HOPE YOU'RE ALL HAPPY.
BECAUSE I'M NOT.
PLEASE STOP ARGUING ABOUT IT NOW.
PLEASE.
wait. leather? as is in
elpasoinfo.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000002/Cowhide_BlkWht-brindle2.jpg
leather?
1993441 love your picture
You know this whole 'how to help Dash fly again' things is going on, and all I can think of is my fiction Sight where Dash befriends a blinded pegasi and gets him flying again....
Quick, somepony get the strap on whistles!
What just happend?
1994317
Thanks, dis guy made it.
moar
Ermahgerd!!! Update!!!
*reads*
Interesting...hmmm, collar? Oh my, this will be intriuging to read.
Well... that certainly DOES explain the embarrassment they're worried about... but just think of the comedy fics that could be derived from this!
I really hope you get some of the other character's inner feelings, esp. Rainbow's, because from the looks of it she seems to sum up her entire tragic, devastating, literally life changing reality into one simple phrase "Yup, I'm blind." That's like me watching and listening to the screams of terror in the holocaust, the soldiers' pleas for their mommies, the cries of lost friends, howls of agony, the late night shock syndromes, all of the damn terror in murder and violence into the phrase "Yup, that's crazy." Catch my drift?
1994272
Never knew about the tumblr. I like it.
There it is, the dreaded collar from the tumblr. Good job so far, but I don't think it would do any good in Rainbow's situation, it's pretty cruel. She seemed pretty comfortable with the wing, as well as Twilight. Anyway, lets see how this continues.
I love all the Rage based around the Fact its Leather abd a Collar. Im not bothered at all, No idea why, but it just doesent bother me.
Good chapter anyway. The Ships shall commence... Soon. I think. Please?
1993293
What did you do??
~~Flutter-Shy~~
iambrony.jsmart.web.id/mlp/gif/131596982601.gif?1316804968
images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120515052522/mlp/images/7/79/FANMADE_VerySadTwilight.gif
Great chapter keep up the great work can't wait for more.
All of my Feels. Take them! TAKE THEM ALL!
1993377 Exactly.I'm like DAFUQ!?!
1993186
I haven't cried from a movie since Pokemon The First Movie
1993441
I don't see pomies skinning or slaughtering animals this makes no sense....
1996329
Leather - A material made from the skin of an animal by tanning or a similar process.
And I honestly hoped you will not replicate this idiocy from tumblr. Collar, it is overkill to dash, way to make this even more emvarasing and her to fell more miserable. like pet, or small, overactive kid (in the second case is usualy string on the wrist).
shortcut to breakdown. People like this have enchenced navigation abilities, they are able to remember where what is located after being guide there only few times, collar is... I do not even know how to put it. It should be expected that pegasus will have it even stronger. normal perso (especialy one like Dash) would rather commit suecide than walk like this outside.
1996354
Yesh, this does seem like an idea Twilight might come up with but somebody/somepony has to talk some sense into that girl before she comes at Dashie with that ridiculously fucked up idea!
“Pick up order from…leather store?” oh my god! WHO THE HELL WOULD ACTUALLY GET LEATHER IN EQUESTRIA! they don't even kill things like manticores! every thing in the show is sentient! what the hell are they killing and getting leather for! "oh, sorry Betsy, but Luna want's some Leather Bondage gear. we're gonna have ta kill you."
Artifiicial textiles people! Maybe with magically assisted manufacturing techniques? Just because its leather doesn't mean it isn't artificial leather.
The shipping part was actually the weakest part of that blog.
That's where the "colar" idea came from (Twilight is into some weird shit).
It's actually quite sad cause the blog was amazing and the shipping ruined it a little but maybe it's just me being heartless.
1996792
Could be made from the discarded skin of some enormous creature. Worm leather!
MOAR......that is all
Why not a rainbow collar so it matches Rainbow Dash?
1997639 since when were mobs from Terraria in Equestria?
1993377
Why? Because Dash said that Twilight isn't qualified to be her pet.
But Dash IS qualified to be Twi's pet. Or is that, Mistress Twi's pet. I kid.
1996080
Holy shit you're young.
1999169
I'm a legal adult.
1996885
Genius. I have never managed to do that...
~~Flutter-Shy~~