> What matters most
>  by Starlitomega
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> What matters most
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"This was a stupid idea."

Warm summer nights in Ponyville made for perfect outdoor sleeping weather, however the morning sun made it next to impossible to sleep in once it crested the horizon. Irritated by her choice in sleeping arrangements Rainbow defiantly chose to continue sleeping anyway burying her head in the cloud beneath her.

"RAINBOW DAAAAASH!"

She cringed at the high pitched shout resounding through the open air. The bubbly voice cut through the sky like an ear piercing air-horn 

"Maybe if I ignore her she'll go away, I mean there's no way she knows I'm on this particular cloud."

"DASHIIIIIIIE!"

"Ugh, just stick to your guns." The pegasus groaned.

"C'MON RAINBOW, IT'S TIME TO GET UP!"

Silence took hold as the party pony's voice trailed off. A small smile crept across the pegasus' face, her plan to evade the slumber destroying nuisance proved successful.

*THUMP*

"Ow! Hey!"

Despite the blinding light assaulting her eyes she could clearly make out a cupcake wrapped in plastic lying next to her with a dent in it's frosting. With any idea of continuing her slumber forgotten, she peered over the edge of the cloud spotting the target of her animosity readying another cupcake missile. 

"Pinkie Pie! What the hay are you doing throwing cupcakes?"

"I'm trying to wake you up! I called your name, but you seemed to be having such a great dream that I had to find another way."

Rainbow shot a look of annoyance completely lost on the pony beneath her. "Yeah, but cupcakes?"

"Well I was going to use a rock but that seemed a little too dangerous, so I said to myself "Who wouldn't love to wake up to a cupcake?" So I reared back and let it fly!"

The multicolored mare felt relief at the foresight her friend put into her sleep destroying plan. "So how did you know I was even up here, and what do you want?" she asked as the ire left her voice word by word.

"Oh, I saw your tail hanging off the back of the cloud, it seems like a small cloud to me, I mean what if you had a nightmare and tossed and turned and fell off? I think it might be safer-"

"Pinkie…. What…. Do…. You…. Want?”

"Don't you remember what day it is?" Pinkie teased letting her voice trail off enticingly.

Rainbow's eyes lit up.

"The Annual Ponyville Summer Fun Parade!" The pegasus exclaimed. In her early morning grogginess, she forgot today was the day when she would do flybys during the annual celebratory parade. "Oh man, what time is it? I've gotta go get changed, it could be starting any moment now! I hope I can find m-"

"RAINBOOOOOW!"

The pink pony’s voice brought her back to reality.

"The parade isn't until noon! You've still got five hours to get ready!" Pinkie reminded trying to ease her friend's worries.

"Oh, you're right, I'll go get my outfit and see you guys a little bit before the parade." Rainbow announced pointing herself towards her cloud home.

"Bye Dashie! I know you'll be amazing today!" The poofy tailed pony called after her.
~
Pinkie strolled through Main Street checking all of the decorations making sure they fit into the exclusively high standards she herself set for maximum enjoyment. She spied Fluttershy with a flock of birds listening intently to everything the pegasus had to say. Ignoring everything else for the moment she made a beeline for the impromptu class as quietly as she could. She crept up behind Fluttershy listening in on the pep talk being dispensed to her feathered friends.

"Now I know it might be scary sharing the sky with Rainbow Dash, but if you stay with your wingmate and keep-"

"HEY FLUTTERSHY!"

"EEP!" Birds scattered and Fluttershy's wings locked up sending her tumbling to the ground on her back. Looking up at the ever present and impenetrable smile of Pinkie Pie beaming down on her, relief and a smile washed over her with the realization that everything was ok.

"Oh, hello Pinkie. You startled me, is something wrong? I do hope everything's going all right."

"It's better than all right, it's stupenderiffic! How are the birds coming along?" The pink pony asked extending a helping hoof.

Taking her hoof, Fluttershy slowly stood up. "Oh, they're a bit nervous. Rainbow is really really fast and they have to form different shapes for her to fly through. They're stronger than they look, They'll be just fine. What about everypony else? Are they ready?"

Putting a hoof to her chin Pinkie recalled the ponies she met earlier, "Well, Rarity is busy with the floats and Applejack is busy with pies for the contest, and Rainbow is busy getting ready for her flyby. I do need to check on Twilight. The parade is riding on her smarty pants organization skills!"

"Well I won't keep you, when I finish I'll meet you all at the library." Fluttershy said as her birds slowly returned to their perches behind her.

"See you in a few!" Pinkie resumed her jaunt down Main Street. Every tree had a ribbon to provide the ultimate decorative atmosphere. The other ponies protested the seemingly random placement and colors of said ribbons, but soon relented to Pinkie's insistence. It wasn't her fault the other ponies didn't understand schematics or color plotting and color enjoyment among various age group demographic charts. Looking further ahead she spotted a purple unicorn mare pouring over a timeline frantically scribbling and preaching to the crowd in front of her. The cotton candy colored pony closed the distance between them trying to decipher the confusing chatter.

"Ok, so next is the mail float, then you count to three once the mail float crosses completely over the starting line, yes that includes the rear wheels. Anyway, you start your run and then the Sugarcube corner float goes next after another three second gap but then we need a gap of eight seconds between the next float because the flybys will take place between these two floats. Rainbow will take several passes as the parade goes down the street. Is everypony clear on the order and times?"

A sea of shaking heads assured her they did not.

Pinkie pushed through the crowd and grabbed Twilight's quill.

"Wait, what are you doing? I need that!"

The earth pony ignored her, instead she set about writing seemingly random numbers on a piece of paper until it was full before moving on to another. Once both sheets were full she grabbed the pages and ripped them up and promptly passed out the pieces without looking at them.

"Ok everypony, the top number is your order while the bottom number is how many seconds you should wait before taking your turn." Pinkie ordered.

Twilight jumped in frantically grabbing the papers and inspecting them carefully. "No wait, don't do that! I need to see these and make sure they…." Her voice fell silent when she noticed the papers were indeed passed out to the correct pony with the correct times. "Umm, never mind, just follow your piece of paper." The crowd of ponies scattered while Twilight's rump hit the ground unceremoniously next to the hyperactive pony. "I assume it's a waste of time to ask you how you did that."

"Yup! Looks like everything's nearly ready." Pinkie said triumphantly.

"That's it for me then. Now it just comes down to making sure nothing disastrous happens."

"Yeah, Rainbow should be here any minute and we need to be our best so she can be her best!"

Both ponies trotted off to the starting position of the parade to meet their friends.
~
Rainbow paced nervously behind the library, the chosen starting point of the parade. Dressed in a sleek skintight suit colored much like her namesake that Rarity spent all night making for just this occasion and surrounded by her friends, everything seemed ready to go.

"Guys, I don't think I can do this." She sputtered in anxiety.

"Stay calm Rainbow, if anypony can do this, you can." Twilight stated reassuringly.

"Sugarcube, yer the best young flier in Equestria! Ya performed in front of the princess and tha Wonderbolts. Ya got nothing ta worry bout!" Applejack said trying to raise her courage up.

"But everypony here KNOWS me! If I mess up, I'll have to live with it EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE!" she yelled to emphasize the "direness" of the situation.

"Darling, I made that stunning outfit just for you. You're the only pony in Ponyville fit to wear such a ravishing garment, I know you'll do it justice." Rarity chimed in.

Fluttershy caught on to the plan quickly continuing the pep talk. "You look wonderful Rainbow, everypony knows you are such an amazing flier. Now all you have to do is get out there and be the stunt pony you were meant to be."

"Yeah Dashie, everypony is so thrilled to see you perform. After this, ponies in other towns will know your name! You can do it!" Pinkie cheered with a giant foam finger looking for all the world as if she were performing some sort of homicidal semaphore ritual while her friends ducked for safety. Rainbow felt a surge of confidence build up inside her as a mental image of the stunning feats she was to perform played inside her head. Her lips crossed into a smirk and the shaking in her legs came to a halt.

"You guys are right! I've got nothing to fear. Rainbow Dash is ready for takeoff!" She proclaimed spreading her wings majestically.

"GOOOOOOO DASHIE!" Pinkie cheered happily. She marched over to the pegasus and pulled something out of her saddlebags and hoofed it to her friend. "Here ya go! I know you'll get hungry and this muffin was made with this moment in mind. It's got lots of fruit bits for extra hydration and energy, which are good things according to Twilight."

Rainbow took the treat with an incredulous look. "You made this just for me?"

"Sure did! I wanted to make sure you were in tip top toe shape."

She tucked the muffin into an emergency pouch sewn into the bottom of the suit then turned back to Pinkie giving her a huge hug. "Thanks, I really mean it."

"I told you that pouch would come in handy." Rarity intoned.

Rainbow pulled them all in for a hug, "Thanks you guys, I don't know what I'd do without you."

At that moment Lyra raced around the corner and whispered into Twilight's ear. Her eyes went wide as the green pony took off around the corner she had just come from.

"Ok everypony, its showtime. Just remember the routine and everything will be fine." Twilight said extricating herself from the group hug. As each of the ponies dispersed, Rainbow put on her flight goggles.

"Ok, like they said, just go out there and be the stunt pony you were meant to be."
~

Pinkie cheered from atop the Sugarcube corner float which had been designed to look like a three layer high wedding cake with the Cakes themselves standing on the very top as this day also happened to be their anniversary. All around her ponies smiled as the float moved slowly down the street and Pinkie loved every moment of it. Tossing candy happily into the cheering throng of ponies she felt like she was on top of the world.

"Lots of candy for everypony! Keep the smiles coming!" she yelled in euphoria. A collective gasp went through the crowd and her smile shined even brighter as a rainbow streaked across the sky headed straight for the parade. Glancing behind her float Pinkie saw the birds form a circle behind them in preparation for the flybys. Pinkie clopped her hooves together noisily as Rainbow whizzed by at high speed causing a breeze to tussle her hair.

"GOOOOOO RAINBOOOW!" she cheered as the Pegasus blew through the ring. The birds then formed a tic tac toe grid completely devoid of x's or o's. The pegasus turned back around for another pass as the crowd chanted what move she should take.

"CENTER! CENTER! CENTER!" The crowd shouted in unison.

Rainbow blazed through the center square after which the birds formed an x in said square. With little fanfare more birds appeared to form a circle in the right middle square. Rainbow turned from the other direction for another pass. This time the crowd's choices were so varied she couldn't make out a singular choice so she blazed through the bottom right. After placing Rainbow's X, the birds chose the top right square. Pinkie stared in awe as Rainbow circled back around yet again.

"TOP LEFT! TOP LEFT!" the crowd screamed as one just as the Pegasus flew by. Cheers erupted from the crowd as her sleek form shot though the top left square solidifying her diagonal victory.

"YEAH! ALRIGHT RAINBOW!" screamed Pinkie at the top of her lungs.

The birds scattered momentarily before reforming into the shape of a tunnel leading into the sky. The makeshift tunnel, not much bigger than herself, was her final challenge. Pinkie sat with baited breath awaiting the upcoming stunt. She saw the pegasus do a u-turn and head straight for her, or rather the tunnel. As the gap closed Pinkie's eyes locked with Rainbow's straight through the goggles, she lost herself in the moment staring into the fuchsia orbs so intent on their goal.

Rainbow's left wing went limp and her eyes slammed shut in what appeared to be pain. Pinkie's heart skipped a beat as the Pegasus veered off course away from the crowd in an out of control spin. She felt a knot in her stomach as a collective gasp went through the crowd for the second time that day as the pegasus' form disappeared behind the buildings along Main Street. A sickening thud echoed through the air from behind the quill shop. Pinkie's legs moved on their own carrying her off the float and charging through the crowd of ponies with reckless abandon. Rounding the corner of the quill shop she spied the injured Pegasus unresponsive on the ground.

"Rainbow! Rainbow! You gotta get up! everpony is worried about you! I'm worried about you!"

"Pinkie, is she ok?" asked Fluttershy rounding the corner.

"Fluttershy! Throw her on my back! We gotta get her to the hospital!" The yellow Pegasus nodded and grabbed the unconscious mare slinging her carefully over Pinkie's back. Satisfied that she was more or less in place she took off like a shot for the hospital. "Please be ok Rainbow! You just gotta be ok!" She pleaded, more to herself than anyone else.

~
Five anxious ponies sat in the hospital waiting room each killing time in their own way, the quiet of the sterile room finally getting to one of them.

"Did anypony see what happened?" asked Twilight.

Pinkie slowly raised her hoof causing everyone to stare at her with pleading eyes for any insight.

"When Rainbow came back around for the tunnel pass and, and, and then I saw her left wing move in a weird way, then she steered away from the parade behind the shop and… and I brought her here, I mean I saw more than that but that's it… more or less."

"If ya had to guess, whacha think happened?" Applejack asked.

"I think I can field that question." The door leading into the back area of the hospital opened revealing a white mare with a red heart cutie mark. Pinkie grabbed her in a panic and stared deep into her eyes.

"Nurse! Is she going to be ok?"

Unshaken by the pink pony's nervousness or intensity, the nurse smiled and slowly pushed her away. "She's going to be fine. She's got a sprain in her left wing so she's unable to fly, but apart from being a little concussed from the impact… and her wounded pride, she'll be just fine."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the good news just in time to see Rainbow pop through the doorway, her left wing in a splint. 

"Hey guys, how's it going?" she asked sheepishly. She wasn't ready for the outpouring of support she received as her friends nearly knocked her to the ground with the viciousness of hugs long overdue. Pinkie had been the first to grab her and squeezed her neck for all she was worth.

"Pinkie… can't …. Breathe…." She choked out.

"Oops. Sorry." she relented with a shy smile.

"As everypony can see, she's just fine." The nurse chimed in.

"Umm yeah… but I may need to stay at somepony else's house, I can't exactly fly home right now." Rainbow said slowly.

"How long will it take to heal?" Twilight asked.

"Well, if she takes it easy… four, maybe five days?"

Pinkie gasped excitedly, "She can stay with me! i have plenty of room and I'd be more than happy to share my room, 
aaaaaand we live in a bakery! You can always find something to eat whenever you want!" Pinkie looked over to the nurse with hope filling her eyes.

"W,well the decision is really up to her. If she's ok with it I don't see why she can't stay with her friends. Just be sure she takes it easy." The nurse advised.

"Well Sugarcube, are ya ok with staying with Pinkie?" asked Applejack.

"Sure, im just glad I can count on you guys for a place to stay."

"Yippie! It'll be like an extra long slumber party!" Pinkie cheered.

"Fluttershy, can you go to my house and get a few things for me?" Rainbow asked

"It won't be a problem." She smiled

"C'mon Pinkie, we've got a slumber party ahead of us." Rainbow said leading her friends out of the hospital.
~


"We're hooooooome everypony!" announced Pinkie throwing open the front door to Sugarcube corner. The telltale sound of clanging pans in sinks of hot water clued both ponies in on the Cake's whereabouts. Mrs. Cake herself popped her head through the kitchen door.

"We? Pinkie dearie, who else is- oh, It's you Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow waved shyly back at Mrs. Cake unsure of the reaction she might get at the announcement of an extended sleepover. "Hey Mrs. Cake, Pinkie was awesome enough to offer me a place to stay since I can't fly up to my house at the moment, if it's ok with you guys of course."

The smile Mrs. Cake returned reassured them that any fears of rejection were unfounded. "You can stay as long as you like dear. I'm just glad you're ok after that nasty fall, it was so responsible and considerate of you to fly away from the crowd when you noticed a problem."

Rainbow puffed up a little with pride at the compliment, "Part of being in a stunt show means keeping the crowd safe. Nopony wants to see an accident involving bystanders ya know."

"Of course not, make yourself at home and there is always extra food in the fridge if you get hungry." Mrs. Cake offered.

"Thanks, I think I might just settle for hanging out with Pinkie for awhile first."

"Of course, I need to finish the dishes… if you'll excuse me." The older pony explained retreating back into the kitchen.

Rainbow shook her head slowly in shock, "I didn't expect that."

"Expect what?" Pinkie questioned.

"I kinda figured everypony might laugh at me or tell me I was being reckless and instead I got a compliment." Rainbow scratched her chin questioningly.

Pinkie's face fell for a moment as she relieved the awful moment, the wince of pain spreading across Dash's face, the sight of her wing spasming as well as the sound her body made when it impacted the ground.

"Are you ok?"

Rainbow's question snapped Pinkie out of her conscious nightmare, staring at her friend, wounded, yet very much alive and in good spirits, brought a smile back to her face.

"I'm about to have a sleepover with one of the most awesome ponies in Equestria, I'm doing great!" Pinkie enthused starting up the stairs to her bedroom with her friend trailing closely behind.

"Don't you mean THE most awesome pony in Equestria?"
~

"That was so fun!" Pinkie said blowing a feather off her nose. Lying upside down on the floor she beamed back at the pony hovering above her who currently surveyed the destroyed room before them.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but, I never woulda guessed you kept your room so clean when I first came up here. Our pillow fight MAY have gotten a little out of hand…" Rainbow said hesitantly. Pinkie flipped onto her hooves in one fluid motion.

"Organization is extremely important if you want to be a party pony, after all, how can you blow up balloons if you can't find them?" she stated with a proud smile.

Rainbow leveled her eyes at her. "Pinkie, that…. actually somehow makes sense. Stop scaring me like that. Should we clean this up tonight?" she asked motioning to the mess they made.

"Nopey dopey! The only thing you're going to do is lie down, rest up, and smile if I can help it. By the way, who is gonna be in control of the weather team tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah, Just some new Pegasus that transferred out of Canterlot. It's temporary though so I wouldn't get your hopes up for some sort of new pony party if I were you." Rainbow said trying to cut her off before any extra parties could be planned. "I wonder what I should do tomorrow."

Pinkie patted her on the back forcefully. "You should help me with the baking some tomorrow when you wake up! Have you ever baked before?"

Rainbow became very hesitant being confronted with the prospect of something so…. New. "I dunno, baking sounds boring."

"Oh c'mon Dashie, just give it a shot, besides, you do wanna be awesome at everything don't you?" "Pinkie challenged.

The fire returned to Rainbow's eyes at the prospect of dominating yet another activity. "Maybe I can give it a shot, but if it gets boring I'm outta here." Rainbow proclaimed.

Pinkie threw her hooves over Rainbow's neck in a vice-like grip. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! I bet you'll be a natural!" throwing a glance at the wall-clock her eyes went wide. "Maybe we should get some sleep."

Rainbow extracted herself from the pink pony's hug. "Do I even wanna know what time it is?"

"Nope." Pinkie put her head under the bed and pulled out an extra blanket and pillow. "I'll take the floor and you can take the bed."

Rainbow shook her head furiously. "Nuh uh, no way, I'm not stealing your bed. I'll take the floor."

Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Silly, you can't steal something someone offers you, you're used to sleeping on clouds, you'll never be able to sleep on the floor!"

Rainbow scratched her chin again. "Well you have a big bed, why can't we both sleep in it?"

Pinkie's eyes lit up at the prospect of sharing her bed with her friend and she had a hard time hiding her excitement. 
"Really? You want to share the bed? I mean, ummm yeah it should big enough for both of us." She threw the extra blanket and pillow under the bed from whence they came and hopped on top. Rainbow followed closely behind her, stepping her hooves tentatively to test the bed's firmness.

"Wow, it's really really soft. I don't think I've ever been in a bed this soft that wasn't a cloud." Rainbow remarked scooting under the blanket.

"I experimented with beds for the longest time. I tried water beds, I tried air mattresses, I even tried stuffing a bunch of balloons into a bag and lying on top. They make much better decorations than they do beds." She added.

"So what is it if it's not a normal bed?"

Pinkie's smile faded a little, "it's no secret I'm a little bigger than everypony else. I wanted something really soft… so I took a water bed, drained it, and filled it with pudding."

"Pudding? You really are random." Rainbow laughed.

"Can't complain with the results though, some nights I scrunch up nice and deep and it feels like a nice long hug from all my friends."

Silence fell over the room as both ponies lay in the dark, seemingly out of topics to talk about.

"Pinkie?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't think you're any bigger than anypony else."

A soft smile played on Pinkie's lips as she shut her eyes. "Thanks, you're the best friend a pony could ask for." An unexplainable happiness overwhelmed her tired mind as she lay mere inches away from Rainbow's mane. She drifted off to sleep listening to her friend's steady breathing reassuring her that this wasn't a dream.

~

A dull pain resonated through Rainbow's body bringing her away from her slumber. Slowly opening her eyes her heartbeat quickened when she realized she wasn't at home. Yesterday's events played back in her mind reminding her of the throbbing pain in her left wing. She turned to her left wing and gave it a scornful look as if to admonish it for letting her down in front of everyone. Looking around Pinkie's room she noticed everything was back to the pristine condition they found it in when they first arrived yesterday evening.

"I wonder where Pink- aw shoot! I'm supposed to be helping her out today!" her eyes shot to a wall-clock which ominously displayed the current time as ten-forty five.

"Hang on Pinkie, I'm coming!" she yelled dashing through the door. She blazed a trail down the stairs and into the kitchen leaving the Cakes in a state of confusion. "I'm ready, let's put the hammer down!" Pinkie looked up from her measuring cups to match eyes with her.

"Oh, hey Dashie you're just in time! We're getting ready for the lunchtime rush. I think you'll be a natural once you get in the swing of things."

Rainbow had seen cooking shows before and wasn't convinced. "I dunno, cooking always seems to involve… waiting." The pink pony appeared behind her with a reassuring hoof on her back.

"You've never cooked with me, let's get started!" Pinkie yelled dashing to the table

"Please tell me this doesn't call fo-"

"It's cupcakes, muffins, and pastries time, it's always fun with Pinkie Pie."

"A song" finished Rainbow.

"You can't fly in the sky without wings like you can't make a pie without a few things."

Pinkie threw several mixing cups on the table to join the others.

"Milk, Sugar, Flour, and Eggs, keep up the pace, move those legs!"

Rainbow caught each of the ingredients thrown haphazardly towards her being especially careful with the eggs.

"Pinkie, this might sound crazy, but I think your plan is a little hazy."

Several trays and pans flew from the cabinets straight for the pegasus who scrambled to catch them all.

"Baking one item might be quite boring, but do them all at once and the ovens start roaring!"

Pinkie threw several recipe cards at once littering the table in paper. Rainbow sat confused, and for the first time in a long time unsure what to do, Pinkie grabbed a card and shoved it in her face.

"C'mon Dash, you gotta keep time, fall apart and you'll lose your rhyme!" 

Rainbow shook her head mentally psyching herself up for the ordeal ahead of her.

"I guess we'll make cupcakes first just to get by, I need milk, flour, sugar, and eggs on the side."

Pinkie expertly measured out the various ingredients read out by Rainbow and placed them in a bowl.

"I'll take the time to mix up the batters, if you'll put some cooking spray on the sheets and platters." 

Rainbow quickly tossed Pinkie the mixer and sprayed down the pans when she realized a familiar feeling had suddenly hit her. A feeling of speed and agility, never sitting still, go, go, go, and never stop. It was a feeling she longed for on a near constant basis and she felt it here, in the kitchen of all places, baking with Pinkie.

"Of course! I get it! It all makes perfect sense, baking can be fun if it's made intense!"

Pinkie's eyes lit up, "Now you get it! I knew you'd love baking if it was more of a challenge!"

"I'll prove I'm the best, not a phony, I'll bake up a storm better than any other pony!"

Rainbow glanced back at Pinkie who simply glared at her.

"Well, maybe not better than you."

~

"Lunch rush is here, how's it coming dea- sweet Celestia, what happened here?" Mrs. Cake scanned the room surveying the damage done to the kitchen. Her eyes fell upon two flour covered ponies. "This is a disaster area! What did you two do- whaaa?" Mrs. Cake's jaw nearly hit the floor when she spied the cooling table piled higher than she'd seen for quite some time.

"Rainbow and I are done with the lunch rush, I think it's a new speed record!" Pinkie exclaimed clopping her hooves noisily.

"Yeah, Pinkie is a mad mare in the kitchen, I just didn't expect baking to be so… fun!" Rainbow said looking back at her pink friend.

"Well the kitchen may be a mess but I certainly can't argue with the results. Once it's back to normal, feel free to take the rest of the day off you two."

Pinkie hoofbumped Rainbow, "We'll have it cleaned up…"

"…in ten seconds flat!"
~
Both ponies zoomed out of the front door to Sugarcube corner finally free of their cleaning duties.

"Where are you gonna go today?" the pink pony asked.

Rainbow felt the need to fly badly, but knowing it was impossible she decided upon a run instead. "I think I'll visit Applejack, hopefully she can hang out and won't put me to work. What about you?"

"I'll go see if Twilight wants to do something. Hopefully she won't be all "I'm trying to read Pinkie! Books don't make very good battering rams! Spike is not a plunger!" psh, That pony LIVES in a library. Surely she can put a book down a little while to have some fun."

Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Don't count on it, Well, I'll see you later!"

"Bye Rainbow!"

Dash took off like a shot, her hooves propelling her forward causing the wind to sweep through her mane. That familiar rush flowed through her body spurring her forward and pushing her smile even wider. She ran through town effortlessly occasionally glancing up at the sky above her. Her pace slowed a bit as she spied a Pegasus pony with a white body and pink mane above her clearing clouds.

"That must be my replacement." Dash said sadly. She shook her head abruptly and focused back on running. 

"TEMPORARY replacement, once my wing is healed I'll be the one ponies look to when they need a clear sky again." Jerking her head back up and outside of her thoughts she had no time to react before she slammed headfirst into a tree.

"OOF!" she uttered as she crumpled to the ground in a daze as apples rained around her.

"I like ta use mah legs Sugarcube."

Rainbow shook off the daze and peered up into Applejack's eyes.

"First yer wing, now yer head, Are you tryin to run some sort of insurance racket?" The earth pony said extending a hoof which Rainbow used to pick herself up.

"Very funny. What are you doing today AJ?"

"Me? Well I'm just lazing about really. I got today's work done so I was just gonna go sit by the lake, care to join me?" Applejack asked walking off the main path.

Rainbow nodded, "Sure, maybe I'll take in a nap."

"How's yer wing doin anyhow?"

She felt her appendage spasm a little at the mere mention of it. "Still hurts. I can't wait till I can fly again." Rainbow said her mind drifting off into the numerous things she usually did that called for her feathery limbs. During their conversation they came upon their destination, a small lake surrounded by lots of trees offering ideal shade. The pegasus trudged forward slowly, her mind clouded with all the things she wished she could do. 

"You all right hun?"

"Huh? Me? I'm fine, why do you ask?" Rainbow said trying to compose her thoughts.

"Well ya seem kinda down."

Sadness entered her eyes as she relented to Applejack's interrogation.

"Well, it's just that flying is a big part of who I am. It feels like I'm half a pony now. I can't even take my naps like I used to." She said gesturing to the tree she usually napped in.

Applejack leaned back against a tree and pulled her hat over her face. "Don't you worry none, You'll be up and at em in no time."

Rainbow curled up on the ground next to her and closed her eyes. "You're right. It just stinks losing something that makes you who you are. It's kinda like being a new pony."

We're all with ya. Iff'n ya need anything, ya just ask, ok?"

“Thanks AJ.”

~

"So then we ended up throwing flour balls at each other and I was all like WOOSH trying to dodge'em all and Rainbow was like SWISH but then I threw one at her side and- Twilight? Are you even listening to me?" Pinkie asked noticing their conversation had been very one sided.

"Uh huh." Twilight responded as she busied herself with the reshelving of the library.

Pinkie rolled her eyes slowly trotting to the middle of the spacious library floor as she watched intently as the unicorn went through the organization process in an instinctual manner. Pinkie placed her head on her hooves and let her thoughts wander. She didn't want time to think, she wanted to keep moving like she always did, but with Fluttershy busy with her animals, Rarity stuck on a custom order, and Rainbow visiting Applejack, Twilight was her last hope for some sort of distraction. She tried to focus on the activities she and her pegasus friend would do later, but she couldn't help but think about the parade.

"Pinkie, are you ok?"

"Huh? Wha?" Pinkie asked snapping out of her thoughts. "I'm fine, why do you ask?" The look on Twilight's face let her know she wasn't fooling anyone.

"First, you're sitting… quietly… in the library. Also, you aren't smiling, that's enough for a full scale investigation."
Pinkie sank lower to the ground, her face falling even lower. Concern entered Twilight's face.

"Pinkie, what’s wrong? Talk to me… please?" Twilight pleaded.

The prostrate mare sat up slowly turning her back to her unicorn friend. "Nopony should ever see me like this… but I can't help It." as she talked Twilight tried to look at her face but Pinkie kept her back to her.

"Stop it, I mean it."

The purple unicorn froze at the unusual terseness in her voice, but seemed to respect her wishes and sat down quietly.
"I keep seeing it. I keep seeing Rainbow's wing jitter and go limp. I keep seeing her veer off and I keep hearing her crash. I can't get it out of my head." Pinkie shook her head sadly. "It's not fair to her. It was her big moment, I saw her do her stretches that morning. There's no reason why it should've happened."

"But it did Pinkie. Nothing can change that. All we can do is help her out anyway we can. Pinkie, I have a question for you and please feel free not to answer it but… do you like Rainbow, like, reeeeeaaaallly like her?"

Pinkie knew she could trust Twilight her with secrets after the Spike/Rarity incident. She slowly nodded her head.

"I figured as much. Have you ever told her?"

Pinkie shook her head. Twilight closed the distance and put a hoof over her friend's shoulder.

"I've seen you two together, there's definitely something there. I can only imagine what it must feel like to see the one pony you really like get hurt, but maybe you should take this as a sign."

Pinkie sniffled wiping a few stray tears away. "A sign?"

"Yeah, a sign. Life is short, we can spend our days asking what if, or we can simply do it. I think you should just say it."
Pinkie turned to her with a weak smile and mostly dry eyes, "Silly, I can't just say it, it has to be special."

"Well maybe this sprain is just the thing you need seeing as how she'll be stuck with you for a few days."
Pinkie tackled her in a hug. "YOU'RE RIGHT! This is the perfect time to pounce! Thanks Twilight, I'm so lucky to have such a smart friend!

Twilight shook her off with a meek smile. "You're welcome. Just let me know if I can help when the time comes."

"Okey dokie lokie!" Pinkie affirmed bounding through the library's front door.

~

Rainbow traipsed through town taking in the evening sights. Normally she flew to all of her destinations ignoring everything but the sky ahead of her, but with her injured wing keeping her grounded she had the chance to stroll through town on hoof. All of the merchants busied themselves putting away their stalls while the Pegasus ponies danced through the sky arranging the clouds appropriately for the overnight weather. She hated seeing someone else picking up her slack, she kept her head down as she walked the rest of the way to Sugarcube corner and nudged the door open.

"Oh hello there Rainbow. Did you have a good day today?" Mrs. Cake asked cleaning the display case.

"Hey Mrs. Cake, yeah it was good and all…"

"Is something wrong dear?"

Rainbow could barely acknowledge her faults to herself, there's no way she could share them with Mrs. Cake. "Nah, everything's fine. Is Pinkie upstairs?"

"She sure is, by the way, I wanted to thank you so much for your help earlier." Mrs. Cake reached under the counter, pulled up a stack of cards and bits, and pushed them towards her. "These are comment cards we ask customers to fill out if they have time. All of these in this stack talk about how delicious the baked goods were that you two cooked up today. You should look at them when you have a chance and the bits are your share of the tips."

Rainbow stared at the stack in awe. There must've been at least twenty cards in all. She grabbed the cards tucking them under her good wing. "Thanks, I'll look them over when I get the chance. See you in the morning." Rainbow called out trotting up the stairs.

"Good night dearie."

Upon reaching the top step, Rainbow nudged open the door.

"Hey Pinkie Pie, im ba-"

"AHHHH!" Pinkie screamed as she wrapped herself in a towel. Rainbow took this moment to push her heart back down her throat.

"Rainboooow! I just got out of the shower, I haven't even changed yet!"

The cyan pegasus leveled a set of annoyed eyes at her."We hardly ever wear clothes"

The pink pony mulled this over for a moment in her head. "Oh, you're right. That makes things much less complicated.” 

Rainbow laughed as Pinkie threw the towel into bathroom haphazardly. “So whacha got planned tonight?"

Pinkie's face brightened, "I've arranged for a movie night! I got the popcorn on standby, and some of the funniest and scariest movies I own all lined up."

Rainbow loved movies, but she only really watched them with her friends. "Cool, ready to get it started?"

"Yes indeedy!"
~

Pinkie shivered as the yellow earth pony walked down the dark hallway, alone. "Nothing good ever happens when you go down a dark hallway alone in a movie."

"Aren't you the one who sang a song about standing up to your fears?" Rainbow smirked at her frightened friend with a sleepy smile. Pinkie's demeanor changed instantly back to a beaming smile.

"Sometimes fear can be fun, it's all about the situation really."

"Uh huh."

I bet you're never afraid though, you seem to know just what to say or do when you have to. I like having somepony around who isn't afraid to kick a dragon in the face. It means that I don't always have to be the one who stands up." Pinkie felt emotion bubbling up inside her. Gathering her courage she swallowed hard and launched into her prepared spiel.

"I love watching you when you have such determination and, and, chutzpah! You just seem like the most courageous pony ever, and that's what I like about you. For once, I want to be the one to be frightened and have a good friend save me. I want, for once, to melt in somepony else's arms. I think about it all the time and the more I do the more I can only think that the one thing I want more than anything else… is you." Pinkie's blushing face turned to her friend.

"Rainbow?"

She stared at the sleeping Pegasus curled up next to her in disbelief. She lightly placed a kiss on the pony's forehead and lowered hers as well taking in the sweet smell of the mare's mane thanks to her very own bubblegum scented shampoo.

"Oh well, there's always tomorrow."

~

Running water served as the catalyst for Rainbow's awakening. She slowly opened her eyes and swiveled her ears towards the disturbance. She started to rise to her hooves until she heard a voice join the aquatic symphony playing out in the bathroom.

"C'mon Pinkie, keep it together. Everypony is counting on you to keep them going, she's counting on you. You gotta keep it together if you're gonna tell her how you feel tonight."

Rainbow lowered her head quickly but kept one eye and ear trained on the bathroom doorway.

"You think you have it rough, but it’s Rainbow with the sprained wing. Just do your Pinkie Pie best and keep her happy." The faucet stopped and the flow of water along with it. The moment she saw pink Rainbow squinted her eyes closed enough to look asleep, but open enough to see what was happening. She felt uneasy as Pinkie's face came into view. She could tell the pink pony had been stressed and the absence of a smile pointed to something being very wrong. As she reached the bedroom door, Pinkie put her hooves to her head and shook herself violently.

"Ok Pinkie, its showtime." She said throwing a smile on her face as she bounded through the door.
Rainbow sat on the bed for quite a while trying to parse out what she had just seen. She silently wondered if Pinkie put on a fake smile everyday or if something was wrong with her friend. Glancing up at the clock, the hands seemed to crawl by as she waited a decent amount of time to pass before getting up. Alone with her thoughts Rainbow wondered what she would do today.

"I could go visit Rarity today." 
She envisioned herself stuck on a pedestal while Rarity made adjustments to some dress that would be better suited for annoying ponies in a crowded theater.

"Pass. Maybe I'll go check on Twilight."

She sat on the floor for a few more minutes to keep from arousing Pinkie's suspicions. Glancing back at the clock she noticed ten minutes had come and gone. Hopping off the bed she headed for the door and down the staircase.

"Good morning Rainbow." Mrs. Cake offered a smile with her greeting.

"Morning, just heading to the kitchen to help out Pinkie Pie." she explained moving through the kitchen doors. The pink pony who just a few minutes ago wore a tired expression now had a prize winning smile on her face bouncing through the kitchen gathering the tools of the baking trade. She glanced up at the blue Pegasus intruding in her workspace.

"Morning Dashie! You're up early. Normally you're a sleepy pants who won't get up till noon."

Rainbow chuckled nervously. "Heh, what can I say? Your bed is awfully comfortable." She saw a slight change in Pinkie's face. She couldn't place the emotion off the top of her head.

"You haven't been up long, have you?" Pinkie asked suspiciously.

"No, no, of course not. When I get up I get moving right away."

Pinkie stared for a few moments longer challenging Rainbow with her gaze. "Okie dokie lokie! Wanna get started on the cookies?"

Rainbow felt relief at the sudden change of subject. "Sure! I'll get the cookie sheet and the spray!" and with that they both started into the morning/afternoon cycle.
~

Pinkie and Rainbow exited Sugarcube corner laughing and with more than a few spots of flour on their coats.

"Oh man, I thought for sure I was gonna drop that bag of sugar, I'm just glad you were there to hold it steady."

Pinkie just shrugged, "Eh, what are friends for?" She saw Rainbow's eyes go up to the sky glued to the Pegasus ponies busy with the clouds. Her heart broke as Rainbow's smile flew away like leaves in an autumn wind. She knew what it was like to lose such an important part of herself when she lost the ability to speak thanks to the poison joke, but this was something on a whole different level. Completely out of ideas at the moment she threw her forelegs around Rainbow's neck.

"P,P,Pinkie? What are you doing?"

"You just looked like you really needed a hug." The earth pony said with a smile.
Rainbow pushed her away slowly. "Thanks, but I'm ok. I'm headed to the library, I'll see ya tonight, ok?" She said trotting off.

"Bye, see you later!" Pinkie called out to her friend. "Maybe Rarity can help me… yeah, I'll go see Rarity!" She decided heading to the boutique.
~

"So once the shelves are clean we can eat?" Rainbow questioned.

"That's the deal, take it or leave it." Twilight said throwing her a washcloth.

"You got it!" she saluted and started on the highest shelves using the library’s ladder.

"So what did you and Pinkie do last night?" The unicorn asked while cleaning the furniture.

"Not much really, we just watched "The Mystery of the Manehatten Murderer" and went to bed."

"Ooooh, scary movie. I had a hard time sleeping for a month after that one. I refuse to watch it alone now." Twilight said firmly. 

Rainbow cackled from the other side of the room. "Oh man, I bet that was hilarious watching you freak out like that."
The purple mare frowned, "Not to me, the princess thought I caught some sort of magical disease because I couldn't levitate anything sharp for weeks."

"Did you ever tell her why?"

"Yes I did…. And she just smiled at me. I was rather annoyed at the time. It wasn't until I was older that I knew why she smiled like that."

"So why did she?" Rainbow prodded.

"Weeellll, I was accepted into her private academy pretty early in life so I ended up spending more time with her than I did my own mom really. I guess she kind of looked at me more as a child of hers than anything else." Twilight reasoned.

"Wait a minute. This is an entire school of unicorns, why would you think she looked at you more than any other student."

"There is the matter of putting me in charge of my own private library."

"Oh"

"And private study sessions with the princess herself…"

"And?" Rainbow prodded.

"Do the words, "my most faithful student" mean anything to you?"

"I think I get the drift." Rainbow said shaking out her washcloth. "Do you… ever wish you stayed in Canterlot?"

"No."

The pegasus' eyes went wide. "Wow, didn't even have to think about it."

Twilight shot her a shy yet sincere smile. "Coming here to Ponyville, meeting all of you, becoming the elements of harmony together, all of it has been the best thing to happen to me."

"Was it really that bad at Canterlot?" Asked Rainbow. 

"No, it wasn't. It was just… lonely. I don't have anypony to pin it on but me though. All day I studied and organized books and all night I catalogued and stared at the stars. Somewhere deep inside it ate at me but as long as I kept my mind on my studies, it went away. It's kinda hard to explain."

"Nah, I get ya. It was pretty much the same thing in flight school. I would just fly, fly, fly, and it would go away… sort of. Then I took the weather job here at Ponyville and the rest is pretty much history."

"Hey, what about Pinkie?"

Rainbow shrugged, "What about her?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "What was she like when you first met her?"

Rainbow put her hoof to her chin. "Hmmm, well Pinkie has always been... well, Pinkie. Throws parties, smiles all the time, bounces everywhere, to be completely honest, I didn't know her that well till you showed up."

"Wow, you two act like you've been together forever."

"She's like Teflon, she just kind of lets everything roll off. Rarity takes everything seriously and won't even leave the house with some elaborate costume, Applejack is usually busy with apples, Fluttershy is cool to hang out with but tends to be a bit skittish. It's nice to hang with somepony who just rolls with the punches you know?"

"I noticed that too. There's always some crisis going on, but she just smiles and goes with it."	

"And shelves are…. Done!" Rainbow announced throwing the washcloth in the air which promptly fell on Twilight's face. "Let's get some food!"

The unicorn followed the Pegasus into the kitchen. "Don't forget you promised to help me with the floors afterwards!"
~

"Rarity, I just want to impress her, not marry her!" Pinkie said. Dressed in a long flowing evening gown, and a hat large enough to live in, the party pony glowered at the unicorn inspecting her.

"Pinkie dear, if you're going on a date you need to make a stunning first impression."

"But it's too late to make a first impression, or a second, or even a five hundredth!"

Rarity tried to hide her annoyance to the best of her ability. "Maybe you should just tell me the whole story and I can dress you appropriately."

Pinkie hesitated. She knew that more ponies knowing her secret meant a better chance of it slipping out.

"Pinkie darling, have you ever known me to be untrustworthy?" Rarity asked feigning hurt.

"Ok, but you can't tell anypony."

"Deal."

Pinkie glared at her.

Rarity sighed and rolled her eyes, "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." The white unicorn went through the motions required to satisfy her friend and Pinkie's smile returned immediately.

"IT'S RAINBOW DASH!" she yelled without restraint.

"Rainbow Dash? Really?" asked Rarity incredulously.

"Yuppers! I like her a whole bunch and we hang out a whole lot, and I like being around her!"

"Well I must say I thought you two had been dating for a while now. So you haven't told her yet?"

Pinkie shook her head sadly.

"Well let me just make an adjustment here." Rarity said tugging at the extravagant outfit.

"There we go, all done."

Looking down at herself she realized all the clothing had been removed. "So wait, what should I wear?"

Rarity laughed. "Pinkie, Rainbow isn’t impressed with dresses or jewelry, if she likes you she likes you for who you are. It's like you said earlier, it's far too late for a first impression. When do you plan to tell her?"

"Hopefully tonight, I've just been waiting for the perfect time, but every time something seems to go wrong."

"Well good luck darling, I'll be cheering for you."
~

The library shined like a freshly polished mirror. Normally it exuded a sort of woodsy feeling, but after the cleaning it received it felt more… stately, like a shiny study hall.

"Well it took us almost all day, but it's finally done." Twilight sighed.

"Yeah… maybe if I could fly it would've been quicker." Rainbow said with a hint of sadness creeping into her voice.

"Oh don't worry about it. If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing. You headed back to Sugarcube corner?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow thought for a moment mulling over her choices. "Hmmm. Do you mind if I stay here tonight?"

Shock and dismay filled Twilight's face. "I've got no problem with it, but are you sure? Why don't you sleep at Pinkie's?"

"I'll tell you later." Rainbow uttered leaving the library.

~

Pinkie hummed happily to herself throwing open the door to the sweet shop. She bounced up the stairs immediately since the Cakes were already in bed.

"Rainbow Daaaaaaaaaash!" she called throwing open the door to her room. Her eyes scanned all over but saw no sign of the Pegasus anywhere.

"Silly pony, you're supposed to tell somepony when you play hide and go seek!" her eyes connected with a piece of paper on her bed. One look at the sloppy handwriting confirmed the claim on the paper that it belonged to Rainbow.

"Pinkie, being around you like this makes me confused. So I decided to sleep at the library with Twilight tonight. Thanks for letting me stay, your friend, Rainbow Dash."

Her heart crumbled with every word she read aloud. She felt sick to her stomach and her legs felt heavy slowly coaxing her into collapsing into her bed.

"It's… it's not fair…"

Tears gathered and rolled down her face and she cried into her pillow thoroughly soaking it trying to wash away the awful feeling of going from such high anticipation, to such low and cruel reality.

"I….I thought she liked being with me!" she cried, her voice cracking from the sorrow pent up inside her.
Time passed by unnoticed as she let out the pent up sorrow bottled up inside her for so long. Time marched on unbeknownst to her and midnight had come and gone. Soon she grew weary and her sobbing slowed as her eyes closed mercifully allowing her rest.

~

Rainbow nursed a cup of warm milk in the kitchen. She heard clumsy and tired hoofsteps coming behind her as Twilight entered the kitchen groggily.

"It's three in the morning, what are you doing up?" The unicorn asked in a rather annoyed tone.

Rainbow sighed, "I can't sleep, the floor bites. It's way too hard."

"That's why I told you to sleep on the sofa."

"That's too hard too. I sleep on clouds, remember?" 

Twilight just stared in response, far too sleepy to look aggravated. "I think Pinkie might be the only one able to handle your sleeping habits."

"Well I had no trouble sleeping there. She has a bed filled with pudding! Pudding! Can you believe it? It's soooo soft and comfy."

Twilight pulled up a seat with her magic keeping her eyes closed in the vain thought that she might be able to go back to sleep easily if they stayed that way.

"I don't get it, if the bed was ok at Pinkie's, why did you wanna stay here?"

Rainbow hung her head. "I can't be around her right now." 

Twilight's eyes widened. "Maybe it's time you told me why you wanted to sleep here in the first place."

"I'm not sure it's good for me to be around her right now." Rainbow fidgeted.

"I don't get it."

Rainbow lowered her head even further. "She's doing everything she can to make me happy, but… I think she likes me Twilight, like … ya know…. Likes me likes Me." she finished slowly.

"Is that a bad thing?" The unicorn asked, fully awake and engaged in the conversation now.

"I don't know. I'm just not sure how it fits with my future in the Wonderbolts and ya know, being free."

"Maybe you should just talk to her tomorrow. See if you can sort things out with her."

"I think I need to keep away from her."

Twilight huffed at her nonchalant attitude, "You really, really need to talk to her, ok?"

Standing up from her chair the pegasus walked into the main area of the library.

"Rainbow, where are you going?" Twilight called after her.

"Out!" she shouted back slamming the door behind her. The cool night air sat still depriving her of any sort of breeze. She looked up to the sky wishing she could lay on one of the soft patches of moisture and drift away. Everything seemed so much simpler when she slept alone.

"It's awfully late you know."

"What the?" Rainbow asked spinning around to face a yellow Pegasus with a pink mane. "I could say the same thing to you."

"Hey, you're the Pegasus that got the wing sprain in the parade, I'm filling in for you, you know."

Rainbow growled at her. "What, you want me to thank you or something? Buzz off!"

The Pegasus' face shifted from concern, to hurt, and then anger. "I WAS going to tell you that I hoped your wing recovered soon and warn you of the late night downpour about to take place, but you're not worth the trouble. No wonder you're all alone, I doubt anypony could stand being around you." With that the Pegasus disappeared into the clouds leaving the stunned pony in her wake. A droplet of rain hit her muzzle bringing her back to reality. Within seconds the rain fell in a torrential downpour soaking her to the bone. Glancing around she saw a large tree ahead of her which sprinted to.

"She's right… all anypony does is care about me, and I just push them away." Laying down on her belly she pulled her one good wing over her using its natural waterproofing as a shield against the rain… an ineffectual shield since she only had one good working wing. Her tears mixed with the rain allowing her the privacy to cry without anyone seeing.
~

"Oh no, oh no, oh my, please wake up!"

Rainbow felt a gentle push into her side bringing her back to wakefulness. Opening her eyes she saw light blue eyes staring down at her probing her every movement.

"Fluttershy… what are you doing?" the Pegasus questioned groggily.

"Oh…. well, I was walking down the road this morning to get some apples from Applejack when I saw you here on the ground, so I thought something awful happened."

"I'm… I'm alright. I uhhh got caught in the storm last nigh-ACHOO!" Rainbow sneezed forcefully causing her friend to take a step back.

"Oh dear, you caught a cold! Come with me. I'll take you to my cottage and get you all better in no time."

Rainbow rolled her eyes at the proposition, "No need, I'll just walk it off onc- ACHOO! Once I get moving." Her protests fell on deaf ears as the yellow Pegasus began forcefully pushing the sick pony toward her cottage.

"I promise once I'm done you'll feel all better, just trust me, ok?" Fluttershy insisted 

"Fine." Rainbow relented following Fluttershy to her cottage. The multicolored Pegasus knew the cold had dug its roots in from the way she kept pace with her friend. Normally Fluttershy would fall behind her and to compensate she would put a few smaller steps in to her stride to slow herself down. At this moment however, she struggled to keep pace. Arriving at the cottage Fluttershy held the door open enough to allow her friend entry. Rainbow scanned her friend's home taking in the soft songs of several birds and noting a few small eyes peering out from holes in the baseboards.

"Where do you want me?" she asked in a monotone voice.

"Ummm, well, it would probably be best if you took a nice hot bath first doncha think?"
Rainbow shook her head, "No,no,no, you're the doctor, be assertive"

"Uhh… bathtime it is then." Fluttershy smiled.
~
"Pinkie Pie, I need those blueberry muffins." Mrs. Cake called from the counter.

"Umm, there might be a problem." Pinkie returned hesitantly. She stared at the ground as Mrs. Cake entered the kitchen her eyes immediately darting to a pan of burnt muffins.

"Pinkie, what happened?"

The pink mare lowered her head in shame. "I…I dunno. Something's wrong with me.” She sat stock still as Mrs. Cake grabbed her head gently and looked into her face.

"Oh my, you didn't get much sleep did you dear? I'll take over in the kitchen, you go do what you like today, ok?" Pinkie nodded in acknowledgement but still felt numb to the world. She moved slowly out into the main area with her head low to the ground. Whispers filled the sweet shop at the unusual sight of the party pony looking for the entire world as if she were headed to a funeral. This parade of dumbfounded faces continued outside as well as she moved through town without a destination or goal. She simply put one hoof in front of the other to keep moving.

"Are you ok Sugarcube?" The southern accent and all purpose nickname gave away the speaker's identity effortlessly.

Pinkie didn’t bother to look her way. "I'm just… walking."

"Well I can see that, ya just seem…out of sorts is all."

"I'm fine, I am Pinkie Pie after all." Though she meant them to be sincere, her tone of voice simply made a mockery of her words. One glance at Applejack told her it wasn't working.

"I'm really worried bout ya gal. Can't ya talk ta me about whatever has ya so low?"

Pinkie sighed reluctantly, "I'll tell you… but we have to go somewhere more private. Deal?"

"Deal!" Applejack agreed with a wink. "Just follow me." Both ponies walked through Main Street towards Sweet Apple Acres. Pinkie stared in envy of her earth pony friend. A large smile adorned the orange mare's face as she trotted down the road. A sickening realization enveloped her. Suddenly she was the pony who needed cheering up. Sometimes she looked at sad ponies as fools who let unimportant things get to them. Now, half in her friend's shadow and completely lost to the darkness in her heart, she felt bad for dismissing other ponies worries.

"Alright, now here's the privacy, you just let it out, ok?"

Scanning her surroundings, the poofy tailed pony saw a lake completely encircled by appletrees with just enough openings for a few rays of light to beam down. With her farmer friend making good on her promise, Pinkie knew it was her turn. Despite her friend's reassuring smile, she still felt hesitation boiling up. "It's… well it's silly."

"Try me." The earth pony insisted.

Hesitation, again. She thought she could Trust Applejack, but doubt still lingered.

"Promise not to tell?"

"Cross mah heart, hope ta fly, stick a cupcake in mah eye."

"Ok. I've been thinking about this a lot lately and I've read books, watched movies, asked other ponies in secret ways and the more I dig, the more I realize something."

The orange mare continued smiling, undaunted by the heavy setup. "Wazzat?"

"I… I think I like Rainbow Dash."

The smile fell from Applejack's face as she rolled her eyes. "Well duh!"

Her jaw fell visibly at the nonchalant reaction. "Huh?"

The blonde pony threw a leg over Pinkie's shoulder. "I've known that fer ages. You two are always playin pranks, or busy with practicing sessions, or watching movies. It's almost common knowledge around town."

Pinkie could do little but stare at the ground. "Is it that obvious?"

Applejack nudged her in the ribs lightly. "Well yall aren't making it hard ta figure out. Wait a minute… did Rainbow break up with you? Is that why ya so down in the dumps?"

Pinkie huffed, "We aren't together…. Yet. That's the problem."

"Huh?"

The pink pony sat down on her rump and turned her eyes skyward. "I want to tell her. I wanted to tell her last night. She wasn't home when I got back. All I found was this note." She explained passing said note to her friend. Quickly scanning through it the farmer's eyes got wider and wider as each word passed by.

"CONFUSED? Why that no good flea bitte-"

"Hey!"

Applejack jerked her head back to see a pair of angry blue eyes glaring at her. "Oh right, you still like her. Well, if ya wanna get it over with, ya can't leave her with a choice. I say go all out."

"All out? You mean tell everypony we're dating before I ask her?"

"Not exactly, but maybe make your feelings known to everypony, that way she has to deal with it."

Pinkie rubbed her chin, unsure of such a bold plan. "But, what if she says no?"

"Honey, I can't imagine her turning you down, confused or not."

Pinkie felt her spirits lifting as a plan came together in her head. "You're right! I have to stand up and take this by the hooves! Thanks Applejack, you're amazing!" she didn't look back as she ran for Ponyville, finally with a purpose.

"Yer welcome!" Applejack called after her. 

~

"I really need to do this more often." Rainbow sighed sinking into the hot water. Steam filled the bathroom occluding her view of the charming and rustic bathroom. Not that she cared, the only thought on her mind was enjoying the tension in her body melting away. The vapor in the air did wonders for her sinuses returning her voice to normal and clearing her nose allowing her to breathe normally.

"Looks like somepony is enjoying their bath." Fluttershy smiled, "When you're ready I'll heat up some soup for you."

Rainbow gave her a numb smile, "Thanks, Fluttershy." She saw a blush cross the yellow Pegasus' face. A solid knocking from the cottage's door interrupted the quiet silence of the small bathroom.

"Oh, let me just go get that." The cyan Pegasus simply stared at the ceiling while her friend answered the door. She began to trace the imperfections on the ceiling above her with her eyes as voices erupted into conversation in the other room. Focusing on the unclear chatter she gathered the other pony might be Applejack, her ears swiveled to afford her a better bead on the conversation. A gasp from Fluttershy could clearly be heard followed by excited conversation. Her curiosity piqued, she stepped out of the bathtub as stealthily as she could to avoid attracting attention. Getting closer to the door confirmed her suspicions about the other pony's identity given away by the thick southern accent.

"Ya can't tell her about any of this, ya understand?" Applejack warned.

"Oh I won't, trust me, I just can't believe it, this is going to be wonderful!" the excitement in the yellow Pegasus voice bubbled over.

"Later, girl." Applejack said closing the door behind her.

Fluttershy closed the door behind her and headed straight for the bathroom, "Oh shoot!" Rainbow looked around and grabbed a towel just in time for the door to open.

"Done with your bath?"

Rainbow fidgeted nervously with the towel trying to dry herself off in a convincing manner. "Uhhh yeah, it was awesome but if I stay in too long it'll mess up my mane, frizziness, ya know?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Ok, let me get that soup warmed up for you."

"Wait Fluttershy… is it cool if I stay the night here?"

Her friends face devolved into panic.

"Well, see, I can't really have anyone over tonight since ummm, I'm staying over at Twilight's tonight. We've wanted to have a slumber party with just the two of us for a long time now and tonight's the night." Fluttershy's face oozed uncertainty.

Rainbow’s face visibly fell at the rejection. "Oh. That's cool I guess. Don't worry, I'll find somewhere to stay tonight."

"W,w,well why don't you stay at Pinkie's tonight?" The yellow Pegasus stammered.

"I can't think straight when I'm near her is all. I just need some time somewhere else."

"Oh, I see." Fluttershy said slowly unable to hide the disappointment in her voice. "Well let me get you that soup then." Rainbow followed her friend into the kitchen still pondering the purpose of Applejack's visit.

~

"That's perfect!"

Pinkie's bubbly voice rang out in the relative quiet of Ponyville. The evening sun had just touched the horizon setting the sky ablaze in an orange hue. Using her magic, Twilight put a simple knot around a nearby tree to secure a covered banner in anticipation of Rainbow's arrival.

Twilight stared at the festive scene incredulously, "You know Pinkie, I think this might make keeping your secret… well…. Impossible."

The pink mare rolled her eyes, "Well, DUH! The whole idea is to show that I like her and I don't care who knows it!" she proclaimed

"One thing's for sure, Rainbow likes the direct, confrontational route, and I think this is as direct as it gets." Twilight stated.

Both ponies took a few tentative steps back to admire their handiwork. Streamers and balloons decorated a twenty foot radius along Main Street making the spectacle obvious to even the casual observer causing a crowd to gather around the festive trappings.

"A little much?" asked Pinkie.

The purple unicorn rubbed her chin with her hoof taking in the festive display before her. "For you, it's just rig- ACK!" her voice raised several octaves as Pinkie forcefully hugged her neck.

"Thanks Twilight! If it weren't for you and Applejack I'd still be mopey dopey instead of planning my first date with Rainbow!"

Carefully extracting herself from the excited mare, Twilight found her voice again, "That's what friends are for, better get ready, according to Applejack she should be coming this way any minute now."

"Sorry we're late girls!"

Spinning around, Twilight and Pinkie spied Rarity and Applejack galloping their way.

"We weren't about ta leave ya hangin, just had to grab Rarity. Now we're all set."

Surrounded by her friends, Pinkie felt her excitement spike again. She grabbed the rope tied to the sheet covering the banner hanging above her. Her eyes shined brightly, fixed on the road leading into town scanning for any sort of movement.

"Tonight, she will be mine."

~

Rainbow trotted down the road leading away from Fluttershy's cottage, noting the sun's position in the sky and her lack of any place to rest her head tonight. "Maybe I can stay at the inn tonight. I hate to pay for an uncomfortable bed, but it might be worth it for the quiet." Continuing her run into Ponyville she spied a festive smattering of decorations smack dab in the middle of town. "That’s weird, must be some kind of celebration." Her curiosity piqued, she ran along at a steady pace drawing ever closer to the curious gathering ahead of her. Her hoofsteps slowed upon seeing a gathering of ponies in the middle of Main Street Staring directly at her. "What the hay is going on?"

In the middle of the road sat Pinkie, Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack, All of them staring at her intently with a warm smile.

Rainbow scratched her head, "What's going on guys?"

Pinkie yanked the rope uncovering the banner. Rainbow's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat as she read the message aloud, "Rainbow, will you go out with me?"

An ocean of emotions crashed upon the shore of her mind all at once. Multiple feelings rose in her chest making her queasy, but the one detail she noticed more than any other was the group of ponies around the unorthodox gathering crowding them.

"Ta daaaaa! I've been trying to think of the perfect way to ask you out for ages! Whattya think?" Pinkie asked with excitement in her eyes.

"I think…I think…" Rainbow struggled to find words to help her through.

"I think you're stupid!" she spat forcefully. Everyone in the crowd took a step back at the outburst.

"What were YOU thinking Just throwing this out in the middle of town? Did you even stop to think I might not want everypony to see you ask me out?" The pegasus sputtered angrily.

Pinkie shrank back at the sudden anger aimed her way. "B, b, b, but I thought you might like such a bold announcement. I, I, I-"

"I told you I needed some time to myself and what do you do? You make asking me out into a freakshow for everypony to see! Pinkie! What...were...you...thinking?"

She stared into the pink mare's eyes looking for any sort of acknowledgement or apology. Instead, the earth pony’s eyes filled with tears. Without a word she tore off into town at full gallop. Rainbow felt her stomach twist at the sight of her friend disappearing further into town. Turning back to her friends she saw a sea of angry faces.

"Yer a real piece of work Rainbow, it's one thing ta say no, but to call her stupid, to yell at her… yer not welcome on mah farm, and I best not catch ya in hooves reach in town." Applejack scowled walking past her.

"If you didn't want to date her, you could've turned her down. Calling her stupid in front of everypony… I didn't think you could be so cruel." Twilight intoned walking past her sadly.
Rarity followed her closely. "I have NEVER been more ashamed to know you."
"I'm…. whew... I’m here! Did I miss it?" asked Fluttershy clearly trying to catch her breath. 

"Ya missed it alright Sugarcube, Rainbow here called Pinkie stupid and sent her away crying." Applejack answered. The abject horror in Fluttershy's face made clear her feelings.

"Wha? But…how… how could you?" The yellow Pegasus asked in disbelief. 

The harsh wave of comments from her closest friends cut sharper than any knife or blade ever could. Rainbow stared helplessly as her best friends in the entire world walked away from her angrier than she'd even seen them. Galloping past them she stopped in the middle of the road with her hooves extended as if to block them.

"If ya gonna stand in mah way, ya best be ready for a fight." Applejack pawed the ground in warning to the Pegasus .

"I….I don't want a fight. I just wanna fix this! I'm sorry, alright!" Rainbow stuttered her voice cracking as she crumpled to the ground in front of them. The orange earth pony's face softened a bit taken aback by the sincerity in her voice.

Applejack sighed at the prostrate mare before her, "Yer apologizin to tha wrong pony. Ya really mean ta tell me ya don't feel nothing for her?"

"I… I do feel something."

"Of course you do. Pinkie saw what we all saw, she loves you and you both get along so well. You could've at least given her a chance." Fluttershy added.

"I for one don't understand this mess. You two seem perfect together." Rarity continued.

Rainbow shook her head in disbelief, "I just kept thinking about my dreams, my future. I don't know how I can balance training and being a Wonderbolt with dating. What if Pinkie and I really do like each other? What if we end up falling in love and getting married or something? What if I have to stop what I'm doing to live a whole new life with her?" Rainbow asked desperation clear in her voice.

Twilight approached the remorseful pegasus locking eyes with her. "Would that really be such a bad thing? You need to think about what your future as a Wonderbolt might hold, what Pinkie means to you, and remember that being a Wonderbolt doesn't mean you can't be in love or get married."

Rainbow's mind reeled while what ifs and maybes sped through at a dizzying rate.

She stood on a podium receiving a uniform from her idol, Spitfire.

"Congratulations Rainbow Dash, welcome to the Wonderbolts."

She flew through the air dazzling a full capacity crowd in Manehatten with her trademarked filly flash. Ohhs and ahhs escaped the crowd as she buzzed the crowd at blindingly fast speeds.

She signed autographs at an afterparty for young fillies and colts who idolized her.

She sat in a large empty hotel room all alone staring at her uniform crumpled on the ground awaiting a wash before the next show.

Another afterparty, another hotel, another lonely night by herself.

"Dashiiiiie!"

Back in Ponyville, Rainbow turned to the excited pony holding a bag of itching powder.

"We've gotta get Bon-Bon back for those toothpaste frosted cupcakes!"

"Dashie!"

Rainbow glanced down from her stunt flying at the pink pony beneath her.

"Do a corkscrew! It's fun watching you go loopy!"

"Over here Rainbow!"

Pinkie waved her over to the lakeside wearing some ridiculous harness.

"It's a parasail! Wanna try it with me?"

"Dashie!"

She stared into those bright blue eyes.

"Dashie?"

Eyes bubbling with life and excitement.

"Dashie!"

Eyes she never wanted to look away from.

"RAINBOW!"

The illusion shattered as four new sets of eyes stared at her with worry, her ears folded down on her head in resignation.

"I'm so stupid. I can't believe I was ready to throw her away like that."

"It's not too late, tell her how you feel." Twilight urged.

"I don't deserve her, not after what I did, but I have to tell her anyway. Even if she hates me forever, I have to try."
Soft smiles graced her friend's faces as Applejack took a few steps forward. "Go get her, girl."
Rainbow's hooves moved of their own accord. Galloping further into town her mind raced frantically.

"If I were Pinkie, and I were upset, where would I go?" Scanning her eyes across town she tried thinking like her pink friend. "I'd probably hide until tomorrow." Her eyes continued scanning until they fell upon the marketplace. Normally a busy plaza of commerce, in the evening sun it served instead as an empty haven for anyone who might be seeking refuge from a crowd. Racing through the empty stalls her eyes fluttered in every direction searching for any spot of pink. Disappointment filled her heart as she passed the last stall with no sign of the poofy pony anywhere. Continuing her run through Ponyville she passed by most of the shops and restaurants before coming to a screeching halt as a sound caught her attention. It sounded extremely familiar, but sickeningly foreign.

It was the sound of Pinkie Pie crying, and not just quick crying either, this was serious, napkin soaking, makeup running, sobbing.

The Pegasus felt like she had just swallowed a bowling ball, she had never heard Pinkie cry before and found it to be the most heart wrenching sound ever. Using her ears to zero in on her location she found herself moving to the town hall building. The sorrowful sobs came from above her position on the ground. Looking around she found a ladder leading up to the balcony. Desperate to end the horrible sounds and fighting back tears of her own, she ascended the ladder slowly with a hint of nervousness bubbling up inside her as she was unaccustomed to climbing ladders having wings and all. Her head cleared the last step and peered over toward her friend.

She stared at Pinkie sitting a few feet from the handrail dead to the world. Tracks of wet matted fur streaked from her eyes down her chest and traced down her legs as she sobbed into her hooves. Looking her over, Rainbow could finally see the depth of her mistake.

"I'm sorry Pinkie."

The earth pony jerked in surprise but kept her face buried in her hooves. "G,g,g,go away!" she sobbed.
Rainbows ears fell at the sudden outburst but she remained resolute in her mission.

"Please just listen to me, I was being a jerk earlier an-"

"I can't talk to you right now!" Pinkie cried out. She turned her head to the side and backpedaled frantically away from the pegasus.

Rainbow's eyes grew wide, "Pinkie, wait!"

Pinkie's rump hit the handrail causing her to lose her balance. Rainbow saw the look of shock and fear fill the earth pony's eyes as she lost her footing and tumbled over the side of the balcony. Running to the edge, Dash instinctively spread her wings to fly and catch her friend. A sharp pain in her left wing stopped her dead in her tracks serving as a reminder of the splint still in place for her own protection. She watched her friend flail in the air as the ground rushed up to meet her. Those ocean blue eyes normally so bright and cheery, now filled with terror. Helplessly she watched Pinkie's right rear hoof hit the ground and turn at an unusual angle.

A dull thud hit Rainbow's ears as the rest of her friend's body hit the ground causing her to collapse.

"No, no, Celestia, no!" Living up to her name, she dashed down the ladder as fast as she could manage angry at herself for being flightless at such an important time. Upon hitting the ground she closed the distance between them in a flash. Looking at the way Pinkie held her hoof left no doubt in her mind she'd injured her leg. Being a weathermare meant first aid training, but having no practical experience meant her training left her in the blink of an eye. She frantically scooped her wounded friend up and put her on her back. Satisfied with the placement she ran for the hospital as fast as she could carrying the still sobbing mare with her.

"I'm so sorry Pinkie! All of this is my fault, but I'm gonna get you help!"

And she ran as fast as she could while the sun finally disappeared from view below the horizon allowing the moon its turn to shine on the pair of ponies, both wounded in body and spirit.

~

Teardrops fell into the lake mixing with the larger body of water. Rainbow didn't know how long had passed since she left her friend at the hospital with the nurses. She stared out into the water watching the reflection of the moon shimmer and dance with the gentle waves in the lake. The blue water teased her with its seemingly endless depth and constant reminder of her greatest failure.

"This is it, this is all I deserve. I hate being alone, but I'm only alone because I'm such a rotten friend. Nopony should have to put up with me."

"Do you really believe that?"

Glancing around, she spied a familiar unicorn behind her.

Rainbow sighed, "I don't need a lecture Twilight. I'm not fighting back. I really screwed up this time." She felt her friend lay down next to her while silence took hold of the conversation.

"So what do you do now?"

Rainbow hesitated for a moment, mulling over her options, "I may have to move. I don't think she could stand to see me after this."

"Is that it, or is it that YOU can't stand to see HER after this?"

Sobbing erupted from the Pegasus letting her knew her aim was true.

"I can't stop seeing it! I finally knew what I wanted more than anything else and instead of telling her how I feel I put her in the hospital. I just want to jump off a cloud and die."

*SMACK*

Rainbow saw stars as Twilight's hoof left a red mark across the right side of her face. She stared at the unicorn in shock then cowered under the glare aimed at her.

"Don't you ever say that! I don't ever want to hear that from any of you! Not now, not ever!" The anger in Twilight's face subsided making way for sorrow, "I was so lonely when I lived in canterlot. I hid it well but I know the princess saw right through me. Meeting you girls has been the best thing to happen to me and the idea of any of you moving or… or dying is unbearable."

Crying continued from the pegasus, "I'm sorry Twilight. I just… I just don't know what to do."

"She's asking for you…. I told her I'd go find you. I thought you might go to Sugarcube corner, but Applejack told me you'd be here. Even though she's hurt Pinkie's worried about you, now what do you do?"

Rainbow continued staring at the lake letting the tears fall from her eyes without any resistance whatsoever. "I don't know what to do, if she wants to see me I guess I need to go but…."

"You don't know if you can handle it."

The pegasus nodded in reply.

"What would Rainbow Dash do?"

Confusion crossed Rainbow's face, "What do you mean?"

"When I stared down the hydra I asked myself what a brave pony like Rainbow Dash do?"

Rainbow looked down into the water at her own reflection questioning herself. Despite the multicolored mare looking back at her, what she noticed most of all was not herself, but the shimmering blue water.

"This…this isn't just about me. This is about her too, I have to see her, I owe it to her."

~

Rainbow stood in the doorway to Pinkie's room, a small smile meeting her upon entering. Her stomach turned seeing her injured friend lying in the bed, yet still sporting a smile. Taking a few slow steps to the bed she found herself staring into deep blue yet again.

"H,h,h,hi Pinkie Pie." she stuttered still locked into her friend's eyes.

"Thanks for getting me here so quickly." Pinkie smiled.

"I… well…. It's the least I could do after…well… ya know." Rainbow uttered rubbing her hoof on the floor awkwardly. "I'm sorry. I understand if you're mad, but can you ever forgive me?"

Pinkie's smile softened at the sincerity in the pegasus' sad eyes, "Of course I can, you're my bestest best friend. Sometimes friendship can be hard, but we have to remember anything worth having is worth fighting for. The others weren't sure you'd come back, they said you were probably off moping around trying to hide. I told them you were the bravest pony I knew and you'd be here." Rainbow blushed at the confidence Pinkie afforded her.

"They're right, I… I did chicken out. I wanted to run and hide and move away from everypony. I told myself it would be easier on you… but I was just lying to myself. I couldn't shake it. I kept seeing you fall and I couldn't do a thing to save you. I suppose I'm lucky all you got is a sprained leg." Rainbow muttered sadly, her head hanging low.

"I'm sorry."

Hearing those unexpected words, Rainbow's eyes met with her friend's again, and for the second time that night those beautiful orbs filled with tears, her face contorted into a frown.

"Sorry? What do you have to be sorry about? I was the jerk here." The pegasus reminded.

"I didn't want you to see me like," Pinkie gestured to the tears in her eyes and the frown prominent on her face. "Well, like this I guess. It's not right."

"What do you mean?"

Pinkie sniffled slightly, "I shouldn't cry. I'm the one who makes everypony happy. I'm the who cheers ponies up. If I hadn't been crying, you would've just gotten mad instead and then later we could've said we're sorry and made up. Instead, I ran off and cried like a baby and now…. Now you think this is all your fault." Pinkie covered her face with her hooves sobbing into them softly. Rainbow pushed them away from her face and put her eyes right next to the crying mare's.

"I told you, this is my fault. I saw what was going on. I saw how you felt about me. The only thing I could think is that it would ruin my dreams of living free and joining the Wonderbolts."

Pinkie's crying slowed as she looked deeply into friend's eyes.

"I heard you yesterday morning, I heard you talking about how you liked me and I knew it was only a matter of time before you told me, so I stayed at Twilight's to avoid you. I never imagined you would confess everything in the middle of town though. I have to say, that took a lot of guts."

Pinkie's frown changed to a tenuous smile.

"When Twilight asked me to think about my future, it scared me. First I saw myself as a Wonderbolt, thrilling crowds all over Equestria… only to end up in an empty hotel room every night. Then I started thinking about you and everything we'd done and everything we might do…." Tears started at the edge of Rainbow's eyes, "I think about you all the time, maybe that's why I keep saying and doing stupid stuff. You mean alot to me."

"You… you really mean it?" Pinkie asked with hope filling her eyes.

"I sure do, but when I ran to you and well…. I keep seeing it. I keep seeing you fall. It was the stupidest thing I'd ever done and it was the longest moment of my life."

"I think I can fix that."

Rainbow's eyes grew to the size of saucers as Pinkie locked lips with her. Despite being caught off guard she melted into the kiss closing her eyes allowing herself to slip away from the room, the hospital, Ponyville... everything melted away. The chaos of the day, the horrible feelings in her stomach, the fear of Pinkie turning her away now that she knew what she wanted, all of it became a distant memory in that moment. Feeling her partner pull away slowly, Rainbow followed suit keeping her eyes trained on Pinkie's.

"That was…. Truly…. amazing."

"How's that for a long moment?" Pinkie said with a smile. The cyan pegasus hopped up on the bed curling up next to her friend.

"I think you set a new record." Rainbow suddenly felt much better lying with her friend in that hospital bed than she ever had by herself.

"What about the Wonderbolts?" The pink pony asked

"i don't know. The only thing i do know is i don't wanna lose you. I don't wanna be alone every night between shows." 

"You won't be! I'll be there for every show! I'll make sure you always have the biggest and best cheering section and the best after-parties EVER!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes, "You can't be at every show. Don't worry, i can spend a few nights alone."

Pinkie rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "well..... then I'll make sure there's a giant bunch of balloons in your hotel room every night! that way you'll never be alone. just look up and you'll know I'm there! You'll never have to be alone."

Rainbow smiled curling up onto the bed next to her pink friend. Not long after she felt Pinkie gently preening her right wing, straightening some stray feathers here and there and resetting them to their proper position. Rainbow slowly spread her wing allowing her friend to continue her careful work. A pegasus pony only allowed those closest to them to preen their feathers. She wasn't sure if pinkie knew this or not, but she had no objections to the attention she was receiving.

"I couldn't get it out of my head either." The poofy tailed pony confessed.

"Huh?"

"The parade. Even after you were safe and sound back at Sugarcube corner… I still saw you fall, saw you wince in pain, heard you hit the ground."

"Pinkie…."

"Your wing, you hurt it again when you carried me here didn't you."

Rainbow put on a smirk and glanced haphazardly at her left wing which hung limply in the broken splint. "Where else was I gonna put you? The nurse saw it on the way in. she told me they'll have to re-splint it and it'll probably take at least three more days to heal. Of course in the long run three days is nothing if i-" She didn't get a chance to finish before being scooped up again.

"Thank you. Thank you so much!" Pinkie hugged her mightily.

Rainbow wore a goofy grin on her face taking in the enormous hug. "Aw shoot, it's nothing really." The now disturbingly familiar sound of crying slowly filled the room again. Rainbow pulled her head away from Pinkie’s shoulder. "Are you ok?" staring into her friend's eyes she could see a wide smile beaming back at her and tears streaming down her face.

"I always wanted somepony to hold me, to help me when I was scared. Now that I've found somepony I feel safe enough to cry with, I can only think of how happy I am."

The multicolored mare assaulted her curly hair with a free hoof, "You goofball. I'll ask the nurse if we can go to your house tonight."

Both ponies curled up next to each other in the sterile hospital room still injured in body, but mended in hearts.