> What Comes Next
>  by Rocket Blaze
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was a beautifully sunny day at Sweet Apple Acres, and the harvest was ripe and ready for bucking. Unfortunately, it was also allergy season. While Applejack was spared from the pounding headaches and runny muzzle, both her brother and sister were far too out of sorts to run around with buckets on their backs collecting the apples as they fell, so Applejack was stuck. It was the perfect opportunity to run errands back in Ponyville, and maybe drop in on a few of her favorite friends!

"Y'all sure yuh gonna be okay with me in Ponyvill 'n' all?" she asked for the dozenth time.

"Ee-ee...ACHOO...eeyup..." strained Big Macintosh.

"Would yuh just go already big sis? I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here when yuh get back!" Applejack smiled at her little sister, whose eyes were red as the apples in the orchard.

"Okaaay, well ah'mma goin' now. Hope y'all feel better when ah get back!"

The canter back to Ponyville was long, but Applejack felt rejuvinated by the fresh air and the smell of apples growing for as far as the eye could see. She made it there in less than half an hour.

Muzzling open her saddle bags, Applejack took out the list of things she'd needed to get while she was in town. First on the list: Some pie crusts for the pies she was so eager to make with the new harvest. "Well where better ta get some pie crusts'n at Sugarcube Corner?" she said to nopony in particular. It was well known that the Pies and the Cakes made the best pie crusts in town, and she could drop in on Pinkie Pie to see if she wanted to hang out. "Okay Pinkie, Here ah come! YEEEE HAAAW!" With that she was thundering down the road to visit Ponyville's resident party pony.

Before long she was at the base of the giant confectionary pile pretending to be the place Pinkie Pie called home. With one hoof on the door, she saw the CLOSED sign in the window. "Oh, dag nabbit! Ah forgot the Cakes was out visitin' with family'n Manehattan. Oh well, might as well see if Pinkie's home." Since her hoof was already on the handle, she figured she'd give it a try to see if it was locked. Much to her surprise, it wasn't.

Two steps into Sugarcube Corner, she saw that the lights were on upstairs in Pinkie's bedroom. "Pinkie! Yuh home?" No response. She walked up the stairs, a creek at every step. She peered through the door into Pinkie's room, seeing that there was nopony there but Gummy, the toothless gator.

Dismayed, Applejack turned to leave, when she realized that Gummy's tail was caught in a chest bejeweled with cupcakes and candy. It didn't seem right to just leave him there, so she sauntered over to the chest and opened it to let Gummy free. Curiously peering into the chest, she realized the chest was hollow. Or at least, the bottom which should have been in place was hanging on a pair of dark hinges. Beneath it, Applejack saw a platform terminating into a spiraling stone staircase.

"Uh huh... Pinkie has a... A secret staircase? Well that ain't weird or nothin'..." Applejack knew Pinkie had her eccentricities, but this was entirely unexpected. Even so, she would have just dismissed it outright... until she heard a faint scream coming from deep inside. "WHA-What in tarnation!?" She jumped back, dropping the lid with a loud thud. "Well now, Applejack... What ya done got yerself into?"

A bead of cold sweat rolled down onto her muzzle, and Applejack knew instantly that she wanted nothing to do with it. Okay, she thought to herself, so Pinkie has a secret staircase 'n yer pretty sure yuh just done heard a scream comin' up from Celestia knows where. Yer entirely unprepared for this sorta thing, but Pinkie could be in trouble and yuh don't wanna go trottin around with that on yer conscience. With a deep gulp, she propped open the chest and jumped inside. She had to duck to get under the wall and onto the staircase that only went one way.

Another scream forced Applejack to halt in place.

"Gotta be brave, Applejack. Yer friends may be countin' on yuh." Slowly and quietly, she trotted down the stoney steps, which got darker and darker as she descended. After what seemed like an eternity, there were more noises from ahead, and this time she could make out the words.

"PLEASE STOP! PLEASE, PLEASE STOP!"

That sounded like... "Naw." She didn't know what was going on, but one thing Applejack knew was that something very bad was happening! Shunning all stealth, she bounded down the stairs in groups at a time, her clopping echoing off the walls of the narrow staircase. At the bottom was a doorway, propped open, through which Applejack could hear even more voices.

"This is a little something to take the pain away." said somepony in a very light, almost jovial voice. Moving slowly once more, Applejack crept towards the door."

"Pinkie...?" said another pony in a very weak voice.

"Yes?" said the other (who cain't possibly be Pinkie, thought Applejack).

"I want to go home." Applejack peered through the door.

It was Rainbow Dash!
> Saved By Honesty
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The last fifteen minutes could not have possibly been real. How could they have been? Pinkie was a friend! One of Rainbow Dash's best! And only this morning Dash was flying through the air feeling so alive. It was just supposed to be a beautiful day... And now she was going to die. She didn't want to believe it, but it was going to happen and it was going to happen soon.

But even if she did live, would she want to? She was in so much pain... And her cutie mark was gone - the thing that made her unique; her very destiny, forcibly taken by one of her best friends. Her wings were gone - her pride and joy; the things that had gotten her her cutie mark in the first place, carelessly hacked away and discarded like trash.

And yet, for some reason Dash wasn't ready to let go. Surely this monster who had tortured her could not have been the same Pinkie Pie she had met with to make cupcakes earlier in the day... Maybe all she had to do was ask.

"Pinkie...?"

"Yes?"

"I want to go home." She had meant to sound dignified and sincere, and yet she knew she sounded only pathetic and weak.

"Yeah, I can see wanting to do that." Pinkie said sweetly. "Sometimes, I just wanna give up, just say 'I'm done with this mess' and go to bed. But you know wha-"CRASH "What!?"

"STOP IT RIGHT THERE PINKIE!" The straps holding Rainbow Dash's head to the table she was strapped to wouldn't give enough for her to see, but she knew from the voice that it was her friend Applejack.

"Applejack!?" Pinkie gasped. "You weren't invited! I mean, don't get me wrong I'm glad you came 'cause I want to invite all of my friends to all of my parties like all of the time! But this was just a party for me and Rainbow Dash. I know we'd have gotten to hang out eventually!"

Applejack stepped forward. "Well ah never, Pinkie. This... This ain't you at all."

"Oh of course it is silly!" she jumped "Can't you see? I made all of this! The streamers, the banners, the balloons! Oooh, look! Look at this! See this balloon!? It's a HEART, how cool is that?"

Applejack must have noticed the scalpel in Pinkie's hoof, because she said "Pinkie... Would yuh... Uh, would yuh put that down or somethin'?"

Pinkie looked. "Oh, this? No, no I don't think I want to. This is our party after all!" She pointed the scalpel at Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash is helping me make cupcakes!"

Taking another few careful steps forward, Applejack raised her head to look more impressive. "Pinkie, now ah know you'n ah've had our differences, but you need to think clearly 'bout all this... What yer doin'... It's murder plain'n simple. 'N'ah cain't let yuh do this to my friends! So put the knife down, please so we can... So we can talk..."

"Talk? Talk about WHAT!? I'm not the one who crashed in on somepony else's party. YOU'RE the party pooper! Not me! I was just here doing what I do best and here comes Applejack all 'oh, I wasn't invited so I'm just gonna shut the whole thing down.' Well NO WAY! I'm gonna finish what I STARTED!!!"

What happened next happened as fast as a rainboom. There was a flash of light glinting off of the scalpel blade as Pinkie thrashed out at Rainbow's belly. Before it could reach its mark, Applejack turned and bucked with what must surely have been all of her strength. Suddenly the blade was falling to the ground, along with Pinkie Pie - her dark intentions cut short by a well placed hoof to the side of the head.

Then Rainbow Dash lost consciousness.


***


Rainbow Dash came to in Ponyville Hospital, with four pairs of eyes gazing down at her. She didn't even realize where she was before she recognized who they belonged to: Her friends. Her real friends. The ones who would never hurt her the way Pinkie did... Or did Pinkie hurt her? Was it all a bad dream? Her eyes jolted open the rest of the way as Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy all took a step back.

Applejack spoke first. "Rainbow Dash... Are you okay?"

Rainbow Dash tried to sit up. Her flanks burned, and her hooves were numb. She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to spread her wings, but there were no wings to spread. It was real... Slumping back into her hospital bed, she answered weakly "I... I don't actually know."

Twilight Sparkle spoke next. "Applejack told us what happened Rainbow. I couldn't believe it... Princess Celestia came all the way from Canterlot to see for herself. The guards, they all came..." She couldn't continue.

As she turned her head to regain her composure, Applejack finished her thought. "Ain't nothin' like this had ever happened in Equestria for over a thousand years. Sure someponies get into fights 'n' all, but this is somethin' else entirely..."

Fluttershy tried to pitch in, but all that came out was a pained squeak. With all eyes on her, she burst into tears and fled the room. Rarity hung her head, said "Oh dear. I'd better go talk to her," then took off through the door as well.

"Applejack." Rainbow managed through a stone dry throat. "You... You saved my life."

"'N' ah'd do it again in a heartbeat Rainbow Dash, ah... Ah hope yuh know that."

"But... Pinkie. Is she-"

"Ah'm 'fraid so. Ah felt really bad, but it had to be done. Ain't nopony gonna hurt my friends. Not even my..." she paused to swallow the lump that was building in her throat "Not even my friends."

Twilight nuzzled against Applejack to reassure her she'd done the right thing. "It's okay Applejack, I mean... It's not okay... What she did I mean... It's..." she paused to collect her thoughts. "You did what you had to do. Rainbow Dash, you're in good hooves! And Pinkie, well... No we can't worry about that."

Rainbow Dash eyed her inquisitively.

"Why are you looking at me like..." She took a step back. "Celestia said something that bothered me. With Pinkie gone, the Elements of Harmony are-"

Applejack pulled away. "-Who cares about the Elements of Harmony!? We cain't worry 'bout that now... Much as I'd hate to say it Twilight, Equestria's gonna have to look after itself for a while. I cain't... I cain't leave Rainbow Dash's side. Not after what I saw! Not after what I done!"

"And nopony's asking you to Applejack!" Twilight trotted over to her Rainbow's side. "Rainbow Dash, I'm not going anywhere. I agree with Applejack. We can't worry about what lies in Equestria's future, when all that truly matters is lying right here right now." She placed a hoof tenderly on Rainbow's left shoulder, and Applejack repeated the gesture on the right.

"I'm so sorry, everypony." Fluttershy had come back with Rarity in tow. "I just couldn't bear to see Rainbow Dash in such a state."

Rarity took her place next to Applejack. "It's quite alright Fluttershy. To tell the truth, I don't know what's worse. Seeing Rainbow Dash so hurt, or knowing that Pinkie Pie was the pony who did it... I want you to know that I will be by your side for as long as it takes to make everything better!" She placed her hoof over Rainbow's, as Fluttershy took the other.

"Me too!" Fluttershy said quitely, but sincerely.

"Thanks everypony... It feels better having you all here by my side!"

It took Nurse Redheart nearly two hours to convince Rainbow's friends to give her enough space to sleep through the night. While Rainbow Dash appreciated that her friends wanted to stay by her side, getting so much attention while she was feeling so weak felt so wrong. She was used to getting the attention when she was at her best, flying through the sky as fast as her wings would carry her.

She paused in thought. Her wings were gone. She would never fly again. She would never again experience the thrill and the rush of the adulation that soaring through the sky on her magnificent wings would bring her. She was damaged, and though a pegasus at heart she no longer had the very things that made her one.

So Rainbow Dash did not sleep. She closed her eyes for sure, but as soon as she found herself drifting into a restful state, she would hear only laughter - Pinkie's laughter - and wake up in a cold sweat. So for hours she would extend and retract her wings, struggling to remind herself that they were not there. Every now and again she would swear she could feel them ache, and would reach back on instinct to rub them. And so passed the first night. When the sun came up she would be as tired as she'd ever been, and still not be able to sleep.

Then her friends came back, and she would feel a little better. Twilight would read her Daring Do and make conversation about the lessons she learned in friendship over the years. As much as she loved Daring Do, she found that lately she didn't have the stomach for adventures.

Fluttershy would get birds to whistle outside her window, and Rarity fashioned blankets of the most beautiful colors. It was Applejack who took their visits the hardest, never knowing what to say. Rainbow Dash learned to appreciate the silence when Applejack was around. It was the least she could do.

Inevitably her friends would have to leave for the night. Despite Rainbow Dash's pleas, Nurse Redheart made it her responsibility to see that she at least had the chance to get a good night's rest. For Rainbow Dash, it meant being left alone with the one thing that she simply could not stand to be alone with: Her thoughts.

It was on the fourth day when she finally succumbed to the bitter, nightmarish sleep where only the laughter waited. Unable to fight it and wake up, she found herself once more strapped to the table waiting to be dissected. Pinkie Pie emerged from the darkness - her knife shimmering red with blood. As she approached, Pinkie grew larger and larger until she was a giant towering overhead. "Let's make cupcakes!" she roared, her voice billowing across an empty expanse whose floor was made from the sewn patchwork of cutie marks belonging to her victims.

"SOMEPONY HELP ME!" Rainbow Dash cried out. "SOMEPONY HELP!"

"Nopony is coming to save you!" She did not sound like Pinkie Pie. She sounded like a monster from the deepest recesses of imagination. Pinkie placed the end of the knife onto Rainbow's belly and slowly pressed inward. As the knife entered her, it melted, covering her body in a hot blanket of molten steel. She began to sweat, screaming as she did.

Just as she feared for her sanity, there was a bright light: A moonbeam that shot through Pinkie's chest, and obliterated her into a fine, white mist. The patchwork ground gave way to soft grass, and soon the soothing sound of crickets filled her ears, calming her.

"I make it a point not to intervene with anypony's demons, but yours are by far some of the most troubling I have seen." A dark shape descended before her, silhouetted against the bright, orb-like moon. Her great wings carried her downward, and her magnificent horn was sheathed in magic, illuminating the night around her.

"Princess Luna? I didn't know you could..." Rainbow Dash realized she was no longer strapped down, and quickly knelt before her princess.

"Please, Rainbow Dash. This is not Equestria. Here in your mind you owe me no deference. It is I who should be kneeling before you." Luna touched down gracefully in front of her, lowering her head in a gesture of submission.

"Wh... Why kneel before me?"

Standing tall, Luna continued "Because you are one of the strongest ponies I have ever had the good fortune to visit. You fear that you have lost so much, and yet you are alive. You are weak, but you do not surrender."

Rainbow Dash frowned "I'm weak alright... I feel like everything's been taken from me."

"Not everything, fair Rainbow Dash. You are surrounded by those who love you. Look..." Without taking a single step, they moved at the speed of sound across the grassplain. Ponyville swept over them like a wave, and stopped just outside of the hospital. "Let's go inside, shall we?"

Rainbow Dash followed Luna's lead. "We're just outside of your room. In it, you are in an uneasy sleep... But you have a visitor. Would you like to see?"

Rainbow nodded, and stepped inside. Applejack was at her bedside, head nuzzled against her neck, asleep even as she stood. "Applejack... I am worried about her. She visits me during the day, but she never says anything. I'm afraid she might be mad at me."

"Would a friend who is mad at you stay by your side all through the night? She worries for you, as do I. I have been trying to visit with you in your dreams for some time, but you sleep none too often. Until now I could only see but a glimpse of what is happening in your mind. You worry that Applejack is giving up on you, because you are not whole."

Rainbow Dash looked back to see her wings unfurling. In her dreams they could not be taken from her. And yet it made her sad, because she knew that when she awoke they would be gone.

Princess Luna placed a hoof upon her shoulder as the hospital room melted away to reveal the night sky all around them. "You cling to what you have lost because it was taken from you so suddenly. But I am here to tell you, that sorrow and regret... It will poison you and turn to envy and hate. I am speaking from experience, as you know. I would not like to see you so tainted, for you are beautiful just as you are Rainbow Dash."

"But... But what will become of me, princess? I can't race. I can't control the weather. I can't even fly! My home is in the clouds and I will never see it again." Rainbow Dash felt a tear stain her cheek.

"Friendship will find a way, fair Rainbow Dash. And so will you. But now I must go, for other nightmares call to me. Though I must, I shall leave you with some advice: Tomorrow will be the hardest day of the rest of your life, but it is only the first with many more to come." And with that Princess Luna was gone, the stars fading into darkness.

Rainbow Dash did not dream for the rest of the night, for which she was boundlessly grateful.
> The Hardest Day, Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rainbow Dash awoke feeling rested and oddly at peace. She placed her hooves on the satin bed dressing that Rarity had made for her, feeling its softness and listening to the bird chorus assembled outside her window. For the first time since she awoke the week prior, she did not miss her wings. At least not immediately. Had Dream Luna truly banished her nightmares? Or was this just the calm before the storm? Dash decided to not worry about that right now.

An envelope rested at her bedside next to a bushel full of apples and a vase full of fresh flowers. Though still sore, she was more than able to reach the letter and open it with her teeth. It was a card: A picture of Discord set against a field of pastel blue, wearing a full body cast and a perfectly bewildered expression. The caption read "So, I heard you're in a bind..." On the inside, Discord had turned the cast into white, puffy clouds spread all across the page and declared "...So we're wishing you nothing but clear skies ahead!" It was signed by all four of her friends, with stylized impressions of their cutie marks.

Rainbow Dash couldn't not smile to that.

As she munched on one of the apples she could only assume were from the most recent harvest at Sweet Apple Acres, she realized that she had never once in her life tasted an apple as delicious. Her face brightened and even the flowers smelled better. If it only gets better from here, I think I can handle that. Dash thought as she swallowed the last bite.

Twilight had left the latest Daring Do book at her bedside, but Dash had barely been able to open it when voices down the hall broke her concentration. Straining to listen, she overheard the conversation in bits and pieces: "Patient #3 has healed faster than we could have possibly hoped for." and "Recommend immediate release into the care of her friends." were the only things she could hear clearly and understand.

Slumping back down into her hospital bed, Rainbow Dash decided to wait. It was only minutes before Doctor Horse clopped through the open door. "Good morning Rainbow Dash! Nurse Redheart tells me your stumps have healed and your coat has graciously accepted the new hide grafts." Rainbow Dash peeked under her covers to see that her flanks looked normal except for a faint circular scar around the blank patch where her cutie mark used to be. "Unfortunately, we were unable to restore your cutie mark. I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, but I'm afraid only magic can do that." He hanged his clipboard on the bedside hook and gave Dash a reassuring smile. "Now don't you fret! You're in tip-top shape and we're letting your friends come and take you home in about an hour or so."

He turned to leave, but Rainbow Dash wanted to know one thing. "Uh, Doc?"

"Yes?"

"Where is home for me now? I can't fly. Not any more."

The doctor saw her face dropping, and attempted to counter her mood with beaming confidence. "Now, I'm just a unicorn and I've never been to Cloudsdale, but you're still a pegasus Rainbow Dash. I'm certain any of your friends could take you there, and you can still walk among the clouds! Go be with them. I'm certain everything will be fine for you." Then he turned and left.

Why is everypony telling me to get over it then walking away? It's not fair... She shook the negativity out of her mind. "My friends will come by soon. They'll know what to do!"


***


It was longer than soon, but eventually there was a knock at the door. It was Nurse Redheart. "Can you walk on your own? Or shall we lend you a wheelchair to use until you are at full strength again?"

Rainbow Dash honestly didn't know, but she knew how to find out. "Let me try..." Rolling over, she gingerly placed one of her forelegs onto the soft carpet below her bed, followed by the other. Then came her hind leg, which buckled as soon as it had to bear any weight sending a shaft of sharp pain up along Rainbow's spine. "YEEOW!"

Nurse Redheart was quick to help, but Rainbow Dash brushed off the advance. "I got it!" Slowly, she stood back up, putting more weight on her front legs to give her back legs a rest. She walked with an uneasy shuffle; a limp, even. But she was walking, and that was more than she'd done in days! "You can put that wheelchair away, miss Redheart. I got this!" she said, smirking confidently.

Dash limped her way down the hall to the waiting room, tailing Nurse Redheart. "Rainbow Dash!" she heard Rarity cheer.

The hug was tight and heavy, but it made Rainbow Dash happy to know her friend had missed her so. "Rarity! I missed you. Thanks for the linens, they were so cozy!"

"Oh it was no trouble at all darling, I simply could not let you wrap yourself in that... What do they call it cloth? Well, you deserved better Dashie!"

That made Rainbow Dash smile. "So, uh. Where is everypony else?"

"Oh, well Applejack couldn't make it. She came by to visit you last night but you were fast asleep. She has to finish harvesting her crop this season or there won't be enough cider to quench the town come fall. Twilight's at home looking through all her spell books to see if she can find anything that helps you with your recovery, and Fluttershy... Well..."

"Rarity? What is it? What about Fluttershy?"

"Well, with the, uh... wing situation and all, she didn't want to make you feel self-conscious, so she decided it'd be best if you visited her when you are ready. So that left me to come bring you from the hospital. I figured you and I could go on stroll through the town. I bet you're dying to stretch your legs after being couped up for so long!"

Rainbow Dash forced a smile, even though she was a little dismayed that Fluttershy couldn't make it. It's not like what happened changes anything between us, right? "Uh, thanks Rarity! I'd like that a lot."

"Fantastic! I thought we might go stop by the school at recess and see how Sweetie Belle is doing. Should be in about 30 minutes or so. More then enough time to get there!"

With that, they were off. The sun was just about at the top of the sky, with not a cloud to block it. The air was cooler than it was yesterday, so fall was definitely around the corner. The pegasi must have been working overtime to make enough clouds for the upcoming winter. How Dash longed to see-

"What are you thinking Dashie?" Rarity asked, concerned.

"Just admiring the weather."

"I know how you must miss it, oh, if I ever lost my horn darling why I'd... Oh... How rude of me. I'm so sorry." She blushed at the faux pas.

"No, Rarity. It's okay. I don't want to be treated any different now than I was before. I'm still the same pony I was!"

"Of course Dashie, I didn't mean to offend. What I meant to say was that, if I had ever gone through such an ordeal I probably would not have come out the other side of it so strong."

Rainbow Dash felt her face turn red, which coaxed a smile from Rarity despite her efforts to hide it. "Rarity I just couldn't stop thinking about you, and Twilight, and Applejack, and Fluttershy. It did hurt, a lot... Physically I mean, but not as much as the thought of you not knowing where I had gone." She paused, remembering the strange dream she had, and the message it had brought. There wasn't any point in keeping it to herself. "Last night I saw something amazing."

"Oh do tell!"

"It was a nightmare. A bad one. But I couldn't wake up, I was just so tired. And you know what happened? Princess Luna came and visited me. Me! In my Dream! I was probably just dreaming of her, but it didn't feel like that. It felt like it was actually her. She saved me from my nightmares, and told me to never let my friends go, so I promise I never will."

Rarity looked genuinely shocked. "That's... That's really lovely! Oh look, we're almost at the school." They heard the school bells ringing at the end of the block, signalling the start of recess.

As the little fillies and colts filed out into the yard, the sounds of their running and playing filled the town with joy. But colts will be colts and fillies just as cruel. As usual, Sweetie Belle and her friends Apple Bloom and Scootaloo found themselves hounded by the dynamic duo that was Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. The self-styled "Cutie Mark Crusaders" had pulled themselves away from the din, seeing Sweetie Belle's big sister approaching with Rainbow Dash in tow. "Big sis!" she called out as she dashed to the fence.

As Scootaloo caught up with her, she caught sight of Rainbow Dash and very noticably began to strut. "Oh." she said, trying to sound cool. "Hey Rainbow Dash!"

"Heya Scoots! How's it goin'?" she said, putting stars into the young filly's eyes.

"Oh, you know. Just... Bein' awesome is all!"

"Being LAME is more like it!" called a filly voice from off near the edges of the playground. It was Diamond Tiara.

"Heh. Just ignore her." Rainbow Dash encouraged, lowering her voice to just above a whisper. "Ya know, I hear her dad is Filthy." That made the CMC gang laugh.

Even Rarity smiled. "So I heard you have a talent show coming to start off Fall. Can you let us in on your... act?"

Apple Bloom smiled "Well, it's top secret but we'll let you in on it since ya know my sister." she wiggled her hoof for them to come closer. "We're going to be acrobats!" she said far too loudly.

Both Rainbow Dash and Rarity uncomfortably rubbed the back of their heads in unison. "Well as long as you're, uh... Careful! About it. Ha ha." said Rarity.

"It's okay big sis! We've been practicing. I'm gonna levitate a hoop and Scootaloo is gonna do a double backflip on her scooter, before catching Apple Bloom as she bounces off a trampoline."

Scootaloo chimed in next "Yeah! What's the worst that could happen?"

Rainbow Dash admired their spunk, but that sounded dangerous even by her standards. "Well... Have fun!" she laughed.

"Hey Blank Flanks!" taunted Silver Spoon. "I hope you don't think you can actually win the talent show... Without any talent!"

"Yeah, Blank Flanks! You should just give up your time so Spoons and I can go twice!"

"Hehe. Blank Flanks! Blank Flanks! Blank Flanks!" they taunted in unison.

Oh, Fillies. Rainbow Dash thought. One day they'll grow out of it. Rainbow Dash remembered being late to get her special talent. "Rainbow Crash" they called her, well. She showed them, with her sonic rainboom. And then she got her cutie mark. And then lost it she remembered. She looked down at her own flanks. Still gone. Not sure what I expected.

"Blank Flanks! Blank Flanks! Blank Flanks!" was all she heard. Those fillies and their awful chants. Didn't they realize that a pony was more than their cutie mark? Didn't they realize how valuable a pony could be without it? Was that the only true measure of worth to them? What had their parents been teaching them!?

Out of nowhere, Rainbow Dash felt a rage well up inside her. It wasn't fair that her friends were insulted for not knowing where they belonged yet. That was better than Rainbow Dash. She'd had her place and then she lost it in a moment of weakness. Rainbow Dash didn't deserve her cutie mark, but she would not let her friends be mocked.

"Dash? Are you okay?" Rarity asked.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash lept over the fence and tried to bare her wings at the offending children. Blinded by anger she roared "BACK OFF!" Taking a step forward, she could hear the other children running away. "Didn't your parents ever teach you any manners!? You think that a cutie mark is all that matters in life!? Well I had mine and it was TAKEN from me!" She turned to her side, revealing her scarred haunches for all to see. "I still matter! I'm the SAME AS I EVER WAS... And what's more, If you EVER call ANYPONY a 'Blank Flank' EVER AGAIN then I WILL come back, and I WILL! TAKE! YOURS!"

There was a stunned silence that fell across the yard. Nopony dared to move - Not Diamond Tiara, not the Cutie Mark Crusaders, not even Rarity. It took several seconds for Rainbow Dash to realize what she'd just said, and several more before Rarity tentatively broke the quiet. "I... I think we should go, Rainbow Dash..."

Dash dropped her shoulders and retreated, jumping back over the fence. She felt the emotion welling up inside her again and knew she would cry if she spent another second around such cruel children. "You go on Rarity... I'll... I'll catch you later..."

Before Rarity could respond, Dash was cantering away towards... Well, she didn't actually know where she was going anymore.
> The Hardest Day, Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Blank Flank! Blank Flank! Blank Flank!" was all that Rainbow Dash could hear. As though to escape the inescapable, she found herself running faster and faster. Her damaged hooves were sending spikes of pain up through her spine, but she didn't care. In fact, she welcomed it. Anything to distract her from the incessent chanting.

At the edge of town, Rainbow Dash screeched to a halt and shouted into the afternoon air "I AM NOT A BLANK FLANK!" She knew it wasn't true. She had earned her mark and she had lost it. There was no point in rehashing that particular argument with herself, but her denial was strong. Unsatisfied with how she felt, she arched her back skywards and shouted again. "I STILL MATTER!" Deep down, she wasn't sure if she believed it, but it felt better to say, so she said it again. "I still matter!" She paused to breathe. "I still matter..." Next thing she knew, she was collapsed on the ground panting, and repeating to herself. "I still matter..."

Do you? she wondered. Yes, I do! she answered. What use is a pegasus who can't fly? she retorted. The only possible response she could think of was to reflect. The things she had prized were gone: Speed, agility, awesomeness... But she did have her loyalty. Or so she thought. Was it loyalty that made her yell at Diamond Tiara? Or was it something else?

"Pinkie was a monster and nopony knew it... Am I one as well?" she had to ask.

As the sun beat down on her sore back, she felt tired. The dirt filled her nostrils and clung to her coat as she rolled over onto her back to stare at the sky. What would she do if she had her wings? Aerobatics? Clear the sky in ten seconds flat? Try for another sonic rainboom? Go home?

"Home..." she muttered. That was it. Maybe if she saw her home again she'd feel better at last. Dash had never been one to surround herself with familiarity - always chasing something new and exciting - but at this point perhaps a little familiarity was what she needed. But her home was in the clouds. How would she get there without wings?

"Twilight..." Yes, Twilight would know how to get her home! Rainbow Dash fondly remembered when she gave Rarity wings for three days (although Rarity's reckless behaviour caused her to lose them in less than one). She chuckled at the memory. "She could give me wings! At least for a little while." Then she could just fly up to Cloudsdale. Or they could take Twilight's balloon. Push to shove, she could always teleport them.

Renewed in her strength, Rainbow Dash lept into the air and cheered "Twilight's gonna take me home!" and quick as a blaze was on her way back into town.


***


Taptaptaptaptap. Taptaptaptaptap. "Twilight! Twilight!" Taptaptaptaptap. The door opened revealing a dishevelled unicorn whose highlighted hair was a tangled mess of mats and split ends.

"R-Rainbow Dash?" she asked weakly.

Dash stammered her reply "Yeah! It's me. Hi! Hey... Were you asleep?"

"No, no." she yawned. "Just... It's been a long night."

"Uh, Twilight?"

"Yes?"

"It's two in the afternoon."

Without another word, Twilight stepped away from the door to let Rainbow Dash pass. The floor was covered in open books stacked in various piles. Spike was working to put some of them away in as inefficiently a way as possible. "Have you slept at all, Twi?"

"Oh! No. Of course not."

Balloon it is then. Rainbow Dash didn't trust Twilight casting magic spells when she was tired. "Hey, can I ask you a favor?"

Another yawn. "Certainly!"

"Like... Can we take your balloon to Cloudsdale? I think I need to get home for a while. And Tank is probably missing me! I don't even know if he's been taken care of while I've been... Uh, away."

"Oh. Fluttershy is taking care of him." That was good news! Rainbow Dash had enough on her conscience without having a neglected tortoise in the clouds die on her.

"So, uh..." she watched Twilight fall asleep where she stood. "I think I'll just borrow your balloon for an hour or two..." She put an foreleg over Twilight's shoulders and helped her navigate the labyrinth of books heading towards the couch. "Get some rest, Twi. And thanks for all the help." Dash layed her down for some decent rest before setting a nearby blanket over her, and left to get Spike to show her how to use the balloon.


***


"Wooow!" Until now, Rainbow Dash had not realized how much she appreciated the view from this high in the air. When she had her wings, it was just so normal for everywhere else to be so small and distant. Poor Spike had wanted to come to see it, but Rainbow Dash insisted that he stay home to look after Twilight. "What a true friend," she muttered to herself. Twilight didn't have to stay up all night just for her. What if Twilight finds a way to bring my wings back!? That would be so cool!

Cloudsdale loomed above, its weather factory spitting out more wind than it was a week ago. "Gotta get ready for Fall, guys." Maybe Dash would stop by the factory and see all of her favorite pegasi. Even those two who always called her "Rainbow Crash" would be a sight for sore eyes.

But first things first. She guided the balloon home, rising up and up into stratosphere before touching down gently on the platform outside her house. On her door was a note: "Rainbow Dash. I have gone to get your tortoise some lettuce and strawberries from my garden. I don't know if you will be coming home today, but if you are I will be back this evening." signed by Fluttershy.

Taking the note down with her teeth, Rainbow Dash headed inside where a wall of Wonderbolts memorabilia and reminders of her life before Pinkie awaited. It was almost like none of it had happened. She stood in the doorway staring at the walls, not daring to take a single step until she felt a light bump against her foreleg. "Hey Tank." The tortoise looked up with a smile, which Rainbow Dash weakly returned.

The wind through the door chilled her to her bones, so she closed the door and wandered to the bedroom, where a grand view of Cloudsdale awaited her just outside of her window. Sitting on the bed, she stared for a good while, doing naught but taking in the view. "Just like I never left." She turned to Tank when her stomach rumbled. "I guess I'd better go get something to eat, huh? I don't remember when the last time I ate was." Tank nodded back.

Clopping down to the kitchen, she decided on a hay sandwich with pickles and tomato. Just the thing to hit the spot. Setting all of the main ingredients along the table, she reached for a knife to cut the hay. As she pulled it from its block, the blade scraped against the metal guard. The noise it made echoed throughout the house, and before it could dissipate Rainbow Dash was on the floor clutching her forelegs in fear.

PLEASE STOP! PLEASE, PLEASE STOP! she remembered screaming, as Pinkie laughed and laughed. "The laughing! Make it stop! Please!" She covered her ears but it didn't go away. Tank nudged her, but she didn't move. Rainbow Dash was back in the cellar with her tormentor.

"Say, Dash, why do they call it a hacksaw? It doesn't hack. Hacking is what I was doing with the knife! This is a saw... I don't get it." She felt the pain as vividly as the day it happened; the bite of the sharp teeth splitting her wings from the body they rightfully belonged to. She recalled the acidic taste of her gorge rising as they were ripped away, taking mane and coat with it. As vividly as the day...

She vomited on the kitchen floor while Tank tried to comfort her.

"This..." she realized. "None of this is real! This can't be... It isn't!" She reached for the counter to stand up but only managed to scatter the food she'd laid out. A second attempt proved more fruitful, and she'd managed to regain her footing, but the walls were already closing in, covered in pony hide and bearing those words that Rainbow Dash would never be able to burn from her memory "LIFE IS A PARTY."

Quickly, she stormed out of the kitchen and back into her bedroom, slamming the door and pushing the bed against it to protect herself from the monster who was sure to come knocking. Her eyes darted along the walls. The Wonderbolts stared back at her out of a dozen frames. Her panic seized her - She would never be a Wonderbolt. She would never fly. She would never be the same!

She did not know how long she spent purging her room of every last vestige of memory. She tore the pictures off the walls. Some shattered; the glass ripping at her hooves as she paced. The books she had collected since her last stay in the hospital were torn to shreds and thrown into the air. If she could, she would have bucked out the columns that kept her room from collapsing and let it all fall to the ground miles below. Burn it all! she thought. Destroy it!

Powered by an unappeasable rage she bucked the bed away from the door and ripped it off its hinges. She stormed down the stairs ripping down posters and photos and pennants and streamers - anything that reminded her of the life she once had. Then she saw Tank cowering beneath her, and Rainbow Dash paused.

She remembered the competition at Ghastly Gorge. Carefully selecting her pet candidate based on the traditional pegasus virtues. None of which Tank ever had, but he never gave up. He never stopped wanting to be hers. Tank was loyal... And not just to Rainbow Dash. He was loyal to himself.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself. If a humble tortoise could win Rainbow Dash's devotion and care against the creatures that she herself had deemed superior then why couldn't Dash win her own devotion and care?

But you'll never fly again... she told herself. Enough of that! You can still be awesome, even without your wings! she retorted. Yes... But do you really believe that? Time stood still as she contemplated this. "I need to get out of here." she said.

Calmly, she trotted out the front door and into the fresh air. The wind beat her rainbow mane about, and it felt nice. This was the freedom she had missed so dearly. The freedom of altitude. She set her hooves down onto the clouds that surrounded her home, feeling their pillowy soft touch cushion her every step. Entranced by the breeze she moved ever and ever farther away from her house, and ever and ever closer to their edge.

"I could fly if I wanted to..." she said to nopony "...Just one more time." She peered at the ground below. The fall wouldn't be scary - It was nothing she hadn't done before. She wouldn't have her wings to slow her down. It might just be the freest she'd ever be.

Shaking her head, she realized that she just couldn't do it. There was no way she could abandon her friends like that. She braced to take a step back from the ledge.

"RAINBOW DASH! NO!" shouted somepony from behind her.

"Fluttersh-sh-SHAAAH!" in her surprise Rainbow Dash lost her footing and fell.
> The Fall
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Cloudsdale fell away as Rainbow Dash tumbled through the air crying out desperately. "FLUTTERSHY! FLUTTERSHY! I'M SORRY!" Even as the ground rushed towards her, she felt terrible. I wasn't going to jump. This isn't what I wanted! "FLUTTERSHYYYYY!"

Her legs flailed about as she struggled to right herself, forgetting momentarily about her handicap she almost expected to pull out of the dive. Tumbling down and down, Rainbow Dash managed to catch a glimpse of a tiny speck silhouetted against the blue sky. It could only have been Fluttershy. Dash closed her eyes hoping against hope that she could make it - she never was the strongest flier.

Expecting everything to end at any instant, Rainbow was jarred from her resignation by Flutterhsy's call, approaching nearer and nearer. "I'm coming Rainbow Dash!" Hooves clasped around her midriff. Fluttershy strained against the combined weight of two ponies as her wings beat at the air with a fierce urgency.

"We're... still going... too fast..." she warned, trying hard to slow their descent. The trees were now close by, their tops meeting and then dwarfing the two as they fell. As Rainbow Dash braced for a rough landing, the ground started to pull away again briefly before Fluttershy dropped her with a light thunk.

Touching down gracefully, she turned to her friend with tears in her eyes. "Rainbow Dash... Why'd you-"

"-I wasn't gonna, Fluttershy, I swear! You just startled me. That's all."

Fluttershy immediately stepped back as her sadness turned to visible anger. Blinking away her tears, she growled back "That's not what I meant, Rainbow Dash! Why were you that close to the edge at all? Were you just going to abandon me? Abandon Twilight? Rarity? Applejack? Why... Why didn't you just..." and as quickly as it had come, Fluttershy's anger was replaced by pain. Rainbow Dash knew that coming up with the right words must have been no small challenge for Fluttershy, but she did not relent. "Why didn't you just come to me?" she asked pointedly.

"Fluttershy? Why didn't you come to me!? I waited for you guys in the hospital, but only Rarity came. Then those fillies at the school said something and I just snapped. Rarity couldn't hold me back. I really wanted - No, I needed all of my friends. This..." She couldn't continue. All of the emotion that she had been holding in - the rage and anxiety and doubt that had caused her to lash out - was welling up to the carefully guarded surface.

"You don't know Fluttershy. You weren't there." An itch at the back of her throat caused her to swallow. "I've been so in my head these last few days. I want-" Rainbow Dash couldn't stand. Her forelegs came crashing down as she reached out to Fluttershy's. "I wanted to let you guys in, and tell you what I've really been feeling... But I don't even know!" She sobbed loudly. "My head is all over the place, and I don't want to drag everypony else down with me!"

Rainbow Dash held nothing back as tears rushed down her face, glowing in the evening light. Finally sharing the burden was a welcome relief - She didn't have to hide behind a mask any more, and knowing that set her free more than her wings ever could have. "Fluttershy, I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!"

Fluttershy looked down on Rainbow Dash with an odd combination of shock and sympathy. All she could do was run her hoof through her friend's mane. "Oh... There, there, Rainbow Dash. You're right. I don't know what it's like to be in that head of yours, but I want to be. We all do. Just like you've always been there for me, to stick up for me when I get made fun of because I can't fly very well..."

That stopped Rainbow's tears. Sniffling, she looked up at Fluttershy who was now laying on the ground next to her. "But... You can fly. Fluttershy, you saved me. That was... That was really awesome!"

Fluttershy blushed. Rainbow Dash looked up, her tears now rolling over a breaking smile that spread from cheek to cheek. "And something else: I promise that from this point on, I won't try to hold things in so much. After seeing how upset it made you, I could never do what I did again." And that made Fluttershy smile too.

Standing up, Fluttershy offered a hoof to her fallen friend. "Come on, Rainbow Dash. Let's get you home!"


***


The flight back up to Cloudsdale was a lot longer than the fall down. Fluttershy was not the strongest flier to begin with and carrying the full weight of Rainbow Dash did not help, but she managed.

Together they spent the rest of the evening cleaning up the mess that Rainbow Dash had made inside the house and looking after Tank, who seemed just as concerned for Rainbow Dash as Fluttershy did. The work was mostly silent, as Rainbow felt the weight of the shame that her episode had caused. This was an uneasiness that Fluttershy easily picked up on before finally breaking the quiet.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"I'm not sure what good it'll do."

"Well, when Angel is having a bad day, sometimes I just ask him about it and it makes him feel better once he starts talking."

"Well, I don't think Angel's ever had a day like this..." She swept some broken glass into a tray that she steadied with her hoof. Her reflection looked back up at her. Broken.

Seeing this, Fluttershy gently flew over to her and touched down gracefully to help her get rid of the glass. "Well... How about you tell me anyway?"

There was a long pause as Rainbow Dash thought about it. Remembering her promise, she agreed. "Can we at least sit down first?"

Locating a pair of soft cushions, the two sat across from one another and Fluttershy listened as Rainbow Dash explained the day to her. It had started so well, with her and Rarity sharing a pleasant walk together. Then Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon taunted the Cutie Mark Crusaders and something inside her snapped. "And I just let everything fly at them. I don't even know why, but I wanted them to just... Stop. And I told them if they ever taunted them again, I would take their cutie marks... Like this." She pointed at her scarred flank.

Fluttershy winced, but did not pull away. Actually, she leaned in towards her friend and pressed on reassuringly. "But Rainbow Dash, you know you would never do anything like that."

"No. I don't think I would... But I didn't think Pinkie Pie would either." Just the mention of that pony's name caused her to shudder - laughter echoing from the back of her mind. Despite there being no outward display, Fluttershy could sense the disquiet within her and so countered it with a reassuring hug to remind her that she was there.

Rainbow Dash continued with her story, telling Fluttershy about how she screamed at the sky, rolled in the dirt without caring what became of her, and borrowing Twilight's balloon. "I just wanted to see home so badly. I thought Twilight would come with me to help me adjust... But I guess she was just too busy."

Fluttershy shook her head. "No, no Dashie. You have it all wrong. Twilight hasn't been sleeping because she is trying to find a spell to get your wings back. Don't you see? She wasn't ignoring you. She was trying so very hard to help you."

"My... My wings back? Like... P-Permanently? Can a spell do that?" Her face brightened, but the despondent look on Fluttershy's face told her everything she needed to know. "Oh... No luck, huh?"

Again shaking her head, Fluttershy said "I'm sorry. So far there hasn't been any luck. But I want you to know that you are still special without them. Even if you can't fly, Dashie, we still love you."

Then Rainbow Dash realized something startling. "But... What if I don't love myself?"

"Well, why wouldn't you? You're so amazing. You're the most loyal friend anypony could have. You're never a bully. You don't need your wings for any of that."

"I know, I know. But it's like... What if I'd seen the danger coming? I should have! I always thought I could trust my own instincts but this time I was wrong."

"Dashie. Nopony could have thought Pinkie would do something like this. It could have been any of us."

Rainbow Dash jolted to her hooves. "But it WASN'T!" she roared. "It wasn't YOU. It wasn't APPLEJACK or TWILIGHT or RARITY... It was ME! Now I don't even know who I am any more! I don't even know where I belong!"

Fluttershy had flown into a corner and cowered away from the anger Rainbow Dash was projecting. Seeing this, and realizing that she had once again lost her temper, she backed down. Fluttershy stood slowly. "Are... Are you saying you wish it... It was one of us?" she asked meekly.

"What? No! No... Of course not... I don't wish it were anypony. I'm sorry Fluttershy, that's not what I meant."

"Rainbow Dash, I want to help you... But you should also help yourself." She looked around at the home still blanketed in disarray, and Rainbow Dash could see an idea forming behind those concerned eyes. "Do you remember the parasprite invasion?"

"Yes, of course. But I don't see how-"

"-If I never found that first parasprite, and took it home, and fed it, then the town would never have been overrun. We almost lost it that day. I think... I think there's a parasprite in you, put there by what happened. And if you stay here, in Cloudsdale, you'll only feed it, and it'll multiply, and then you'll be overrun. I don't want that. I care about you, but I can't be here all the time to help you. I might not be here the next time..." Fluttershy's voiced trailed off into a whimper.

"...I trip." Rainbow Dash finished, knowing Fluttershy was right. A wingless pegasus had no need to stay in the clouds. Even if Fluttershy hadn't been there to startle her, and she did back away from the ledge that time, who's to say that she wouldn't have found herself back there the next day? "But... Where will I go?"

"Rainbow Dash, you can always stay with me. I don't live in Cloudsdale! I am not used to having company over, but you're my friend. It's different! And besides, Tank would love it there with all the friends he could have."

"You... You would let me live with you?" She pled as she once again felt the emotion building up in her. Her eyes watered again, but with joy and a positive outlook she hadn't expected she would ever feel again.

"Of course. I'd be happy to!" Fluttershy's wings batted gracefully, lifting her in the air as she clenched her hooves tight to her chest and smiled welcomingly.

Somehow the idea of staying with Fluttershy made sense. The two had known each other since they were fillies, and complemented each other in the strangest of ways. Usually Rainbow Dash was the one sticking up for Fluttershy, but that didn't mean it couldn't be the other way around. "I'd love to come live with you, Fluttershy. But it's very late now. Let's stay here for tonight."

"Yaaay!" Fluttershy flew at her friend, throw her forelegs into a tight hug. "Rainbow Dash, I promise you won't regret this."

"No, Fluttershy. I promise you won't regret this. Thank you. Thank you so much!" Rainbow Dash truly didn't know what else to say.


***


Rainbow Dash's emotional roller coaster of the day didn't end then, however. Her dreams did not improve, as once more she found herself facing the laughing face of her tormentor. This time Princess Luna did not save her, and she rocketed from her sleep drenched in a cold sweat.

Fluttershy was asleep on a piled mass of cushions at the base of her bed. She didn't want to be treated any differently, and in her house the guest ponies always slept more comfortably out of common courtesy, but Fluttershy had insisted that Rainbow Dash take the bed to get a good night's sleep. Fat lot of good that did me. Rainbow Dash thought bitterly. The least they could do was compromise on staying in the same room, in case just such a night terror awoke her. Well if I didn't wake her up I'm not going to. She needs sleep as much as I do.

She tried to get back to sleep, but her efforts proved fruitless. Either she tossed and turned trying to scratch a phantom itch in her wings, or ached as she turned onto her inflamed haunches too quickly.

At one point she felt her eyes closing, but the tapping of hoofsteps downstairs startled her. It's nothing. She thought. She couldn't even be sure she'd actually heard them. Not anymore. That was until she'd heard them again, accompanied by a loud crashing noise.

"HUH!?" Rainbow Dash shot up out of bed and crept to the door. Peering out into the spaces below, all she could see was blackness. "Nothing," she whispered. As she turned to head back to the bed, a chuckle from downstairs halted her in her tracks.

Against better judgement, she decided to explore further. I can't let anypony hurt Fluttershy. She crept downwards into the darkness of her own home, but no sign of movement availed itself.

"Rainbow Dash..."

She jumped. "Who... Who's there?"

"Don't think I forgot about our party. We were just getting started, you and I..."

Rainbow Dash spun in place, but couldn't see anything through the darkness.

"Pinkie?"

"Hehehe! You're so perceptive, Rainbow Dash. I've come to get my cupcakes!"

Rainbow Dash fled into the foyer and away from Pinkie's voice, but it merely followed her. "Come on now, Rainbow. It'll be FUN! I promise it won't hurt... After we're done, that is."

She turned on the spot to see if Pinkie was coming, but there was nothing but black. Rainbow Dash knew she was there though. "No... Stay back!" She backed up to the door, but the hoofsteps kept approaching, getting louder and louder with no Pinkie in sight. Dash's eyes strained against the darkness, darting every which way to catch a glimpse of her tormentor.

"Let's finish our party, Rainbow Dash!"

"NO!" Rainbow Dash bucked down the door to her house with a tumultuous crash, bathing the foyer with moonlight that glinted off the scalpel wedged in Pinkie's hoof cleft only inches away. Pinkie's face was behind it. Smiling.

Rainbow Dash backed out through the open door before turning to run as far as she could. The drop at the edge of the clouds stopped her from going any farther. When she looked back, she could see Pinkie standing in the doorway goading her. "Go on, Rainbow Dash. You know it's the only way out of here." She didn't take a single step.

Rainbow Dash turned and gazed down at the abyss below. "No! I promised Fluttershy I would carry on. This... This isn't real! This can't be real, I saw you die! That means..." She braced as if to jump, knowing that if she were prepared to throw herself off the edge, she would awake.

Then, with one final cackle, Pinkie disappeared. Rainbow Dash, however, did not awaken... She hadn't moved a single inch. She was still standing at the edge of the clouds, bathed in the pale moonlight.

She had never gone to sleep.


***


Fluttershy's eyes crept open the next morning with sunlight bathing in through the tall windows above. Cold air rushed in from the living room and the bed dressings had been strewn about the room, though Rainbow Dash slept peacefully at her side with forelegs folded tightly around her dear friend.
> Life Goes On
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As Rainbow Dash awoke the next day, Luna's promise repeated itself in her mind. With the benefit of hindsight, she had no difficulty believing that she did indeed survive the hardest day of her life. Perhaps that also meant that the next day would truly be easier than the one before, and hopefully the next one better than that. Regardless of her luck, the conversation she'd had with Fluttershy the night prior affirmed that she could not do it alone. Without reservation she told Fluttershy about her dream, and how she'd not needed to be asleep to experience it.

With helping hooves, Rainbow Dash collected her cherished posessions that she felt safe taking with her: Her Daring Do books, her favorite blanket, some pictures of her and her friends, and Tank, who seemed genuinely relieved to be experiencing a change of scenery. All of it was loaded into Twilight's balloon, still perched stoically at the edge of the cloud. With all said and done, Rainbow Dash climbed into the basket followed by Fluttershy, who kicked the balloon off of the edge to send them on their way to the vale.

Rearranging Fluttershy's home had left Dash feeling exhausted, but the night did not represent a significant improvement from the previous one. Fluttershy did not have a spare bed for Dash to sleep on, so they decided to sleep together that Fluttershy may be there for her friend should the night terrors arrive again. Being so close to her friend did help Rainbow Dash to stay calm amidst her clear uneasiness, although the morning saw Rainbow Dash feeling just as tired as she had the night before.

Fluttershy tried hard to get Rainbow Dash to stay home while she returned the balloon to Twilight. Dash insisted that if she tied a rope around her waist and only partially inflated the balloon, she'd be able to run it back into town. "Dashie, you're too tired. I don't want you to get hurt!" But Rainbow Dash eventually convinced her that she could handle it.

"And besides," Dash encouraged "I need the exercise!"

It was a long run back to Ponyville, but Rainbow Dash enjoyed being free to run again. Her hooves had healed to the point that she no longer felt pain as she ran, although her flanks twinged slightly against the strain of the balloon. Fluttershy pushed from behind, her wings straining to match speeds with the far more athletic Rainbow Dash.

"My balloon!" Twilight cheered when she saw it. "I was wondering where it went off to. The clouds were too thick for me to properly view Cannus Major last night, so I went looking for it to try to get above them. Why didn't you just ask for it, Rainbow?"

Rainbow Dash smiled and brushed her hoof through her mane nervously. "I thought I did, Twilight. So sorry!"

Twilight smiled. "It's okay! Maybe you did. I hardly remember anything from the last few days anyway. I'm glad you're feeling better though!"


***


Day and night blurred into one another as Rainbow Dash searched for ways to make herself useful, despite Fluttershy's insistence that she focus on herself. If she couldn't fly, the least she could do would be some household chores, or maybe even tending to the animals who called Fluttershy's vale home.

The latter task was more difficult than Dash had imagined. One day while trying to catch a raccoon that had taken to eating bird eggs straight from the nest, she ended up accidentally scaring the family she was trying to protect. The angry mother promptly took to pecking at Rainbow Dash as she fled, sending her into a bush hosting a nest of angry bees. She spent the rest of the day reading her books while covered head-to-toe in poxy bee stings.

The rabbits, however, seemed to enjoy racing Rainbow Dash around the property, though once Dash had gotten competitive it ended up discouraging the rabbits. She tried once to let them win but that didn't help to salve the lost sense she was feeling. "Perhaps I should find something else for you to do," Fluttershy teased.

When she wasn't moving logs for the resident beavers on Fluttershy's land, or guarding the ducklings as their mother marched them from pond to pond, she was catching up on her reading. Daring Do became her escape into a fantastic world where she could still fly, and used those wings and her wits to defeat the dreaded Ahuizotl over, and over again. Oh, if only this could last forever. Rainbow Dash thought, longingly.

The most difficult days were the ones on which she could see the distant silhouettes of pegasi moving the clouds to shade the trees and ring in the fall season one beautiful brown leaf at a time. "That should be me..." she muttered to herself whenever Fluttershy wasn't around to hear.

At least the colors were pleasing at first, but soon Dash found herself desensitized to the sights as she sunk once more into the deep depression that had been haunting her for weeks. During these bouts, she would find her mind wandering to the less savory thoughts that tortured her since she woke up in the hospital so many days ago.

Her nightmares remained as a constant presence in her life, although most nights she would recognize the signs and train herself to wake up, calm herself, then get back to sleep. Fluttershy's company was a big part of what got her through the nights. However, some nights the fear didn't vanish so easily when she awoke.

More than once did Pinkie visit her outside of her sleep. Sometimes more vividly than others. The worst instance saw Rainbow Dash fleeing outside to hide in the darkness among the trees. Fluttershy had awoken during the scramble and followed the soft echoing sobs through the forest to find Rainbow Dash terrified and alone.

Compounding her frustration was the guilt she felt at having not been nearly as present for her other friends as she'd have liked. Fluttershy's seclusion meant that company was never close in hoof. Although she knew her friends were thinking about her, she also knew that they had their own lives to attend to. Life goes on for everypony else she reflected, feeling bitter.

"I need something to do." she told Fluttershy woefully. "Something else I mean. Don't get me wrong - I'm happy to help! But I still don't feel useful."

"Oh Dashie, you're always useful. You don't have to be running chores to contribute. Just having you here is making the animals happy, which makes my job easier too!"

"Awww thank you, Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash blushed. "But you know, I really want a job of my own. I just don't know what it could be..." She looked at her haunches, which had healed almost entirely. "Being without my cutie mark is like having a fresh start, but I don't know where to find it. Now I know how Scootaloo and her friends feel when they go off on crazy adventures together. They just want to find their place... And so do I."

Fluttershy nodded. "That's the right attitude, Dashie."

"But I'm not sure where to start looking. I'd probably make a terrible acrobat without my wings." she smiled.

Fluttershy looked confused "An... Acrobat? But... Why?"

"Oh, no reason." she snickered. "Those 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' will do anything. I should be willing to do the same!"

"But not an acrobat?" Fluttershy asked sweetly.

Rainbow Dash looked up into the trees where squirrels jumped effortlessly from limb to limb. "No, not that. Too hard! I think I should go to Sweet Apple Acres to visit with Applejack. I haven't really seen her since the hospital, and I'm sure she could use my help around the farm. Who knows - maybe being a really awesome Earth pony is my new destiny!"

"You rock, Rainbow Dash!" and with that, Rainbow Dash was cantering down the road towards Sweet Apple Acres as fast as her hooves could take her.


***


Sweet Apple Acres had changed significantly since the last time Rainbow Dash saw it, but not for the better. Unpicked apples clung tentatively to the auburn trees grown lousy with crows and other farm pests, their bows drooping low under the cumulative weight. The farmhouse in which the Apple family took up residence had begun to show signs of disrepair. What has Applejack been doing lately? Rainbow Dash wondered.

Rapping her hoof on the farmhouse door, Rainbow Dash looked all around her. Half-filled bushels peaked out through the open barn door, with nopony tending to their care. It looked like any hope of a strong cider season this year was gone, but Rainbow Dash feared deeply what this meant for Applejack herself.

After a long wait, the door opened a crack. A lone green eye - droopy from lack of sleep - peered out at her. "Uh, Applejack? It's me! You, uh... Gonna let me in?"

"Yeah... Yeah, o'course."

Slowly creeping open, Rainbow Dash could see that Applejack wasn't in much of a better state than she had been before moving in with Fluttershy. Her mane was unkempt, her eyes itchy and red, and her coat was spotted with mats.

Rainbow Dash crossed the threshold with a worried expression etched onto her face. "Applejack. Uh, are you okay? I've never seen you like this before. And where's Big Macintosh? Granny Smith? Apple Bloom?"

Applejack sighed. "They went away for a little while, Rainbow. Gone to visit family'n Appleoosa or somethin'. I don't really remember, to be honest."

"And they left you to take care of the farm all by yourself? Like this!?"

"Well, uh..." She rubbed the back of her head uneasily. "I told 'em I had this. We been fightin' a lot lately. I think they needed a break."

"It sure doesn't look like you have this, Applejack. You're a mess! What happened!?"

"I don't want to talk about it Rainbow Dash..." she barked. There was an uncomfortable silence during which Applejack scanned Rainbow Dash from top to bottom. "You're lookin' better."

"I had help. Which is something you look like you need."

Applejack scoffed, looking indignified. "Well, I'll have you know that... Oh, dog gonnit..." she stopped in place and looked down at her hooves. "Okay, you're right. Ya happy?"

"Why don't we get out of here and you can tell me what's been going on."

Applejack nodded and stepped outside through the still-open door, Rainbow Dash following closely. Once freed of the confines of the farmhouse and out amongst the fresh fall air did Applejack begin to revert from her strangely guarded demeanor. "I'm sorry Rainbow Dash. I ain't too sure what's been up with me lately."

"It's okay, girl. That's why I'm here!" Rainbow Dash gave her a friendly nudge. Applejack gave a forced smile in return, which gave Dash pause. "What is it?" she pressed.

Applejack sighed as she gazed up into the sky, letting the warm sun beat on her downtrodden face. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about that day. I know it's silly, cause I was the one who came'n saved you'n all... But somethin' about it stuck with me. I don't know what it is."

"Have you been to see anypony? Twilight? Fluttershy?"

"Naw. I just... I didn't think they'd understand. I told 'em I had to buck some apples. I tried, Rainbow Dash, I really did. But I just got started'n, well... I never got very far before I'd start feelin' things I never felt a'fore. After a while I 'spose I just gave up."

"Applejack, I... I don't want to put it this way but you know, I was there too. And you know what's been helping me get through it so far?"

"Your friends... I know... But I-"

"-No need for buts, Applejack. I'm here now!"

Applejack's voice dropped to a whisper. "Rainbow Dash... I ain't even told ya the half of it."

Rainbow Dash blinked. "Well... Why don't you tell me?"

Applejack shook her head and wandered off down the road, leaving Rainbow Dash staring after her in her wake. "You'd just think I'm crazy," she called over her shoulder.

Frustrated, Rainbow Dash sauntered to the nearest tree, turned, and bucked it as hard as she could. Apples fell from its bows with a series of light thunks. Applejack stopped in her tracks and looked back. "Uh, what're ya doin'?"

"You don't have to do this by yourself, Applejack. I've been going through the same things! Let me guess... You've been having bad dreams. Right?" Applejack nodded. "Waking up in the middle of the night?" She nodded again. "Do you see things now? Things that can't be there?" There was a long pause, but Applejack cleared her throat and nodded again. Rainbow Dash trotted up to her friend and looked at her right in the eye. "Me too!

"But we don't have to go it alone, you know. I'd be nowhere without Twilight, or Fluttershy, or Rarity... But I wouldn't even be here without you. Now it's my turn to help." She gestured back at the apples she'd just kicked out of their tree. "Let's see if we can't save some more apples from the harvest before cider season."

Applejack just shook her head. "I 'preciate it, Rainbow Dash. I really do. But I'm 'fraid there ain't gonna be a cider season this year." She started trotting back to the farmhouse, but then paused. "I haven't told ya everything... I've been..." she stared intently at the ground.

"Applejack. What is it?"

"There's times I can't... It's like I just forget things. Long times I just can't account for. And I dunno where I've been going or what I've been doing, but then I have nightmares of things where I'm..." she shook her head and rapidly changed the subject. "...On top of all that, I went..." she swallowed "...I went back to Sugarcube Corner. I thought it might help to go back'n get some closure. Ya know?" She paused to let Rainbow Dash nod. "Well, I went inside and the Cakes, they was tendin' the place... They looked at me'n said 'We were so surprised to hear about Pinkie.' That's it... They were 'surprised,' like it weren't no big deal."

Rainbow Dash took a few more steps toward her friend. "Did it help?"

"No it didn't. But here's the weird part... I told 'em that I had some things in Pinkie's room I wanted to get, and went up to see for myself. I'm not sure why I wanted to see the place where... Where it all happened... But when I opened up the chest she had her secret way in, it was empty... Just a normal chest. No passageway. No staircase. No nothin'. It's like it never even happened."

"Well that seems strange..." Rainbow Dash said encouragingly, though in truth she didn't really want to think about the dungeon in which she'd been held for the most grueling fifteen minutes of her life. She pressed no further, and let Applejack continue.

"All of these things; these feelings, this way I've been feeling... I can't imagine how anything's ever gonna be normal ever again. I'm not sure it ever should be normal again..."

Rainbow Dash turned her head to the side, puzzled. "I'm right there with ya, Applejack. But we're here right now, together. Perhaps it won't be normal, but that doesn't matter; it doesn't mean it has to be bad! We can move forward together."

"It does matter, Rainbow Dash! 'Cause she was my friend too, and she didn't just betray you! She betrayed everypony!" She shook her head violently. "But I was the one that... To rescue you... You know? I'm the one that did it! I didn't want to... But I didn't want you to get hurt! That didn't make it easy! I can't just... Move on. It doesn't work that way. I can't just start pickin' apples again like nothin' happened. I'm sorry."

She trotted back to the farmhouse, alone. Rainbow Dash stared down the road after her, stunned. However, she decided not to follow.

She had something better in mind.
> Rainbow Rising, Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rainbow Dash found Twilight walking through the town square with Spike in tow and a large ball of assorted supplies and research materials hovering through the air behind her. Spike trailed a long checklist which he lightly tapped at with a brightly colored feather quill. "Extra quills. Check! Potion containers. Check! How To Influence Friends and Make Ponies - A spell guide by... Wait... Why did you want this o-AH!" Spike was cut short as a pile of odds and ends clanged down over his head.

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight cantered over to her friend and tackled her with a giant hug, pinning her to the ground. "It's been so long! How's living with Fluttershy?"

Dash struggled to speak with Twilight pressing her down. "It's been..."

"Oh, sorry!" Twilight stood up and lifted Rainbow Dash off the ground with her magic.

"She's great! Such a helpful friend to have, and she's so patient. But I wanted to get out of the vale and see all of my other friends."

"I'm so glad, Rainbow! Rarity's come around asking where you've been. She hasn't seen you in over a month!"

"I know, I know! You can tell her I'm really sorry. But hey, I wanted to ask you something."

Twilight beamed. "A favor!? Sure! What'd you need?"

"Are you still head of the seasonal change committee?"

"I sure am! Still got my oversight vest from last year's Winter Wrap Up. But, mind if I ask why you need to know?"

"Applejack's been having a hard time lately. I was wondering if we could push forward the Running of the Leaves this year and route it through Sweet Apple Acres. It might get some of the apples she never picked out of their trees, and maybe the distraction would pick up her mood too."

Twilight gasped. "Yeah! I think so! I mean, it's still a little early in the season to shake the trees out, but if I can get the pegasi to rush their cloud production and drop the temperature by a few more degrees each night, we'll be able to have the annual running by... Let's see..."

Her horn glowed as she pulled a notepad from the pile, making a hole for Spike to pop his head from. "Wha- Oh, hey Rainbow Dash!" Spike waved his hand still grasping the quill, only to have it levitate out of his grasp and hover over to where Twilight was brandishing her notepad.

"Hmmm... Let's see. With all pegasi working 'round the clock, accounting for the shorter days, and... Could have it done by the end of this week!"

Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped. "That soon!?"

"Well, that's pushing it, but yes. Anything to help lift Applejack's spirits! But we should probably go over there and talk to her. In the mean time, why don't you go say hi to Rarity? I know she's worried sick about you."

Smiling, Dash winked and gave her a hearty "but of course!"

The fall was starting to look up after all!


***


Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy all traveled to Applejack's house to reveal their plan to cheer her up. Expectedly, Applejack offered some resistance to the idea. "I don't need everypony gallopin' through my farm to make me feel better!"

"But Applejack," Fluttershy countered. "This will be good for your farm."

Twilight spoke next. "Yeah. The apples will come down and the trees will be light and ready for winter."

Rainbow Dash offered up another reason. "Besides, don't you want to go running this year? Remember last year? You almost had me beat. I want a rematch!"

"No! No! And, No!" Applejack tossed. "I don't want it. I'm sorry! I don't wanna run, and I don't want everypony else to rub it in my face."

Then Rarity chimed in. "Applejack, I know you've been having a hard time, but please let us help you. I remember Rainbow Dash from last month, and she was a very different pony. With Fluttershy's help, she's happy and strong again. Let us help you get there too! You deserve it."

"And I know beating me out there on the track will be just what you need to remind yourself that you still go it!" Rainbow Dash encouraged. "Please let us help?"

Applejack looked away for a moment as she pondered. It seemed like she was going to stay stubborn, but finally she looked at her friends and said "Oh, all right. Just don't expect me to win or nothin'. I'm doin' this for the farm."

The entire group errupted with a hearty cheer as all four of Applejack's friends folded her into a great hug. Now the work to fully heal the group could begin in earnest.

Applejack's grumpiness didn't disappear entirely, but her demeanor had at least softened when she took her friends' embrace.

Using her influence to gather the resources of Ponyville, Twilight was able to put a work party together to clear the trail for the annual running. For the most part, the trail would follow last year's route fairly closely, but would divert itself through Sweet Apple Acres as per Rainbow Dash's suggestion. Applejack had gotten used to the constant company around the farmhouse, and said as much when Rainbow Dash had asked her how she was feeling only two days later.

The Apple family remained in absentia, however. "It seems strange that they wouldn't want to be home for the running." Rarity observed. "It's not like word doesn't travel fast around Equestria." Applejack could only shrug.

Only one day before the race, Rainbow Dash approached Applejack away from any prying eyes or ears. "Hey, Applejack. I just wanted to see how you were feeling about the race tomorrow."

"I feel fine, I s'pose. Just gonna give it my best. It's 'bout all I can do."

"Well, about that. I figured, you and I should run it together! Forget winning. Let's just hang out at the back and bond. Like last year but-"

"-without the headbutting?" Applejack chuckled.

Rainbow Dash laughed too. "Yeah. We were both silly fillies, huh?"


***


The morning of the race was met with fanfare as contestants of all stripes lined up along the starting line. Spike, of course, was most keen to fill the role of lead announcer. "Fillies and gentlecolts!" he proclaimed into his microphone. His voice amplified across the lineup, prompting cheers from every pony there.

"It is my great pleasure to announce that this year's Running of the Leaves will be taking a new route, straight through our very own Applejack's Sweet Apple Acres!" Everypony knew that, too, but Spike was so enthusiastic that Rainbow Dash couldn't help but smile.

Spike started off on a ramble about how the Running of the Leaves was the traditional way to bring in the fall season by clearing the newly colored autumn leaves from their branches, but the lineup of ponies at the starting hash marks began to look impation, scraping their hooves in the dirt and rearing up in anticipation. Spike, realizing this, raised his voice and proudly announced "And! Without further ado! On your marks! Get set!-" and everypony was off cantering down the road before he could say "go."

Rainbow Dash glanced over her shoulder to see Spike whirl around before falling off of his soap box podium and disappearing around the first bend. Applejack was right next to her - the two ahead of the pack, as expected. "Back at it... huff, huff... Again, huh, Applejack? huff, huff... It's been a while... A lot harder than last year!"

Applejack took some deep breaths as she galloped alongside. "Whew. You ain't kiddin'!"

For the first time in a long while, Rainbow Dash felt no different from before. Her wings weren't needed here, but her legs proved just as strong as ever. Every clop, every stomp, every leaping bound sent Rainbow Dash forward by a body-length or more, and even though she was finding it harder to breath than she expected, she never felt more alive. Unfortunately, Applejack was having some trouble keeping up the pace. "Whoa, girl! You gonna try to keep up with me?" she smiled.

"D... Dang it, Rainbow! I ain't been... huff... I ain't been exactly runnin' round the orchard lately... Gimme a break!"

Rainbow Dash slowed slightly to encourage her friend. "Remember when I kept cheating, so you had to tie my wings behind my back?"

"Y-huff-Yeah?"

Rainbow laughed as she galloped forward, leaning through each bend and feeling the rumble of the earth beneath her. "That was one of the most fun races I'd ever been in!"

"You played dirty, Rainbow." Applejack retorted, clearly in jest.

"Heh, yeah...huff... But so did you!"

"Is it still fun though?" Applejack slowed further, with the herd they'd left behind now starting to gain ground on them.

Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder to make sure Applejack was not too far behind. "Of course it is! See? Things can- WATCH OUT!" A low-hanging tree branch whizzed overhead. Rainbow Dash caught it at the last second and ducked to avoid it, but it brushed over the top of Applejack's head very closely, ripping out her hair-tie and causing her mane to burst wildly into a billowing, yellow cloud that trailed behind her as she ran.

Rainbow Dash continued. "Things can... Heh... Applejack!... Your hair!" She threw her head back and cackled. "You look hilarious!"

Applejack's eyes widened. "What!? Why I aughta..." Her pace nearly doubled as she started to close in on Rainbow Dash, who likewise picked up speed. Now too out of breath to speak, the two ponies cantered silently through the brilliant landscape of vibrant colors, squinting as the air whipped around their faces, drying their eyes and tangling their manes into shapes that would make Rarity faint.

"Bet... I bet you can't... Keep up!" Rainbow Dash taunted.

"Why I bet ya... Bet ya I can!"

Sweet Apple Acres came in a flash, and soon their run was accompanied with the soft pop of spoiled apples bursting as they fell from their trees. Rainbow Dash could see that Applejack didn't care - Both of their hearts were in the run.

Rainbow Dash slowed down and gave Applejack a playful nudge. Applejack returned the gesture and laughed as much as her strained lungs would allow. Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder and saw that the rest of the runners were no longer in sight. At first she hoped they were on the right path, but then she realized that she didn't actually care. She was living her life, and enjoying it with one of her favorite ponies in the whole wide world!

And then Pinkie showed up.

"Rainbow! STOP!" Applejack called, making Rainbow Dash whip her head sharply to see what was ahead of her. There was Pinkie, standing oddly on her hind legs, waving her hooves in the air.

"It's... Wait... You can see her too!?"

"SURPRISE!" Pinkie shouted. Her voice tinged with malice. "I haven't seen you in a while. Nor you, Applejack. Miss me?"

"YOU!" They shouted at the same time.

"Can't talk about it here. Catch me if you can!" Pinkie bounded off the trail, singing "La, lala, lala," as she went.

Rainbow Dash was overcome with rage, not sure what was going on or even what she was seeing. Her head suddenly pounded with pain and her lungs burned from the run, but she took off after whatever apparition this was pretending to be Pinkie Pie.

"Rainbow Dash, wait!" Applejack extended her hoof out after her friend, but she was gone. "Dag nabbit... RAINBOW!" she screamed, but there was no response. Shaking her head, she decided to take off after them. Their path seemed to be heading straight towards the thick, green wall of trees in the distance that marked the edge of the Everfree Forest.


***
 

The trees got darker and darker, as Sweet Apple Acres' orchard trees gave way to a dark, forboding tangle of vines, claw-shaped branches, and thorned flowers that ripped at her coat as she passed. She'd lost sight of Pinkie some ways back, but something guided her down the path of least resistance.

"Rainbow Dash, Wait!" Applejack called from behind her.

"No..." Rainbow Dash muttered to herself, knowing that this simply could not be happening. She'd seen Pinkie several times in the last month, but never before during the day... And Applejack had seen her. I'm going to find out what's going on...

Somewhere ahead of her, Pinkie's perky voice sang a sickly lullaby that drew Rainbow Dash forward with even more determination.


La, la, Rainbow Dash.
Finish where we started at.
Come to me.
Set you free.
Back to where we started...


Rainbow Dash skidded to a halt, kicking up a cloud of dust that filled her nostrils and burned at the back of her throat, but her concentration was absolute. It was difficult to see - the sun was all but completely blotted out by the thick canopy high overhead. In the dim light, she could just barely make out the shape of a cave mere yards away - its mouth open wide like a deadly maw, threatening to swallow her whole.

"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack jumped out of the brush nearby, panting deeply. "Why'd ya... huff... Where's Pinkie?" she snarled.

"Ya miss me!?" Pinkie bounced out of the mouth of the cave. "I'm right here, silly fillies. You didn't really think I'd go anywhere, did you?"

Rainbow Dash started "I saw you-"

"-Die? Oh, that's not fair Rainbow Dash... I didn't die! I was murdered... By her!" She jabbed a hoof sharply in Applejack's direction. "Which was really rude, but I guess she couldn't stand me having all the fun, could she!?"

"Fun!?" Applejack growled. "You were about to-"

"-Oh, please." Pinkie interrupted. Her coat darkened to a bloody red and her voice to a low rumble. "I was just doing what I was born to do." A deep-throated chuckle vibrated out of Pinkie's body as it blackened and blew away like ashes on the wind. "I thought I could kill two birds with one stone... Kill Rainbow Dash, and break Applejack... Why else would I have summoned you? To interrupt my good work?"

What had once been Pinkie was now naught but a dark cloud drifting off into the cave. Somewhere inside, the menacing voice rumbled. "Now I can see I will have to be more direct... And your friends will be the ones to pay the price!"

A roar echoed from deep, deep inside the cave. Its deafening volume scattered birds from the treetops overhead, shook the forest to its very foundation, and undoubtedly could be heard for miles around.

Then there was nothing. A long silence, followed by an earth-shaking thud. Then another. Then another after that. Soon, a purple light could be seen glowing at the back of the cave - its otherwise perfectly smooth texture scattered with stars. Its hulking form approached with one boom after another, each massive paw the size of a small house.

The Ursa Major towered overhead, even as it ducked to clear the cave. It stared down at the two ponies with glossy eyes. They were mere ants compared to its truly incomprehensible girth. When it roared again, Rainbow Dash's eyes watered and her mane was ripped back by the onslaught of rotten-smelling air.

Just then, Applejack knocked her out of her terrified trance. "Run!" she shouted, and they bounded off into the brush to escape the goliath that was soon ripping down trees with its razor-sharp claws to find them.
> Rainbow Rising, Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Somehow Rainbow Dash and Applejack found the stamina to escape the forest, but they were not too far ahead of the beast that followed them, destroying the forest as it went. Another roar thundered across the orchard, now stripped of leaves by the runners having stampeded through. "We have to warn Ponyville what's coming!" Rainbow Dash cried.

"I think they know!" Applejack replied, checking over her shoulder. The Ursa Major easily cleared the tree line at the edge of the forest where the trees were the smallest. Even at a respectable distance, it towered over everything in sight.

In its blind rage, it ripped trees up from the ground and tossed them at the horizon. One landed nearby as the pair darted back and forth through trees and around obstacles, trying to get back to the main path of the run. Another one crashed ahead of them, embedding itself in the soft soil as effortlessly as a falling arrow. They split to avoid it, but branches reached out and scratched at their coats as they passed.

"I don't think it cares about us any more!" Rainbow Dash noted.

"I don't care! I ain't slowin' down and I ain't gonna let ya!"

It didn't take long for the Ursa to overtake them. Rainbow Dash could take a hundred strides and still not cover the distance of the great beast's one. Avoiding the cataclysmic footfalls that pulverised the orchard trees nearby, Rainbow Dash and Applejack soon found themselves watching the Ursa fade into the distance. Finally, they allowed themselves to stop.

"Applejack, Ponyville is that way! We have to find a way to get there faster!"

"Where's that blasted balloon when ya need it?" Applejack stomped her hooves into the dirt as Rainbow Dash pushed past her. "Wait, Rainbow Dash, where ya goin!?"

Dash called over her shoulder "I can't sit around here while our home gets crushed by an oversized teddy bear!"

Applejack took off after her. "I agree, but Rainbow... That ain't no teddy'n we ain't got no plan!"

"My plan? My plan is to get as many ponies out of there as possible! We can't fight that thing. We threw everything we had at a Minor and it still couldn't be stopped."

"Well I agree with ya, it beats sittin' around waitin' for a miracle. But we gotta be smart, Rainbow."

The Ursa Major had disappeared over the horizon, but its glow could still be seen well over a mile away. Rainbow Dash desperately wished for her wings, but it was no longer for her own benefit. She knew that without them, she would be helpless against the beast that was surely terrorizing the town.

"Smart?" She implored. "Smarts aren't gonna help get everypony out of there. We need to act, now!"


***


By the time Ponyville rose into view, it was a smouldering heap of broken buildings and roaring flames. The Ursa Major was curled around the town hall, a mere half of its own height. Cantering past the city limits, Rainbow Dash could see the distant flashes of unicorn magic, hammering the creature with what could only have been containment spells.

Slowing down, Rainbow Dash noted "It must be the Canterlot guard. The Ursa Major must have brought them out here... But where are the others?"

"We gotta split up! Go find Twilight, I'll try to find Rarity." Applejack commanded.

"What about Fluttershy?"

"I sure as sugar hope she ain't around this war zone!"

Rainbow Dash pointed at the sky "...Or she might be trying to help." Applejack looked toward where she was pointing, and her eyes widened. A small winged figure in the distance flew over all of the chaos and hovered just above the Ursa's nose. Fluttershy always had a way with animals, but she doesn't know what she's getting into! Then again, neither did Rainbow Dash.

Frozen in place, the two ponies watched in horror as the beast lurched its massive head forward and knocked the pegasus away on a long curve over Ponyville. "FLUTTERSHY!" Dash screamed, jumping in the air as she tried to spread her wings to go to her rescue. As she crashed back down to Earth, she managed to quickly regain her hooving and canter off towards where Fluttershy had landed. "I'M COMING!"

Her hooves trampled the cracked roads and sidewalks as ponies stampeded the other way. Dodging, leaping, bounding, ducking, rolling, and sliding kept Rainbow Dash from getting swept away by the herd. If she's hurt, I'm going to-"RAINBOW DASH!" A voice cried out from across the road. It was Twilight. Her horn glowed a brilliant, warm pink as it cast a bubble shield around Spike, who sat astride her back.

Rainbow Dash saw that Twilight was okay, and called back to her over the din of refugees leaving the town. "There's too many ponies in the way! I can't get to you! We have to get to Fluttershy!"

Twilight nodded, and shouted back. "Celestia knows about this. She's sent her best spellcasters to try to counter it! Do you know where Applejack is!?"

"She's looking for Rarity! We split up to cover more ground! Try to find her! I'm going for Fluttershy!" Before Twilight could respond, Rainbow Dash was off again.

The crowd had cleared up by the time she'd reached the damaged square. Only the armor-clad guardsponies from Canterlot surrounded the town hall in a sparse ring, where each unicorn was giving its contribution to the ever strengthening wall surrounding the raging beast.

Inside, the Ursa Major bared its teeth and pounded against the shield wall with all of its strength. The din echoed across the city, and resonated deep within Rainbow's bones. She stopped to look, and at one point it seemed like the monster was staring directly at Rainbow Dash with those hateful, vacant eyes. Eyes that seemed to recognize her in particular. A chill traversed her spine and Dash remembered her mission.

The streets outside of the square were completely vacant, except for a small crowd of citizens who huddled around a fallen figure. It was Fluttershy laying at the bottom of a shallow crater. Motionless, but awake and breathing.

"Fluttershy!" Rainbow called. The ponies separated to let her in.

One of the ponies approached. "I'm the one that found her. She's hurt, but she's okay. I just hope that monster doesn't get loose again. I'm not sure we can move her."

Rainbow Dash glanced over the pony's shoudler into the pit beyond. Fluttershy met her eye with a smile, and gave the faintest of nods as though to give her permission to look after the rest of the town.

"Let me talk to her!" Rainbow Dash pushed her way past the pony and knelt next to Fluttershy. "Are you okay?"

Fluttershy's head sunk back down against the ground. "I've felt better, Dashie. I... Just wanted to help calm it down."

"Fluttershy there's something else going on, I-"

Fluttershy nodded. "-Go help, Rainbow Dash. I'll be fine. I believe in you. Remember to believe in yourself."

Rainbow Dash nodded, and gently tapped her muzzle against Fluttershy's forehead. Turning around, she saw the stallion who'd approached her. She smiled "Please make sure she gets help after this is all done!"

The stallion nodded.

Rainbow Dash pushed past, but before she ran off, she turned and said "Thanks, uh... What's your name?"

He shrugged. "I'm the Doctor."

"Oh, you're a doctor?" His mark was an hourglass. Not the typical mark of a medical practitioner, but at least Fluttershy was in caring hooves. "Okay, doc. I need to find my other friends. Take good care of her for me!"

Dash cantered back towards the square. Though she skirted its edge - passing through broken buildings and taking backroads - she could feel the Major's footfalls as they quaked through the ground. It hammered the shield wall, and loosed a tumultuous roar.

On the other side, Twilight's balloon floated into view from over the horizon. Inside it was Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack. Rainbow Dash called out, waving her forelegs to gain their attention. "HEEEY!"

Seeing her, Twilight directed the balloon to hover just above the line of shattered rooftops. "Rainbow Dash!" Twilight called "I need you to distract it so that I can cast this pacifying spell! It worked on the minor! They aren't so different, but it can't see me casting it or it will know it is being tricked and could try to resist it!"

Rainbow Dash called back. "It seems plenty distracted to me!"

The distant Twilight shook her head. "It's angry, and I don't know how long the Canterlot Guard can hold it! They're getting exhausted!"

Rainbow Dash tried to glimpse one of the guardsponies through the rubble. He was down on his forelegs, sweat brimming across his face, but he kept his horn up to hold the wall. "I'll do the best I can!"

The balloon took off, and Rainbow Dash turned to face the town square. "Okay, beastie... It. Is. On."

She dashed straight for the shield wall shouting "HEEEEEEEEY!" To her surprise, it stopped its rage against the shield wall and turned to face her. Its gigantic paws pounded the rubble of the town square into ever finer pieces, and it lowered itself as much as it could in the confines of its cell. "YEAH! YOU!" It blinked, and then snarled venemously.

Rainbow Dash was filled with fear, despite the shield wall separating them. She knew though that the Ursa Major was only acting out because it was scared, and confused. "I know what's happening! I know what's inside you!" she shouted.

Rainbow Dash reared up and placed her front hooves on the shield wall. It sent a warm tingle down her forelegs, but she could manage that. Staring straight up into the Major's eyes, she called out. "I was there! Not that long ago!"

It shook its head violently and kicked the shield wall, which pulsated and sent Rainbow Dash falling onto her back. Instead of getting up, she jabbed a hoof in the air and pointed it straight at the creature. "Think about it! You were in your cave! Something happened! Why are you acting this way? It's not you!"

There was a shred of recognition that peaked through the haziness in the Ursa Major's eyes before it threw its head back and roared at the sky, clutching its temples in what looked to be pure agony. "FIGHT IT, URSA! FIGHT IT!" Rainbow Dash urged. "YOU ARE NOT THIS MONSTER!"

The bear dropped its forelegs back to the ground and huffed. A visible cloud of vapor shot from its nostrils and momentarily fogged the shield wall. Then it roared again. Thrusting out its back legs, it wedged itself between the two sides of the shield wall and heaved as hard as it could. Its eyes once again blank. "NO, URSA! NO!"

"I... I can't hold it!" shouted one of the guardsponies from somewhere behind her. Hearing him collapse with a thud, the wall became a little less opaque just before it shattered into countless magic shards that disappeared as they floated through the air. The Ursa's massive paws crashed into the ground with a thud that launched Rainbow Dash several inches into the air. Staring down at the tiny figure beneath her, it looked as though the beast was going to kill her with a single bite.

Just then, a blast of purple cast a glowing halo around the Ursa's hulking form. Twilight launched her spell, but the Ursa was clearly too enraged to succumb to such a spell. Rearing up onto its hind legs, it towered so high into the sky that it seemed to stretch up to infinity.

Turning in place far more rapidly than anything its size should have been able to do reasonably, it swung its foreleg out and shredded her friends' balloon in mid-air. Rainbow Dash saw the basket fall to the ground, and immediately bounded between the Ursa's legs after it.

The basket had toppled onto its side, dumping her friends out along the pavement like so many dropped eggs. Spike was unconscious, and the ponies were too dazed to stand. Rainbow turned in time to see one house-sized paw lift high up into the air, and come crashing down straight over the top of them.

"NO!!!" Rainbow Dash screamed. In that moment, her voice was as loud as the Ursa's roar. Not my friends! she thought, desperately. "NOT MY FRIENDS!" she shouted, instinctively raising her forelegs to block it.

As the Ursa's crushing blow was dealt, Rainbow's hooves met it and, where she had expected to feel a brief moment of pain followed by nothing, a shock jolted down her entire body and pulsated outward into her skin, then back up into her hooves.

Her mane glowed brilliantly with the colors of the rainbow, that flowed out from the point where here hooves met the Ursa's paw. There, she felt the strange sensation she'd only experienced twice in her life.

A rainboom! she realized.

And with her hooves outstretched, she was but an immovable object met by an unstoppable force. As she stood there over her friends, she knew her outstretched hooves could have held the weight of a thousand Ursa Majors if it meant protecting them.

The shockwave that had formed at the ends of her hooves spread out as a band of multicolored light, spreading through the town square and washing over all the ponies where were simply watching in disbelief.

The boom was powerful enough to push back the heavy paw. Rainbow Dash sunk into the pavement, with loud cracks spreading out from where her hooves had met the ground, but the Ursa Major was thrown backwards. It fell slowly as the guardsponies fled from behind it, shortly before it landed with a cataclysmic CRASH.

Rainbow collapsed to the ground as well. Her forelegs were numb, but they still moved as she willed them to. Managing to stand weakly, she turned to see all of her friends staring back at her, their eyes wide with amazement.

The Ursa groaned, and attempted to stand on its own power. Managing to rise to its feet, it looked back over its shoulder at the ponies, and the damage it had caused. Its eyes were back to normal.

Hanging its head with what could only be sadness and shame, the Ursa Major started to slink away.

Rainbow Dash was glad to see it go, but something didn't feel right. "WAIT!" she called. The Ursa stopped and met her gaze. "This..." Rainbow gestured at the damage around her. "This wasn't your fault! Please. Please know that!" She managed an encouraging smile. The Ursa seemed to smile back, before turning its eyes forward and heading back towards the Everfree Forest.


***


She stood vigilant as the Ursa Major disappeared over the horizon. Only then did she allow herself a moment's reprieve, and a very hearty sigh. Before she knew what was going on, Rarity had jumped onto her as Twilight scrambled to her feet and approached, giving an approving nuzzle. Applejack stayed down, but smiled weakly up at Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow Dash! That was amazing! Good show." Rarity cheered.

"Yeah!" Twilight agreed. "I... I had no idea you could do that."

Rainbow Dash blinked. "Yeah... Neither did I. It was like-Agh!" Her head was seized with a terrible pain, and her friends' words of encouragement were drowned out by a pounding in her ears, and a dark voice echoing deep within the recesses of her mind.

"This isn't over."

The moment passed as swiftly as it came. Rainbow wasn't sure it had happened at all. "Rainbow?" Applejack was asking. "Are y... Are you... Are..." she twitched briefly before she passed out, her head collapsing onto a pillow of soft rubble. 

"Applejack?" Rainbow Dash prodded her with her hoof.

Twilight shrugged. "She's probably just overtaken with everything that happened. I'll get her back home where she can get some good rest." She was about to pick up Applejack with her magic when Rarity gasped.

"Rainbow Dash!" she said, breathlessly. "I... I think you should look at your flank!"

Looking back, Rainbow Dash started "Look at wha-" She caught a glimpse of color emblazoned onto her haunch. "-It's..." She couldn't breath. "I... Oh. My. Gosh." She stammered. "Oh my gosh! I..."

"Your cutie mark came back!" Twilight cheered.

"Well, not exactly..." Said Rainbow Dash, examining it closer. Where the cloud and lightning bolt she'd had for most of her life had been, there was now a simple three-pronged shield, striped with all of the colors of the rainbow.

"It's like a-" Rarity began.

"-Rainbow Shield?" finished Twilight.

Rainbow Dash let out a laugh. "Rainbow Shield! I like it but... Let's not call me that, okay? I may have a new cutie mark, but that doesn't mean I'm a different pony!"

"But you are, Rainbow Dash." said a voice from above.

"Who-" Rainbow Dash looked up. "Luna!?" She was echoed by her friends.

Princess Luna drifted down gracefully from the darkening sky above. "'Friendship will find a way, fair Rainbow Dash.' Do you remember when I said that?"

Rainbow Dash paused, thinking back on the month that had come before. "I do... It was like a dream. It was a dream... But, why are you here now?"

"Because I've been watching you every night as you slept, Rainbow Dash. I tried not to intervene when you dreamt ill, because you needed to discover that in order to be whole again you needed to let your friends help you through."

"And you did an amazing job, my little ponies." Princess Celestia touched down next to her sister, beaming. "Not just Rainbow Dash, but all of you who helped her. I watched during the day, as despite everything you became closer than ever before. Believe me when I say, you've earned that new cutie mark on your flank."

Luna continued. "So no, you are not the same as you were. You have learned so much that the old Rainbow Dash did not. "

"You have become stronger, more confident, and more loyal than before." Celestia finished. "Please note your trials well, for the pony you have become is the pony you were meant to be. Do not forget that."

Rainbow Dash was speechless. Twilight went to her side and nuzzled her lightly. "See Rainbow Dash? I knew you were going to be okay." Turning to her teacher, she continued "Princess! Thank you for coming."

"I wish I had come sooner. I'm afraid it wouldn't have done you much good. Not even my magic is enough to stop a fully grown Ursa Major." Celestia smiled at Rainbow Dash. "You have quite the unique talent there, young mare."

"But I never even knew I had this talent!" Dash stammered.

Celestia placed a hoof on Rainbow's mane. "Sometimes it takes the most difficult of challenges for us to discover who we really are." She lightly touched the scar tissue on Rainbow's back. "Especially when we think we've forgotten."

Rarity looked around, distressed. "I wish I could discover a talent for cleaning right about now." She turned to the princess. "Will Ponyville ever be the same?"

"All things heal with time, Rarity. But in this case, I shall help speed things along. When I return to Canterlot I shall dispatch our finest architects and engineers to rebuild Ponyville as it was. Brick for brick!"

"Thank you, Princess!" Rainbow Dash managed. "One more thing though... Fluttershy. Is she-"

"-I've already sent some of the guardsponies back to Canterlot with her. She'll be tended to well there."

Rainbow Dash smiled. As she stood there surrounded by her very best friends, she knew that her new start would also be the start of a new, magnificent journey. All of a sudden, even in the wake of everything that happened, nothing seemed so bad anymore.
> Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Days later, dawn came over Equestria as it always had. A slow buildup of red and orange along the distant horizon, then the sun came - a brilliant orb of light peeking into just view. Princess Celestia stood with vigilence, her horn sheathed in a brilliant yellow glow that matched the sun for all of its glory. "Easy now... Not too fast, not too slow. And there! Equestria sees another day!"

Beaming with pride, Celestia retreated into the main hall where most of her guardsponies (some had been dispatched to Ponyville to oversee the reconstruction) awaited their orders. "Good morning one and all. Today, many of you will be manning the same stations as yesterday. There have been some changes to the guard postings in light of recent events in Ponyville.

"Day Break, you will head to the sun room to preside over the weekly cleaning of the dome. Stormy, I need you to collect Twilight Sparkle from the Canterlot Clinic for me. I have business for which I would like her to be present before the week is out. Her friends will likely wish to come. They may."

"Oh, Princess. Can I go get her? It's been so long since I've seen my little sis!"

"I wish it could be so, Shining Armor. However, there has been an assignment for which only you are suited. We shall speak in private after the meeting."

"As you wish, Princess."

"Flash Sentry, I would like for you to attend the royal artifact chamber. I trust you know the ones which must be seen to the most. Finally, I am sending you, Champion and Victory Horn, to guard my sister's quarters while she rests. She has been busier than usual of late and should not be disturbed. That is all. Please do remember to enjoy this day, for it is supposed to be a nice one!"

Collectively, the guard snapped its hooves together and stood tall, belting out a hearty "Thank you, Princess Celestia!" before breaking away to complete their separate assignments. All but Shining Armor, who approached and presented her with a graceful bow which Celestia happily returned.

"Shining Armor. Thank you for sticking around. I know you probably want to go meet with Princess Cadence again, but I wouldn't be keeping you if it wasn't important."

"Anything Princess."

"Walk with me." And up the stairs they trotted. "Armor, I have received some troubling messages from my advisors of late. Now, it's probably nothing to worry about but-"

"-You need my horn." It wasn't a question.

Princess Celestia halted in place, and quickly scanned to make sure nopony was eavesdropping. "Well, yes but... What I need is a shielding spell which, for lack of a better term, nopony can know about." They resumed their march and took a turn down the hall leading towards the royal resting chambers.

"Oh, uh. I haven't practiced invisible shielding spells in a long time. I would need to brush up on them in the library if that's okay with you. Picking up new spells quickly is more Twily's thing."

"Indeed. Your expertise on the matter combined with her gifted learning ability may be just what we need to cast the right spell. Twilight will be here soon to help. In the mean time I need you to make preparations for the spell."

"As you wish, Princess. But may I ask why the need for secrecy?"

They were outside of the door to the chambers. "Of course. For now I must just say that I do not want the people of Canterlot to fall into a panic. Remember the last time?"

Shining Armor let out an uneasy laugh. "Yeah. We don't want that happening again."

"Fantastic! And with that, I must take my leave. Best of luck on your research, and I look forward to seeing you and your sister reunited." This time it was Celestia who bowed first.

"Thank you, Princess Celesta!" And with that Shining Armor was cantering down the hall back the way he came.

Celestia exited in the opposite direction, opening the doors to the chambers and halting outside one along the farthest wall, just as their doors swung open. It was Luna, and she looked tired. "Long night, sister?"

"Long doesn't even begin to describe it."

"How is she sleeping?" Celestia asked, concerned.

"Better now. After going through such a shock, any rest is an improvement. But she still has nightmares. Bad ones."

Celestia placed a hoof upon her sister's shoulder. "Are they getting to you too?"

Luna nodded woefully. "It's hard to keep fighting them like this, and remember these are no ordinary nightmares. What she went through was something this kingdom hasn't seen since... Well, for over a thousand years."

"I understand. But we must not give up. Whatever is causing these is an ill omen such that we have not seen. Your efforts are most vital, that we may prevent these nightmares from spreading to all of Equestria." She changed the subject. "That reminds me, how has Rainbow Dash been faring?"

Luna smiled. "She's been having sweet dreams for the first time since I've started watching her. It is such a relief that she is doing better. When evil comes to the land nopony is spared, but she was affected worse than any... well... Almost anypony. It saddens me that she lost her wings, but she has more hope than ever before. If hope can find its way into her heart after being touched by such darkness, perhaps we stand a fighting chance."

That made Celestia smile. "We need more good news like this."

This prompted Luna to ask. "More good news, sister? What of the Elements of Harmony? Has your magic been able to stop the spread?"

Celestia hung her head. "My magic seems unable to recover the Element of Laughter, and now the Element of Honesty is starting to wane. I would like for you to observe Applejack starting tomorrow night. We can't afford any surprises at this critical juncture."

Nodding, Luna stifled a yawn. "We have a long road ahead of us, and I feel we are no closer to understanding what forces are at work here."

"Indeed. We cannot comprehend it quickly enough, for I greatly fear what this portends. It is of the utmost importance that we are ready for what comes next. Now, I must insist that you take your leave. Get your rest, and come nightfall I will see you once more."

Luna smiled at her big sister. "Will you go see her?"

"But of course. Rest well!"

Luna edged past her sister and into the room across the hall where the guards had already taken their post. Celestia pushed through the doors into the royal guest bedroom where a small figure was bundled beneath a pile of silk, satin, and linen sheets. It stirred as she approached.

Celestia placed a hoof over the sheets and pulled them back. "Good morning, Pinkie. I hope you slept well."

Pinkie Pie yawned as her eyes flitted open. She gently massaged the sleep from them, which called attention to the round scar which framed the right side of her face. "Better tonight. Your sister keeps visiting me when my parties go bad again."

Celestia nodded. "She is only too happy to help, and so am I. May I get you anything?"

Pinkie shook her head. "No thank you, Princess." She paused "I suppose you want to know what I dreamed about last night." Celestia nodded. Pinkie's face distorted as unpleasant memories came back to her. "Same as last night's, but I remembered something else..."

Celestia took a seat on a large cushion next to the bed and placed a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. "Good, Pinkie. This is good. I know it's difficult, but please tell me as much as you can remember."