Reunion
A loud whistle sounded in the distance, followed by a sharp report. “It doesn't feel like we should be celebrating. Even though we won, I still feel like we lost.” Rainbow sighed.
“Yes, indeed. Most ponies don't know what it took to achieve our victory, they just know the fear of possible zebra attack at any moment. It's over now, so we should let them have this celebration.” Rarity spoke with eloquence.
Rainbow Dash hummed noncommittally.
“It's been a long time since we've all gotten together-” Twilight cut herself off, then sighed. “Well, all of us that are still.. around.”
Rainbow Dash zoomed up to Twilight in a streak of blue. “Yeah, it has! Hey-” Rainbow frowned, worried, “where's Pinkie? She's always here first!”
“Oh dear, oh dear... You haven't heard?” A quick shake of a head from Rainbow, and Rarity continued. “Well, this is absolutely terrible. I thought you'd known already, Rainbow. Pinkie, she-” Rarity took a breath to steady herself and looked away. “Near the end of the war, the Zebras were getting more aggressive, you know. Suicidal, even, in some cases. A few of them tried to commandeer the train from south of Ponyville and push it straight through to Canterlot, filled with exploding potions of all sorts.”
“Yeah, Applejack was waiting for an uncle or something to come into town. When the train didn't stop, she lassoed it and climbed in. A few miles away, the train-” Rainbow Dash looked to the ground forlornly. “But what does that have to do with Pinkie?”
“Well, dear. Pinkie's sister was on that train. Do you remember Maud?” Rarity asked delicately.
“Yea-” Horrible realization dawned on Rainbow Dash's face. “No. Oh no. Maud meant everything to Pinkie. What.. Wh.” Words had failed Rainbow Dash. Pinkie and Maud had been closer than any of the rest had been to each other. They would have done anything for the other.
Twilight sighed. “Pinkie broke. She started dissociating and talking to herself. She was accusing ponies of being zebras left and right, then would disappear for days at a time, only to start the accusations again. One night she took a train south. Pinkie had loaded the train with every party accessory she had, from Party Cannons to what we later found she called 'Tactical Fun Grenades'. Party streamers reached Trottingham, all the way north of Canterlot.”
Rainbow sat dejectedly, wings slumping to the ground. This was horrible. Pinkie, just gone, like that. After Applejack's sacrifice, and Fluttershy's accident, for Pinkie to- Rainbow slumped even further on the ground. “I'm glad there aren't any zebras left,” she said bitterly.
Twilight and Rarity looked at each other. “Do you really mean that? Zecora was our friend, before she left,” Twilight spoke softly.
“Yes! I do!” Rainbow shot up and glared at Twilight. “Because of her, Fluttershy is dead!”
“Rainbow!” Twilight shouted, scandalized. “We all know that was an accident, she wouldn't ever intend to do something like that.”
“It doesn't matter what her intent was, Twilight, what matters is that, because she was brewing those nasty potions in the forest, the manticores Fluttershy was training attacked!” Rainbow yelled, then turned and slumped back to the ground. “It shouldn't have ended like this... I thought that... I thought that with the Elements, we'd be invincible. Nothing could stop us. We healed Luna and stopped Discord, Sombra, Chrysalis.... but those few victories didn't mean anything when we split up.”
~~~~~
“Okay, now nice and easy. See this armor that I'm wearing? You don't attack ponies wearing this armor.” As Fluttershy spoke softly, the manticore on her left growled while the one on her right raised a giant paw towards her. “No! No attacking ponies with this armor!”
After unleashing her Stare on the manticores fully, they both lay on the ground and whimpered.
“There, there..” Releasing her Stare, the manticores got up and slowly walked towards her carefully. As they nuzzled her, she let out a sigh. “That's really good you two. Hang on, I'll go get your treat. Sit.” The two manticores sat, quickly.
After a short trot away, Fluttershy started to smell something terrible. “Um. The meat shouldn't be rancid, it's fresh..” Hurrying towards the smell, she spotted Zecora in a clearing, standing on her hind two legs over a large cauldron. “Oh. Hello. What are you-”
A large roar sounded in the forest, and Zecora's eyes widened. “Manticores should not be here, they always steer clear! Fluttershy, dear, why are they here?!”
“Eep!” Fluttershy dropped to the ground. “I was.. I.. training them.” Another roar sounded, much closer, this time. With a furious snarl, the manticores leapt into the clearing. Turning around, she tried to Stare at them, but was horribly late. The first manticore slammed a paw into Fluttershy, who flew into a tree at the edge of the clearing, and then rushed towards the cauldron.
“Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash watched in horror from above, having heard the loud roar of the manticores moments before. Slamming into the first manticore before it got to the cauldron, she turned to face the second one. With a quick sprint towards it, the second manticore went down just as quick. She raced to Fluttershy, and checked for breathing. “Zecora, help her! She's not breathing!”
Zecora was quickly at Fluttershy's side, feeling her ribs and holding her ear to her mouth, and other various diagnostic activies. “I- I can't. She's dead.”
“What do you mean, 'she's dead!' You have all sorts of potions and stuff, use one of them to fix her! Do it!” Dash was in hysterics, and started shaking Zecora.
“I can't. She's all dead. If she were only mostly dead, there would be something I could do, but she isn't. I'm sorry.” Zecora bowed her head slowly.
“Get out of here! Just go away, if you're going to be useless!” Rainbow screamed.
~~~~~