Author's note-THIS IS THE MOST CRUEL CLIFFHANGER IN ALL OF MY FANFICTION WRITING HISTORY. IF YOU WISH NOT TO BE LEFT HANGING, NOR WITH THE WEIRDEST UNEXPLAINED HAPPENING TO HAPPEN SINCE EQUESTRIA WAS 'MADE', DO NOT READ ON. WAIT UNTIL I RELEASE CHAPTER 8. IF I RECEIVE ANY COMMENTS ABOUT OOC VIOLATION, I WILL IGNORE THEM, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT CHAPTER 8 DEALS WITH. DITTO WILL BE MADE WITH ANY TRANSITION COMMENTS. I AM WELL AWARE OF THOSE, AND WHEN I FINISH THE STORY, THOSE WILL BE TOUCHED ON WITH EDITS.

However, any other mistakes or problems you find may be pointed out, and I'll try to fix them later.

Thank you. Now read on to my other notes.

In case we aren't clear, Dashie is now an earth pony, mmk? No wings on a pegasus means that you're an earth pony. She is now referred to as such.

...I know. This chapter is largely scattered. It simply lacks a few bridges. It’ll go right back up in quality next chapter, Pinkie Pie Swear.

I also apologize if the focus is a little quick. But as of now, I’m trying to highlight normal life without being as boring as possible. Just tell me if I need to slow it down or something, and I’ll fix it. That’s what comments are for after all, right?

‘sides, the ending should be enough for you...

...and sorry. Holding off on the language thing. It’s a little out of sequence in comparison.

Back to your FFFP-your Feature Fan Fiction Presentation.

"Rainbow? Are you okay? You haven't even touched your salad..."

The cyan pony looked up at Twilight, taking in the concerned look and the slight tilt of her head. She'd learned to read the unicorn's emotions over time, and she knew what this look meant. It meant nearly exactly what anypony thought it would, but Dash knew the other, unspoken meaning of it-"I'm not going to stop without an answer".

"Been thinkin'," she mumbled, going back to picking at the sparse greenery that sat in front of her.

"About what?" asked Twilight, moving closer to her and frowning slightly.

Rainbow sighed. Yup, I was right... "Well, you know...I've been feeling kind of..." She placed a hoof on her temples, as if massaging away an invisible headache. "...just sort of...useless lately. I've sat around the library for like 4 days now, and...it doesn't feel right..."

Almost instantly, the lavender mare was upon her with quick reassurances. "Oh, don't be silly! We both know that you-"

"Twilight." interjected the rainbow maned pony, without looking up. "You can cut out the fake stuff. It doesn't make me feel any better. I haven't done anything useful lately. That’s probably the worst of it right now."

Rejected, Twilight sighed, and began pacing around the table, before stopping almost as soon as she began. "I know!" she proclaimed, a smile lighting up her face. "Come on, follow me! I know just what to do!"

The blue earth pony sighed, getting up to follow the excited Twilight. "And what exactly would that be?"

As the door closed behind her, the next words out of the unicorn's mouth made her halt mid-gloomy step.

"We're going to find you a new job!"

"Woah, woah, woah." blurted the earth pony. "You can't just find a job, y'know. It's a complicated process, and it took me weeks to even get in an application to the-"

"I'm aware of that," said Twilight. “Come on, just follow me. I have an idea.”

Groaning, Rainbow Dash reluctantly trotted after the purple mare. “So where are we headed, then?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Riiiight...”

After a few seconds’ awkward trotting, the earth pony spoke up. “Twilight...I don’t really feel comfortable here.”

“Why, nonsense!” exclaimed the unicorn. “We’re going to find you one, don’t worry! I’m sure you’ll find something else better suited to your interests!”

“No, no, not that...” Dash said, glancing uneasily around. “I mean, I suppose this should be a little ironic, but...everypony’s kinda’ staring at me, and I don’t like it...”

Twilight Sparkle turned around, and the cyan mare could see the words “That’s ridiculous” form on her lips, before she stopped, a nonchalant hoof frozen in midair. And then the look of confusion on her face as she took in the small crowd that had more or less gathered around them. Almost all of them were fixated on the small bumps that used to be her wings.

Never in her life had Dash wanted to run so badly.

None of the stares were malicious, necessarily, but the result was the same as if any harmful intent was actually present. And as the two watched, a burnt orange filly was occupied with shoving her way to the front of the crowd, as she shouted, “Excuse me! Coming through! Attempting to speak to the coolest pony in Equestria!”

“Twilight,” choked Dash. “Let’s get out of here. Like, now.”

Crucial seconds ticked away before the realization dawned on Twilight’s face. “Oh...yeah, let’s go. Quickly.”

But as the two mares quickly began taking strides away from the small semi-circle, an excited voice confirmed that it was too late. “Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash!” it called. “I haven’t seen you in like-”

Rainbow froze, her heart pounding as Scootaloo halted her excited greeting. “...a few...weeks...” she finished, voice trailing off as she noticed where all the ponies around her were staring. Damnit kid, don’t look, don’t look... thought the cyan earth pony, grimacing. But the pegasus filly’s gaze slowly drifted upwards...

If confusion and heartbreak were stirred together in a pot, then the result would look very similar to the expression that the purple maned filly wore now. “R-Rainbow...?” she asked, her voice trembling. “Are you...okay? You’re fine...right? Like, what...what happened? Please, tell me this is a joke...”

The earth pony’s gentle rose eyes met Scootaloo’s one purple ones, but no words could seem to leave the ex-flier’s mind. All she could do was stare back, as a small figure had the realization that her own idol was possibly injured, and horribly, too.

“It...isn’t, is it?” said the filly quietly.

Rainbow sighed, hanging her head down before turning her back to the filly. Her voice rang out clear against the hushed square, now deepened in shame and pain.

“I really wish I could tell you that it was, kid. I really wish...”

A low mumble broke out from the crowd as the ponies began expressing sympathy towards the stricken Dash, but it soon stopped when Scootaloo stood straight up, her upper lip stiff...

...and simply stalked out of the crowd stiffly. A few mutterings from the crowd, and after a few more curious (and sympathetic) glances, both towards the departing Scootaloo and towards Rainbow, they dispersed.

None of them saw the tears silently sliding down the orange filly’s cheeks, because by the time they began, she was long out of sight.

“That...was one of the most soul-crushing moments of my life.” admitted Dash, walking slowly towards the stunned Twilight who stood off to the side. “I’d really hate to have to see something like that myself...”

“Come on.” said Twilight, tersely turning and beckoning her mare-friend forward. “I just want to leave this behind us.”

Without another word, the two ponies set off across Ponyville, and as if by silent agreement, they tried their hardest to not think about the incident.

But both failed miserably.

Knock, knock, knock.

No reply came from inside the large building, except for the very subtle squeaking of something inside. “You sure that this isn’t just a little joke?” asked Dash, beckoning to the door marked with a small, professionally printed sign that read:

‘Pinkamena Diane Pie
Professional Party Planner Pony of Ponyville
Knock, please!’

“Honestly, Rainbow...” muttered Twilight. “I’m...not sure.”

The conversation was interrupted by a small, but serious voice from within. “Send her in, madam Twilight.”

The cyan pony looked to the unicorn, arching an eyebrow, but Twilight merely shrugged, and pointed to the door. Sighing, the earth pony opened the door.

She was greeted by a sight like no other she had seen before. The interior of Sugarcube corner had almost all of the lights turned off. The only light that was provided, in fact, came from a few small candles placed on a mahogany desk in the middle of the building. The desk appeared to be painted a solid black. Near said desk sat 2 chairs, one on each side on the desk. Pinkie Pie sat on one side of the desk, a very serious expression on her face, as if disapproving of the scenery around her. “Come,” she said quietly. “Have a seat.”

It was only when Rainbow trotted closer when she realized what Pinkie was wearing. The dim light had made it difficult to see such details, but upon closer inspection, the pink mare wore a wide-brim top hat, complete with white stripe. To complement this odd choice of head wear, she’d also apparently chosen to wear a tuxedo that covered only her upper body. Knowing her, she probably went all the way. I bet there’s a bow-tie somewhere in there... thought Dash.

“So...” muttered the ‘professional’ mare, leaning over the desk as the rainbow maned pony took her seat. “What makes you think that you’re a pony who’s good enough to work at Sugarcube Corner Incorporated? We want only the best parties for our customers, so we need the best ponies, too.”

The blue earth pony simply stared, trying to decide whether or not she was serious. Eventually, she decided to play along. Pinkie’s gonna be Pinkie... “Well, I have a lot of experience with parties, and I pretty much know what they want.”

Nodding, the pink mare jotted something down onto a notepad, muttering “I see...”. Rainbow tried to take a look at the notepad, but Pinkie slammed a quick hoof down on top of it, and glared for a full five seconds before giggling. “No peeksies!” she said, before clearing her throat and resuming her professional manner.

“All right, we have that covered. Now, what would you consider your public relation skills to be? Like...your ability at being nice to ponies, and not all grumpy?” asked the pink pony.

Dash shrugged. “Good, I guess.”

“How many parties have you been to, then?”

How the hay am I supposed to know that? Counting? “Uh...five hundred and thirty four?”

“Wrong!” shouted Pinkie Pie triumphantly. “It’s five hundred and thirty five! But...you underestimated yourself. That’s good, in a way.”

“Riiiiggghtt...”

The pink earth pony shuffled through a stack of papers, nodding and giving the occasional ‘Mmhmm...’. Eventually she set down the papers, and asked yet another question. “So, from these records, I can tell that your on-time-ness is pretty out of whack. How are you going to be able to be running a party if you aren’t on time?”

“Oh please, Pinkie,” grumbled Dash. “Can we just cut the interview and get right to the point? I can tell that even you’re faking it.”

“Answer the question, missy.”

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Fine. I-”

“Ha! Gotcha’!” cried Pinkie. “That was a rheat....reetaw...question you weren’t supposed to answer! ‘cause you can’t run a party without bein’ there to plan it! You’re gonna have to fix that.”

The cyan earth pony drew breath to reply, when there came the sound of scuffling, and the faint voice of Twilight could be heard. “Fluttershy! There you are! Where have you been? And...are you okay?"

The scuffling stopped, and both of the ponies strained to hear her reply. “Not now, Twilight, please. We’ll talk later, all right? I have some business to take care of...”

Shortly after, the door flew open to reveal the yellow pegasus who had spoke earlier.

But something seemed wrong.

The usually timid mare's pink, flowing mane was no longer quietly hanging down in gentle curls. Instead, it was frayed and frizzy, and it stuck out wildly in all directions. Even a closer glance revealed tiny sticks and twigs carefully nestled between the frays.
Fluttershy's coat was dotted and speckled with many cuts, all of which seemed superficial, but were still just as concerning. She seemed slightly out of breath, as if she'd ran a whole mile before arriving at Sugarcube Corner. Her eyes burned with a fierce light as she marched straight up to Pinkie, who got up and stepped back.

"Hey Fluttershy! Ditcha' fall out of a tree?" the pink pony bubbled.

The yellow pegasus held her gaze. "At one stage or another, actually, yes."

"Wow! Sounds like fun!"

Fluttershy made a sound suspiciously like a low grumble, and Pinkie immediately stopped talking. Taking a deep breath, the pegasus continued. "You have no idea, Pinkie. What I've had to even do to pluck up enough courage to tell you this. But, spending three whole weeks out in nature, isolated from pony civilization, and trying to find inner peace is a start. And because I spent 3 whole weeks, I’m absolutely sure of this."

Pinkie, to everlasting credit of her 'stay positive' motto, still smiled. "That's great! Maybe I should try it sometime!"

"Pinkie." said the yellow mare. "Listen to me, and listen good, because I'm saying it now, before I can't say it at all."

"Ooh!" squealed the pink pony. "Are you here to tell me about a surprise party? Wait, don't tell me! I want it to be a surprise!"

Ignoring the excited mare's interjections as they continued, Fluttershy closed her eyes, and took a few deep, shaking breaths.

"...and maybe with pink balloons instead of those p-"

"Pinkie, I'm just trying to tell you that I love you!"

Pinkie stopped, and smiled. “OK!” she chirped, before continuing. “...those purple ones, and maybe with a double-decker huge cake with some-”

“Did you even hear me?” said the pegasus, her cheeks turning a bright red in indignant frustration. “Or do you just not understand?”

The pink pony stopped again. “I get it all right, you’re saying that you love me as a family, and I think that’s super duper sweet! I love ya’ too, Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy blinked once, twice, and then once more, as if she had no idea that Pinkie would react that way. But then a knowing, yet reluctant expression crept onto her face, and she turned towards Rainbow, who’d sat there the entire time, astonished. Partly because the pegasus had burst in after looking like she’d decided to crash through a produce cart, and partly because Pinkie was being so...Pinkie.

In an instant, Dash knew exactly what the yellow mare was thinking. Memories of the night on the balcony-not all of them good-flashed back.

“And if she still doesn’t get it...”

She smiled slightly, and nodded towards the confused pegasus. In response, Fluttershy turned, and gently removed the top hat from Pinkie’s head as she rambled on. “Hey!” protested the party pony. “I was wearing that! You ruined my image! I was all fancy, and then you-”

The stream of words from Pinkie, if it could be believed, stopped, as the yellow pegasus finally leaned in towards the rambling mare mid-sentence, and firmly planted her lips onto Pinkie’s.

The change in Pinkie Pie was immediately evident. The pink earth pony immediately threw caution to the wind, closed her eyes tight, and returned the kiss with as much fervor as Fluttershy had begun it with. But something about it told Dash that Pinkie had no idea whatsoever as to what the heck she was doing. This was confirmed as the two mares stepped back, and Fluttershy gently handed the hat back to the pink party pony.

“I’m...guessing you feel the same?” she asked.

“I...honestly don’t know,” mumbled Pinkie Pie. “I’ve never felt this way before, really. It’s all squirmy-wormy...I mean, not in a bad way, but not exactly good, either.”

“So...you mean...” The light in the mare’s eyes had died down, and now a gentle shading of wonder had replaced it.

"Yes, 'Shysie...I've never been in love with anypony...let alone kissed them. I just never really knew what it could feel like, and it's only now that I do know what it feels like. I guess I was, but I just didn't know.”

The timid mare smiled, regaining her regular demeanor as her cheeks tinted a slight shade of red. "I guess that it makes this so much more special, huh?"

Smiling widely once again, Pinkie placed the hat onto Fluttershy's head, and giggled. "It's as sure as how silly you look in that hat!"

A quiet whisper from a sudden voice near Rainbow caused her to jump. "Reminds you of a certain two ponies, doesn't it?"

Dash looked towards the unicorn, who'd snuck in nearly unnoticed. She couldn't help but to smile in remembrance, at how much she'd beaten around the bush before going straight for the prize. Especially taking home the prize like a freakin' boss!

"Yeah, Twilight. It kinda' does."

"So, what now, Twilight?" asked Rainbow, pacing around the small entrance den of the library. "Finding a job at Pinkie's was a bust...this whole day is just weird, anyways."

The unicorn took on a thinking expression, tapping a hoof to her chin. "Hmmm...well, I do have a number of ideas. Given the scenarios from a book I read, we have about 200 choices!"

Dash coughed. "A book? That's great, Twi', but I think we need something a little more practical here."

"What's more practical than a book?"

"Uh, anything." remarked the cyan earth pony, rolling her eyes angrily. "Come on, try actually coming up with an idea."

Twilight frowned. "But...isn't a book good enough? I mean, they helped me discover the choice that helped me save your life!"

"Are you kidding me?!" shouted Dash, her voice contrasting its previous quietness. "Books are good if you want something fun to read, but not if you have something important to decide!"

"Rainbow, please watch your tone. And books are chalk full of informat-"

The cyan earth pony suddenly lunged into the unicorn's face. "That's bisonshit!" she cried.
"Books are 'helpful', and chalked full of 'information'? Well, woopdey bucking doo! Then how come they couldn't save Applejack?"

"I-"

The rainbow maned pony's face now darkened, her expression growing increasingly sour. "Oh wait, that was you. I'm sorry that your precious little books couldn't help you."

By now, tears were forming in Twilight's eyes. "Dash, why in Celestia's name are you-"

"Oh, why in her name am I doing this? Right, the princess will always protect you if you just ask."

"I won't have that tone in this library, Rainbow Alicia Dash! Just please calm down, and tell me why you're acting like this!"

That only earned the unicorn a glare, as the earth pony took a big breath.

"Why am I acting like this? I'll tell you.

I'm Rainbow Dash. I like flying extremely fast, and doing amazing stunts. I like showing off my talent. I want to be in the awesome Wonderbolts Stuntspony group. But wait. I can’t fly? Now who the buck am I? I’m just Rainbow. I can’t Dash across the sky anymore.

Until now, I tried to hide it from you, Twilight. How much it really hurt to not be able to fly. It hurts something awful. I want to soar across the sky, wind blowing in my face. I want to be truly at peace, and I want the choice to relax in a nice, soft cloud at the end of a hard day’s work. Perhaps one day, I'd even possibly take it upon myself to let you experience it yourself, let us do it together.

With that taken away from me, I honestly don’t think life is worth the trip anymore. So why am I still here?

I’m still here because of you, Twilight. You are the pony who managed to make my mind switch from ultimate despair, to ‘OK, I’ll give it a shot.’.

But now I’m starting to regret that. Not only am I permanently stuck on the ground, but I’m stuck with a pony who thinks books can solve everything, and that she can run to her teacher for comfort and protection.

First of all, comfort’s my job, or at least it should be. But Twilight, the point is, books can’t solve everything. If you’re getting faced down by a lion, you can’t open a book and quickly digest on how to scare it or something. You gotta act right then and there.

The fact that you think that you can whip out a book and turn my life around just disgusts me, Twilight. You’re just a little sheltered pony, who thinks she can get any bucking thing she wants with knowledge. Or that she can help anyone else with magical knowledge. I got news for ya’, Twi’. It isn’t that easy. But, if I were to become the nosy, detached, overly optimistic bitch that you’re being right now, I could see where the hay you’re coming from.

I can handle my own life, you little misfit of a pony. The fact that you feel the need to jump in when you’re not needed sickens me even more. I, of course, would have actually taken it upon myself to get myself some work. In fact, tomorrow, I was going to suggest that I just work as your assistant here. But you know what?”

The cyan pegasus’ eyes shone with an anger fiercer than Fluttershy’s Stare, if possible.

“I don’t think I need you anymore, Twilight. You don’t need me. This is just a little game that’s only going to end with two losers.

Goodbye.”

It was over in less than a minute. The cyan earth pony had ranted herself out, and already slammed the door by the time Twilight even managed to get up the motivation to say something.

The only thing she actually expressed, vocally, however, was a low moan. One of sorrow. The very instant it began, she rushed outside, pushing the door open so quickly that it smashed into the tree, the wood becoming stuck upon impact. “Dash! COME BACK!” she cried, vainly searching for any sign of the suddenly furious pony. But she was nowhere to be seen.

Sniffling, she sat down, and stared at the ground. Was it something I said, or did? Why in the world would she just snap at me like that, and leave? Was it all just one big game? I don’t think she’s joking, because she would have popped out and yelled so by now. Even if it is, it isn’t funny...

I don’t care. I’m going to find her, and get my answers. One way or another...

A/N:I know, I’m probably losing some trackers.

Y’see, those are the ones who are going to miss out. The ones who stay will realize that I’m actually going somewhere with this, and that there’s a purpose. Dash does not ever turn into a psycho bitch without reason, that’s all I’ll say.

Stick around. If you don’t, however, it’s your loss.

Also, hooray. Viewpoint change next chapter.