Rainbow woke in the hospital, again. She groaned and regretted it as her mouth was dry and her throat ached for water.

A small amount of ice chips entered her mouth from a cup.

She couldn’t see. It hurt to move. But she was alive and her wings were still there, that was all that mattered.

“Sugarplum, yer alive and well enough fer me ta ask you what in the hay you were thinkin’ pullin’ a stunt like that!” Applejack’s voice rose steadily.

“Eh,” Rainbow said with her voice cracking, “I didn’t, make, crash. Wings, ‘nd, too low,” she stammered between breaths. “How, bad?”

“Oh, Sweetie,” Applejack said calmly. Rainbow felt her bangs being moved slightly and a kiss on her forehead. “Ya nearly broke yer left back leg, ya skinned yer back somethin’ fierce, and nearly broke yer right wing clear off, they said.”

Rainbow gasped and tried to see her body.

“Sugar, calm down. Ya got a lotta stuff in yer eyes so the doc’s wanna let ‘em heal on their own ‘fore they magic ya better. Yer whole body’s in rough shape but they’ve fixed ya up fine’n dandy.”

“W-wings?”

“They’re fine. Yer not gonna fly fer til about Hearth's Warmin’, but you’ll be right as rain ‘fore ya know it. Now, lay back and let Mama take care ‘a ya.”

Rainbow pouted, her lower lip quivering slightly as she felt Applejack pouring more ice into her parched mouth. “I, will, be… better marefriend.”

“Darlin’, yer fine enough. Ya think ya haven’t given me anything, but I thought about it; you’ve given me a lot.

“Rainbow, the other night when we were helpin’ Scootaloo. We were in bed all cozy and you fell asleep first. I saw my mother in ya. You cared about our daughter in a way that no other pony could; like a real mother.

“Ya held her close to yer chest and let her hold ya like a foal clingin’ to her mother. Yer the one she needs, and the one I need. Every night Ah wake up, well not every night, but there’re night’s I wake up and just look at ya. Yer silken mane, yer blue fur that glistens in the night, on those special nights.

“Yer chest risin’ and fallin’ under the sheets… the way yer eyes flutter when ya dream. Ya don’t have to give me things, or do things. Just, be the mare that knows our bed’s our safe place, and anythin’ that happens there is just what I need, all Ah need, from you.”

Rainbow sniffled and smiled, her tongue moving around her mouth. She had all her teeth. She was in the perfect place now. She could feel the love like a changeling must be able to, it was warming her, making her feel safe.

She chewed another few pieces of ice and relaxed as Applejack climbed into bed with her, lying to her side.

Even though they were unable to cuddle and nuzzle, they felt happy being that close to each other.

“Hey, ya want me ta read some’a that Daring Do to ya?”

“Ngh-Hng!” Rainbow moaned happily.

“A’right, Ah’ll be back in a jiffy. Stay put,” Applejack chuckled as she climbed from the bed, the room silent after a moment.

The sound of quick hooves entered the room and approached Rainbow.

“Miss Dash,” a male voice said, “it would be in your best interest to have your family and mates leave the Rich family alone and stop digging up the past, or else,” the voice said. Rainbow felt a small pinch in her side that alerted her senses of panic, “this is how easy it would be to end the problem.”

He left in a hurry and she was alone again. Listening intently after a short time she felt her head swim, her stomach tensed, and she felt sleeps sweet embrace.

---

“Rainbow? Rain~bow?” Applejack’s voice called to her in her empty dream.

Rainbow woke suddenly in a panic; screaming and thrashing. The pain didn’t matter, she had to get away from her attacker.

A female voice she didn’t recognize called some color she didn’t care about and a few seconds later she was being held down.

“Miss Dash,” A stallion’s voice she recognized asked her, “what’s wrong. Can you understand me?”

Rainbow inhaled sharply. “I want a female doctor and Applejack.”

“Ah’m here, Sugarplum. C’mon, tell me what happened? Did ya have a bad dream?”

“No, AJ. Some stallion came in here and threatened me, us, then gave me a shot and knocked me out.”

“Miss Apple,” the stallion asked suddenly, “how long has she been asleep?!”

“Ah, Ah dunno, maybe three hours, Doc.”

“Nurse,” he ordered, “I need a guard here now, and bring another just to be safe. I want to know every pony that’s come and gone from the premises for the past day.”

“Yes, Doctor,” a mare replied before the sound of her hooves striking the floor, she left in a hurry.

“Miss Dash, where did he inject you?” The doctor asked. She tugged her limbs before she felt the restraints leave her. Magic, of course.

She touched her side where she was injected.

“Okay, lay still,” he said as she felt a wave of tingles wash over her. “Okay, the injection site is here, give me a moment,” he said as she felt a sensation like water being poured over her side, “opioid etorphine; expert dilution, hypodermic needle, non-sterile injection area, no magic residue, inserted into a vein.

“Whoever did this is experienced in medicine," he concluded, "Miss Dash, I’m sorry this happened to you under my care; I’m going to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” he said as Rainbow felt a hoof on her belly.

“Get off me, stallion!” Rainbow shouted and swung blindly.

“Darlin’, it’s me. Ah’m here,” Applejack reassured. “Doc, Ah reckon it’d be best if’n ya left.”

“Right, I’ll be nearby. If she has any reactions or seems weird to you, call a nurse immediately,” he insisted, “Miss Dash, I’ll see about getting doctor Heart for you.”

“AJ, I was so scared,” Rainbow said, her voice trembling.

“Don’t worry, Sugarplum, Ah won’t leave ya alone again. Anypony that comes near ya’s gonna hafta go through me.”

“Thanks, my Apple Dumpling. I, I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you, or if you lost me…”

“Don’t think like that, we’re fine and that’s all that matters.”

“AJ?”

“Yeah, Dash? What can Ah get ya?”

“I really wanna have sex.”

The sound of Applejack facehoofing made Rainbow smirk.

---

“So, that’s what happened, girls,” Rainbow said facing the ceiling.

“Oh my, that’s horrible. Why would somepony do that to you?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, I find it dreadfully inept of the hospital to leave the patients under such lax observation.”

“Grr, that pony’s a meanie. Hey Twi, can I spy? I haven’t spied for a while.”

“Pinkie, where’d you… No, Pinkie, we don’t need a spy, we need to make sure she’s safe, now please take off that spy stuff. We have find out why the Rich family would want to take such a risk threatening her.”

“But,” Fluttershy started, “why would they even threaten her? Rainbow hasn’t done anything mean, have you?”

“Of course not, darling. Rainbow Dash is many things, mean isn’t one of them. Perhaps it’s a misunderstanding?” Rarity offered.

“No,” Rainbow replied, “he said that we had to stop digging for info. Like, we were getting too close to something. I don’t know what I did though.”

“Rainbow,” Applejack said looking to the others that were standing around Rainbow’s hospital bed, “Ah think I know. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom said somethin’ about that Tiara girl; the reason they started fightin’.”

“They were in a fight?!” Twilight exclaimed, “are they okay? Why were they fighting?”

“I dunno, Twilight,” Pinkie chirped, “maybe there was an ice cream cone and only one of them could have it and-”

“They were fighting Diamond Tiara,” Rainbow interjected impatiently.

“That little filly who’s good friends with Sweetie Belle and the others?” Rarity asked, “Surely there’s some decent reason for it then.”

“Well, Rare’s, that’s the thing,” Applejack started hesitantly, “Scoot’s told us that she’s a bully, her and Silver Spoon. Been tormentin’ them three fer the better part’a two years, now.”

“When I heard that I almost told her ta buck ‘em in the flank, but that’d make AJ mad at me,” Rainbow said sitting up and taking a fighting pose, “so, I told her to hug her instead.”

“That was when the little filly went’n started talkin’ ill ‘bout my mom like she was a...”

“Yes, I, gathered as such. Spoiled little children are going to say and do as they wish, afterall.”

“Rarity,” Twilight said firmly, “that’s no excuse for behaving like a pack of gryphons. There’s a reason that Rainbow was attacked right after the fillies got into a fight, and we’re gonna find out.”

“Well, ya’ll go and try’n find some clues… Pinkie, how’d ya change from spy ta investigator… Nevermind,” Applejack shook her head, “Ah’ll stay here with Dash.”

“Ooo, a little alone time?” Pinkie said suggestively.

“Shush,” Fluttershy said eliciting a whimper from Pinkie.

There was an air of silence as Rainbow listened. “O-kay,” Twilight said before her hoof falls indicated she was moving as the others were following, “we’ll be back later, stay safe.”

“Yeah, see ya. Don’t be gone too forever… Oh, Twilight.”

“Yes, Rainbow?”

“Bring me a Daring Do book, ‘kay?”

Twilight giggled. “Okay, but, now I’ve got two mysteries to solve and a coltfriend to get back to. See you later, Rainbow and AJ.”

Rainbow laid back and enjoyed the moment of silence. Applejack was next to her still, the hospital was relatively quiet, and the air was hospital fresh.

A great time to be alive.

“Applejack,” Rainbow asked, “I’m glad I’m not dead.”

After inhaling deeply Applejack replied.

“Me too, Rainbow. Me too.”

Next Chapter: Family Secret Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 51 Minutes