I lunged for her throat.

Applejack stayed where she stood, rooted from shock no doubt. At the very last second she dived to left, but my sword followed up with a slice even as I breezed past. Glancing over my shoulder, I timed my buck to hit just as she ducked under my blade. It was like hitting a brick building – even through the dead nerves in my hooves, I winced in pain. As she stumbled back, I lashed out with my knife. With a jerk of her head, I ended up taking off half her left ear.

Appearances were everything.

We regarded each other silently. Her from shock. Me from necessity as I regained my breath. Then slowly, ever so slowly, both my weapons were raised once more as I pushed my weariness to one side. Wiping the blood from my eye once more, I stepped forward and feinted to the left before coming in on the right with my dagger. She skipped back out of reach.

"Sug-"

I flung my dagger with all the feeble might I could draw up. Applejack jerked out of pure instinctual reaction and that's when I struck. Shuffling in with a quick thrust, I left a shallow gash along her shoulder. Following up with a punch to her jaw, she blocked and I was forced to duck under her counter. Before I could regain my composure, she reared up onto her hind legs and delivered two punches to my chest followed by another to the face. Each block wavered under the raw power of the blows, forcing me back.

Some friend she was – didn't even pull her punches.

When the next blow came, I pivoted on my right foreleg, bleeding off the power from her blow before ramming her side. With enough room to use my sword, I moved in for a slash.

Metal clashed with metal.

Eyes widened in surprise. My blow was stopped by the bracelet on her hoof. A flimsy bracelet! With a grunt, she shoved me back with all my might. Stumbling, my hoof landed awkwardly and I went down in a heap. Immediately rolling to the side, I expected a pair of hooves to slam down where my head was, but nothing came.

"Come on Twi, snap outta it! It's me, Applejack!"

Pausing in mid-roll, I looked at the mare as though she was crazy. Then everything clicked into place and I burst out laughing.

"You think- You think I'm brainwashed?" I was giggling like a mad pony and I didn't care. "Somepony's been reading one too many novels late at night. You going to tell me aliens came from outer space and created a clone of me or something?"

"Wha-"

"Shut up you dumb southern hick." My hooves slammed into the ground as all mirth drained away in an instant. "I knew you were stupid, but this stupid? Seems I overestimated your intelligence. Very well, let me spell it out for you in simple words so you'll be able to comprehend. I am not brainwashed. I am doing this of my own free will. I am doing this because it is the best thing for Equestria."

Though I hated saying it, I had to. I still wore Nightmare Moon's collar which meant she was no doubt listening to every single word I spoke. And then there was Nightwish. Although I couldn't see him, I could feel his gaze boring into my back. Hopefully she could tell I was mostly lying.

Dashing forward, my sword began its downward arc. Applejack scrambled to move back only to slip in the mud. I had her.

Suddenly, I was thrown to the side and slammed into a tree with a sickening crack. Two blows to the stomach doubled me over. The following elbow to the chin snapped my head back and blood filled my mouth. Next thing I knew, I was flying through the air. Slamming into the ground, the wind was knocked out of me. Struggling against the pain, I crawled onto my feet. Through the blood, I could make out the blurry form of a Wonderbolt's uniform.

Nightwish stepped up beside me. "Captain."

"I am not your captain," snarled Spitfire. "You betrayed us and everything the Wonderbolts stand for."

Well that certainly explains a lot.

"Nightwish, you can take care of Spitfire." I wiped the blood from my face and spat to the side. "I haven't finished stomping Applejack into the mud yet."

Ripping the dagger free from the tree it was embedded in, I raised both my weapons. Nightwish blasted past with startling speed and Spitfire moved to intercept. Together the two pegasi fought with hits so fast their limbs were blurs. They transitioned between being on all four and standing on their hind legs easily. All of a sudden the darker pegasus was thrown back. Twisting in mid air, he gave a mighty flap of his wings and rose into the sky. Spitfire took off with enough power to force me to shield my eyes from the dust and leaves she stirred up.

"Now, where were we?" I asked pleasantly.

"Why Twi? Why are ya doin' this?" We circled each other slowly. "Ah'm ya friend!"

"Please." Rolling my eyes, I let the cloak fall from my body revealing the scars. She needed to confrot the truths, no matter how horrible they were. "Tell me, would friends leave each to suffer through torture? Don't I just look absolutely fabulous Applejack darling? The scars really suit my personality if I do say so myself."

"Twi... Ah-" Her eyes trailed along each scar.

"Save the pity."

I lunged.

"You left me to rot."

Two quick slices followed by a buck.

"I waited for you."

Dodging past her swing, I smashed her jaw with the hilt of my blade.

"I waited for my friends to save me."

Charging after her stumbling form, my dagger left a trail of blood along her flank.

"But noooooo, Spitfire was more important."

Sidestepping, I pivoted on one leg while blocking her attacks with my sword before countering with a reckless thrust. The sounds of metal meeting metal echoed through the forest. Off in the distance, the roaring fire drowned out all sounds and lit up the darkened sky.

"Some random bucking Wonderbolt was more important than your friend."

My dagger slashed through flesh and muscle. With a pained cry the earth pony crumpled to the ground.

"More important than the most powerful unicorn in existence."

Off in the distance, I could make out the sounds of fighting.

"More important than the Element of Magic."

Light glinted off the sword as I stood above her, blade raised high. She looked up not with fear in her eyes, but sadness. Face covered in blood, a dozen cuts along her body and a hamstringed leg. Both of us were breathing heavily, lungs burning as I gasped in the air I desperately needed.

"You're pathetic," I spoke slowly, trying to say everything I needed to without alerting Nightmare Moon to my plans. "You're weak. I see now why we failed. I am a single pony, a unicorn with my magic limited whilst you bear the Element of Honesty. Do you know how much power lies around your neck right now Applejack? A single element can match an army and yet you can't take down a single pony. The closer one is to their element to more power they unlock and currently, you don't even deserve to be called honest. You're a fraud and a fake. No wonder we lost."

I took a deep breath and looked directly into her eyes. Slowly I lowered my blade until it bit into her neck, drawing the barest trickle of blood. This was it then. I'm sorry Applejack.

And then I hesitated. I stood there, above her, poised to take her life and I hesitated. She simply stared up at me with those sad, scared green eyes of her and I felt the facade begin to crack. How had it come to this? Her coat soaked in blood, cuts littered over her body and a limp leg. My friend. She was my friend and I had done this to her.

No.

I was too far in. Too deep. I had to see this through or everything I had done so far would have been worthless. Every sacrifice for nothing. Could I take her in alive? Of course not. She was my friend and an Element bearer. To take her in alive was to subject her to Nightmare Moon's sadistic whims and even I would never subject anypony to that. Not even Nightmare Moon herself.

Please, Celestia... Luna... Gaia... anypony, if you're listening, please rescue my friend.

"Goodbye Applejack, may Gaia guide your soul."

A grey and yellow blur slammed into me. Landing in a heap, I threw my dagger at the intruder, but that found empty air. Glancing over at where Applejack was, I swore under my breath, but secretly a smile touched my lips. Whoever that pegasus was, they had saved her. Sounds of a crashing pegasus was all the warning I got before a navy blue pegasus slammed into me.

"Heh... Oops?" I glared at Nightwish, but let him pull me onto my hooves. "Applejack got away too I see."

Another glare, but this time directed at the unconscious pony behind us. So much for our lookout, couldn't even stop a pegasus from sneaking up on him. With the adrenaline gone, pain made itself known to me and I was forced to limp over. A couple of kicks later, the pony looked up at me with bleary eyes. Bucking useless.

"Go find Nightmare Moon. Tell her the Elements are here." He continued to stare at me. "Now!"

The poor stallion scrambled onto his feet and ran off, galloping into the darkness. So very bucking useless. Can't even teleport. With a groan, my legs gave out on me and I collapsed in a heap on the ground. Gritting my teeth, I forced the tears back as I stared at my bloody hooves.

For Celestia...

Tucking her wings, Rainbow Dash dropped like a stone. Hooves outstretched, she pushed the air around her away as the mass of pegasi below swarmed below. Already she could see the cone forming around her, forcing her to ease back on her speed. If she got flung back now it'd spell disaster for the battle. Pursing her lips, she gave a shrill whistle and immediately the Dawn Brigade disengaged.

Slamming into the mass of ponies, Dash flared her wings, sending gale force winds out in all directions. The enemy was thrown about, flapping uselessly in an attempt to regain some semblance of control. But they were never given that chance. The chromatic maned pegasus was already on the move, bucking them straight out of the sky as if they were clouds. Working right alongside her were the Wonderbolt's clad in their distinctive uniform.

A rallying point.

As one, the pegasus division came bursting out with renewed vigor. Darting into and out of the sky, the enemy was slowly pushed back. From the forest below, a roar ran out and a massive dragon leapt into the sky. Even the most loyal and best trained guards scattered at the sight. Even Rainbow Dash flinched back at the surprise. Hopefully it was on their side. Flames erupted, engulfing the pegasi. Their screams pierced the dull roar of the forest fire and the cries of the injured. The remaining ones retreated back above their unicorn regiment where they would be protected.

As the dragon banked around for a second pass, a midnight blue hue enveloped it, stopping it dead in its tracks. Struggling and roaring, it managed to break free for a split second before the magic came back stronger than ever. The flames underneath suddenly surged as Nightmare Moon lost her grip on it, but before it could spread uncontrollably, she managed to rein it in. Glancing up at the alicorn silhouetted against the moon, Dash ground her teeth in frustration. She was right there, but with others nowhere nearby, they couldn't blast her with the elements.

And that's when Dash saw it. Nightmare Moon wasn't holding back the flames at all, she was channeling them. Way off on the left flank, the flames were creeping along at an alarming rate. Within ten minutes and their escape route would be cut off.

"Fleetfoot!" The white mane pegasus was immediately by her side. "Take half the Wonderbolts along with Platoons One to Six down and order an immediate retreat. Cover their rear like we practiced."

"That'll leave your flank open. There is no way you'll be able to hold them off!"

"I'm giving you an order," snapped Dash. "We need to cover their retreat and they need to get out now."

"Yes ma'am." With a salute the blue clad pony gathered up the troops and dropped down into the forest below.

Before the leaves had finished rustling, the enemy was already moving in. Glancing to the side, Dash could see the determination in everypony's eyes, but that wouldn't be enough. They were outmatched, outclassed and outnumbered. Even the Wonderbolts were beating with sluggish wings.

"Soarin, you're in charge. Hold everypony back for as long as possible you hear?" A manic grin found its way onto her face. "Time to show them what Rainbow Dash can do."

With a strong flap of her wings, she shot straight up into the air. Six ponies peeled off from the attacking force on an interception path. Eyes narrowing, she ignored the pain, the soreness and the looming black clouds above me. Speeding up with each flap, she hit the clouds full force.

Pain. Excruciating pain. Being skewered by white hot pokers would feel like this. Dropping into a vat of unrefined liquid rainbow would feel like this. Being burned alive would feel like this. This was her world now.

Then she broke through. Panting and still smoking, she looped around and flopped onto the cloud. Electricity coursed through her body causing Dash to bite down on her bottom lip to prevent the scream of pain from getting through. Standing up on shaking hooves, the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Rising onto her hind hooves, she gathered all the remaining magic she had around her and concentrated it into a single pinpoint. Then slamming both hooves onto the cloud, she forced all of it out into the cloud, supercharging the thunder that came out.

It was only then that she remembered these were feral clouds with over a hundred times more power than the ones produced by Cloudsdale. More than enough to kill a pony ten times over.

The resulting explosion of sound and light left her completely blind to the world. Some part of her was away of being tossed back. Another part was aware of screams – her own screams? The world was blurred together, like that time she flew at sonic rainboom speeds where all the color just merged together into a seamless brown glop.

This... this wasn't how things were meant to be. She wasn't meant to die. She needed to stay loyal. Loyal to her friends. She needed to live. She had to live.

Pain. Focus on the pain. Pain means you're alive no matter how much it hurts.

Her wings ached. Her hooves felt like they had been held in a fire. Breathing... breathing was difficult – painful as though all her ribs had been broken. And her body... her body was... was...

It was so hard to think. All that pain as though she had been bucked by Applejack. And beyond that was numbness. A sort of sweet oblivion that came once in a lifetime. But she didn't want that, she didn't need that, she needed to live – to stay loyal to her friends.

Slowly though, everything came back into focus and soon she could make out the unmistakable form of Soarin above her. Wait, she had said something right? She was positive she had, after all her mouth moved, but why couldn't she hear anything? Looking down at her, Soarin's mouth moved in reply, but all Dash could hear was static.

Everything snapped together. Sound came rushing back. The screams, the whimpers, the roaring flames, the clashing pegasi. It was too loud, far too loud. She wanted to get away, hide, but to do so would be to abandon everypony. She was Rainbow Dash! Most awesome, radical, cool pony ever. Being carried – even if it was a Wonderbolt – was most definitely not cool or radical or awesome. It was downright lame.

Pressing both forehooves against his muscular chest, Dash hissed in pain as she shoved herself out of his arms. Flaring her wings open, they immediately caught the air, but instead of hovering like she expected, she plummeted straight down like a rock. Before she could drop a meter, she was back in the arms of a certain blue pegasus.

"What happened?" said Dash in a hoarse voice.

"You used up all your pegasus magic that's what. Without your magic you can't stay aloft in the air – our wings just aren't large enough to hold us up by itself." Despite speaking at a normal volume, it made the burnt pegasus wince. "But that was totally an awesome way to go out."

"What can I say? Awesomest pony around," she chuckled softly, but that soon turned into a hacking cough.

"And most foolish," added Soarin. "Don't do that again. Spitfire would kill me if you died, though she'd have to race Fluttershy for that honor."

"Yeah, yeah, how's the battle going?" Dash asked in a weak voice.

"We're falling back. The anchor has finally been set up – they ran into trouble getting through to Ghastly Gorge and Silvia is preparing to teleport us through. You're little lightshow has made them hesitant of following for now an-"

"Soarin!" At the familiar voice, both heads snapped to the left and sure enough, there was Spitfire. "I thought I told you to keep Rainbow Dash out of trouble."

"Sorry Captain."

"Geez RD, wha' in tarnation did ya do to yaself?"

Dash eyed the cut on Applejack's cheek and bruised jaw before her gaze trailed down to her blood soaked coat and limp leg. "I could ask the same thing to you."

"Just a flesh wound." The expression on Applejack's face though was a completely different story entirely. Dash had only seen her friend have that expression once and that was the day her parents had died. Whatever it was, it was bad, but the pegasus wasn't going to pry – she hated prying.

"How'd you manage to get through that?" asked Soarin with a jerk of his head to the enemy line.

"That lightshow certainly helped, but the biggest help was Ditzy here." At the mention of her name, the walleyed pegasus flushed. "It's like she knew where they'd be before they were even there."

"Tha-" A green flare shot into the sky. "Okay everypony, that's the signal. Soarin transfer me to Ditzy and make sure every squad knows what to do. Spitfire, take Applejack down so she can be looked at and then help with Soarin if you think you can manage it. Also, I need some pegasus to che-"

"Er... RD, what do ya think ya're doing?" Applejack pushed her stetson up. "The enemy is backing off."

"They're what?"

"I don't blame them," commented Soarin. "After all, every time we've given a signal they've been taken by surprise."

"Fine." Dash's wings drooped as a yawn escaped. "Order full out retreat, but make sure they're covered."

"You know, you remind me a lot of our old captain," mused Soarin as we came down for the landing. "You see it too. Right Spitfire?"

"Now that you mention i-"

"Okay, we're here!" Dash jumped off and pain immediately shot through her body causing her to cry out in pain. A second later she was on Soarin's back as her hooves throbbed.

"Geez, what in the name of Celestia did you do?" Spitfire inspected Dash's hooves. "They've been really badly burnt. The last time I saw injuries this bad was that Manehatten factory fire."

"Everyone here?" Gilda's voice ran out clear over the battle field. "Good. Silvia!"

Even from their position at the edge of the mass of moving ponies they could clearly see the shape of a gryphon rising into the air with her one wing spread. As she rose the tattoos' glow grew in intensity, shedding a deep blue on everything. The air crackled and sparks could be seen flashing through the air. An oppressive hum began, vibrating Dash to her very bones as her hackles rose. Color drained from the world around them leaving behind a dull grey. The light intensified, casting an eerie hue on the group before the world suddenly dropped away. On all sides was darkness, the only source of light lay before us, shining like a star. The hum was just a dull pulse in the background. Then just as all the ponies began whispering, the glow doubled, forcing Dash to cover her eyes. Peaking over her hooves, Dash was greeted with a solid stone wall. A quick look around confirmed that they were indeed at their base in Ghastly Gorge.

"Okay, all life threatening wounds stay put. Broken bones and other severe injuries out the right door. Head trauma's out the left door. Scrapes and bruises out the front door. Come on you dweebs, move it!" At Gilda's roar the entire place erupted into a flurry of activity as ponies rushed about in the cramped space.

Through the rolling mass of bodies, Dash could make out the faint forms of Gilda as she knelt down next to Silvia with a claw on the seer's shoulder. Dash frowned at the sight, but before she could put any more thought into it, a medic had already descended onto her and the next thing she knew she was being bundled in so many layers of fabric it was as though they thought she was some super expensive vase or something. Glancing over at Applejack, a huge grin appeared.

"Don' ya dare say a thing RD."

The grin only got bigger.

"What happened to you anyways?" asked Spitfire. "You look as though you got into a fight with a manticore."

The orange pony couldn't meet any of their eyes. "Ah don' want ta talk about it."

"AJ-"

"Not here RD. Not in public." Green eyes met rose. "It's about..."

Dash nodded. The name need not be said. "We better wait for Fluttershy then." There was a pregnant pause. "Where is she anyways? She should be here already."

"She's probably helping out with the injured." A hiss escaped as antiseptic was applied to her to her cheek wound while another worked on her hamstringed leg.

"Well we'll leave you two alone." Spitfire winced as Dash cursed under her breath when they began bandaging her hooves. "I'll go talk to Gilda and see what needs to be done while you two get fixed up."

"Alright. See if you can find out what happened to Fluttershy will y- Ow! Hey, watch it," yelped Dash.

"Stop bein' such a baby," teased Applejack.

"Baby? You wish, I could take more punishment than you any day of the week."

"Yeah right! Ah got my legs chopped, bucked and cut up. Ya..." She made a vague gesture with her good foreleg. "Ya flew around all purty like with that colorful tail that ya leave behind."

"Hey! I flew through a feral cloud and single hoofedly stopped an attack. I'm lucky to be alive."

"I'll say!" snapped one of the nurses before Applejack could retort. "I've never seen burns this bad in my life. Now both of you will shut up and let us do our jobs. There are other ponies we need to treat. Got that?"

"Yes ma'am," both mumbled under their breath.

She was meant to be at Ghastly Gorge where she'd be safe and sound. Where they could wrap her up like some porcelain doll and be protected from the mean nasty world. Flutter lowered her head and plowed on through the forest, calling out to all her furry animals with her song – warning them of the danger and telling them about the enemy. She refused to be useless, to be safe and sound while all her friends were out there risking their life.

A manticore appeared, asking – no pleading – for the chance to attack all those ponies in his territory. To attack, rend them limb from limb, chase them away from his territory. A territory that took years to carve out. With a smile and nod of her head, Flutter made sure he would attack the ponies working under Nightmare Moon before agreeing. Every tiny bit helps after all.

High in the sky above her, she could see the shadowy forms of pegasi as they fought in the air. Against the crimson sky and oppressive heat, it was how she had always imagined tartarus in her darkest nightmares – flickering shadows, screams of ponies, cries or mercy and pain. But Fluttershy didn't hide behind her mane, nor did she even consider going back the way she came.

Licking her lips, Flutter let out a shrill whistle. From the shadows, timber wolves flowed out to stand beneath the winter moonlight. Looking the alpha dead in the eye, she gave a sharp whistle and almost immediately they melted back into the darkness. Seconds later, new screams filled the air as they found their targets, but Flutter kept on walking as though she was merely strolling through a garden. Considering every creature in the Everfree Forest knew not to mess with Fluttershy, a stroll through a garden was probably accurate.

Stopping in front of a cave, Flutter dropped her disguise before taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. It took every ounce of Shy's willpower to not bolt and even then her wings locked up while her knees shook with fear. Very slowly and very cautiously, she eased her way into the cave. Taking shallow breaths, she tried her best to ignore the stench of blood that permeated the entire room. At the sight of a half eaten carcass in the corner, she nearly gagged and ran for it, but the thought of her friends kept her firmly on track.

A single, brilliant eye opened and gazed at her. They stared at each other for a couple of seconds before the second eye opened. With a snort, ash was blown in Fluttershy's face, but she stood tall and strong.

"It has been a while young Fluttershy," whispered the dragon, which amounted to a low rumble. "Did I ever thank you for finding me this cave? It is very nice and very cozy. Just the right size."

"Um... well... no, but I don't mind, really!" She winced at her shout. "I'm actually here about something else, and well, I was wondering if-"

"Dear Fluttershy, I've told you in the past, there is no need to be so scared of me."

"I know it's just your so... so... huge, gigantic, terrifying, enormous, teeth-gnashing, sharp-scale having, horn-wearing, smoke-snoring, could eat a pony in one bite, totally all grown up dragon!" Eyes widening, a meep escaped. "Not that that's a bad thing! Of course not, I mean you can't help it if you look the way you do- not that there's anything wrong with the way you look. In fact-"

"Fluttershy, please." A smile appeared, but at the sight of all those sharp teeth, Fluttershy visibly shrunk back. "I believe you had something important to tell me?"

"Right!" Straightening up, Fluttershy began speaking, "Nightmare Moon's forces are outside causing trouble for the Dawn Brigade and I was wondering if you could go out and help out? I don't know how much trouble you'll be in though..."

"Nightmare Moon..." Eyes closing, he let out a deep sigh. "She has returned then."

It was like watching a mountain move – each shift in his limbs was slow and subtle. Standing tall and proud, he spread his wings to stretch out his body and for once, the fear was washed out Fluttershy's body as she gazed upon the majestic dragon. Strolling over to his horde, a single blue sapphire floated into the air, pulsing brightly all the while. Then with a thin jet of green fire, the gem was set alight and floated out the cave on a wisp of green smoke.

"I have sent word to my brethren at Serpent's Isle. They shall contact this 'Dawn Brigade' of yours and see if they can help out in some way." Each step he took sent a tremor through the ground. "Wish me luck Fluttershy. May your flame burn bright."

Opening his wings, they blotted out the midday moonlight. With a mighty kick and flap, Fluttershy was flung back and tree limbs snapped as he took to the sky with a roar. Flames spewed forth, fading into the crimson sky as ponies turned to ash only to be scattered in the wind. It almost looked like snow.

Fluttershy could only gaze at the sky in sorrow as the first flakes landed on her cheek. How many ponies will die tonight as a result of her actions? How many of her animals have been injured or killed? Some Element of Compassion she was.

But... better her than someone else right? If more blood was on her hooves though, that meant less on others. Less suffering and self-doubt for her friends to go through. Sending her furry friends in – that was wrong of her. She should have done the fighting herself. That was the compassionate thing to do.

Right?

A loud roar shattered her reverie. High above her, the dragon struggled against the midnight blue aura. Breaking free for just a second, he managed to spread his wings and get some air before the spell came back, stronger than ever. Wings locked to his sides, he plummeted straight down as the yellow pegasus watched in shock. Then her eyes widened even further when she realized she was standing right beneath him. The dragon crashed with an earth shattering thud, cracking the very ground beneath Fluttershy's hooves as she was tossed aside like a rag doll.

Hitting the ground, a jagged rock pierced her side and cracked a rib causing her to gasp in pain. As she lay there stunned and wheezing, a creaking sound could be heard in the background. It took a couple of seconds for that particular sound to make it through all the appropriate channels, but once it did her eyes snapped open and she struggled onto her hooves. But it was already too late. The tree fell over with a crash, pinning her wing to the ground.

Trapped.

With a frightened whimper, Shy gave an experimental tug only to have pain lace through her entire body. Glancing around, she desperately searched for ponies who might be able to help only to find nothing. She opened her mouth to call out, only for the words to die on her lips. If she called out then it was likely the enemy would find her. And then what? But staying here, wasn't a ch-

A brilliant flash of light from above caused the world to fade to white. A dead body slammed into the ground next to her and she could only stare in shock. She could make out every detail, every feather, every cut and bruise on the dead pony's body. He would never speak or talk or smile or laugh or hold some special pony. Fluttershy was no stranger to death, but the death of a pony was something profoundly different.

A single ember drifted by. Then another and another. Looking up, Shy's eyes widened as she felt all coherent thought flee only to be replaced by fear. The tree was on fire. Looking down at her pinned wing, her eyes flashed back up to the flames as fear completely took over. Her wings were locked, limbs were shaking, and a constant stream of whimpers escaped her lips. What was she thinking coming out alone like this? She could die – she was going to die.

The tree fell over, sending embers all over the forest floor. Seconds later, new flames emerged, dancing under the moonlight mere meters from where Fluttershy lay. She shrunk back and whimpers ceased, almost as though by making less noise it wouldn't notice her. Blue magic seized the stray flames, but it was erratic and constantly flickered. After a couple seconds, the aura vanished entirely.

A stone bounced off her head. Looking to the left, her eyes widened at the sight of Angel bunny who was tapping his foot with a disapproving frown.

"Angel! What are you doing here? It's far too dangerous for you to be here," exclaimed Fluttershy in a whisper.

He crossed his arms and cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh no, no, no, just look around. There are flames everywhere. Why, something could fall on you! It's far too dangerous for a bunny like you."

A flat look followed by an eye roll and sad shake of his head. Stepping to the side, a branch fell on where he stood a second earlier.

"See! Just like that! Come on Angel, please listen to me for once."

The little white bunny only facepalmed in reply. Disappearing back into the bush, he reappeared a couple seconds later with a cloaked pony following. No, wait – Shy's eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what was off with the way the pony was walking. With the shifting flames, it was impossible to pick out any details though.

"Oh dear, what have we here?" Shy tensed and backed up at the voice, trying to hide in the shadows even though it was useless. "A pegasus pony trapped under a tree, what a poor sight to see."

"Z- Zecora..." whimpered Shy as she looked up at the hooded zebra.

"Ah, so you know my name, the fact that didn't meet under better circumstances is quite a shame." Pressing her shoulder against the tree, she pushed with all her might, but it didn't even twitch. After a couple seconds she stepped back. "Perhaps a lever will help with this endeavour."

Gazing at the fallen tree thoughtfully, she walked up to the particular stout branch and gave it a hard buck. Picking up the splintered piece of wood, she nudged a stone into position before wedging the branch into position. Muscles bulging, she forced all her weight and power onto it. To both their delight, the tree began shifting slightly.

Crack! The branch snapped in half sending Zecora to the damp floor and the tree rolling back onto Shy's wing. Crying out in pain, Shy was forced to bite on her own leg to muffle her screams of pain.

"I am sorry, but the tree is simply too heavy." Pulling back her hood, she stood up shakily.

"No!" The pegasus glanced nervously to the sky.

"There may be another way, but it is a steep price to pay."

"What is it?"

"Your wing."

There was no rhyme, no extra comment, no explanation. Nothing. But Fluttershy understood. Remove the wing that was trapped. A simple solution to a simple problem. But... The yellow pegasus looked at her wing even as tears leaked down her cheek.

No. There was no 'but'. She was an Element of Harmony – she was the Element of Kindness. Equestia needed her. What Dash had said that first night six impossibly long months ago, "This was bigger than Equestria." The world was at stake here. She needed to live so she could help bring down Nightmare Moon. What was one pony – no, what was one wing compared to the fate of the world? Sure, she'd miss flying with her cute little birdies and she'd miss flittering around her home while cleaning, but that was inconsequential compared to the world.

It was only when Angel rubbed his cheek against her damp one, that she realized she had been sobbing. Smiling down at her baby, Fluttershy kissed him gently on the forehead before nudging him away. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Zecora with eyes as hard as steel.

"Do it." The zebra opened her mouth, but Fluttershy shook her head. "I am thinking straight, I am not in shock, I comprehend and I am giving you my informed consent in removing my trapped wing."

Still the zebra hesitated, but under Fluttershy's unyielding stare she relented. Reaching into the saddlepack under her cloak, she drew out a vial of purple liquid. Putting it down in front of Fluttershy, she uncorked it. Though it was not intentional, Fluttershy visibly relaxed at the aroma of the fluid and took a deep sip without a second thought to Zecora's shock.

"I use the same thing when taking care of my animals," explained Fluttershy. "Though I tend to add some cinnamon to mask the taste." Taking a second sip, she felt her eyes begin to droop as numbness spread through her limbs. "And it's usually less potent." A third sip later she was barely conscious and wouldn't have been able to move even if a dragon snuck up on her.

The last thing she saw before falling completely unconscious was the flames glinting off the knife blade.