“Please Dashie, please eat something!” Pinkie pleaded desperately to the bedridden pegasus.

Snorting in defiance, Dash huddled farther under the blankets; completely ignoring the panicked pink earth pony. She refused to give into her hunger and eat, no matter how many times Pinkie pleaded with her and Applejack threatened her. She hadn’t eaten for a week and a half.

The scent of the recently made soup caused her stomach to growl audibly. Traitor, she thought in irritation.

“See! Even your tummy agrees! Now eat some soup... pleeease?” Pinkie batted her eyes and clasped her front hooves together in an adorable display.

Gritting her teeth, Dash stared blankly at the earth pony. She knew she was only getting weaker and sicker by refusing medicine and food. If she continued this way..... she most likely would die. With a sigh, she knew she couldn’t allow herself to die in such a lame way. Not after all that hard work she put into becoming the greatest, and youngest, lieutenant general in history.

"Okay fine! But I'm not eating this!" Dash growled, struggling to get up. "I want to watch you cook it."

Smiling so wide it threatened to split her face in half, Pinkie began bouncing in place excitedly. “Okie dokie lokie Dashie! Whatever you want! As long as you finally eat something I don’t mind!”

Watching the pink pony, Dash frowned. "I.... want chili." She finally stated, stumbling forward. "Oof!"

Pinkie caught the weak pegasus in mid-fall, “Do you need help walking Dashie?” Concern was etched into her face as she observed the shaking, armor clad pony.

“NO! Especially not from you!” Dash jumped away from Pinkie as if she got burned. She growled, and stumbled forward, using her wings to balance herself.

"Oh....... Okay..... Follow me!" Pinkie sighed, walking ahead of the cyan pony. She kept a close eye on her, in case she needed her help again.

Pinkie slowly led Dash out to the kitchen and began pulling out ingredients for the vegetarian chili. Dash leaned heavily against the counter and eyed the ingredients being laid out before her.

"This is all fresh? It has to be fresh, otherwise you could have poisoned it."

"Yup! Aj brought them last time she was here, silly!" The pink earth pony replied, carefully grabbing a knife to chop the vegetables up.

"That doesn't make me feel better. You two probably ganged up to poison it." Dash moved close to the food and sniffed it, checking to see if she could smell any poisonous substances on it.

“Would it make you feel better if I ate some first before I give it to you?” Pinkie tilted her head curiously at Dash while preparing the food.

Grumbling, Dash nodded, “I suppose so...”

Pinkie picked up a slice of each vegetable. "See? I'll eat it raw, then I'll eat it once it's all cooked!" She began, popping a mushroom in her mouth and chewing slowly, her face scrunched up. "Hmm... Nope! Mushrooms are good!"

She repeated the process of eating the vegetables, smiling at her unwilling companion. During the whole process she made silly comments and jokes, adding whichever vegetable she just finished into the pot she brought out.

Dash slowly allowed herself to relax in the pink ponies presence. Even smiling at a few of the jokes no matter how corny they could be. The aroma of the chili filled the room and she found herself salivating. Her tummy grumbled loudly at the smell, signaling it’s eagerness to be filled.

“Oooh, somepony’s hungry!” Pinkie teased. Giggling sweetly, she filled two bowls of chili and placed them carefully onto her dining table.

"Shut up." Dash glared at Pinkie, cursing at how loud her stomach was.

Giggling, Pinkie pulled her spoon towards her, "And now!" She began, giving Rainbow Dash a huge grin. "I shall sample!"

She dug a spoon into the chili, scooping as much as she could onto the spoon. She carefully put it in her mouth, chewing slowly. "Hmmm..."

Rainbow Dash felt her eye twitch. She swallowed, staring at the spoon. "Okay. Fine. You aren't dead. It isn't poisoned."

Shoving the spoon aside she shoved her face into the bowl and devoured the chili. She had never tasted something so delicious in her entire life. The spices added a special zing to the chili that she couldn’t place but really enjoyed.

Pinkie smiled happily at the sight. She was never happier than she was now at seeing another pony eat food, especially at the pace that Rainbow Dash was eating it. Eating more of her chili slowly, she inwardly grinned. She added medicine to Dash’s bowl without her knowledge.

"This...." Rainbow Dash started to say, licking her lips as she rubbed the chili off her helmet. She paused, grimacing slightly.

I can't admit it was good, She thought, glancing sideways at the earth pony. She frowned.

"I've had better. Yet... It was better then what I thought a pathetic dirt pony could possibly make." Giving Pinkie a dismissive glance, she pushed the bowl away from her and slowly walked over to the fire place and laid in front of it.

Pinkie felt a minor pang of hurt at Dash’s comment but shook it off. If she really hated it so much, she wouldn’t have devoured it in such a ravenous way. Sighing, Pinkie finished up her chili and began cleaning up.

“I’m super glad you finally ate something Dashie.” Pinkie looked over at the pegasus with a grin.

The cyan make gave a grunt in response. Staring intently at the fire, she slowly closed her eyes. In her mind, she knew she had to get back to her commander. Her actions wouldn't go unnoticed, and as much of a "favourite" she was in Hurricane's eyes, there still would be consequences. Just.... Less severe then any of the others.

Finishing her cleaning, Pinkie trotted over to behind the counter, watching Dash. She felt her ears droop, a pang of sadness eating away at her. She just wanted Dash to relax and stop being so hostile...

Sensing a pair of eyes on her, Dash spun her head around to glare intently at the pink mare. "What the buck do you want?!"

Cringing at the violent outburst, Pinkie softly replied, “Nothing Dashie, nothing at all.”

Giving the suddenly docile pony an odd look, she shrugged off the strange response and turned back to the fire. Suddenly, loud rapping noises came from the door.

“OPEN UP!” A loud and very familiar voice shouted.

Jumping up in a panic, Dash raced into the room she had been holed up in and hid. If anypony from the pegasi military saw her in such a condition, with the enemy no less, she would never live it down.

Pinkie trotted over to the door and opened it with a bright smile. “Hi!”

A dark grey pegasus in dark grey armor stood on the other side of the door, her icy blue eyes narrowed in frustration. "Dirt pony! Have you seen a cyan mare anywhere around these vicinities!"

Pinkie blinked, suddenly recalling that this was the leader from that time when the tribes exchanged food. She smiled brightly, shaking her head. "Nopey dopey! The only pony I've seen around here is my friend Applejack!"

Hurricane snarled, spinning around furiously she glared at the timid yellow pegasus. "Fluttershy! Search her house! Meet me in the village in thirty minutes flat."

Shrinking back in fear, Fluttershy saluted Hurricane with a trembling hoof. “Y-yes commander.”
Hurricane narrowed her eyes at Fluttershy before taking off with a powerful burst of strength. The aftershock of her takeoff caused snow to spray onto the two ponies.

“Are all you pegasi grumpy meanie heads?” Pinkie blinked curiously at Fluttershy.

"O-Oh no...... S-she just...... R-Rainbow Dash is her f-favourite, and she's b-been searching everywhere for her...." Fluttershy quietly stuttered, appearing to withdraw into her mane.

"Oooooh, okie dokie lokie! Your name's Fluttershy, right? It's such a pretty name!!" Pinkie beamed brightly at Fluttershy.

Before Fluttershy could respond to the unexpected compliment a loud and brash voice reached her ears.

"Fluttershy!?"

A sudden whirlwind quickly pushed Pinkie out of the door as Rainbow Dash stood in front of her friend, her eyes wide. "Fluttershy!" She exclaimed, throwing her forelegs around her shy friend in excitement.

"R-Rainbow Dash...?!" Fluttershy stumbled backward in shock from Rainbow’s sudden hug.

“You have no idea what it’s like being stuck with that dirt pony for as long as I have!” Dash tightened her grip around Fluttershy; burying her muzzle into her long, pink mane.

“What happened to you Rainbow? Commander Hurricane has been going crazy since you left! She blamed the entire military for not stopping you from leaving!” Fluttershy returned the embrace, happy to find her best friend is still alive and well.

Dash suddenly collapsed in front of her.
Maybe...not so well...

“Rainbow!? What happened to you? What’s wrong?” Fluttershy frantically asked Dash while helping her back into the warm home.

"N-........ Nothing 'shy......" Dash looked away from Fluttershy guiltily.

"She landed outside my house a week ago.... She was really cold...." Pinkie quietly said, looking down at the wooden floor. She felt a pang at her heart at the open friendliness Rainbow Dash was showing to the Pegasus. What am I doing wrong....?

"Oh..... Oh my......" Fluttershy looked at Dash with concern as she carefully helped her onto the couch.

"I've been trying to help her get better.... She just ate finally earlier today...." Pinkie solemnly informed the yellow mare.

Rainbow Dash kept her face hidden from the other two. Her ear twitched at the obvious hurt in Pinkie Pie's voice. She felt herself sigh, and look up at Fluttershy.

Why am I doing this....? "Flutter....? I..... Don't want to go back to base yet..... I..... Want to stay here and...... And get better....." Rainbow quickly looked away, unwilling to see their reactions.

Pinkie felt warmth grow within her heart at Dash’s words. Maybe she does care...

“A-are you sure Rainbow? You would have better access to medicine to help you get better if you return.” Fluttershy gave Dash a surprised and worried look. “W-what if Hurricane finds you here?!” An involuntary shiver raced down Fluttershy’s spine at the thought.

Dash turned to Fluttershy and looked deep into her eyes, “Promise me you will keep this a secret. I will take care of the rest. She will never know, I promise.”

Dash’s firm statement caused relief to flow through Fluttershy. “A-alright, I trust you Rainbow Dash.” She smiled timidly at her childhood friend.

Dash smiled kindly back, “Thanks ‘Shy.”

“N-No problem Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy turned to the now grinning pink pony slowly, “A-Are you sure you’re alright with her staying with you?”

Pinkie’s ear perked at hearing this and nodded quickly, “Of course! By the time Dashie leaves she’ll be a hundred and ten percent better. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” As she spoke her Pinkie swear she did the proper hoof movements and ended it with a swift hoof to her eye.

Seeing the pink pony jam a hoof into her eye with no visible injury from it, Dash couldn't help but chuckle a little. She regretted it after and looked away from the two ponies nervously.

"Flutter....?" Rainbow asked, keeping herself hidden. "Do me a favour....?"

"Of course Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy smiled kindly at Rainbow.

"......... Can you come back again, and bring some real food?" Dash smiled back, if Fluttershy brings her food, then she will know it’s safe.

Pinkie blinked, her face a bit blank. Real food....? She thought, her ears drooping slightly.

"Of course I will, Rainbow Dash." A soft expression crossed Fluttershy’s face. Happy that she is finally able to help Rainbow Dash out after all the kindness she had shone her.

“Thanks Fluttershy! You’re the best!” Dash hugged Fluttershy once more.

“I will visit as soon as I can Rainbow.” Smiling, Fluttershy turned to Pinkie, “Thank you for helping my friend, I really appreciate it. I don’t know what I would have done if I had found her dead...” A sad expression crossed Fluttershy’s face for a brief moment before returning to her timid happy smile.

Pinkie looked blankly at the yellow mare, feeling yet another pang at her heart. "O-..... Oh, no problem..... It was my.... Pleasure......" she muttered, casting her eyes downwards. "I'll.... Keep her safe for you....."

Rainbow Dash frowned. "'Shy, you KNOW you would've never found me taken out by a stupid blizzard! I mean..... C'mon! It's a BLIZZARD." She grinned, flicking her tail.

She's never this happy around me....Pinkie thought sadly to herself.

Giggling quietly Fluttershy turned to Dash, “Of course Dash, whatever you say. I have to go now, Hurricane is expecting me.” Waving goodbye, Fluttershy left quickly, hoping that she wouldn’t arrive too late.

Dash sighed happily; she didn’t realise how much she missed her friend. It felt good to see her again. She will have to hang out with Fluttershy more once she got better. Gotta see how she is doing with that little bunny she saved.

Pinkie gave Dash a strained smile, “I-Is there anything I can do to help you feel better Dashie?”

Rainbow Dash jumped, looking at Pinkie Pie startled. "Uh, no not.... Really."

"......... Oh, okay....." Pinkie looked away from Dash, a pained expression crossing her face.

"You okay, Pinks....?" Rainbow asked, with concern.

Pinkie looked back to Dash with a surprised expression covering her face, “Did you just give me a nickname?”

Realising what she had just done, Dash immediately attempted to cover her tracks, “N-no! I just didn’t want to say your whole dirt pony name! Besides I can’t have the pony that is supposed to make me better all upset. More mistakes would be made and you might try harder to poison me or something...”

Pinkie looked at her, a smile slowly tip hoofed onto her face. "......... yeah........" She turned away, trying to hide her forming smile. "Yeah okay. I guess you don't want to say a dirt ponies full name...... Yet...!"

Rainbow Dash gulped. "Y-yet....?"

"Yet you ALSO called your fillyfriend by a shortened name! So you don't want to say your own fillyfriends name either?!" Pinkie pointed an accusing hoof at Dash with a huge smile on her face.

“H-hey! 'Shy is NOT my fillyfriend! I’m way too busy to even have a relationship with anypony. Besides ‘Shy is like my sister.” Dash defended with a light blush crossing her face.

A light feeling filled Pinkie at Dash’s words. She felt ...relieved... that Dash didn’t see Fluttershy in such a way. A soft smile settled onto Pinkie’s face.

“I like the nickname you gave me Dashie.” Pinkie fluttered her eyelashes at Dash, her smile growing again.

“S-shut up Pinkie Pie...” Dash turned away from the earth pony with an uneasy feeling shooting through her.

This wasn't... A familiar feeling, Rainbow Dash thought, curling up on the couch. She took a deep breath, attempting to settle the feeling. Snap out of it, she thought.

A smile graced her lips. She thought Flutter and I...? She chuckled quietly to herself, stopping the thought in it's tracks. Silly earth pony...

Pinkie watched her guest curl up, a smile dancing across her face. "If you need anything, just let me know, okay Dashie...? I'll whip up anything you want to eat, I swear!"

Dash grunted in response. She did not want anymore strange feelings today. It’s bad enough that she is now willingly staying here with this earth pony.

“Dashie... Why don’t you take your armor off? It looks really uncomfortable. It can’t be very warm either!” Pinkie curiously examined the hard steel in front of her.

Dash’s ears laid back, as her defenses began to rise again. “My armor is staying on, got it? You don’t need to know anything else besides that.”

In that instant, the warm friendly atmosphere that had developed between them quickly dissolved into a cold haze. The air became thick with tension; it’s main source radiating off of the sick pegasus.

Pinkie shrank back, eyes wide in confusion. "But.... O-Okay......"

Rainbow Dash snorted, glaring at the pink pony. It was bad enough she saw her once without her armor, but a second time? She wouldn't allow it.

"Wait," she decided, glaring at the earth pony. "You can do something for me."

"Really!?" Pinkie’s face brightened, happy that she could finally do something that would help the pegasus.

Rainbow felt her wings twitch at seeing how happy the pony looked. She shook the feeling off, letting off a low growl. "Yeah. You can bucking leave me alone."

Her ears drooping, Pinkie slowly nodded her head before turning and walking to a different room of her home. She felt tears well up in her eyes as she took each step, fighting to keep them from falling. Or.... Maybe she doesn't care....

Dash felt guilt creep up inside her as she watched the pink mare walk away, her shoulders shaking slightly. Clenching her teeth, she turned toward the slowly dying fire. It shouldn’t matter that she hurt Pinkie... She shouldn’t feel guilty about anything at all.

Dash found herself shuffling around uneasily on the couch, attempting to fight off this feeling of guilt that lingered within her. A few hours passed by before she could successfully push the feeling out.

A shuffling sound caught her attention. Turning toward the noise she spotted the pink mare working in the kitchen. She was working diligently on something that Dash couldn’t see. Curiosity roared within her. She really wanted to know what Pinkie was doing, but she didn’t want her to know that she cared. Dash attempted to distract herself but to no avail.

She groaned quietly, burying her face in her hooves. Curiosity was winning this battle, a fact Dash didn't like.

I will NOT go see what she is doing, I will NOT go see what she is doing..... Rainbow grumbled to herself.

Only to find her hooves pick her up and transport her into the kitchen.

"Traitors...!" Dash quietly hissed.

She walked quietly up behind Pinkie, glancing over her shoulders.

Pinkie was in the middle of mixing some sweet smelling substance in a bowl. It was a strangely thick and off-white in color. It also seemed to be really gooey and gloppy. Now Dash was even more curious on whatever that substance was. Was it meant for eating? If it was it didn’t look too good...

She stayed silent, watching as the earth pony continued her work.

Pinkie poured the contents into a pan, humming quietly to herself. She then carefully brought the pan over to the oven, pushing it in. She spun the dials, then turned to look at a startled Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie jumped at seeing her so close, but shook the feeling off with a smile, “Dashie, w-what are you doing here?”

Realising she had been spotted, the pegasus turned away. “No reason... I was just making sure you weren’t poisoning anything this time.” She tried to leave, but curiosity had gotten the better of her and she turned back grudgingly. “A-Actually... I was just wondering what... what you were doing.”

Pinkie’s eyes lit up at hearing this. Did Dashie just...? “Really?”

Rainbow shuffled her hooves and nodded slightly. “.... Yeah.”

The pink pony’s mane poofed back up and she smiled a little bit, relieved that Dash was talking to her again, “Well, okay... I was gonna keep it a surprise for you... for later, but I guess I can show you now.”

Rainbow watched as Pinkie bounced lightly over to the oven and couldn’t help but smile at her. She watched her tail bounce up and down for a moment until she realised that the pink mare was staring confusedly at her.

Shaking the warm feeling off her mind she drew on a grumpy posture to hide what she had felt with a boring expression, “O-Okay, so what is it?”

Pinkie nodded and raised a hoof up to the oven window so Dash could look inside. Hesitantly, the cyan-colored pegasus sauntered up, eying the pink pony until she glanced into the window. Within the oven, Dash could see the baked goods rising up from the pan and turning a light shade of brown.

Rainbow stared mesmerized at the fluffy spheres within the small space, but remembering where she was and who she was with, she stepped back away from the oven and huffed. “Doesn’t... look so impressive to me. They seem kinda lame.”

Pinkie’s ears drooped noticeably and she smiled weakly at the pegasus, “I-It’s okay Dashie.... you don’t have to like them or anything, I was just....” She trailed off and turned her head away from Dash. She walked over to a plate of those brown things and became quiet.

Seeing the pink mare so hurt Rainbow felt another unwelcome pang in her heart. She didn’t know what was happening to her, why she felt this way and she wanted no part of it.

Dash wanted to leave... leave and crawl back into the blankets to sleep... but something held her back; she couldn't bring herself to move away. She looked back at Pinkie and could hear small sniffles coming from her direction. A concerned look flew onto her cyan face and she tried to shake it off immediately; why did she care if she was crying? She was Dash, next in command of the entire pegasi tribe; she couldn’t let a few lame emotions get in the way of being the next leader... even if she was kinda cute- No! She thought quickly. What am I talking about?! She’s not cute... she’s a dirt pony. A good for nothing dirt pony that doesn’t need my sympathy.

She began to walk away, freed from the forces that withheld her before. She reached the other room and was consumed with a new feeling. Sadness. Pinkie was singing, softly and solemnly.

“All you... have to do is take a cup of floor, add it to the mix...”

Rainbow walked back in quietly and saw Pinkie sitting on her haunches. She watched her in silence by the entrance for a while, taking in the hurt the pink pony was pouring out to no-pony-in-particular.

“... baking these treats is such a cinch, add a teaspoon of vanilla.... add a little more and you count to four and you never get you filla...”

As she listened to the pink pony’s unusually sad song she couldn’t help but feel responsible. She had been so mean to her and Pinkie did nothing but try to cheer her up and make her better. She walked up behind her and tried to say something... she wanted to say something... apologize, but her pride kept her back. Rainbow stared down sadly at the earth pony and sat on her haunches.

“.... cupcakes, so sweet and tasty... cupcakes, don’t be too hasty... cupcakes. Cupcakes, cupcakes.... cupcakes!”

“.... P-Pinkie?” Dash stuttered out softly.

Sniffing loudly, the pink pony turned her head to look at Dash, “W-What... do you w-want?” Pinkie scrubbed her fore-hoof over her water-logged eyes so she could see the pegasus’ reaction.

The pink pony’s response caught Dash off guard; she could tell Pinkie was trying to sound angry, but her troubling tears and sobs held only hurt. She bit her lip, guilt gnawing at her stomach.

"I..... Um.... I'm...... S-sorry...." Dash meekly apologised, turning away from the pink pony.

Pinkie stared wide eyed at Dash, shocked that she even apologised to her at all. Her shock quickly dissolved into confusion and excitement.

“Do you mean it Dashie?” Pinkie softly inquired, a hopeful look shining in her eyes.

Staring at the floor intently, all Dash was able to do was nod slightly in response. A strong feeling bubbling up within her, making her feel all queasy in an equally good and bad way.

No no no, she thought, stumbling backwards. It became an internal argument to get rid of the feelings, panic settling in her mind. This... Isn't good!

"Th.... Thank you Dashie!" Pinkie cheered, hug tackling the unsuspecting mare.

Rainbow Dash let out a startled yelp, stumbling backwards. She growled half heartedly at the pink pony, shrugging her off. "Get.... Off me."

A blush stained Dash’s face. The intimate contact made her heart race and her temperature rise suddenly as well as fill her with a multitude of emotions she couldn’t clearly identify. Moving away from Pinkie, Dash strained to maintain an annoyed sound in her voice. “I’ll try your cupcakes... ONLY if you taste them first so I know they aren’t poisoned.”

Smiling softly, Pinkie trotted up to Dash and nuzzled her cheek, “Alright Dashie.” She quickly moved away before Dash could retaliate.

Rainbow’s blush intensified greatly causing her to stumble backwards. She glared at the pink mare, feeling her heart pound. What... Is this pony doing to me....?! She thought, looking away.

Pinkie picked up a cupcake, balancing it carefully on her nose. She tossed it up in the air. Dash watched as it spun around a few seconds, before landing perfectly on Pinkie's tongue.

Retracting her tongue, Pinkie began munching noisily on her baked treat. The explosion of sweetness causing her to hum happily. Swallowing, she pushed a cupcake towards Dash and smiled brightly.

Weirded out by what she had just seen, Dash mutely picked up the cupcake and inspected it carefully. Nothing seemed wrong with it...it smelled alright...it didn’t look horrible. Slowly bringing the treat to her mouth, she tore a small chunk out of the cupcake and chewed slowly.

An explosion of sugar coming from the cupcake made Dash blink in shock. She looked at the pink mare, confusion etched across her face.

"It.... It's good....." she quietly stated, frowning. "Really sweet."

Pinkie’s smile was so bright it rivaled the sun’s rays. “Oh Dashie, I’m so so happy you like it!” She felt lighter than air and a searing heat wash through her at Dash’s words. “Would you like to have some more?”

"I..... Think I would. Yeah....." Dash quietly rambled, looking around. She watched closely as the earth pony hoofed over another cupcake, giving her a bright and cheerful smile.

"Here you go!" Pinkie grabbed another cupcake for herself and gobbled it down quickly.

Chuckling at the pink pony’s strange antics, Dash ate her cupcake carefully. She savored each bite. She never had sweets before; this was a whole new experience for her. One that she found herself enjoying more than she cared to admit.

A serious expression suddenly formed on Pinkie’s face, making the cyan mare halt in the middle of chewing. “Rainbow Dash, will you please tell me why you are so against removing your armor?”

"It..... It's considered dishonourable for a higher ranked Pegasus to be seen without armor by anypony that isn't family.... O-or lovers..." Dash looked away from the energetic pony, her eyes wandering around the room.

"Ohhhhhhhhh.....!" Pinkie nodded her head. "So that's why you quickly put your armor back on....".

"I was, and still am, bucking furious at you for that." Dash gave Pinkie a sharp look before relaxing again. “I suppose it isn’t all your fault...You didn’t know. Now you do though... so no more questions about my armor alright?”

Pinkie nodded quickly, her curly pink mane bobbing furiously. “Okie dokie lokie, Dashie!” She felt the warmth that had started within her grow hotter. Having Dash trust her, even just a little bit, made her feel giddy.

“Okay then, since I told you about my armor... I want to know why you aren’t with the rest of the dirt ponies.” The thought had been eating away at Dash for a long time now. This was the perfect opportunity to find out.

Pinkie went quiet. She looked at the plate of cupcakes, her ears drooping slightly. "I.... Got banished.... From each town. From my own home......."

Dash blinked, taken aback. Banished?

"All I wanted was for everypony to have fun and not worry so much about having to make all the food...." Pinkie sighed, looking down.

“.... Even your own family banished you?” Dash was shocked and slightly angry. Didn’t these earth ponies know anything about taking care of their own?

Dash’s eyes widened suddenly, realization washing over her, “W-were you that pink pony that got chased out of the village during the annual food gathering?”

Pinkie nodded slowly.

“Th-The one that crashed into me?” She asked instantly, the memories of that day returning to her.... The feelings.

Pinkie quietly nodded her head again. "Yeah..... That was your Auntie Pinkie....." She replied, attempting to give Rainbow Dash a weak smile.

"You aren't my aunt....." Dash stated flatly.

Pinkie giggled half-heartedly and glanced up to Rainbow again, “Oh.... yeah...”

“But... But how? You... You’re an earth pony... you should be with your kind, right?” Dash smiled hopefully at the pink pony trying to make her feel better. A fiery rage spread through her at the thought of her parents not loving her... banishing her. How... could her parents...?

The earth pony’s eyes began to water, but she held the tears back and kept eye contact with the armored pony, “M... My kind? I... I don’t... belong anywhere..... the only earth pony friend I have is Applejack.... I- I don’t see her much, she... She only comes to drop off food and water every so often, so...” Pinkie looked down and started to shake visibly.

She... only has one friend? Nopony likes her?! The rage built up dangerously inside her and was about to yell out about those horrible dirt ponies for treating their own kind like this, but Dash noticed how Pinkie shook and gulped at what she could be thinking.

Her fury for those ponies rapidly faded into a genuine concern for Pinkie. Something she would never admit aloud, and she stammered out, “.... So?” She crept closer.... Her desire to forget such a question was outweighed only by her need to know what the pink pony was holding deep within her heart.

Pinkie looked up calmly, as if hoping that the pegasus would ask her to continue and at the same time wishing she wouldn’t, “... So you’re the only other friend I have.” Tears flowed down from her eyes and onto her cheeks freely now, “My only real friend ever....”

Rainbow looked shocked. Pinkie thought of her as a friend? She felt a warmth coming over her at hearing such a thing from the pink pony. She hated it.... She hated how she couldn’t say anything in return. She just stood there, hoping the pony before her would keep talking.

“.... I don’t.... want you to go Dashie... Please...? When you’re all better.... Please don’t leave...” Being overwhelmed with her bottled up emotions bursting out in one go, Pinkie quickly leaned forward to nuzzle the pegasus. “Please... I’ll miss you...”

Recoiling a little at the pink pony’s closeness, Dash felt uneasy. Another feeling washed over her, she hated that too. Hated how she couldn’t bring herself to return it somehow. All she could do was stare down at the earth pony, not caring about hiding the blush on her face. She was too stunned to notice anything but the tears dripping onto her armor and the very familiar fluffy magenta-colored mane in her face.

She pulled away, suddenly afraid of what she was allowing... She didn’t need these feelings... she hated them... Hated how she couldn’t react to them.

She turned her head away from the crying pony and tried to settle her heart, “I... have to Pinkie... I- I’m not banished... like you are... My job isn’t being here... with you....” She looked back to see the pink pony sitting on her haunches and her head tilted down at the kitchen floor. … I’m sorry... Pinkie...

She tore her eyes away from the pony and wandered back into the bedroom, wrapping herself entirely in blanket. Tossing and turning in the normally fluffy bed, she drifted into a deep sleep....

She hated it.

Dash sat up, suddenly wide awake and scared. She hated this fear flickering in her heart, to not have control over her emotions.

She looked around at the room to see if anything had changed since she was awake. Nothing had.

Nothing had.

Where’s Pinkie? She thought to herself. Clamoring out of bed in a hurry she looked into the kitchen and saw that everything was put away... The cupcakes were gone and the oven was shut off... Pinkie wasn’t anywhere.

“Pinkie?” Dash called through the hallways of the pink ponies home and frowned at the hollow echo she received as an answer, “Where is she?” She was just about to re-check the bedroom to see if she had snuck in as a prank on her or something when she heard a voice from outside.

Dash’s ears perked and she walked over and opened the front door. Stepping out, she could hear Pinkie’s voice from in front of her. It was just barely enough to be heard, so she quietly flew over and landed behind a tree just a few hooves away from the cliff front.

“.... and mom, I... know you can’t hear me... but... I still love you... and I miss you...... a-and I hope you’re all alright without me....” She struggled to get the last part out and it just came too quickly for her to manage. She collapsed into tears and sobs, looking down and away from the village below, unable to stare at it any longer.

Dash stared at the scene with a mixture of shock and pity. How in the hay could her family just abandon her like that? Yeah...she may not know what it’s like to have a family, but she knew enough about them to know that they weren’t supposed to abandon their foals!

Dash felt a sudden weakness wash over her. Oh...right...she had hypothermia. As fast as she could, she stumbled into the house and collapsed by the dying embers within the fireplace. She pulled a blanket over herself and fought off the sudden darkening of her vision.

Rainbow heard several large logs being thrown into the fireplace, forcing the dying embers to return to their original roaring glory. Turning her head just enough, she locked eyes with Pinkie. The moment seemed to last forever, yet it was only a few seconds.

Pinkie disappeared for a moment and returned with several blankets. Carefully, Pinkie laid the blankets over Dash. Her body temperature began slowly rising to normal levels. The strain that was placed on Dash’s body made her weary, and she began drifting off to sleep. Before succumbing to her dreams, Dash muttered out these few words...

“Thank You, Pinkie.” Her last ounce of strength wained and her eyes drifted shut.