Pinkie sighed softly as she walked into the hospital room. Dash still lay in the bed, her condition unchanged. It had been eight long months since the accident. Everypony else had just about given up hope. She had even overheard Twilight once dictating a letter to the Princess about finding a new bearer for the Element of Loyalty, just in case a crisis should come while Dash was still comatose. Through it all, though, Pinkie never gave up hope, though it was getting harder. Every day she would come, desperately wishing to find her Dashie awake. Every day she would be disappointed. It was odd. For some reason she had really thought today would be different. Ever since she had gotten up this morning, there had been the strongest feeling that today would be the day. She sighed again, then went over to the chair next to the bed. She picked up the copy of "Daring Do and the Legend of the Ruby Knight" that was sitting on the nightstand, opened it to the spot where she had left the bookmarker last night, and began to read aloud. She had done this for months now, advancing through almost the whole series. She had no idea what she would read to Dashie when all the Daring Do books were finished.
"The dark tunnel that Daring was crawling through opened to a massive antechamber, with the ceiling being at least four ponies high; giving Daring Do more than enough room to spread her wings. Light pooled in gently from a hole in the upper right side of the makeshift room, the cool moonlight cast the jagged edges of the wall in nightmarish shadows. Nothing stirred at Daring's entrance..." Pinkie paused in her reading, as a noise that was not her voice, nor the beeping and humming of hospital equipment, came from her right. She held her breath, then slowly lowered the book and turned her gaze to the bed.
Dash groaned as she came to her senses. She opened her eyes - and quickly shut them again, struggling to adjust to the sudden light. She tried to remember where she was. The last thing she could remember was the ground approaching at incredible speed. Then pain. Blinding, agonizing pain.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a high-pitched voice as a pink blur invaded her vision and she felt herself gripped in a powerful hug. "Dashie! You're awake!"
Dash blinked, attempted to gain her bearings and figure out what was going on. "Mmmph... Wah? Pinks? Where am I?"
"In the hospital. Oh, Dashie, I've been so worried. We were all worried and everypony was here to visit you almost everyday for a while but then they all had things to do so they couldn't come as much but I kept coming all these eight months, just like I promised I would. Twilight and all the others kept saying you might not wake up, but I just knew you would. Oh, that reminds me, I need to call them and let them know you're awake. Be right back." Pinkie gave Dash a quick peck on the lips before racing off.
Dash lay there for a moment, trying to absorb all that Pinkie had said. Eight months? Geez, I knew it was bad, but not that bad. Another thought occurred to her. Aw horsefeathers, eight months of laying here? It's gonna take me forever to get back into top flying condition. She sighed and looked around. The cover of the book lying on the nightstand caught her eye, and she read the title. Huh. Don't remember that one. Has Pinks been reading to me all this time, too?
Her musings were interrupted as Pinkie bounded back into the room, followed by a doctor.
"Ah, Ms. Dash. How good to see you awake. I'm Dr. Wellhooves."
"Great. Pleased to meet you, Doc. So, now that I'm up, when can I leave?"
The doctor chuckled politely. "Straight to business, I see. Well, we need to run some tests to assess your recovery. Depending on the results, you may be here another one to two weeks. Then you'll need to start rehabilitation to build up your muscles so that you can walk and fly again. That could take two months or more."
Dash groaned, annoyed at the prospect of spending another couple months confined to the hospital.
Before she could voice a complaint, however, there was a purple flash in the middle of the room and Twilight and the others appeared.
Dash smiled. "Hey, gals. Err... and guy," she quickly corrected, noticing Spike's frown. The purple dragon was much more intimidating looking now, standing a little taller than a pony and with spines that were quite a bit sharper. He must have had a growth spurt while I was out of it.
Fluttershy rushed to the bedside and embraced Dash, tears of happiness coming to her eyes. "I'm so happy you're awake. We were all so scared. It... it had been so long. We were starting to think maybe...," her voice trailed off and she found herself unable to finish the thought.
"Aw, c'mon, 'Shy. You know it takes more than a little accident to do me in." Dash tried to sound confident, but inside she was actually beginning to feel quite shaken as her mind began wrapping itself around the situation.
Eight months. She had been in a coma for eight months. It was finally starting to sink in how lucky she was to even be alive. While part of her mind listened as her friends began telling her about all the developments in Ponyville that she had missed, another part was busy contemplating a newfound awareness of her own mortality. An awareness that, quite frankly, scared the living shit out of her, for reasons she couldn't quite fathom.
In between her musings, she picked up snippets of recent events that were of interest to her. Scootaloo's wings had fully grown in now, much to the consternation of her earth pony mother, who now had an even harder time keeping up with the adventurous filly. Dash couldn't wait to teach the little squirt how to fly. Well, as soon as she herself could fly again.
Spike, as she had thought, had experienced a growth spurt, though, much to everypony's relief, it hadn't altered his personality this time.
Another, much more surprising bit of news was that Applejack and Fluttershy were dating now.
Much too soon, visiting hours were over, leaving Dash alone again to mull over her situation. Eventually, she drifted off to a somewhat uneasy sleep.
The next day, Dash was pleasantly surprised to see that Pinkie had the rest of the gang in tow when she arrived. They must have taken the first train here. Wow, Spike has grown quite a bit.
Dash smiled at their entrance. "Hey everypony. Long time, no see, huh? Guess I've got a bit of catching up to do."
All five ponies (and one dragon) froze, exchanging looks, first of puzzlement, then of concern. Dash found herself quickly growing irritated and she wasn't entirely sure why. "What?" she snapped, much more harshly than she had intended. "Why is everypony looking at me like I just grew another head?"
"Um.. Dashie. Are you feeling okay?"
"Yes! Sundamnit Pinks, I'm fine." Dash was practically yelling now. "I'm finally awake after eight months, everypony should be happy. So why are you all frowning and muttering?"
Fluttershy was cringing behind a frowning Applejack at this point and Rarity looked uncertain what to do.
Finally, Twilight reluctantly stepped forward. "Because, Dash...," she sighed, "because we were all here yesterday. For several hours. Don't... don't you remember?"
Dash's mind was racing. She couldn't remember that. She thought back. She remembered Pinkie greeting her when she woke up, talking about how relieved she was, then leaving to inform the others. After that... after that, everything was blank. Fear crawled into her gut as she looked up at Twilight and slowly shook her head. "No. I don't remember anything yesterday after Pinkie left to tell you I was awake." She reached out and grabbed Twilight by the shoulders, staring her in the face. "Twi. What's happening to me?"
"It's likely that you have some residual traumatic cerebral neurological injury." announced Dr. Wellhooves, as he entered the room.
Dash blinked and looked at the doctor with an annoyed frown. "Could you repeat that in Equestrian, Doc?"
Before Wellhooves could respond, Twilight spoke up. "Brain damage, Dash. He said you have brain damage."
"Now, of course, we'll need to do an MRI of the head to determine the extent," said the doctor in a somewhat softer tone, "and, of course, some of the problems may only be temporary. While we have you up and about, we'll run some other tests as well."
"Well, let's go, then." Dash sat up and dangled her hind legs over the edge of the bed, getting ready to get up. Both Twilight and Dr. Wellhooves immediately stepped forward to stop her.
"Hold up there, speedy." Wellhooves placed a restraining hoof on Dash's shoulder. "Those leg muscles haven't been used in eight months. You hop out of bed like that and you'll wind up on your face. We'll get you a wheelchair."
Dash grimaced. She had completely forgotten about that particular problem. For a while at least she was going to have to be dependent on others to get around. She frowned as the doctor and Twilight levitated her into the chair. She was Rainbow Dash, the fastest pony in Equestria. Now here she was, stuck in a wheelchair, possibly brain damaged, and Celestia only knew what else.
Dash gritted her teeth against the pain of the nerve conduction tests on her wings. Damn, these things sting like hell. Feels like a million tiny lightning bolts. These were the last of the tests for today, Dr. Wellhooves had assured her. She was glad. Being wheeled around was really beginning to grate on her. Being dependent on others quite honestly pissed her off. She shook her head to clear it. Where is all this aggression coming from? I never used to be so quick-tempered. Impulsive, sure, but not mad at the world like this. C'mon, Dash, get your head on straight.
After the tests were finished, Pinkie and the others accompanied Dash back to her room. They passed some time just talking and reminiscing about their past adventures, which put Dash at ease. After about an hour, the doctor came back, test results in hoof. The serious look on his face caused a somber hush to fall over everypony.
Dash swallowed nervously and tried to play it cool. "So, Doc, what's the word?"
"Would you like to hear the good news first or the bad news?"
"Bad news first, Doc. Let's get it over with."
"Very well. The first bit of bad news is about your brain scans. Unfortunately, there is some damage to the right side of your temporal lobe, specifically the areas that control memory storage and emotions, so that would serve to explain your memory lapse."
"Okay, what can we do about it?"
"Not much, I'm afraid. There's a very good chance that the blackouts will lessen with time, however. It's possible that you may also experience some emotional instability. If it were a chemical imbalance, we could prescribe drugs, but, unfortunately, since it stems from actual physical damage, there's nothing we can do. Its possible that a therapist could be useful in dealing with it, and I can certainly give you a referral to one, if you would like."
Dash sighed. This was a lot to take in. She was about to speak when Wellhooves continued.
"Also, I'm afraid that, besides the metal rods we had to implant to stabilize your bones, there was significant damage to the nerves and muscle tissue in your wings. While they've healed remarkably well, it is likely that your flying ability will be permanently compromised to a significant degree."
"Gee, is that all?" The sarcasm slipped out as Dash felt her annoyance with the situation quickly building again. "So, I have permanent brain damage and my career as a racer and stunt flyer is over. Grand. Now what the hell is the good news?"
"Well, I know it may not sound like much, but at least you will be able to fly somewhat. And you're relatively young, so with an intense rehab program, which we can start as early as next week, we should have you walking and flying again in two to three months. With ongoing therapy to manage your emotions, there's an excellent chance that you'll be able to live a mostly normal life."
Dash's first instinct was to slap the doctor. Only the fact that her muscles were almost useless at present stopped her. Her mouth worked fine, though. "A mostly normal life? I'm supposed to have been a superstar, a Wonderbolt, the greatest flyer in Equestria! And now you expect me to be happy about having a mostly normal life?"
"Please, Ms. Dash, it's not good for you to get so agitated this soon after coming around. If you would just..."
"Shut the hell up!" Dash screamed. "Don't get so agitated? How else am I supposed to feel?" She shifted to one side, to show her cutie mark. "Look at my flank! Look at it, damn you! It's a lightning bolt. It means fast! It means SPEED! Racing wasn't some sundamned HOBBY! It was my LIFE! My DESTINY! What am I supposed to do with my life now?"
Wellhooves quietly slipped back out of the room. Better to let the emotional instability run its course, then discuss things when the patient was calmer.
Pinkie moved to the bedside, reaching out to put her hoof on Dash's shoulder. Her own voice cracking with emotion, she whispered, "Oh, Dashie. Don't worry. We'll get through this together, right? I mean, I'm sure you'll still be able to do lots of things once you get your strength back. You can still fly some. And you can, um, sing! And dance! And eat cake! And..." She trailed off, as she realized her words were not having the intended effect. "Um, Dashie? Please don't look at me like that. You're scaring me."
Dash shrugged Pinkie's hoof off her shoulder and fixed the pink mare with a gaze as cold as ice. "You. Why? Why did you do it?"
"D.. do what Dashie?"
So great was the despair in her heart that she practically spat the words at her lover. "Why did you keep me alive? You should have told them to take the tubes out. YOU SHOULD HAVE LET ME DIE! Instead, what did you do? You kept me around. For what? Just so I could see all my dreams shatter?"
Pinkie was in tears now. "Dashie. I'm sorry. I didn't think that... I couldn't. I couldn't lose you."
Dash lay back, her voice going as cold as her gaze. "Get out."
The flat, emotionless tone the command was delivered in hurt Pinkie far worse than if it had been shouted. She fled the room in tears, all the bounce gone from her step and her mane.
Fluttershy glanced several times between Dash and the door, unsure who to try and comfort, before finally slinking out after Pinkie.
Rarity stood with her mouth agape, unable to form any words at first, finally managing a strangled "Dreadful!" before turning and leaving.
Applejack was furious. "You look here! Ah know this is an awful lot fer you ta take in, but there warn't no call for that. Pinkie put her whole life on hold to be with you. She held out for a miracle when the rest of us reckoned it was hopeless. She deserves way better than to be yelled at by your ungrateful self!"
Twilight, having finished putting a reluctant Spike out of the room, chimed in. "Applejack is right. There's a lot of ponies out there who have things a lot worse than you do. You could have come out of that accident with a lot more damage than you did. You could have been paralyzed or blinded or any number of things. Instead you're alive with a chance to recover a good bit of your mobility. You're surrounded by friends who care about you. You have a wonderful marefriend who loves you. You should thank Celestia you have Pinkie. Not everypony is so lucky." There was a slight hint of bitterness in her voice on this last point.
Applejack turned to leave before looking back over her shoulder. "We're gonna do like you asked and leave now. But y'all think on what we said. You think on it powerful hard."
Applejack turned and left without delay. Twilight made her way out somewhat more hesitantly, glancing back at Dash several times.
As Twilight left, Dash sighed and felt the anger quickly draining and being replaced by grief and a profound sense of loss. "Wait...," she whispered at the empty doorway. "I... I didn't mean it." Dear Celestia, what have I done? What's happening to me? Dash turned toward the wall, buried her face in her pillow, and cried herself to sleep.
Fluttershy caught up with Pinkie just outside the hospital area, in one of the castle's many parks. The pink pony was sitting on a bench, sobbing quietly. Fluttershy wasn't quite sure what to do, so she just sat down and put a comforting foreleg around her friend's shoulders.
"Oh, Flutters," sniffled Pinkie, "did I do the right thing? Why is Dashie so mad at me? I couldn't let her die. I just couldn't."
"I... I don't think she's mad at you, Pinkie. I think she's just, well, mad. And I'm sure she doesn't really want to be dead. This is just hard for her. As long as I've known her, its been Dash's dream to be a Wonderbolt, to be famous all over Equestria. Now she's watching that dream die. And when you add the b... brain damage," Fluttershy shivered a bit at the unpleasant term, " I... I think she's just not herself. She... She just needs time. And she needs us to be there for her. Especially... especially the two of us, I think."
Pinkie sniffled softly, and managed a slight smile as a little bit of poofiness returned to her mane. "I... I guess I never thought of it that way. I was just so happy to see Dashie awake again that I never thought about how hard this must be for her. I can't imagine what it must be like to lose your special talent. I mean it's like if I somehow couldn't throw parties anymore. I don't know what I'd do. How... how do you help a pony who can't fulfill their destiny anymore?"
"You help them find another one," said Twilight, arriving on the scene.
Pinkie scrunched her face up in confusion. "What do you mean? Another talent? Another destiny?"
"Is that even possible?" asked Fluttershy.
"It's not just possible. It's vital." Twilight's voice took on a somber tone. "I've been doing some research ever since yesterday afternoon. It occurred to me that Dash's injuries might end her career. So I decided to see if anything like this has happened before. And it has. A number of times, in fact. And I found that in every case, there was one of two outcomes."
Fluttershy's voice trembled. "What... what were the outcomes?"
Twilight sighed. "Either the pony in question found a new purpose in life... or they ended up in a downward spiral of self-destructive behavior, never to recover."
Pinkie gasped. "That's horrible! My poor Dashie."
"There is one ray of hope, though." Twilight's voice had a tone of confidence. "In every case, the difference was made by the support of close friends. Invariably, those ponies who had strong friendships eventually found a new purpose and went on to lead normal, healthy lives, while those who were loners with no close ties didn't."
"But how do you help somepony redefine who they are?" wondered Fluttershy.
"I don't know," confessed Twilight, "but right now I think we're Dash's only hope."
Rainbow Dash stirred fitfully as the sun came in through the window of the hospital room. As consciousness returned, so did memories of the previous evening. She snorted bitterly. It figured that she would remember exactly what she didn't want to.
Just at that moment, the doctor entered. "Ah, good. You're awake. How are you feeling this morning?"
Dash's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Well, let's see - I can't fly, I can't walk, and my friends probably hate me now. I'd say I'm doing just peachy, Doc."
The doctor smiled brightly. "Well, the flying and the walking are what we're going to get started with today, hmm? And as for your friends, I doubt they'll hate you over one incident of ill temper. Indeed, I've seldom seen more devoted friends than yours. In fact, I think I hear them coming now. Perhaps I'll leave you all alone for a minute."
As the doctor left, still smiling and now whistling cheerfully, Dash swiveled her ears and caught the sound of approaching hoofbeats and voices - her friends' voices. She smiled in spite of herself as Pinkie bounced into the room.
"Morning, Dashie-washie! Ready to get up and start getting back on your hoovesies?"
"Can't wait, Pinks. I'm getting tired of being stuck in this bed all the time." For a fleeting moment, Dash could almost believe that the events of the previous day had been a bad dream. Almost. She sighed. "Look, um... about yesterday. I just... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I did."
Pinkie's smile slipped for just a second before returning. "Oh, don't you worry your silly little head about it, Dashie."
"That's right," declared Twilight as she entered. "I think we all overreacted a bit yesterday. Look, Dash, we know all this is going to be hard for you to adjust to. Just know that we're all here for you. If you need to talk, if you need anything, let us know. We want to help you."
"Eeyup, sugarcube," affirmed Applejack. "We're all gonna get through this mess together, jes like we always have before."
Fluttershy and Rarity both nodded in agreement, beaming smiles of quiet reassurance.
"Now c'mon," urged Pinkie. "The sooner we get you back on your hooves and in the air, the sooner you can come home and I can throw you a super-awesome, super-spectacular 'Welcome Home, Dashie' party!"
With that, Dash found herself being levitated into the wheelchair and carted off to begin her rehabilitation therapy.
Dash gently rubbed her sore muscles. It had been four weeks now since she had woken up, four weeks of grueling physical therapy. After the first week, she thought she would die. After two weeks, she could have sworn she was dead. Now it was becoming routine, if no less exhausting.
Applejack and Rarity had both returned to Ponyville to tend to their businesses again, wishing her well and assuring her they would visit when they could. Fluttershy was back and forth every other day, as her menagerie took most of her time. Pinkie and Twilight were staying in guest quarters at the castle, not far from the wing housing the Royal Hospital, while she went through rehab, though Dash didn't get a lot of downtime with Pinkie, since the intense rehab program she was doing left her exhausted most days. Between that and her biweekly visit to the on-staff psychiatrist, her schedule was packed. She really couldn't complain, though. She had requested the harder rehab in place of the normal, slower program, after all. And the shrink was helping too. It had been nearly two weeks now since her last temper storm.
Still, despite her best hopes, her flying ability remained mediocre. She sighed. "I can't believe it, Pinks. A whole month and I'm only at 6 wingpower. I'm the captain of the weather team, for Celestia's sake. How can I captain them when I barely even qualify to be a member? This sucks."
At the mention of the weather team, Pinkie exchanged a quick nervous glance with Twilight before putting on a reassuring smile. "Aww, don't worry, Dashie. These things take time, right? I'm sure things will pick up soon. After all, getting back to walking and flying well in just a month is pretty amazing by itself."
The glance had not gone unnoticed, however. Dash frowned. "What was that look?"
"What look?" both ponies answered in unison.
"The one you gave each other when I mentioned the weather team. Don't think I didn't notice it. Is there something you're not telling me?"
Twilight sighed. "We weren't going to tell you until you maybe got a little better."
"Tell me what?" Dash could feel her calm beginning to slip. C'mon now. Peaceful thoughts. Calm thoughts.
"Well, see, we've all been kind of taking turns looking after your house, your bills, your mail, and your other affairs while you've been out. Three months ago, you got this." Twilight handed Dash a letter.
Dash examined the envelope, which was already open. The return address was that of the Ponyville weather department. The letter itself was brief and to the point. The weather department regulations wouldn't allow holding her position open for more than six months. They had allowed the maximum time because of her years of loyal service but now, since the full six months had elapsed, they had no choice but to let her go and assign a new captain.
Dash stared at the letter in shock. They let me go. Me! I was the best weather captain in, like, ever. How dare they! And who had the nerve to take MY job? I'll rip their lungs out! She paused, realizing the direction her thoughts were taking. At least she hadn't immediately vocalized them, which was an improvement. Okay, deep breaths. Count to 10 before you react.
After a few deep breaths and counting to about 100, Dash finally set the letter aside. "Okay then," she said, forcing herself to stay calm. "Just another challenge to face, right? I'll worry about that when I get out of here. For now, I'm just gonna focus on my rehab."
Twilight and Pinkie visibly relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief. That went better than expected.
"So who replaced me?"
Twilight tensed up again. There was no way out but through it now. "Thunderlane. The new weather captain is Thunderlane."
Dash appeared to ponder this for a moment. "Thunderlane, eh? Good. That would have been my choice."
"You... you're not mad?" Twilight and Pinkie exclaimed in unison.
Dash's face briefly twisted into a vicious scowl. "Oh, I'm furious. I'm seething inside," she paused, her face returning to a calm expression, "but it's like my therapist says, I gotta think it through. I mean who can I go off on? You? You just brought the news, you didn't cause it. The Weather Department? Or Thunderlane? They're just doing their jobs. Sure, the situation sucks, but taking it out on somepony else will just make things worse. Maybe, if things go well, I can get back on the weather team. If not, I'll have to find something else. Like I said, I'll deal with it later. Right now," Dash yawned loudly, "right now I just want some shuteye."
Dash's improving mental condition served to bolster Pinkie's mood. "That's the spirit Dashie," she exclaimed enthusiastically. "You just rest your head and don't worry. We'll find you a new job in no time."
Twilight put on a smile, but inside she wasn't so sure. This attitude change seemed to be too sudden. Keeping everything inside could be just as bad as lashing out wildly. If Dash was doing that, it wouldn't be pretty when the inevitable breakdown came.
Dash smiled as she ascended the ladder. Rehab had been progressing well so far. Despite the fact that she still had only been able to get up to about 6 wingpower, she could take comfort in the fact that she was now flying with relative ease. Now they were working on height. Last week, she had been able to get up to flying at about the height of a two-story building, comfortably and with only a moderate effort. Today, they were going to try doubling that. Reaching the top, she paused briefly on the small platform to take in the view. As she looked over the edge, a wave of dizziness swept over her. She shook her head to clear it. What the hay? Planting her feet firmly, she spread her wings. Or tried to. Her wings, however, remained firmly at her sides and she felt a panic overtake her. Before she knew what was happening, she was curled up in a ball with her hooves over her face. Sundamnit, whats wrong with me? Its like I'm turning into Fluttershy or something.
Pinkie called out from below. "Dashie? You okay up there?" The only response was a faint whimpering noise. Pinkie exchanged a concerned look with Twilight. "I don't think she's okay."
Eventually, the rehab nurses managed to coax Dash down. After a brief rest, she felt good enough to do some more exercises at the two-story level, but she couldn't help but be somewhat disappointed, not to mention puzzled.
The next day, Dr. Wellhooves was present to monitor the situation. They were going to attempt the four-story height again to see if Dash had the same reaction and, if so, try to figure out why. Once again, Dash ascended the ladder. Once again, she attempted to take off. Once again, she found herself inexplicably curled up in a ball, whimpering.
Twilight watched the doctor's reaction. He mumbled something and scribbled down a few notes. Then he asked the nurse to repeat the exercise at a height of approximately three stories.
After a few more run-throughs, a pattern emerged. Dash did perfectly well flying at heights up to about the level of two stories. At levels that were much higher than that, though, she couldn't fly.
"What is it, doc? What the hay is wrong with me?" Dash paced the floor of her room agitatedly. "How could I possibly be afraid of heights?"
"Well, you're not, Ms. Dash. At least not consciously."
"What do you mean?"
"I believe you're suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. It's not uncommon, when somepony suffers severe physical or emotional trauma, for certain stimuli to trigger an automatic response based on subconscious memories of that trauma. In your case, the subconscious memories of your crash cause you to respond to flying at higher elevations with an overwhelming fear."
"So what do we do about it? There must be some way around it."
Dr. Wellhooves sighed heavily. Breaking news like this to patients was always his least favorite part of the job. "Unfortunately, Miss Dash, there is no medical remedy for this. Sometimes the problem lessens or disappears with time. Some ponies find that counseling or psychiatric therapy can help overcome it. And, frankly, sometimes the PTSD never goes away." He sighed again, and departed with the words he always said with bad news, though they never seemed adequate: "I'm sorry."
Dash hung her head sadly. Another setback. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. The minimized wingpower was one thing, but a fear of heights? What was the point of being a pegasus if you couldn't even reach the clouds?
Pinkie, her mane and tail deflating slightly, wrapped a comforting foreleg around Dash's shoulders, offering silent support.
Twilight merely contemplated the floor morosely. Things had been going so well, too.
Dash lifted her head, wiping away tears as she composed herself. "Oh well," she sniffled, managing a wan smile, "just one more thing, right? One more obstacle to overcome. Maybe... maybe if I can't get higher, I can still get a little faster, right? I mean, I have another month."
Pinkie brightened a little and wrapped her forelegs around Dash in a jubilant hug. "That's the spirit, Dashie! Never give up."
Twilight was encouraged by Dash's quick absorption of the setback. Whoever her therapist was, they were doing an incredible job. "That's right. None of us are giving up, Dash. I'm going to try and find out what I can about PTSD from the Royal Library. Maybe there'll be something there that can help you.
"Yep. And I'm just gonna keep right on cheering you on and planning that big party for when you come back to Ponyville." Pinkie grinned, all of her bounce returning.
Dash's smile brightened. "Thanks. I don't know what I'd do without you guys. Especially you, Pinks. You... you're... I mean, I..." She paused, slightly choked up. She had never been a mare of words, but actions. So she did the first thing that came to mind, returning Pinkie's embrace and kissing her deeply.
Twilight blushed slightly and turned her head. After a few moments had passed, she cleared her throat softly.
Dash broke the kiss and chuckled nervously, blushing. "Ummm.... right. I guess I'd better be getting some rest so I can get going again tomorrow with more rehab."
Pinkie seemed not in the least embarrassed, grinning ear to ear. "Okie-dokie-loki. You get some good shuteye, Dashie. And don't you worry, you'll be back up to speed before you know it."
As the two left, Dash lay back and stared at the ceiling. She sighed heavily. Oh, sure. Nothing to worry about. Nothing at all. Just being practically ground-bound for the rest of my life. For a long while she lay there, mind racing, before finally falling into a somewhat fitful sleep.
Rainbow Dash stepped off the train. The afternoon sun hung low in the sky. The others had left the previous night to get things ready for her "welcome back" party. The last three weeks of rehab had at least seen some progress. Her wingpower had risen to 7. Unfortunately, there was no progress on the height problem. She paused below her cloud home. A makeshift rope ladder led up to the entrance, no doubt having been used by the others to look after her house during her long convalescence. Well that'll come in handy, she thought glumly.
As she entered her house, her eyes scanned around until they spotted the small black cabinet in the corner and fluttered over to it. After rummaging around for a moment she retrieved what she was looking for and held it up with a smile. Ah, Captain Maregan. Black Cask. The good stuff. This oughta make the party even better. At the very least it'll take my mind off my troubles.
As Dash neared the brightly lit Sugarcube Corner, she could hear loud bass thumping with a distinctive "wub, wub, wub" that could only mean one thing. She hired DJ Pon-3? Wow, Pinks really went all out.
As she stepped inside, she was nearly bowled over by a bright pink blur that wrapped itself around her.
"Dashie! Yay, you're here. Now we can really get this party started!"
"Hey Pinks!" Dash returned the embrace, sweeping her marefriend up and kissing her. "Boy you outdid yourself this time. How did you ever manage to get DJ Pon-3?"
Pinkie grinned slyly. "Oh she owed me a teensey little favor. Toldja this would be one super awesome party. C'mon, let's dance."
Before they could get to the dance floor, though, Dash found herself assaulted by another blur, this one orange and purple.
"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo shouted excitedly. Then, after drawing in a deep breath, she continued without pausing:
"I'mgladyou'rebettercauseeveryponywassoworriedbutIknewyou'dbeokaybecauseyou'resoawesomeandspeakingofawesomelookmywingsgrewinmoreandIcanflynowalittlebitandIwashopingyoucouldgivemelessons."
As Scootaloo took another deep breath, Dash lightly put a hoof on her mouth. "Woah. Slow down there, squirt, don't want you to pass out."
Scootaloo nodded, paused for a second, then repeated her inquiry. "So, will you do it? Will you teach me how to fly and do awesome tricks and stuff?"
A pained look briefly crossed Dash's face, but she quickly perked up. "You betcha squirt." she said, playfully ruffling the young filly's hair.
Scootaloo let out a squeal of excitement. "Thanks, Rainbow Dash. You're the coolest." She sped off towards her friends excitedly. "Applebloom, Sweetie Belle! Guess what..."
Dash smiled wistfully as she watched the enthusiastic filly run off. Scoots reminded her a lot of herself at that age. Just then Pon-3 started a new song blasting.
"Ooh!" exclaimed Pinkie, dragging Dash along to the dance floor. "This is my jam! C'mon, Dashie."
After several rounds of dancing and various party games (including Pinkie's favorite - pin the tail on the pony), Dash was starting to get hungry (and a little exhausted), so she convinced Pinkie to let her get some food and rest up a bit. Piling her plate with various baked goods, she took a seat at a table near the door. She took a quick glance around to make sure nopony was looking, then retrieved the bottle she had hidden in her bags, which were still right there by the entryway. She took a quick swig, relishing the taste and the sensation of the rum burning its way down her throat, then stashed it back.
As time wore on, many of the guests began to depart, little by little, starting with the younger ponies and their parents. After about an hour at the table, Dash was starting to feel quite a bit buzzed and was astonished when she brought her bottle to her lips and found it empty. Damn, did I really drink all that? Maybe I can just sneak out and nopony will notice I'm smashed.
It was as good a plan as her booze-addled mind could come up with. Unfortunately, as she stood up she found that her limbs did not wish to cooperate with the plan and she quickly toppled backwards into the wall. "WOAH!" she shouted, causing several nearby heads to turn.
"Sweet Celestia," murmured Applejack, "she done got hammered outta her mind."
Twilight buried her face in her hoof and groaned. "But how? That punch was clean, I'm sure of it. There were little fillies and colts here after all."
"The punch mighta been, but ah'll bet that bottle in her hoof wasn't."
As Dash's mind oriented itself to her body's new position, her eyes focused on a hoof that was being extended towards her. She gradually looked upward to focus on just who was helping her. As the pony's face came into view, a surge of anger flooded through her. "YOU!" she screamed, pushing herself upright.
Thunderlane ducked as an empty rum bottle flew over his head. "Celestia H. Sunbringer! What the hell is wrong with you, Rainbow Dash?"
"What to shtart with? Lesshee, howbout, YOU SHTOLE MY JOB!" With this exclamation, she took a clumsy swing at Thunderlane, who managed to dodge it easily.
Thunderlane tried to back away. "You're crazy. I didn't steal anything. Look, if you want your job back, I'm sure the department will..."
"LIAR!" shouted Dash, pressing forward to match the retreating pegasus, "You've alwaysh wanted my job. Don't think I never notished. Shneaking around behind my back, playing all nishe and friendly with everypony, badmouthing me."
"I never badmouthed you. And since when is being nice to everypony a bad thing?"
Dash let out an incoherent scream and tackled Thunderlane, sending them both crashing into a nearby table of food.
Ditzy, who had just been making her way back to said table looked on with a downcast expression as a plate of muffins soared into the air, scattering everywhere. "Muffin... come back," she muttered sadly, looking at her empty plate with one eye, while the other continued to track the flying foodstuffs.
Twilight finally snapped out of her shock. "RAINBOW MIRIAM DASH! You calm down this instant!" Twilight cast an spell to yank Dash backwards, pulling her off of the stunned Thunderlane. "Look at this mess! After all Pinkie went through..."
That was as far as Twilight got. Her spell, being cast in haste, had failed to fully immobilize Dash's head. Dash snatched a plate out of the hooves of a shocked Ditzy with her mouth and flung it in Twilight's direction. Twilight dodged it but the distraction was enough to break her concentration and Dash flew out the door and into the night. Twilight briefly considered going after her, but decided instead to comfort a now sobbing Pinkie Pie. Applejack, meantime, went over to check on Tunderlane.
It was at this point that Rarity arrived back. "Well, I finally got Sweetie to bed. I thought I'd come back and see if I.... missed... anything. What in the name of all that is stylish and fashionable happened here?"
"A drunken Rainbow Dash happened," stated Twilight dryly. "I think we all need to have a talk about this tomorrow. We need to find a way to help her before she hurts somepony. Or herself."
Author's note:
The Daring Do excerpt that Pinkie reads is from the story "Daring Do and the Legend of the Ruby Knight" by Novel Idea. Many thanks to NI for their permission to use it.
So how drunk WAS Dash? I did a few quick calculations. The 750ml of 100 proof rum comes out to the equivalent of about a case (24 cans) of beer. In ONE HOUR. So, yea. Pretty well smashed. Bet the next morning will be a bitch, eh?