Like a Sledgehammer to the Soul

by somatic

1: Failed

Author's Note:

Set before Magical Mystery Cure.

“It’s gaining on us!”

“I know! Hold on!”

Rainbow clutched Twilight in her forelegs as she dodged streams of acid. Twilight had told them the wyrm would be asleep. It wasn’t.

Supposed to be routine, supposed to be routine. Rainbow yelped as green drops dissolved a flight feather. She felt her grip loosen…

No. Her legs tightened around Twilight. She wasn’t going to drop her.

“Rock! Look out for the—”

Rainbow warped her trajectory around the falling boulder, spectral light leaving a trail behind her.

“I know, Twilight! Trust me, I’m good at this!”

The wyrm didn’t stop for the boulder. Its head smashed straight through, dirty teeth gnashing. Just a simple mission, Twilight said. Nothing ever was simple with her.

She’d managed to teleport the others out, at least, but after shielding them from the wyrm’s first acid salvo, she’d been too drained to take herself to safety. It was up to Rainbow to bring her home.

Electric green jets sliced up the cavern walls. Almost free… She could see the exit!

She could see the wyrm, somehow accelerating and leaping between her and the only way out.

“Rainbow!”

“I told you, I know!”

The wyrm spread its wings, blocking the cavern mouth. There was only a small hole, just a little bit uncovered. Rainbow could make it. She had to make it.

A few more yards to cover. She felt the atmosphere compress around her, lines of force extending from her wings. Air drilled into her snout as a shockwave cone burst into being. It was going to be close—

But she’d make it.

Rainbow light blended with acid green fire as Dash’s wings gave one almighty push. The gap was narrowing fast. She was faster.

Her lungs almost burst as she rocketed ahead. The wyrm breathed, missed, tried to bite, missed. Rainbow was better. She was always better.

Rings of light lingered behind her as she plunged through the gap between wyrm and stone. She was through! She was safe! She was—

Not holding Twilight.

No. No, no, no… There!

Falling quick. Screaming. Need to save her, need to move fast!

Wings tired. Can’t do a rainboom again. Need to do it again. Flap faster, dive, dive for her, almost, reach out, miss!

No, again, maneuver, reach out—

Hooves closed on empty air.

No!

A wet crack as horn hit rock. Not fast enough. Another damp flop as Twilight’s body followed her horn. Rainbow struck the ground beside her, knees groaning from the impact.

Necks didn’t bend that way, right? No, she’s breathing. She’s fine. She has to be fine. Rainbow held her wings around Twilight’s head, tried to get her neck straight.

“Talk to me, Twilight!”

Her feathers stained with something red and something worse, a clear liquid that leaked from around Twilight’s horn.

“Come on, wake up!” She shook her, shook her harder, like she was sleeping in and late for school. “Come on!” She felt forelegs around her, pulling her away. “Hey! I need to… I need to help…” Still they dragged her.

Rainbow heard voices. “Dearest, can you hear me?” “Get Redheart!” “Stop the bleeding!” She didn’t know who was talking. She didn’t care. Her wings flexed, tried to gain lift, but only snapped back against her sides. She’d dropped her. She… if she flew again…

“Twilight!” The unicorn didn’t answer. Someone else, someone wiser and calmer than Rainbow, wrapped Twilight in her legs and took her away.

---

Beeping. Always beeping. Better than not beeping. That would mean Twilight was… that Rainbow had failed. Failed worse than she already had.

Rainbow could hear the beeps through the hospital walls, through the door as nurses came and went. She’d always had good hearing. Good enough to catch every syllable of Twilight’s scream as she fell to earth.

The hallway smelled of antiseptic and latex, but all Rainbow could sense was the blood on her feathers, mingling with acid and whatever slime had oozed from the base of Twilight’s horn. The others were there around her, of course. Rarity and Applejack and Pinkie. Fluttershy had flown off to find Spike. They all told her it wasn’t her fault.

They lied. She knew she’d done it, she knew she’d let her hooves slip. She had one job, just one; just hold on tight. A foal could have done it. A foal could have—

“Rainbow, dear?”

Rarity’s voice lifted her from the shadows. She had to shake her head a few times to clear her mind.

“Rainbow, are you alright?”

She sat there, stunned, for a moment. Then she growled. “Yeah, of course I’m alright. I’m not the idiot who let the worst flier in Equestria c-carry me and th-then drop me right on my… on my…” Wings covered her eyes, and tears joined the blood coating her feathers. “H-how could I d-do it, Rarity?”

Gentle pasterns pushed their way past her wings, cradling Rainbow’s head. “We all saw you from the ground. You had just done a rainboom. Why, the stress from that…”

Rainbow lashed out, her legs crashing into Rarity’s as she threw her away. Her wings spread as she stood. “No! I should have been able… I should have practiced it more! I should have… I should have…” She collapsed back onto the bench, sobbing softly.

Cyan wings wrapped back over her eyes. Nurses walked past, gurneys trundled through. Her friends tried to console her, but all Rainbow heard was the beeping. Sunlight gave way to moonlight, but all Rainbow saw was a tumbling purple unicorn, still hoping for her friend to catch her.

From behind her fortress of feathers, she heard draconic footsteps. The wyrm was back, it was… just Spike. Just Spike, dashing in as fast as those legs would take him.

“Is she alright? Tell me she’s alright!”

Fluttershy galloped in behind him, somehow moving slower than he was. Spike could run fast when he needed to. When Twilight needed him.

He cast his eyes around the hallway, hoping to see some sign that she was okay, to see her trotting out the door with a few bandages on her brows and a “Hey, Spike” on her lips.

She didn’t walk out.

Applejack curled a leg around him and drew him close. “Doc says she’s strong, sugarcube, and not one of us is gonna leave her till we hear she’s getting better.”

Fluttershy was next, panting from her run. “I flew her here… as fast as I could… I hope I was… fast enough…” Rainbow lowered her wings and saw tears in her eyes. Fluttershy blamed herself. If anything worse happened to Twilight, she’d act like it was her fault.

That’s right, genius. Don’t just hurt one friend, hurt two of them at once. You’re the expert at it.

Anger and shame choked Rainbow’s voice, so all that came out was a little squawk. Spike looked up.

“Um, Fluttershy, why did you fly her back? Wouldn’t Rainbow be…?”

“Yes!” Dash finally managed to push past the lump in her throat. Passing nurses turned to see who had shouted.

“Yes, I should have been faster, I should have carried her back, I should be the only one with her blood on my feathers!” Her wings stretched out before her, all covered in red. They were alien wings, the wings of some other pony who was too slow, too weak, too scared to carry Twilight again. Not Rainbow’s wings. She’d never fail like this.

She had failed like this. And now they hated her.

“Spike, I’m sorry!” She slumped off the bench, her hooves barely catching her before her skull hit the scuffed floor. Too drained to walk, she crawled over to him, eyes level with his. “I dropped her. I… it was my fault. I wasn’t…”

Shock shot across his face. This was it. He knew, and they’d never be friends again. Spike raised his arms, extended those awful claws. She deserved it. “Do it, Spike.” Hurt me.

His claws stroked her fur. Spike gave her a warm hug. “Fluttershy told me what happened. If not for you, that monster would have...”

Rainbow’s body convulsed away from him. She didn’t deserve this. Something popped as her back slammed into the wall, and she curled up tight, hiding behind her prismatic mane.

“Rainbow, you can’t blame yourself!”

“Yes! I was the monster! I am!” Coil tighter, squeeze harder. Angry wings repelled the mares still foolish enough to call her a friend. Finally, they left her alone.

Visiting hours were well past over, but being the Elements of Harmony did come with a few perks. Applejack and Rarity paced near the door, Pinkie lay on a bench with a deflated mane, Fluttershy held Spike close in her wings, and Rainbow… Rainbow stayed where she belonged.

Six pairs of eyes locked onto Nurse Redheart as she stepped out the door. Spike spoke first.

“Is she okay? Can we see her?”

Redheart came closer. “She’s stable, but not ready for visitors. The doctors are still working on it.”

Fluttershy hugged Spike a little closer. “Is she going to get better?”

The nurse paused for a moment, and that told Spike all he needed. “You don’t know, do you?”

Redheart took a deep breath. “Her injuries are serious. Valiant efforts on the part of our surgical staff corrected much of the damage to her bones and tissue, but some injuries are more difficult to treat. We won’t be able to make a full diagnosis until she wakes up.”

“But she will wake up?” This time, it was Rarity who spoke.

The nurse nodded her head. “She will, eventually. She might be different, though. A little confused. You’ll have to give her time.” She looked around at the five mares and the small dragon, each one watching her every action, hoping to find some clue to their friend’s condition. “It’s too early to tell you anything more. Please, go home. Get some rest.”

Rainbow mustered up the strength to talk. She might be a failure of a friend, but she’d be damned if she was going to abandon Twilight. Again. “What? We can’t just leave her! I can’t just leave her! I put her…”

“Ms. Dash, this is a hospital. I can’t have you walking around with bloody wings, it’s an infection risk.”

“I don’t care about the danger! I need to stay with her!”

Nurse Redheart drew closer, and Rainbow could swear she saw a grimace flicker across her lips. “Ms. Dash, please keep your voice down. In their present state, your wings are a hazard to my other patients, and I will not let you hurt them.”

Her voice softened. “Go home. Wash up. Twilight wouldn’t want to see you like this.” She wanted to give her a quick hug, to do something to show her that her friend would be okay, but she couldn’t afford to get that blood on her. And as for proving Twilight would be okay… she didn’t know herself.

“I can’t have you all blocking the corridors. I’m sorry, but you need to go for now.” She noticed a small tug at the corner of her scrubs and looked down to see Spike. “Yes?”

“What about me? I’m small. I won’t block anything.”

Redheart thought for a moment. His dragon biology meant he couldn’t possibly infect a pony, and if Twilight woke up in the night, it would be best for her to see a friendly face. Who better than her little brother?

“Alright, Spike. You can stay. Everypony else, go home. Get some sleep.” Spike gave her a little hug in thanks.

Applejack dragged Rainbow up to her feet. “Come on, we aren’t being any help here. Spike’ll take good care of her.”

It was a cold flight back to the clouds.

Comments

[Cander]

This is an interesting start. Added to my tracking shelf, up voted.

[Charliehorse]

Ok. Another of the type of story I remember from the old days. I love these.

I think your writing style is quite good and I'm drawn in. My only regret is that there is only this one chapter so far. I'm going to subscribe to this story and hope that you keep working on it!

I was a little confused/jarred by the transition from escape and crash to hospital. Seemed a little abrupt. I know there's no reason to dwell on it but I'd think a few more sentences would help.

Do you know where you're going with this story? Ok. Here's an idea: How does this affect Celestia's plans to make Twi into an alicorn? How does it go... Can she even do magic anymore? Does the process not fix old injuries so she's a gimpy alicorn forever? Does it still happen but she cant do the job Celestia had planned? Or does the horn damage cause her magic to warp in an interesting way?

[Dash32]

Omg. I want more plz!!

[somatic]

7244821 Soon! Very soon!

[Dash32]

7244828 got me in the feels man. THE FEELS!!