Off the Beaten Path

by wonderkid125

Chapter 8

Once again, Rainbow Dash found herself in a hospital’s emergency room. However, this time she had injuries of her own that needed tending to.

As she was getting her broken wing wrapped and the wound on her stomach properly cleaned and bandaged, she never stopped worrying about the stallion that arrived near the same time as her.

Soon, she was uncomfortably sitting around on her bed and waiting for someone to come in and give her news about her friend.

“Blue Bolt…” She muttered anxiously. “You better pull through,” She rested her head in her hooves and groaned into them.

The cyan mare could hardly keep herself still for two seconds. The whole experience made her think back to a few years ago, when she was waiting to see if the stallion would recover from the accident that very nearly happened to her instead.

The sound of the door opening drew Rainbow out of her troubling thoughts. As she looked up, her face lit up with excitement as she saw Nurse Redheart entering the room, followed by five mares that she immediately recognized.

“Guys!”

“Rainbow Dash!”

Fluttershy, along with Twilight and the others, rushed over to the cyan mare’s bed and wrapped her up in a group hug. For most of them, this was the first time they were seeing the pegasus since she fell off that cliff.

After what seemed like hours of holding each other, the ponies finally managed to break their embrace and stepped back from their cyan friend.

“Boy howdy if you ain’t a sight for sore eyes,” Applejack said, beaming happily as she stared at the pegasus.

“We thought we lost you,” Rarity added. It seemed like she was on the verge of crying tears of joy.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but smile warmly as she looked around at the five people she never thought she would see again. “You almost did.” Her happiness faded as she thought back to the last encounter she had with the timberwolves, along with what happened to her stallion companion. She turned to the nurse in the room with a more urgent look on her face. “Where is Blue Bolt? Is he alive?”

Upon mention of the blue stallion, the others frowned slightly, and even Nurse Redheart adopted a somber expression.

“Your friend had many serious and life-threatening injuries. It’s a wonder he made it here alive… and it’s even more of a wonder that he is still alive,”

Rainbow Dash felt the pit in her stomach bottoming out as she heard the white mare explain her friend’s condition. “So… is he going to make it or not?” She asked, hoping to get a more direct answer despite her feelings of dread.

“Well…” Redheart paused uneasily for a moment before sighing and setting her mouth in a grim line. “I won’t lie… his chances of survival are lower than I would like to admit,” She tried to adopt a more comforting tone of voice. “But there is still hope… You should hope for the best… but just be prepared for the worst.”

Hearing such dismal news, Rainbow Dash looked down sadly, her thoughts swimming around in a messy haze. Still, she could practically hear the stallion’s last words to her.

I heard about how distraught you were at the hospital when I first pushed you out of the way of that lightning strike…

You blamed yourself for me getting hurt, and I knew that if you found out that I lost my wing to that accident that it would destroy you…

I just want you to know that... I never once blamed you or resented you for me not being able to fly… I only wish I could have found a way to hide the truth from you without hurting you at all.

Feeling her eyes beginning to water again, Rainbow Dash clenched them shut and shook her head. Blue Bolt… why didn’t you just tell me? She thought to herself while staring blankly toward the door. Seeing her friends looking back at her with concerned expressions, she stiffened her own expression and turned to Nurse Redheart.

“I want to see him,”

Redheart frowned softly and shook her head. “I’m afraid that’s not possible,”

“What do you mean it’s not-OW!” Rainbow yelped suddenly and clutched her wing while sitting back down on her bed. Fluttershy and Twilight gently rested their hooves on her shoulders, partially to comfort her, and partially to keep her sitting still.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t see him right now,” The nurse explained adamantly. “He’s in intensive care, and you aren’t exactly healthy as a horse yourself. The best thing for both of you is to rest while we work on fixing you up,”

Rainbow Dash huffed angrily. “How am I supposed to rest knowing that Blue could be dying?!”

Redheart frowned slightly, understanding where the cyan mare was coming from. “I’m sorry… but you will have to try.” She said while making her way back out of the room. As the nurse opened the door and stepped out, the six mares were left by themselves.

After Redheart left, Rainbow Dash deflated back onto her bed with a frustrated huff. She rubbed her hooves down her face and struggled to at least make an attempt at calming down.

“I can’t believe this is happening…” She groaned, her voice muffled through her hooves. Suddenly, the cyan mare felt a hoof being rested on her shoulder. As she looked up, she saw Twilight at the front of the group, a saddened expression on her face.

“Rainbow Dash… I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help,” Twilight said with a regretful tone, doubtlessly already mentally pouring over everything she could have done differently to reach her friend sooner so this wouldn’t have happened.

Rainbow Dash softened her expression as she saw a familiar look on her friend’s face. Twilight was probably beating herself up more than the fall from the cliff had beaten Rainbow and Blue Bolt up.

“Hey, don’t feel bad. Me and Blue are safe now… and we have you in part to thank for that judging from what Fluttershy told me on the way here,” She said with a grateful smile. Suddenly, her thoughts shifted elsewhere. “Although, do you think that… maybe there’s a way for Tom to get here and help Blue?” She suggested, full of hopeful optimism and more than a hint of desperation.

Twilight shook her head sadly. “Sorry, but I don’t think that would be possible. Tom is out on a job really far away. Even if he dropped everything and came running, which I’m sure he would if he knew, it would take him at least a day to get here,” She looked down briefly before rubbing her shoulder. “Time… that Blue Bolt wouldn’t have,”

“So… you’re telling me that there really is nothing we can do except for waiting and seeing if he survives or not?” Rainbow Dash asked in a stunned and surprisingly quiet voice, perhaps due to the shock of the situation setting in.

“I’m afraid so…” Twilight said, looking down and away from her friend.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened again, offering a brief distraction to the gloom that was felt by the six ponies. As they looked over, they were greeted with the sight of a white unicorn and an orange pegasus stepping into the already crowded room.

“Rainbow Dash!” Glitterball smiled excitedly as she saw the cyan mare on the bed. She and her companion walked forward and met the others in gathering near their mutual friend. “I’m so glad that they found you. You were really starting to worry us,”

Rainbow Dash managed a smile, pushing her gnawing tension aside as she focused on the two mares. “Guys… I almost can’t believe you’re here,”

Sunspot smirked playfully. “Well, you better believe it. You might still be stuck in that forest if we didn’t show up,”

While Sunspot merely stood and smiled at the pegasus, Glitterball opted to move a bit closer to initiate a hug. And after embracing the unicorn, Rainbow Dash roped in the orange mare as well before letting them both go.

“Thank you… both of you, for dropping everything and coming down here so fast,” Rainbow said, looking between the two ponies with a warm expression.

Glitterball nodded. “Of course… anytime,”

“Tom, Sparkplug and Glimmer Shine wanted to come too… but someone had to stay behind and take care of the job,” Sunspot explained.

Rainbow Dash lowered her expression slightly at the mention of the human and the stallion. “Will they be ok by themselves?”

“Are you kidding?” Sunspot tilted her head. “Tom is probably going to obliterate whatever gets in the way of coming down here to see you as soon as possible. Personally, I feel bad for the monster,” She jested, though it seemed like the cyan mare didn’t feel like laughing.

Rainbow Dash sighed and decided to at least get somewhat comfortable. She moved to lie down on her pillow, moving slowly and cringing as her wing brushed against the bed. Finally, she managed to make it the rest of the way.

Seeing how uncomfortable and exhausted the pegasus was, Twilight frowned slightly. “Maybe we should let you rest for a while,” She suggested, hopeful that Rainbow Dash would agree.

“Umm…” Rainbow looked down for a moment uncomfortably. As much as she wanted to keep the others with her until she could go see Blue Bolt, she couldn’t exactly ask that of them. “Yeah… that’s probably a good idea,”

Rarity offered a small smile and rested a hoof on her friend’s bedside. “Get well soon, darling. We’ll come see you later,” She said, to which the others nodded in agreement.

While the group was starting to leave, Rainbow Dash looked to Fluttershy and frowned as she thought about how Blue Bolt was doing. Her expression only worsened as she thought about what he had said to her out in the forest.

“Fluttershy, hold on…”

Hearing her friend calling for her, Fluttershy paused at the door and turned around. “Hmm?” She tilted her head curiously, only to be met with the sight of a very gloomy and pensive pegasus.

“Could… could you stay for a while longer? There’s some stuff I want to talk with you about,” Rainbow Dash explained hesitantly.

Hearing the unease in her friend’s voice, Fluttershy’s expression lowered slightly. Still, she nodded and said her goodbyes to the others before they left out the door and closed it behind them.

Fluttershy looked over to her cyan friend, only to see the pegasus sitting up and looking back at her with a sense of quiet hesitation. “So… what did you want to talk about?” She asked, hoping to reassure the uneasy mare.

Rainbow Dash shrugged before reaching over and patting a spot near the foot of the bed. “You might want to sit down for this… There’s a lot of stuff I need to tell you,” She suggested.

The expression being given to her didn’t exactly give Fluttershy the gist that they were about to have a fun and happy conversation, but she needed to hear what her friend had to say. After walking over to the bed, she hopped up and sat down near the edge so she could turn and look at the cyan pegasus.

“I’m all ears.” She nodded.

After a bit of a pause to think of how or even where to start, Rainbow Dash started explaining in detail everything that had happened to her and Blue Bolt after they fell into the forest.

Fluttershy was shocked to hear that the cyan mare and her stallion companion had gone through so many horrible things; From being chased by timberwolves, to falling into a river and getting an infected gash, to even sleeping in a tree. Still, somehow the yellow mare could tell that her friend was merely passing time and building up to talking about something even more troubling. And finally, her thoughts were confirmed.

Rainbow Dash trailed her eyes over to a clock on the nearby wall pensively, partially to wonder how Blue Bolt was doing, and partially to think about how to say what needed to be said. “Umm… Flutters, I…”

“What is it?” Fluttershy asked hesitantly, noting how her friend was looking down sadly.

“There’s…” Rainbow sighed, “there’s something I need to tell you, but it’s pretty heavy,” She explained, finally managing to look the yellow mare in the eyes.

Fluttershy smiled reassuringly. “It’s ok… you can tell me,”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course,” Fluttershy nodded confidently. “I’m already sitting down after all. Whatever you have to say, go ahead and say it,” She adopted a serious expression and prepared for whatever Rainbow Dash was about to tell her.

Seeing the reassuring expression on her friend’s face only made Rainbow even more hesitant. She shrugged uncomfortably and ran a hoof through her hair before directing her attention back to the yellow mare. “Blue Bolt… hasn’t been able to fly since he left school,” She said plainly before falling silent and waiting to see how the normally timid pony would react to such shocking news.

“Wh… what?” Fluttershy muttered in a confused and mildly stunned tone. It took a solid second or two for the words to sink in, and by then she had reeled back slightly. “What are you talking about?”

Rainbow Dash frowned as she continued. “I thought nothing weird of it when he told me he broke his wing during the fall like I did, but I guess that was what he wanted. As it turns out… he pinched a nerve about a week before the big dance. The doctors said he would never fly again, and apparently, he hasn’t flown since,”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened slightly as she thought back to the week before the dance. “Oh my gosh… is… is that why he was acting so strange all of a sudden?” She asked hesitantly. Rainbow Dash merely nodded, causing her to cover her mouth in shock. “No… that can’t be true. Why didn’t he tell us?” She held back a sniffle and some tears. “No… it doesn’t matter. I… I-I should have seen that something was wrong. I should have-”

“Fluttershy… please don’t do that,” Rainbow Dash interrupted softly, leaning forward and putting a hoof on her friend’s shoulder.

Fluttershy turned away, most likely to hide the fact that she was crying, and shook her head. “But… but… I was his friend just as much as you were. If something was wrong with him, I should have done something!”

“He made sure that nobody at school knew about it. Even I didn’t know something was up… even though it seems so obvious now,” Rainbow explained in what she hoped would be a reassuring manner. “I probably should have known something was off when I first saw him in Ponyville. He was wearing the cast we gave him. I was so out of it from seeing him again that I didn’t even really notice it.” She paused and adopted a saddened expression as her thoughts drifted elsewhere. “I’ve kept pushing him away ever since we started the hike, and it only got worse in the forest. He went so far to keep me from knowing, that he made me think he left because he didn’t like me… If only I knew.”

Fluttershy frowned sympathetically as she saw the beginnings of tears welling up in the cyan mare’s eyes. “Rainbow Dash…” She reached forward, only to have the pegasus gently pull away.

“I can’t even make it up to him…” Rainbow said, her voice growing shakier by the minute. “There’s so much I want to say to him… that I should have said to him all along, but I can’t do it! He’s in there dying, and the last memories he will have of me is me treating him like a piece of trash.”

Fluttershy left the cyan mare in silence for a moment, unsure of what she could say to make her friend feel better. Still, it pained her to see the normally boisterous pony in such a sad state. Finally, she reached forward and wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow’s shoulders to pull the stubborn mare into a hug.

“Dashie… Cheer up,” She cringed to herself as she realized she still didn’t have anything to say that would actually help.

“How am I supposed to cheer up at a time like this?” Rainbow Dash asked, trying her best to stiffen up despite the warm embrace she was held in.

After a moment of thought, Fluttershy pulled back and looked the cyan mare in the eye, despite how reluctant she might have been. “You have to cheer up… Do you really think that Blue would want to see you like this when he gets better?” She suggested, hopeful that her words would have some kind of effect.

Rainbow Dash simply stared back at her friend in silence for a moment as the words sank in. She thought back to how hard the stallion had tried to lift her spirits back in the forest, almost as if it made him uncomfortable just to see her sad or afraid. She wondered what his response would be if he could see her now.

Finally, Rainbow looked down and sniffled loudly. She wiped her eyes and did her best to recompose herself before looking back up at Fluttershy. “You’re… you’re right. I have to act like I’m going to see him again… because I am. He didn’t give up on me, so I’m not going to give up on him,” She said, managing to put on a determined expression, to the point where she actually cracked a small smile.

“There’s the Rainbow Dash I know,” Fluttershy smiled warmly. As her eyes drifted away from her friend and around the room, she suddenly noticed the clock on the wall and raised her eyes in surprise. “Oh my… look how late it is,”

Rainbow Dash was just as surprised to see how much time had passed since they started talking. “Wow… I think we talked all the way through visiting hours,” She looked to the yellow mare and shrugged. “Well, I guess I should say goodbye.”

Fluttershy frowned slightly as she got up from the bed. “Are you sure? I don’t think Nurse Redheart would mind if I stay with you a while longer,”

“No… Thanks, but no,” Rainbow said with a contented smile. “I think I’m alright now… And besides, my wing is killing me. I should probably actually get some rest,” She explained, struggling to stretch her back without causing a painful outburst from her wing.

After a moment of thought, Fluttershy nodded and smiled softly. “Alright… I’ll see you first thing tomorrow,” She said while walking over to the door and opening it. Stepping outside and preparing to leave, she lingered for a moment and looked back to her friend. “Get well soon.”

Rainbow Dash nodded and waved as the yellow mare closed the door and walked off. She was once again left with nothing to keep her company except for her thoughts. “I’ll try…” She muttered, briefly looking at her wing and bandaged up stomach with a frown.

After struggling for a moment to find a comfortable position, she shrugged and laid back against the pillow. Although she couldn’t see exactly how dark it was through the closed window blinds, she was fairly certain it was night already. Still, with all the troubling thoughts running through her mind, she somehow knew that it was going to be a while before she actually got any rest.

---

Time ticked by for what seemed like an eternity in the darkened hospital room. Although the nurses had deemed it late enough to sleep, it wasn't until much later that the cyan pegasus managed to nod off.

Before she knew it, Rainbow Dash slowly opened her eyes, only to find daylight streaming softly through the window. She felt drowsy, though she wasn’t sure if this was due to her exhaustion or the pain meds she was doubtlessly on.

“Ugh…” Rainbow groaned as she moved a little in an attempt to stretch her aching body. She was already starting to heal, but she was still sore enough to discourage any sudden movements.

Feeling the way she did, she decided to go back to sleep for a while. Her mind was still hazy, and the only thing she was thinking about was how comfortable the bed and blankets were.

Either a few minutes or even a few hours passed when an abrupt click stirred the pegasus from her sleep.

Rainbow Dash turned over, barely even cognitive, and looked toward the door to see Nurse Redheart entering the room.

The nurse looked over at the freshly-awoken pegasus and smiled slightly. “Good morning,” She walked over to the bed and paused. “I’m sorry to wake you, but there is something important I thought you should know about,” She explained, her earlier smile fading into a bit of a somber look.

Rainbow stared at the white mare for a moment while processing her words. Finally, she perked up and turned over all the way. “Is it about Blue Bolt?” She asked eagerly.

“Yes,” Redheart nodded. She started to speak again, only to be cut off by Rainbow Dash speeding off into a mess of questions.

“Really? Did you fix up his wounds yet? Did he ever wake up?” Rainbow’s face paled slightly and she gasped as she came to the next logical thought in her head. “Oh my gosh… is he… is he-”

“Slow down!” Redheart interrupted the frantic pony. “Easy… He isn’t dead. He has actually improved quite a bit since last night,” She assured.

Once she heard how the stallion was doing, all of the tension practically vanished from Rainbow Dash’s body. She let out a sigh of relief while resting her head back against the pillow behind her. “Thank Celestia…”

“You should be thanking somebody. We had a few close calls during his operations, but he did not want to quit. We managed to stabilize him… for the moment at least,” Redheart said with a pleased expression. “That’s also why I’m here,”

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash tilted her head with a confused expression. “What do you mean?”

“Well… because his condition isn’t nearly as critical as it was, we moved him to a room so we could keep an eye on him. And since you aren’t bedridden or anything… I figured you might want to see him,” Redheart explained.

The nurse smiled as she watched the excitement building on Rainbow Dash’s face. “Heck yeah, I want to see him!” The pegasus exclaimed while ripping her covers off and sitting up.

“Easy does it, Rainbow Dash. You’re going to rip your stitches,” Redheart cautioned, chuckling as she saw how energetic the formerly lethargic pony had gotten. Despite the risk to her sore body, Rainbow didn’t seem to care as long as she got to see her friend. “Now, bear in mind that he is still unconscious. You’ll need to let him rest, but you can stay with him for a while as long as you stay out of our way when needed.”

Rainbow Dash nodded understandingly, managing to rope in her enthusiasm for a moment. “Ok, got it.”

Redheart nodded as well. “Alright… follow me and I’ll take you to him.”

Without skipping a beat, Rainbow Dash hopped out of bed and followed the nurse out of her room and into the halls of the hospital. Their progress was a bit slow going due to Rainbow’s soreness, but she didn’t mind one bit.

Eventually, the pegasus stopped as her guide paused in front of a room. Nurse Redheart opened the door a crack and peeked inside before hesitating and turning to her companion. “He is stable for now, but… he does look a little rough around the edges. It might come as a bit of a shock,”

However confident she was that she would be fine, Rainbow Dash took a moment to prepare herself before nodding. “It’s ok.”

The nurse gave a passing thought as to whether or not the cyan mare’s calm resolve would last. She then turned back toward the room and shrugged internally as she opened the door and ushered her companion inside.

As Redheart stepped further into the room, Rainbow Dash had to take a moment as she finally saw how the stallion was doing.

Blue Bolt was lying in bed, much like she had been since her stay at the hospital, although his condition looked much more severe than hers ever did. The stallion was wrapped up in numerous bandages from the neck down, many of which held dark stains on them that were undoubtedly blood.
There was an oxygen mask placed over his face, connected to one of the various machines to the side of the bed that was assisting with keeping him alive. A shrill beep pierced the air every few seconds, indicating that the stallion was hooked up to a heart monitor as well.

Seeing her friend in such poor shape came as a shock to Rainbow Dash, despite how prepared she might have been. Still, she managed to contain her reaction to a mere gasp and internalized her other feelings.

Turning to see Nurse Redheart checking in on the stallion’s health, she couldn’t help but wonder how bad he must have been if this was an improvement worthy of note. “Is he… going to wake up?” She asked, more than a hint of concern in her voice.

“Assuming all goes well, he should be fine. He just needs some time to rest and heal,”
Redheart turned to see the cyan mare watching the stallion from a fair distance away, almost like she was afraid to get closer. “You can get a bit closer than that if you want,” She explained with a slight smirk.

With approval from the medical professional in the room, Rainbow Dash cautiously inched forward. She walked until she was at the head of the bed, right next to the stallion. After glancing back to Redheart, she moved in a little closer and gently grabbed the stallion’s hoof and gave it a squeeze. “Hey... “

Redheart quickly finished her check-up and walked toward the door. She turned to see the cyan mare settling in next to the stallion and smiled. “I’ll leave you alone with him for now… Be sure and be gentle with him,” She explained, receiving a nod in response.

As the sound of the door closing signaled the nurse’s exit, Rainbow had the room to herself, aside from the stallion next to her, although she had a feeling he wasn’t going to be very talkative at the moment.

“Blue… I told you to be careful,” Rainbow Dash frowned as she thought back to the last few minutes she had in the forest. “Why do you always have to go out of your way to protect me?” She looked over, only to see her companion’s unmoving expression. After shaking her sad thoughts from her mind, she reaffirmed her grip on his hoof and shifted her expression to a more somber one.

“Well… it doesn’t matter now. I’m going to take care of you for once,” She resolved. Seeing how the stallion wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, she got as comfortable as possible and watched over him.

---

The day went on without the cyan mare as she stayed at her position by her friend’s side. She never left him for longer than a few moments. Nurses came and went, and even a few of her other friends came by and stayed with her for a while. Fluttershy stayed the longest out of the group, but even she had to leave once visiting hours were over.

As the sun reached the end of its long trip through the sky, Nurse Redheart walked into the room to check in on the two pegasi.

Redheart opened the door, looking down at a chart she was carrying. As she trailed her eyes upwards, she noticed the cyan pony right where she left her, only this time something was different. Rainbow Dash was barely awake, struggling to not fall asleep as she leaned up against the nearby wall.

“You know… he will be here tomorrow. You can go get some sleep,” Redheart stated in passing as she walked over to check on the stallion’s health.

Rainbow Dash barely paid notice to her visitor. She yawned and stretched before shaking herself a bit to maintain what little energy she had left. “That’s fine… I can sleep right here if I need to,”

Redheart cocked an eyebrow as she looked at the cyan mare. However needlessly difficult she was making things for herself, the nurse couldn’t help but admire her sheer stubbornness. “I suppose you could, but it probably wouldn’t do you any favors… or him for that matter,” She said flatly.

“Sleep is overrated anyway,” Rainbow added, her drowsy voice betraying her words. She leaned forward and grabbed the stallion’s hoof reassuringly. “Don’t worry Blue… I’m-” She yawned, “not going anywhere.”

The white mare shook her head and smiled softly at the exhausted pegasus before deciding to finish up her inspection. Seeing that everything was in order with the stallion, she turned and started toward the door. “Goodnight, Dash.”

Rainbow Dash let her head flop down onto the side of the bed. Just feeling the soft mattress almost made her conk out instantly, but she somehow managed to keep her eyes open.

Much to her surprise, she started to feel something else. Her hoof was still loosely holding onto Blue Bolt’s, but she could feel him squeezing back. The sudden sensation made her head shoot up. As she visually confirmed what she was feeling, her face lit up with excitement.

“Redheart! He’s moving!” She exclaimed eagerly.

Redheart, having barely even stepped out of the room, paused and quickly spun around. As she walked back in, she saw the cyan mare revitalized and sitting right by the stallion. And much to her stunned surprise, she started to see the unconscious pony stirring.

As the white mare rushed back over and stood on the opposite side of the bed, Rainbow Dash watched the stallion’s movements getting more and more pronounced over time.

Finally, Blue Bolt slowly opened his eyes.

Blue groaned softly, a sound which was muffled even further by the oxygen mask over his face. He seemed to be uneasy and confused as he trailed his eyes around and found himself in such a state.Eventually, he looked over and saw the cyan pony sitting next to the bed. “R...Rainbow?” He mumbled, either from weakness or the mask.

Rainbow Dash beamed a cheerful grin back at the stallion. “You… you…” She suddenly shifted her expression to a more upset one. “You feather-brained idiot!”

Blue Bolt tried to recoil further into the bed. He shifted his eyes over to the nurse present, though she could only shrug her shoulders at him. “Wh… what?”

“I thought you were going to die!” Rainbow gently hit the side of his leg. She let out a sigh of pent up emotions before managing to smile again. “Don’t ever do anything that stupid again.”

“Umm… ok…?” Blue muttered, confused by the mixed signals he was receiving. He narrowed his expression as he looked down at the oxygen mask that was muffling his every word. “Can I take this thing off?” He asked, looking over to Redheart.

The nurse briefly thought about the matter before nodding. “I suppose so,” She reached forward and started taking the device off. After some difficulties, the white mare finally removed the obnoxious mask from the stallion’s face. “There… is that better?”

“Much…” Blue Bolt stated, enjoying the feeling of taking in some air unassisted. He looked back over to Rainbow Dash with a more curious expression. “So, I guess this means we made it back to town?”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah… Fluttershy and the others found us after you tried to fight that timberwolf,”

“Oh yeah…” Blue winced slightly as he noted his many injuries. “How could I forget about that?”

“It’s going to be at least a few days before you can get out of here, but don’t worry,” Rainbow Dash said. “I’ll be right here with you.” She rested her hoof on his side reassuringly.

Seeing the cyan mare expressing so much compassion for him made Blue Bolt frown slightly. Still, he decided to adopt a brighter expression so as to not worry his friend.

Nurse Redheart cleared her throat awkwardly and stepped back toward the door. “Well, I suppose I’ll leave you two alone. I’ll bring you up something to eat in a little bit… you must be starving.”

Upon hearing mention of food, both of the ponies felt their stomachs rumbling. Rainbow Dash, in particular, seemed to be the most affected by her hunger, despite the fact that she had eaten a little last night and earlier in the day. “Ugh… yes please,”

The nurse nodded and left the room, leaving the pair alone.

After a few moments of silently looking up at his cyan companion, Blue Bolt grew uneasy as he thought back to the events that transpired in the forest. “Rainbow, I uh…” He shifted under the covers, struggling to come up with words to say. “I think I owe you an apology or two.” He explained somberly, looking back to her with soft eyes.

Rainbow Dash lowered her expression as she saw how gloomy her friend was being. “No… you don’t owe me anything, Blue. Matter of fact, I should be the one apologizing,” She looked down and sighed. “I know I treated you the way I did because I thought you deserved it… but that’s no excuse.”

“Dash…” Blue Bolt frowned slightly. “I was trying to avoid making you feel bad… Ugh, I suck at situations like this,” He mentally slapped himself, mostly because he had a hard time moving his body.

“I think we both do a little bit,” Rainbow said in a calmer voice, trying to get things back on track. “Look, I’m sure there will be plenty of time for both of us to say sorry, but right now… I’m just glad you’re ok,” Hearing this, the stallion smiled softly, which she reciprocated.

“Me too.”

After some time spent talking with each other and enjoying each other’s company, the pair managed to get some food in them, courtesy of Nurse Redheart, and eventually started winding down for the night.

Blue Bolt looked over as he noticed a soft snoring sound. He was met with the sight of Rainbow Dash dozing off, her head resting against the nearby wall, an empty tray of food still present by her side. Seeing the mare sleeping with a relaxed expression made him smile a bit. If the stallion knew her the way he thought he did, he had a feeling that she didn’t get a very restful night’s sleep yesterday.

Feeling a bit tired himself, Blue decided to get some sleep himself. He would be stuck in bed for a while still, but for right now he just wanted to focus on resting. Either way, he was confident that his stay at the hospital wouldn’t be so bad as long as the cyan mare was with him.

---

Over the next few days, Blue Bolt and Rainbow Dash mended wounds in more ways than one. They both were very hesitant to hear the other trying to apologize or feel bad for what they had done, but they were at least talking like friends again.

Rainbow Dash’s wounds healed first, and slowly but surely, Blue Bolt followed suit. Finally, the day arrived that the hospital deemed him healthy enough to be discharged.

The stallion slowly walked into the lobby of the hospital, being assisted by Rainbow Dash. He might have been better than he was before, but he was still a fair bit sore. As the pair exited out into the otherwise empty lobby, they were greeted with the sight of five mares that were exceedingly eager to see them.

Fluttershy and the others cheered as they watched Blue Bolt walking over to them on his own merit. They gently wrapped him up into their huddle, along with Rainbow Dash, and shared their excitement with them both.

“Thank you, guys… for everything,” Blue Bolt said with a warm smile. The group had made sure to visit him and send him get-well-soon gifts just as much as they had with the cyan mare.

“Anytime,” Applejack said with a friendly smirk.

“Of course,” Rarity nodded graciously and smiled. “We couldn’t just let a new neighbor feel unwelcome on his first week in Ponyville, and we certainly couldn’t let a new friend feel that way either.”

Blue seemed surprised to be receiving such friendly statements. “Really…? You guys really want to be friends so soon?” He asked curiously. Although he already knew Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, the other four mares were mostly strangers to him.

Pinkie Pie shoved her way to the forefront of the group so she could address the stallion. “Of course we do, silly!” She wrapped a foreleg around both Blue Bolt and Rainbow Dash. “Any friend of Rainbow Dash is a friend of mine. And besides, we’re going to be at a party! I’m sure there will be plenty of time to get to know each other!” She stated eagerly, much to the confusion of the blue pony.

“Umm… e-excuse me?” Blue Bolt looked at the energetic mare with a confused expression as she hugged him and his cyan companion closer to her. “Did you say something about… a party?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled as she saw the uncertainty in her friend’s face. “Welcome to the world of Pinkie Pie. Fun is mandatory, and so are parties.”

“Come on, slowpokes! We’re going to be late,” Pinkie said, ushering the group along toward the exit. “You don’t want to be late to your own party do you?” She asked, looking back to Blue Bolt expectantly.

Blue could only chuckle and shake his head. “I suppose not.”

The group laughed warmly as they walked out into the sun. They were glad to have a new friend in the making, and, more importantly, they were glad that the two pegasi had returned to them in one piece.

After making their way across town, the group arrived at Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie and the others had apparently prepared a welcome home party for the pair. Spike, the cutie mark crusaders, and several others from around town were waiting for them inside, and they were ecstatic to see the two pegasi in good health.

Throughout the rest of the day, Blue Bolt was introduced to the level of fun and happiness that normally came with a Pinkie Pie party. He was also properly introduced to many of the townsfolk, some of whom that had even been part of the attempted search parties that went looking for him and Rainbow Dash. The stallion felt honored to be part of such a caring community that looked out for their own.

Still, after many hours of getting to know everyone better, the day was at its end, and everyone had to leave. Blue Bolt said his goodbyes and thank you’s to Pinkie and the others, paying particular attention to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, before heading home.

As he arrived at his humble abode, he somehow felt eager to get inside and settle in. This was the first time in nearly a week that he had been to his new house in Ponyville, and he felt like he had been living there for years.

Stepping inside, he looked down to his bandaged-up body and sighed. Deciding to head off to bed, he fished his wing-cast out of his backpack, which the others had kindly left here for him after they got back from the hike, and prepared to put it on for the night. For the sake of thought, he tried to move his paralyzed wing a little, only to nod to himself somberly as he confirmed what he already knew.

With his wing secured for the night, Blue Bolt crashed into bed and barely even rolled over before burying his head into his pillow and drifting off to sleep. He was confident that tomorrow would be a fresh start to his new life in Ponyville, and he was looking forward to it.
.
..
…
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

A sudden tapping at his front door stirred the stallion from his sleep. He looked up, only to see that it was still night out. “Who the hay…” He mumbled in a mildly irritated manner before shuffling out of bed.

As he slowly made his way through his house, he struggled to make himself alert enough to be presentable to anyone he might find waiting for him. Still, the knocking came again, confirming that whoever was out there, they didn’t mind waking him up for whatever it was they wanted.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Blue Bolt assured in a drowsy tone as he reached the door and unlocked it. As he opened the door a crack and peered through it, he was surprised to see who was waiting for him.

It was Rainbow Dash.

Not only was it Rainbow Dash, but something was noticeably different about her. The cyan mare wasn’t wearing the cast on her broken wing anymore. Matter of fact, she didn’t have the smaller bandages on her stomach wounds anymore either from the look of it.

“Rainbow Dash…?” Blue Bolt raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Hey, Blue…” Rainbow said with a slight smile and wave.

As he looked closer at the cyan mare, Blue Bolt narrowed his eyes in stunned confusion. It wasn’t just that she wasn’t wearing her bandages anymore; the wound on her stomach was completely gone. “Rainbow, you’re… healthy?”

Rainbow Dash looked down to her side and smiled slightly. Where she once had a mostly-healed gash leading clear over to her side, she now just had skin and fur. “You noticed, eh?” She chuckled and spread her wings for show. Blue Bolt’s confusion and shock merely increased the longer he stared at her.

Noticing the look of absolute confusion on her friend’s face, and trying not to enjoy it too much, Rainbow Dash looked beside her. Curious as to what she was looking at, Blue Bolt opened the door the rest of the way. He stepped back in surprise as he saw someone else standing there. Not only was it someone else, but it wasn’t even a pony.

A blue-suited human boy was standing beside the cyan mare. He had lightish blonde hair and a casually friendly expression on his face.

The boy stuck out his hand to the still awestruck stallion. “Hey… I’m Thomas Greene, but you can call me Tom if you want,” He said, eliciting a slight smirk from the mare beside him.

Blue Bolt blankly reached forward and grabbed the human’s hand, letting the boy do most of the work while he was still staring ahead in shock. “Umm… h-hello, Tom,” He said, unsure of how he should be acting in the face of such a famous figure. “I’m Blue Bolt.”

Tom glanced over at Rainbow Dash, who nodded to him in response before nudging toward the stallion. “Rainbow Dash tells me that you’ve got a bit of a problem with your wing,” He stated simply, looking down at the cast that the stallion was wearing.

Blue Bolt looked down and realized that he was still wearing his cast. He swallowed uncomfortably, looking to Rainbow Dash with an overwhelmed expression before shifting his attention back to the human. “Y-Yes… I suppose I do,” He stepped out of the way and motioned inside. “Please, come in… make yourself at home,” He offered.

Tom nodded and walked past the stallion, who was still staring, before disappearing into the house.

Rainbow Dash started to walk in as well until she was stopped by Blue Bolt stepping in front of her. He seemed to have a nervous expression on his face. “Something wrong, Blue?”

“Rainbow Dash… what are you doing?” Blue Bolt asked in a mildly embarrassed manner.

“What do you mean?” Rainbow asked with a raised eyebrow. “I told you my friend could have helped your wing back in school. He just got back to town tonight. And since you’re still paralyzed and everything, I asked him if he wouldn’t mind coming over and healing you,” She explained lightheartedly.

“Heal me?” Blue repeated, almost like he was still coming to terms with what was happening. “Can he even do that… like, for real?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled, enjoying the stallion’s uncomfortable behavior a bit more than she should have. “Of course he can! We wouldn’t be here if he couldn’t,” She assured. Still seeing her friend looking back at her in stunned shock, she sighed and grabbed ahold of him. “Come on, Blue. Let’s go get you airborne,” She insisted while shutting the door and dragging him inside his own home.

As Blue Bolt loosely followed behind the cyan mare, they walked into his living room only to find the human waiting for them.

Rainbow Dash patted the stallion on the shoulder before turning to her human friend. “Alright, Tom… he’s a little bit shy, so go easy on him,” She explained. Blue Bolt glared at her from the side, only serving to make her smirk even more.

Tom got up and walked over to the pair. He knelt down and glanced over to the stallion’s casted wing. “I assume this is the one?” He asked semi seriously while pointing to the bound appendage.

“Y-Yeah…” Blue Bolt nodded. He quickly removed the cast before sitting down and letting the human go to work, despite how anxious and uneasy he felt. Tom started by gently unfolding his wing and examining it, only serving to further his discomfort.

While Tom was using his fingers to examine the wing’s bone structure, being careful not to cause any undue pain of course, he turned to the stallion curiously. “If you don’t mind me asking, it would help if I knew exactly what is wrong with it,”

Blue Bolt still seemed a bit hesitant about this whole situation, but he decided to comply. After all, he didn’t want to waste the human’s time. “I fell on it a few years ago and broke it pretty badly. It was starting to heal, but apparently, I had a hairline fracture that went undetected… I got a pinched nerve and haven’t been able to feel very much in it ever since.”

Tom nodded to himself while he kept working. Meanwhile, even Rainbow Dash was starting to feel a bit anxious.

“So…? How does it look, Tom?”

“It shouldn’t be too hard to fix,” Tom reported with a smirk.

Hearing such positive words in relation to his nearly useless wing, Blue Bolt was more than a little astonished and shocked. “Get out of here… are you serious?” He asked, still convinced he was sleeping in his bed and this was some messed up sugar-overdose induced dream he was getting from eating one too many cupcakes at the party.

“Yep… I’m serious as a heart attack… Although to be fair, I could probably take care of that too,” Tom chuckled. He then adopted a blank expression and stopped examining the wing. “Are you ready?” He asked, looking to the stallion and waiting patiently.

Blue Bolt glanced up at Rainbow Dash, who nodded to him in response, before settling his eyes on the human and swallowing uncomfortably. “Ok… h-how does this work? Will it hurt or something?”

“Wouldn’t that be a good thing?” Tom jested. “You haven’t felt anything in your wing for years… I think a little pain would be a step in the right direction,” He glanced up, pausing as he noticed a bit more of a pale expression on the stallion’s face. Rainbow Dash silently glared at the human, causing him to sigh. “In all seriousness though, you won’t feel anything negative… I promise.”

Blue Bolt shrugged. He tensed up a bit before forcing himself to relax to make it easier on the human. Despite how unsure he was of what was going to happen, he nodded and remained silent while Tom got to work.

The human positioned his hand over the base to Blue Bolt’s wing. After focusing for a moment, a mesmerizing blue glow radiated out of his palm along with a low hum.

The sight of the breathtaking phenomenon was enough to leave the stallion speechless. As the light shone onto his wing, he felt a pleasant warmth all over his side, along with a mild tingling sensation.

Much to his own surprise, the tingling sensation started traveling up into his broken wing. Blue Bolt widened his eyes slightly as the feeling slowly returned in the feathery appendage. Seeing the stallion so amazed made Rainbow Dash smile. She could tell that the process was working, not that she doubted the human’s abilities.

After a few moments had passed, the light dimmed from Tom’s hand and vanished, leaving the areas it touched to cool down in the comparatively chilly house. The human stood up and brushed himself off dismissively. “There you go. It should be good as new now,” He stated simply.

Blue Bolt’s jaw was still agape from witnessing the spectacle taking place. He looked down to his wing, feeling a wave of tingly excitement welling up inside of him. Slowly, he tried moving the once paralyzed wing.

It took a moment due to the appendage being numb for so long, but sure enough, the stallion managed to move the wing up and down in a flapping motion. As soon as he did, a huge smile spread across his face.

“Heh… heheh… I’m doing it… I’m actually doing it!”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but share in the stallion’s excitement. “See? I told you it would work!”

“Tom… I don’t even know what to say,” Blue Bolt stated, unable to stop smiling to some degree. “Thank you so much.”

The human chuckled as he watched the eager pony. He wasn’t sure if Blue was going to shake his hand or hug him if he got any closer, so he simply nodded. “Don’t mention it.”

“So,” Rainbow chimed in, a slight smirk building on her face. “Don’t you want to go try out your new wings?” She nodded toward the window. As she expected, Blue Bolt paused for a moment before smiling and rushing off. “Look at him… he’s like a colt in a candy shop,” She shared a chuckle with her human friend before they both started walking after the eager stallion.

As they stepped outside, the pair saw Blue Bolt waiting for them anxiously. Either he waited for them because he didn’t want them to miss such a big moment for him, or he felt nervous about trying to fly on his own. Either way, he was ecstatic to see them catching up with him.

Rainbow Dash looked around at the clear night sky. It was perfect flying weather, despite how late it was. No matter how high the stallion wanted to go, he would have free reign. “Well, go on! We’re waiting!”

Blue Bolt looked down to his wing and adopted a hesitant expression. “I’m… not sure if I even remember how. It’s been so long,” He explained quietly.

Rainbow softened her expression and walked over to her friend. She rested a hoof on his shoulder reassuringly as she gave him a confident look. “I’ll catch you if you fall… Come on, it’ll be just like back in school. Let’s see some flaps, eh?”

With that, the cyan mare backed up a few steps and watched. Not wanting to disappoint, Blue Bolt figured that he should at least try.

After a moment of preparation, Blue started flapping both of his wings in unison. Slow at first, but then gradually building speed, he was surprised by just how fluent his movements were. He was even more surprised as he felt himself lifting up into the air slightly.

Rainbow Dash and Tom watched with impressed expressions as the stallion kept lifting higher. He was a bit wobbly, but he was definitely airborne. The human clapped his hands, while Rainbow Dash cheered excitedly.

“See, what did I tell ya? You’re like a natural!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“Haha!” Blue Bolt chuckled, partially out of nervousness, but mostly out of excitement, as he saw how high up he was getting. He hadn’t seen a view like this since he fell off of a cliff last week.

“I’m flying! I’m really f...Woah!” He yelped, most likely higher in pitch than he intended as he started losing altitude rapidly. He was still beating his wings desperately, but his wing power wasn’t enough to overcome his shaky form. Before he dropped too far, he suddenly felt something grabbing onto him from the front.

“Easy there, tiger,” Rainbow Dash said reassuringly. “I got you.”

Blue Bolt suddenly found himself looking eye to eye with the cyan mare. She was hovering in the air with him, clutching her forelegs around him and helping him to stay airborne with some added wing power. “Hehheh… nice catch,” He chuckled nervously, offering her an appreciative expression. She smiled back at him, enjoying the moment.

After a moment of silence, an uncomfortable cough drew the ponies’ attention toward the ground. They noticed Tom standing there, looking up at them. “Uh… I’m going to head back to the library now and leave you two alone,” The human explained awkwardly.

The pair looked back up at each other, realizing just how they looked. Their faces were barely an inch away, they had been staring into each other’s eyes, and Blue Bolt had instinctively grabbed onto the cyan mare during the fall, much like she had grabbed onto him. They were basically hugging in the air.

Rainbow Dash reeled back slightly, still keeping a grip on the stallion as he reoriented himself to fly better. Once she was certain that he was ok, she let go entirely and cleared her throat. “Right… umm, thanks for the help, Tom,” She called down to the human as he walked away.

Blue Bolt nodded. “Yeah, thanks again!”

The human waved behind him, deciding to keep moving on his way home. After a few moments, the two pegasi were alone again.

Blue Bolt glanced over at the cyan mare and scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. “Does… does he think we’re…?” He paused, letting his companion fill in the blanks.

“What… you mean, like… together?” Rainbow Dash trailed her eyes away, getting a little red in the face. She forced a chuckle and rubbed her shoulder. “No… no way. He knows we’re just friends,” She suggested, a bit of nervousness hidden behind her voice. She hoped that she wouldn’t wake up in the morning with Pinkie Pie or someone else asking her about some rumors floating around town.

“Heh… we would make kind of a cute couple though, wouldn’t we?” Blue Bolt asked, smirking slightly as he watched the blush on his companion’s face spreading, followed by her glaring at him.

“You wish…” Rainbow narrowed her expression slightly. Still, she softened her gaze and smiled as she thought of something. “Although… You do sort of owe me a dance.”

Blue Bolt’s smirk vanished, being replaced by a surprised and slightly hesitant look. “W-what?”

“Come on, Blue… you totally owe me a dance. I don’t care if you broke both your wings back in school… When I ask you to a dance, you say yes,” Rainbow explained with an impish expression.

“Rainbow, take it easy on me… I just got my wings back,” Blue stammered nervously as the cyan mare hovered over to him and took him by the foreleg. With how weak his flying capabilities were, and with how fast and insistent she was, it didn’t look like he had a choice in the matter.

True to her word, Rainbow Dash got the dance she was looking for. It was more or less just the two of them twirling around in the air, but it was close enough for her liking.

Despite how late it was, the pair stayed together for the better part of a few hours. After all, they were finally right where they left off, and they had a lot of catching up to do.