Divergence
The story begins immediately after Pinkie Pie has finished electrocuting Rainbow Dash
Wisps of smoke rose from a trembling blue form. An acrid stench, shattered body and shattered bowels permeated the dank recesses of Sugarcube Corner. Rainbow Dash hung low from her bonds, struggling no longer. Blood oozed across her flanks in shiny streaks.
“Dashie”, Pinkie Pie giggled, “Now you have a rainbow coat too!”
Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, barely able to conceal her unfathomable agony.
“End. . . . please . . . no more . . . please. . .”, she whispered, barely audible in the quiet chamber.
“Oh, Dashie, you know my parties go on for-EVER!”
Pinkie laughed loudly, eyes alit with joy, “It’s time for my favorite party game, pin the tail on the pony! But what should we use for a tail?”
Her eyes glowed in the dim light. Leering at her captive she giggled:
“Lookie here! You brought one for me?”
She gasped, delighted as she stared at Rainbow’s soiled tail. Having given up on struggling, Dash simply whimpered. With a swift hack and a twist of gristle, the tail was severed. A rising howl, faint at first but rising steadily resonated across the stone walls. Pinkie Pie stood silently, stroking the soft tail.
Dash lifted her head, her eyes engrained with a desperate, pleading look. Pinkie watched as her fading friend’s eyes stared into her own, flickered away briefly, and closed. The chained pony’s head slacked downwards: she was unconscious.
“No problem! I have just the pick me up for my tired friend.” She brandished a short syringe.
“P-Pinkie…?”
Pinkie Pie’s eyes widened, her tail twitched. She turned around slowly. Silently cursing herself for not noticing Dash’s stray glance, she put on her best smile.
“Twilight!”
Silence followed, her purple friend stood in shock and horror. Sensing that she had little time to act, Pinkie turned away and grasped a nearby skull. She flung it with enough power to send Twilight reeling onto the floor, knocked cold.
“Oh boy, after we play this game, my other friend can join in too!”
Pinkie Pie hopped over to Rainbow’s motionless form. The syringe that plunged into Dash’s heart awoke her with a crazed scream; she flailed in a spasm of pain.
“Look! A friend decided to join us!”
Dash’s vision blurred, a purple form lay prone across the dirt floor. She began to shed new tears; Twilight’s fate would be as horrendous as hers. She struggled with renewed strength, the last of her energy devoted to helping her friend survive. Pinkie, clearly delighted, readied her prize tail.
“Ok, Dashie, here goes round one!”
The pink pony closed her eyes tight, walking forward. Dash’s eyes widened as she braced herself for the incoming nail that was sticking from her tail. Pinkie surged forward, suddenly piercing her victim on her side, striking her kidney. A rope of pain coursed through her back and spine as the nail twisted. Pinkie Pie opened her eyes and put on an exaggerated frown.
“Aww, it looks like I missed!” She yanked out the tail, giving Rainbow another jolt of pain, “Round two!”
Rainbow Dash saw from the corner of her eye that Twilight was stirring on the floor. Focusing on Pinkie’s face, she forced herself to sob again.
She pleaded, “Please, Pinkie, d-don’t do this to me I –“
Pinkie closed her eyes and shouted, “Here goes!”
Dash’s eyes darted towards Twilight; the unicorn was standing, bristling with rage as white energy crackled from her horn. Sensing something, Pinkie opened her eyes as a bolt of energy sent her flying forwards. The crazed pony collided with Rainbow’s body and careened onto the floor. Dash’s tail was sticking from the leather strap that bound her foreleg. Noticing this, she began to tug at the weakened bond.
Pinkie got up, more crazed than ever, “Cheating? Friends don’t cheat! But fair is fair.”
Yanking out the nail, she quickly plunged it into her prisoner’s ribcage, shattering a rib and allowing more blood to spurt from the Pegasus’ weakened body. Pinkie turned to face Twilight, who was clearly aghast at the sadistic maniac she was confronted with. Aware of Twilight’s apprehension, Pinkie grasped a large knife with her mouth and slowly approached the unicorn.
Rainbow was barely conscious, her hearing and vision flaring with each of her shallow heartbeats.
“. . . .Pie. . . . .calm”, she heard.
The Pegasus struggled to stay awake, her vision skipped; each time her eyes opened, Pinkie was a step closer to her friend. Bringing the last of her effort to bear, she tore her hoof free from the wall and scraped at the nail in her chest. Wiggling most of it free, she swung out with her hoof; the tail lobbed across the room and struck a pile of knives. Pinkie swung her head to look. No longer petrified, Twilight used the distraction to charge Pinkie. White light shone forth, and when the unicorn collided with the surprised torturer, the crazed pony was flung into the wall at a high velocity. A sickening crunch resounded through the room. Rainbow saw her torturer’s head smashed open, a grin still plastered on her face. The cyan pony’s strength failed, and she blacked out for a long time.
Dash awoke to find she was still strapped to the wall. Her friend, she assumed, was put into a magical coma. Dash could not last much longer in her grave state, she knew she was doomed. Wanting nothing more than to lie down and die, she began to sob and shake. She froze suddenly. Someone was descending the stairs, slowly. Dash tensed up; did Pinkie Pie have an accomplice? She was panicking and tried to stifle her cries. The steps quickened and the door burst open. It was Pinkie Pie.
“No! No, no! Noooo!”, she wailed and struggled. Too weak to continue, she blacked out yet again. After what felt like hours, she awoke to find that she was being lowered from the wall. She opened her eyes, expecting only the worst from Pinkie. But Pinkie wasn’t there. Spike, along with Applejack and two medical unicorns were breaking her bonds and gingerly placing her on a stretcher. Applejack noticed she was awake and moved close to her face:
“. . . ok. . . . .-ow Dash . .we’re . . . .-na . . .get you out”
The Pegasus was silent; too dehydrated to cry and too tired to speak, all she could do was stare into Applejack’s streaming eyes.
Apple jack had entered the basement at Spike’s terrified behest. And now, to see Twilight unmoving, Rainbow in such a mangled state, and Pinkie. . . . she couldn’t bear it. The nurse ponies removed the two surviving ponies and brought Pinkie Pie’s body as well. AJ wanted answers; who had done this to her three friends?
Twilight woke up in a hospital bed; Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack moved close to her. Spike jumped up and hugged his best friend:
“Thank goodness you’re awake, I missed you so much!”
The dragon began to cry. Twilight weakly brought up her hoof to his side.
“I’m ok, Spike, I’m ok” She looked around the room as tears began to run down her face, the realization hit her hard: “Oh, what have I done to her?”
The ponies’ eyes widened, AJ put her hoof on the bed:
“Twi . . . what happened? We found you three down there and none of you could say anything . . . who did this?”
Twilight closed her eyes, a pause, when she opened them, they were dark.
“I was heading through town to eat lunch. I came to Sugarcube Corner and decided to say hi to Pinkie. It was empty, that surprised me, so I entered and . . .”,she paused , “Oh the scream, it was horrible it – it was quiet and then it got very loud, I was so scared . . . I was too slow going down the stairs, I should have . . . I should have . . .” Her eyes glanced around the room.
“It’s ok now, Twilight, yah can’t change anything yah did, now what was down there?”
“Rainbow Dash! She was up on the wall and, oh Celestia , she was covered in blood, and her wings! Her wings were gone! I couldn’t move, I wanted to run, but Pinkie Pie was there, I had to make sure, so . . . I said her name and . . .” She choked back a sob, “. . . she was happy. She was smiling. She had Dash’s tail in her mouth. I think she hit me with something, I was so mad, so I hit her with a spell and she went down, I thought she was done but . . . she wasn’t, she was . . . she pushed a nail into Dash and I just watched!”
Twilight wouldn’t talk anymore; she cried as her friends consoled her.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Rainbow was against the wall. This time, Pinkie had nailed her to it. Each tiny movement spiked her body with pain. She moaned in agony. Pinkie came down the stairs:
“Noooooooo, we aren’t done, and this is no party . . .”, her eyes shined with malice, “this is a feast!”
The Pegasus wailed as teeth sunk into her flanks and tore away flesh. Waves of sickening pain nearly caused her to vomit. She twisted and cried out, loud enough that she realized there was no other sound. She opened her eyes to see a white ceiling. The dungeon was gone, but the pain was not. Her eyes darted back and forth; every shadow concealed her torturer, every noise was a gleeful laugh – hiding darker motives. She was so alone. Dash began to tear up, wanting the pain to end. She writhed in her bed, trying to free herself from her bindings, to no avail. A head poked in, pink hair bounced over to Rainbow’s side:
“Look, Dashie, we can finish our fun!” Pinkie produced a long needle and plunged it into the struggling flank.
The nurse began to sweat and called for a doctor. Her patient was desperately trying to avoid the needle in her mouth, the needle that would end her considerable pain.
“Calm down, Ms. Dash, this will make it better!”
The multicolored pony stopped and whimpered as the nurse put in the needle. The frenzied pony twitched and shook:
“Please, Pinkie, don’t hurt me anymore ple. . . .”, her eyes closed and her body relaxed.
“It appears your friend still believes she is a captive. We’ve kept her constantly sedated to prevent her from further damaging her wounds. We are going to try and awaken her tomorrow; our resident psychiatrist recommended you be there, I’m sure you’ll be happy to oblige.”
Twilight answered for the group, “We would love to, she needs our support.”
“Good, she should be awake sometime tomorrow morning.” The doctor left the room quietly.
Applejack turned to look at Twilight, “Are yah sure you’re better? You had a rough time too, yah know.”
“I’m fine,” Twilight replied, “Rainbow went through much more than I did and . . . she saved me, I owe her so much.”
Applejack looked surprised, “Dontcha mean you saved her?”
“No, after I had cast the spell at Pinkie, she came at me with a knife, I froze up, but Dash made a distraction somehow and then I . . . killed Pinkie . . .” Twilight’s face fell.
“Sugar, yah know yah had to, after what she put Rainbow Dash through . . .”
Fresh tears dripped down Twilight’s face:
“I can’t even imagine what was done to her, Celestia help her, she will never be the same . . . her wings . . . was she hooked to wires? She had burns! Pinkie was sticking her with nails! She cut her tail off, AJ, we need to go see her now.”
“Ah’m sorry, Twi, but she won’t even be awake . . .”
“I know, but you heard the doctor, she is still being tormented, I have to help.”
Reluctantly, her friends allowed her to get out of bed. They entered the silent pony’s room and gathered around. Twilight stood over Dash’s drugged form.
“Ok,” she breathed in, “I hope this works.”
A purple beam emanated from her horn and contacted Rainbow’s head. Twilight’s vision went white, and the memory began. Immediately after contact, Twilight’s friends gasped. The unicorn slumped down and began to cry:
“Oh no, no, no, I can’t believe she . . .”
AJ placed a hoof on her friend’s back.
“Twi . . . ? Are you ok?”
“Yes! Yes! But Rainbow isn’t, she really does think Pinkie is still alive. I saw it through her eyes. Fluttershy, I – I need you to go to the library for me, tell Spike to find Mindcraft: Spells of the Consciousness and bring it here, I need his help.”
The next day, the doctor entered Twilight’s room:
“She is awake, but . . . still delusional, are you sure you still want to see her?”
Twilight stood up:
“Yes, I think I can save her, we need to get her out now.”
Rainbow Dash was curled into a fetal ball under her blankets, trembling and releasing pained gasps. The group stood over her bed, waiting for Twilight to step forward. After considering the book for several minutes she closed it and said, “This won’t take long.” Her purple beam contacted the Pegasus and her vision whitened yet again.
Rainbow Dash had endured hours of continuous torture, her shattered mind had given up all feeling. Pinkie was below her, dissecting her abdominal cavity and gleefully displaying each of her organs. Rainbow knew she was going to die soon, and begged for it to come:
“Pinkie,” She whispered, “can you do something for me, as a friend?”
Pinkie looked up:
“Of course, Dashie!”
“End me . . . please”
“Oh, Dash.” Her bright blue eyes brimmed with tears, “. . . of course I can, I know this hurts. It hurts me too . . . it’s been a long time, I’d say you deserve it . . . “
Twilight could not believe her eyes. Against the wall was Dash, as before, but . . . Pinkie had torn her organs from her belly. Pinkie was playing with them as she disemboweled her captive. Twilight had to act fast: concentrating as hard as she could, she muscled her way into Dash’s mind.
Pinkie Pie was readying a knife to finally end Rainbow’s torment. Rainbow looked up with thanks at the deranged pony. Pinkie was poised, knife in the air when she began to shudder. She dropped the knife and clutched her face, eyes twisting in terror. Suddenly she split in half and evaporated, Twilight stood where Pinkie had been writhing. She got close to Dash and held her face.
“Dash this isn’t real, you’re ok, you need to wake up. . . Wake up! Dash, please wake up!”
The pony had fainted. Twilight began to panic; she could not let Rainbow give in now. She readied a powerful spell, her last chance to bring Dash back from the brink. Mustering all of her spirit, she surged with magical power. She touched Dash’s chest with her hoof and spoke: “Awaken”.
Back in the hospital room, Twilight’s beam touched the Pegasus, and soon after, both ponies shuddered as if roused from sleep. There was a brief pause; Twilight spoke softly:
“Rainbow, it’s ok, you see, we’re all here for you, you can’t be harmed anymore.”
The wary pony gazed around the room for a few seconds. She was free; after all of her torture she was now surrounded by her friends. Rainbow, though entirely spent from her ordeal, shed tears of joy, albeit weakly. After several minutes of the comforting presence of her friends, she croaked:
“Twilight, thank you, thank you, I was in so much pain, I wanted to die.”
“I want to thank you Rainbow, you saved me with that distraction back there. You are braver than anypony I’ve ever known!"
“Is she . . .?”, Rainbow whispered, eyes twitching frantically.
“Gone. You are safe with us,” Applejack said, beaming with happiness.
Later that night in the lobby, after they left Rainbow Dash to rest, Twilight spoke to the group:
“I want you all to know that Rainbow and I are lucky to have such good friends, we are both very thankful for all of your support. I have to ask you to promise me something, however,” She paused and looked at each of them, “Don’t ask Rainbow about what was done to her, in real life or in her mind,” she gazed particularly at Spike.
“She went through indescribable torture twice and she should not be reminded of it. Also, I know we all have lives to get back to, but Rainbow’s wings are gone and her legs are badly damaged. She will need our utmost care and attention to get through this. I don’t think Dash has realized what state she is in yet, and I don’t know how much more trauma her mind can handle. We love her so much; let’s make sure she knows we will be behind her until she recovers, even if she never fully does.”
The group of friends smiled.
“You betcha we’ll be behind her!” Applejack said.
Fluttershy chimed in, “We’ll be as loyal to her as she had been to us!”
Rainbow Dash’s eyes were still open. It had been several hours since her friends had left her room. She couldn’t help but replay her ordeal over and over. She was glad it was done, but she could not stop imagining Pinkie Pie coming for her again. She stared at the door, a pale beam of light entering at the base. A shadow eclipsed the light. She gasped and began to tremble as the door creaked open. Exhaling a sigh of relief, she wheezed to the young dragon that had entered:
“It’s a little late for visiting, isn’t it, Spike?”
Spike hopped up on her bed and gave her a hug, her heart thumping hard enough even for him to notice.
“Th-Thank you for saving Twilight, when I saw her lying there I thought she was dead . . . I thought you were both dead. I can’t imagine life without you two; I never got to tell you how glad I am you’re ok.”
“Thanks, Spike, but next time knock first, I almost died of fright!”
“Oh no! I’m sorry, Rainbow, I – I didn’t mean to scare you at all . . .”
Rainbow gave a pathetic chuckle, “I guess I’m still getting used to being free . . .”
“You did WHAT?!?”
Twilight was fuming at the huddled figure before her.
“I . . . I never got to say how happy I was that – “
“You should have waited until morning, you should have known better!”
“I’m sorry! I felt like I had to . . .”
Twilight sighed and began to pace:
“I know, Spike, but you could have made her relapse back to her unstable state,” she paused and thought for a second, “this really isn’t good, she still has fears of being hurt again. I must not have completely cured her . . .” The unicorn looked troubled; resuming her pacing she thought aloud, “I need help from someone with more expertise . . . Rainbow must be free from fear once and for all.”
Two days had passed, and each time the pegasus’ friends visited, she looked more lively . . . except for her eyes. Her eyes, normally a beautiful magenta, were bloodshot and had lost color. Rainbow would not admit that she was still paranoid about her captivity, but by now her friends knew she was subdued.
Later in the afternoon, Twilight entered with a smile and announced, “Rainbow, the Princess herself has come to help your fear!”
Rainbow was not surprised that her friends knew she still trembled in the night; she waited for Princess Celestia to enter. She perked up; maybe soon she could rest easy. Rainbow’s eyes widened further when it was not a white mare that entered but a black one. “Princess Luna!” the group gasped, as they bowed in her presence. After they rose, Luna smiled to them and spoke:
“I would like to speak with Rainbow Dash, alone.”
The weakened pony’s friends lowered their heads and obeyed her. After the door shut, the stoic leader began:
“Now, my child, let me tell you about nightmares. . .”
Many hours later, the dark Princess emerged from the room. The pegasus’ loyal companions all stood.
“I have had much experience with the darkest facets of the mind, and your unfortunate friend was a particularly cruel case, but I think I have shown her the way from her fear. She needs rest now, but tomorrow I am sure you will see that she has slept soundly and will be more than eager to see you again.”
The group smiled and thanked her, returning to their conversations. Luna pulled Twilight aside:
“That was very powerful magic you performed, and I have reason to believe that you have saved both your friend’s body and mind from the abyss . . . My sister has chosen a most able apprentice.” She smiled, but her face returned to resoluteness quickly, “Only you know the full extent of Rainbow Dash’s torture, and I urge you to be aware of any sign of newfound pain. Warn both my sister and I if the slightest hint of such appears.” The shadowy mare paused again, “She has still put the absence of her wings in the corner of her mind, but she will soon have to come to terms with her painful loss. This will be her most vulnerable period, so stay vigilant, stay positive, and most importantly, stay close. She sees you as her savior and her protection from harm; you will be the best pony to help her recuperate, of this you should be very proud.”
Twilight shifted nervously, “Rainbow Dash without her wings . . . I don’t know if I can help her!”
Luna replied calmly, “Rainbow is one of the strongest ponies I have ever had the fortune to meet. She will recover . . . with your help.”
After seeing that Twilight was still unsure, she placed her hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder:
“Worry not, Twilight Sparkle, every pony goes through a dark time,” Luna’s eyes revealed an ancient aura, “and no matter how long or painful, we can always come back from the brink if we choose to.”
With that, the Princess bode farewell and lifted off into the night sky. Most of Twilight’s friends went home to rest, but Applejack had lingered.
“Did Luna tell yah what she did tah Rainbow?”
“No, but I have to prepare to talk to her tomorrow, Luna told me I must help her after she realizes her wings are gone forever.”
Applejack looked determined, “I spoke with the others, and Ah’m the only one who can stay the whole day tomorrow, y’know, ‘cause of Big Mac.” Applejack twitched her head towards the tranquil night outside, “If yah don’t mind, I’d like to help you too, let’s go read up.”
Twilight smiled and followed her friend; with the help of AJ, how could she let Rainbow down?
Raibow felt like a million bits. After all, she had just slept for what seemed to be ages. “Just like old times” she thought. Dash expected her friends to be absent; it couldn’t be very late in the morning. She sighed and leaned back. The injured pony gingerly turned her head to gaze out the window. It was a beautiful day, blue skies, chirping birds, and white, fluffy . . . clouds.
Rainbow felt like an ice cube slid down her throat and plunged into her heart. Her wings, she remembered, we’re gone. She fought back the inexorable tears as she tried to move her nonexistent wings. The tight bandages prevented even the slightest budge of muscle. She relaxed herself again. Dash breathed in deeply for a few minutes and calmed down. Her friends would be here soon and she could talk to them about her wings.
When Twilight and Applejack entered their friend’s room, they smiled; Rainbow was sitting up and just finishing her breakfast.
“Hey, Dash, how do you feel?”
With a mouthful of food she replied, “Oh, pretty good, that sleep really helped me out.” Dash swallowed and laid back, “I’m really glad you guys came, I . . . missed you.” Rainbow Dash looked down, eyes threatening fresh tears.
Applejack was surprised at how much emotion the usually impassive pony was showing:
“Sugarcube,” she said as she nudged up the downcast pony’s head, “you ain’t got no reason tah be ashamed for missin’ us! We miss you every second we can’t be in this room.”
Dash gave a small smile, but her eyes brimmed with sadness, the tears she had held off earlier were attempting to fall again:
“Guys,” she choked back a sob, “What am I going to do about my wi-“ She burst into hysterics as the thoughts she fought to keep at bay were unleashed. Rainbow was nearly screaming, “How am I supposed to live without them, how am I going to work without them ohhohohoooo,” she moaned, “the Wonderbolts . . . that’s all over . . .”
She was hyperventilating now. Both of her friends were beside her, rubbing her back and trying to calm her down.
“We know it’ll be tough, Dash, but we’ll walk yah through this. Yah still got the meanest pair of legs on yah; I wouldn’t count yourself out just yet!”
Dash hardly seemed to lighten up, but after a few minutes, her breathing returned to normal, save for a few remaining sniffles.
“I’ve gone over it so many times. Every unoccupied second I have, I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m sorry I’ve been so selfish, I’m lucky to be alive, forget the wings.”
Twilight spoke next, “Rainbow, I know you’ve been hurt badly, but I can’t watch you give up on yourself.” Violet eyes met magenta. “I think I have a plan.”
Less than a week later, Rainbow Dash was permitted to leave the hospital. Her legs were shaky, weak, and painful, but she managed to walk slowly with her friends. Applejack watched her injured friend closely:
“Are yah sure yah can do this, da yah want me to-“
“No.” Dash interjected, “I got this.”
Applejack and Twilight exchanged worried glances. A few yards further, her rear legs wobbled and gave out; the blue Pegasus fell back on her haunches. If it had been anyone else, AJ would have found it comical, but now she rushed to her friend’s aid.
“I guess I could use that help”, Rainbow Dash muttered sullenly.
Applejack worked tirelessly, every morning was spent walking, and later, running. Rainbow was improving, slowly, but she was still cross about her wings.
“I’m glad she’s gone”, spat the angry pony, as AJ applied ointment to her healing hooves, “she killed those others and she ruined my life.”
Applejack was used to these outbursts, “Dash, she’s gone and yah can’t change what she did. You can, however, focus on getting back up to strength and not on what you can’t help.”
Dash didn’t expect such a frustrated answer, she apologized, “I’m sorry, AJ . . . I forget sometimes, I . . . I . . . hate who I am . . . what does loyalty mean if all I do is think about myself?”
“Yer strong. Yah have friends who care about yah, and if yah don’t remember, yah saved your friend’s life when most ponies would have given up and died. Everyone knows how far yah will go tah help your friends. Now come one, let’s get back to the ru-“
“AJ! Dash!” Twilight was running towards them, “I hope I’m not interrupting but I need you to come with me!”
Back in the library, the trio sat down with Twilight’s mentor, Princess Celestia:
“While you have been recuperating Rainbow here,” she smiled, “my bright pupil has been doing research.” She gestured towards the blushing unicorn. “Rainbow Dash, I need to be very clear, what we are about to tell you must not be taken lightly. You will never be your old self, and you will have to train diligently.”
The rainbow-maned pony looked confused,” Wha - what are you talking about?”
Twilight stepped up, “Dash, I think we can regrow your wings . . .”
Dash’s head swam, surely she had misheard, “But . . . but . . . really?”
Celestia gave her a knowing look, “It is a painful process and most vitally. . .” she stared into Dash’s eyes, “I need you to promise to me that you will treat them delicately; they will not be your old wings. They will be fragile, and due to the difficult process of regrowth, you will likely only get one chance.”
Dash was ready to cry with joy, “I promise! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthnkyou” she hugged the Princess, Twilight, Applejack, and a bewildered Spike who had been replacing books nearby, as she pranced around the room.
Twilight had expected an emotional reaction, but she had forgotten about the boisterous nature that had just surfaced in her friend. She couldn’t help but laugh as the Pegasus danced for joy. After Rainbow regained her composure, Twilight spoke up:
“Ok, Dash, I want to reiterate: these won’t be racing wings, they will be much weaker than your old ones, do you understand?” The Pegasus nodded. “Also, you are going to have to do a lot of studying with me, this magic involves you just as much as it involves me.”
She nodded again, Rainbow had a fighting glint back in her eyes. Applejack began to grin, this was the first time she had seen that look since before the incident.
Rainbow Dash spent the next month training every morning with Applejack and working her muscles into a fit shape. Every afternoon was spent shut up in the library, poring over textbooks with Twilight. All of Rainbow’s friends noticed the change as Dash seemed as close as possible to being her old self. Her friends took turns housing her, until she completely recovered. Each pony found that the Pegasus had taken it upon herself to help her friends with any problem they encountered; the usually lazy pony worked tirelessly to “repay her debts” to the ponies who helped her.
Applejack asked her one day when she thought her debts would be repaid:
“Never. I owe everyone so much; I’m gonna be a better Rainbow Dash than before. I’ll never be selfish again!”
Rainbow had become a beacon of hope whenever she came into town. It went noticed, then, when she had not been seen for a few days. Her friends knew better, they had all decided to be present for the growth of Rainbow’s wings, and the library had plenty of space to accommodate them.
“Ok, Rainbow, are you ready?” Twilight asked.
“Ready.” She shut the book next to her, “Let’s go.”
It was a brutal process; both Twilight and Rainbow Dash would collapse in a sweaty heap after each hour of growth. They rested often, ate well, and laughed with the company of their friends, but every few hours necessitated more magic.
Rainbow dash had felt pain like this before, but it was the best pain she had ever encountered. It felt to her like she was undoing all of Pinkie’s damage, turning it into good. She looked back on her life: Dash was proud of who she was. She would never let her friends down; she was going to be the best she could be. The tense pony smiled as the searing magic wove a course through her body.
After two days of spellcasting, the deed was done. Rainbow, knowing full well that she had to take things slowly, immediately helped Twilight up from the ground. She kissed her tired friend on the cheek:
“Thank you, for everything.”
Twilight reddened, “are you going to try them out?”
“Nope.” The Pegasus replied, “Gotta take it easy, I don’t want to lose them ever again.”
Rarity laughed, “Rainbow! Following orders? Are you sure your brain wasn’t magicked?”
The group laughed, elated that the treatment was successful.
Rainbow beamed to her friends, “I know better now, I should have known all along that you guys were always looking out for me, and when it mattered most you gave it your all. I want to thank all of you. You’ve made me better than I ever was and I will never forget that.”
“Ah beg yer pardon, Dash, but you did that yourself. We’re real proud of yah, and I think we’ve all benefited from this.”
The group nodded, Rainbow’s determination had given them all the perseverance to better themselves as well.
“Stop it,” the Pegasus chuckled, “You’re gonna make me cry!”
They all gathered around and gave her a hug as she laughed. They backed up, as Rainbow flexed her rejuvenated muscles. She spread out her wings, the pure blue feathers bristled with energy. Seeing the other’s reactions, Rainbow grinned; after all this time, she finally felt normal.
Several days later, after hours of stretching and preparation, Dash’s friends urged her to fly:
“Come on, Rainbow, I know you can do this!” Fluttershy encouraged.
“Yes, do try. You’ve been very careful. It’s time!” Rarity exclaimed.
Twilight and Applejack, who had coached the Pegasus for the entirety of her troubles came close.
“Dash, ah think yer more than ready. Ah’m itchin’ tah see yah do what yah do best.”
“The books say you’re more than prepared!”
She looked back at all her friends. She smiled, even a large portion of the townsfolk appeared to be watching. Her eyes lit up with joy, thanks, and eagerness. She hugged Applejack and Twilight one last time:
“You’re the best friends I could ever have. I’ll always be thankful . . . You set me free.”
She grinned, turned around, and kicked off into the air. Rainbow Dash felt the rush of wind she had hungered for. Her grin widened as she picked up the beat of her wings, careful not to overexert as she ascended into the open sky. The waning sunlight cast long shadows across the picturesque village below. Finally, after coasting in the air for several minutes, she set herself down on a lonely cloud, high in the atmosphere.
Dash turned herself to the west and sat down. The soft cushion had been something she missed greatly. Off in the distance, the sun was setting. The sky was golden; the far off clouds glowing with a reddish hue. Flashes of bright color hit the undersides of each bank of haze. The sky cycled through the colors of the spectrum as the sun descended below the dark range of mountains. Tears dropped from Rainbow’s eyes as the spectacle before her came to an end.
She turned back around, the eastern sky was a dusky blue, and the first stars were beginning to appear. Luna’s moon laid low on the horizon, magnified and pristine. Rainbow sighed contentedly; she found herself feeling an emotion that she had long thought was dead: hope. Her mentor, whose realm was rising before her, was right: “You would be better off dead if you hold onto that fear. If you look past it, keep your eyes up and open, then one day you may be happy to find that you are back among the clouds.”
After some time, she slid off, and began to descend to her waiting friends.