EGW
Surprisingly, explaining wheelchair race mechanics ended up being the easy part. Once Indigo Zap and Lightning Dust were in their wheelchairs, Fluttershy and Rarity helped strap up their legs similar to how Rainbow Dash had hers. At the starting line, Indigo and Lightning pulled on their race gloves and waited, alongside Rainbow, for the race to begin; Fluttershy and Rarity finding ‘decent’ places to watch from… despite the fact that the only ones watching the race were Rainbow’s friends.
On the side of the track sat Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie (who, despite having been a little sad earlier about having to give up the wheelchair, was now stuffing her face with popcorn and somehow waving three massive #1 hands at the same time – each one representing each of the racers). Applejack was manning the water station for after the race with Sunset holding the flag.
But it was while she was waiting for the race to start that Rainbow Dash started fidgeting in her wheelchair. It was almost like she was starting to get uncomfortable with being in it. Unfortunately, if the others managed to notice it, they most likely thought that she was just preparing for the race to come.
And the constant pounding of her head was starting to drive her insane. It was that bad that Rainbow barely heard when Sunset had called the start of the race, having to physically shake her head a little in order to focus. At that point, as she put her head down and worked her arms – and thus the wheelchair – as hard as she could, both Lightning Dust and Indigo Zap had already flown off the starting line. And by the looks of things, it was going to be hard to regain the precious time that had been lost.
Thankfully, the wind rushing through her hair made Rainbow Dash forget all about what could be happening to her and made her focus solely on the race. It always did that; made her feel like nothing really mattered other than the task at hand. And it was that strong that she could barely hear what it was that Pinkie Pie was belting out at them… though that was probably a good thing. Distractions are easy when it comes to Pinkie Pie.
But, regardless of what was going on over at the sidelines, Rainbow was not the kind of person to willingly give up on a race. She would rather go down giving it one hundred and twenty percent rather than not at all. And that’s exactly what she did when she let the wind take away the uneasy feeling from before and help her focus on the race. With a smirk twitching at the edge of her lips, she lowered herself a little bit more towards the ground in an attempt to try and gain more speed.
Come on, Rainbow Dash. She thought to herself. Imagine this race is your ticket home. You’re going to need all the speed you can get if you want to pass whatever barrier it is that’s keeping you from going home to your girlfriend. So get moving!
The first turn was coming up, the same one that Rainbow had tested earlier. In front of her was Indigo Zap, having first been off the line, but it was obvious she was having troubles trying to figure out how to turn in her wheelchair. Lightning Dust was keeping her distance from Indigo, not wanting to end up in a collision with her. And, from the looks of things, she seemed to have witnessed the earlier turn that Rainbow Dash had made due to the fact that she was trying to replicate it. Unfortunately, every time she tried, Indigo would do something that would make her pull back in hesitation.
In the back of her mind, Rainbow Dash allowed herself to laugh a little at the situation. On the outside, however, she was as serious as if she had been told to quit all her pranking sprees… which she did not like the idea of one bit. Coming into the turn, she pulled a little to the right, just as she had done earlier, and curved around to the left. She even managed to pull up alongside Indigo as the two of them pulled out of the turn, but she made sure to give the blue haired girl her space given the way she took the turn.
Off on the sidelines, Pinkie Pie was still screaming stuff out to the racers as Lightning Dust finally made it round the corner, but she could feel that something wasn’t right with the race. She had itches in her shoulders and her toes wouldn’t stop tapping, not to mention the hair on the back of her neck was standing on end for some reason. What made it even worse was that this combination had never occurred until now, and because they were hidden signs, it was a little trickier to get the others to believe her. But she still gave it her best shot at warning the racers… despite the fact that half of her screams tended to be encouragements and the other half warnings which only those on the sidelines could hear.
Unfortunately, it was while Pinkie was trying to warn everyone that Rainbow’s problems had returned. The pounding in her head had returned with a vengeance so bad that she had to close her eyes in order for her to at least try and focus on the race. It was a dangerous move, though. Without realising it, she started drifting to the side where Indigo Zap was still clinging to her, making the two wheelchairs connect for a split second. The slightest tap, though, made Indigo lose control of her chair for a little bit even though Dash pulled away almost instantly.
“ Hey! Watch it!” Indigo growled, just loud enough to be heard over the wind.
But Dash could barely hear her at all… and it wasn’t because of the wind.
When she had pulled away from the slight collision with Indigo, the pounding in her head had somehow evolved into tiny, invisible mosquitoes – each buzzing their own solo musical numbers – that seemed to think that her ears were the best places for their annoying performances. Not to mention, it sounded like they were also fighting amongst themselves over who got the most ‘spotlight’ time.
Yet, all that was – strangely – nothing compared to the strange tingling she now felt travelling down her legs. It was really starting to freak her out and make her lose her focus. Especially seeing that she had never felt her legs tingle like that before. Not even in the vague memories from when she was younger, before the accident, did she ever remember her legs getting that kind of tingling feeling. She hated to admit it, but she actually considered stopping the race because of it.
She wasn’t the only one to consider stopping the race. Over on the sidelines, Applejack watched on with concern. Ever since the race had started, she had gotten this bad feeling in the pit of her stomach; and with the way Rainbow Dash was acting out on the track, she was pretty sure it had something to do with her. It also didn’t help that Pinkie Pie was bouncing around and saying stuff like ‘it’s about to start’ and ‘it’s getting closer now’ in amongst her screams of encouragement to the racers.
And Applejack wasn’t the only one worried. Sunset Shimmer had noticed Rainbow Dash’s earlier stumble at the starting line and so had been starting to question the race. But to see Rainbow Dash nearly crash into Indigo Zap was a real concern for safety to all three racers. So to watch the girls as they came up to the second (and last) turn was a little daunting for her… especially seeing that her mind was rushing into the worst case scenario and thus making her fear the worst.
Thankfully, ‘the worst’ never came. Somehow Rainbow Dash had pulled her thoughts back together at the last moment and swung wide once more. Indigo Zap was right by her side as the two pulled out of the turn, but she had one thing on the other girl; experience in wheelchair racing. Going as low as she could, Dash forced her arms to go faster, slowly pulling ahead as – even now – Indigo struggled to keep her speed. Even Lightning Dust had realised early on that this race was going to be a test of endurance and so had kept some of her strength for just this time.
Of course, by this time, Lightning had given up hope in trying to come first place. Rainbow Dash was proving herself to be too skilled to beat her in a once off race… which also made her question if that really was the Rainbow Dash that she knew. With each second that passed, Rainbow Dash continued to stream past Indigo until, finally, the girls were at the finish line. Yet none of the racers even realised that the race was over until someone blew a whistle to get their attentions (something which the flag obviously wasn’t capable of doing).
But no one expected Rainbow Dash to skid to a hold or what would happen afterwards. With the exceptions of Sunset and Applejack, the other girls went over to start congratulating Lightning Dust and Indigo Zap on their performances during the race (something Indigo was still getting used to after what had happened in the Friendship Games). So it was that – after giving each other looks that confirmed the other’s fears of something feeling very wrong – Sunset and Applejack turned towards Rainbow Dash in time to witness the girl’s wheelchair start to tip over.
“ Rainbow Dash!” they both called out, hurrying to get to their friend’s side.
They got there too late. It was like everything decided to shift gears into slow motion. Heads turned in confusion, arms moved out as if to reach for the girl, people called out in silent horror, but nothing could stop Rainbow Dash from tipping over and possibly hitting her head. She was only spared spilling out of the wheelchair thanks to her leg ties which Rarity had hastily made before the race.
Thankfully, as Applejack and Sunset arrived at her side, Rainbow appeared unharmed. In the seconds before landing, she had come to her senses and had quickly tucked her head to her chest. Her hand had even flown up to protect the side of her face, leaving her with a grazed arm that looked worse than what it actually was.
Regardless, Applejack worked as fast as she dared to remove the leg straps while Sunset went ahead and made sure that their friend was fine despite Rainbow insisting that she was. In fact, the only ‘damage’ that Sunset could note was that Rainbow seemed more dazed than usual.
“ What in tarnation jus’ happened?” Applejack asked, righting the wheelchair.
“ Too much speed.” Rainbow Dash slurred, closing her eyes and shaking her head once Sunset had helped her sit up. “ Forgot to slow down after passing the line. Easy mistake.”
“ Are you sure you’re okay, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked, the first out of the others to arrive at the scene. “ I don’t like the fact that you’re slurring your words.”
“ I’m fine. Jus’ need the chair.”
Cautiously, Applejack wheeled the chair closer to where Rainbow Dash sat. But she easily noticed the way the girl’s legs twitched and she couldn’t stop the knot in her stomach from twisting itself even more, like it was trying to tell her that something was about to happen. It also didn’t help that, in the back of her mind, Pinkie’s words were echoing around and generally making things worse. And no matter how hard she tried to hide the worry, it was clear that Rainbow Dash could see right through her.
“ Seriously. Don’ worry ‘bout me. I’m fine!” the rainbow haired girl tried to reassure her – patting Applejack’s leg like she would a shoulder.
That’s when it happened.
The tingling feeling that was running through her body suddenly stopped and her vision went dark. But she didn’t fall like she should have had she fainted. Instead, she grabbed hold of the wheelchair and started to pull herself shakily up onto her feet.
A wave of concern washed through those watching the scene unfold. Not only were they all concerned about the fact that Rainbow Dash hadn’t tried to pull herself into the chair like she usually would, they also noticed the awkwardness in the girl’s movements. It was pretty obvious considering – thanks to her extensive lack of leg use – she was trying to get herself up without actually moving her legs, which were extended out to her right.
Applejack stood on standby, judging when would be the best time to interfere with the attempts and get the girl properly on the chair, especially considering it looked like Rainbow was going to need a little bit of help pulling her legs in. But, apparently, help was not needed as the girl somehow managed to right herself, albeit a little wobbly. Just to make sure, though, Applejack moved to Rainbow’s side so that she was close enough to be there in case her friend’s legs did end up giving way beneath her.
“ See? Totes fine.” Rainbow Dash grumbled, before suddenly realising that Applejack was right beside her. “ Wow, AJ. Since when did you get so short?”
“ Ah didn’t get short, Rainbow Dash. You stood up.” Applejack explained, tensing a little as Rainbow Dash swayed on the spot.
“ Impossible. I haven’t been able to stand for years.” Apparently, along with her sudden standing, Rainbow seemed to have forgotten about the current company who was surrounding her.
“ Well, ya doin’ it now.”
“ No, I’m not.”
“ Yeah, y’are.”
“ No.”
“ Eyup.”
Dash continued to argue like this with Applejack, determined to get it through the farmer’s head that she wasn’t standing up despite the obvious. Meanwhile, Applejack could only do her best to not lose her temper with the girl... especially when Rainbow Dash started to flirt with her, obviously thinking that she was her girlfriend. But the worry was still there and it only seemed to grow more tighter into its knot when Applejack noticed the slight blue haze that was edging her friend’s eyes.
There was something odd about the blue haze, like it was somehow linked to how Rainbow Dash was currently acting, and Applejack didn’t like it. Unfortunately, she had no choice but to put it to the back of her mind once she realised that Indigo Zap and Lightning Dust were still amongst the group. And, more likely than not, they had questions… as proven by the formers sudden outburst.
“ What the heck is going on here?!”
“ Um…” Fluttershy mumbled, shying away from the outburst.
“ This has to be some kind of sick joke, right? Right?!”
“ This is no joke, Indigo Zap.” Twilight tried to explain before being cut off by Lightning Dust.
“ Then what else can it be?” the blonde haired athlete growled. “ You openly lied to us about Rainbow Dash willingly being in a wheelchair when she clearly needed one from the get go. For all we know, this probably isn’t Rainbow Dash!”
“ Oh, this is Rainbow Dash, darling.” Rarity offered. “ Just not the Rainbow Dash that you know.”
“ How can it not be Rainbow Dash? There is only one person on this planet with an ego as big as Rainbow Dash’s and that’s well… Rainbow Dash.”
Pinkie Pie decided then would be the best time to pop out of nowhere behind the girls and throw her arms over their shoulders. “ That’s where you’re wrong, Dusty! Wait, no, you’re right about that being Rainbow Dash. And I’m more than sure that there are other people in the world with as big an ego as Rainbow Dash’s if not bigger. But at the same time, that Rainbow Dash over there with Applejack isn’t our Rainbow Dash. You see, there’s this weird magic thing going on and it’s switched our walking Rainbow Dash with this wheelchair bound Rainbow Dash – kinda like how Sour Sweet always switches her voice whenever she’s talking but with a lot more danger and excitement – and our walking Dash is in Wheelchair Dash’s world because Wheelchair Dash is here with us and right now we’re trying to get her home so that we can get our Dash back here, but it’s not going too well at the moment. Kinda reminds me of the first time I babysat the Cake Twins but that turned out okay in the end and everyone was happy!”
Indigo Zap was confused. Not only did she not understand what it was that Pinkie was talking about, but she couldn’t even understand how Pinkie could have gotten behind her so fast. It was like she was someone out of a comic book or something. And this multiple Rainbow Dash thing was just making her head spin. In the end, there was only one thing managed to stick.
“ But there aren’t…” She started.
The looks everyone gave her instantly made her shut her mouth before she was able to continue with what she was saying. At that moment, memories of what had happened at the Friendship Games flashed into her mind; the giant hole in the ground that turned into the sky of another world; the other smaller holes that became other random places from that other world; the epic and somewhat scary battle between Midnight Sparkle and Daydream Shimmer; saving Rarity from falling into the massive hole herself. That last image ended up becoming a wakeup call for her, especially seeing that she had rightly forgotten about what had happened. Then again, what with life happening as well as school tests and currently worrying about Rainbow Dash, she had every right to have forgotten. More so because it wasn’t a daily occurrence.
“ Right. Forgot about that.” She admitted.
“ That’s okay! I forget things all the time!” Pinkie exclaimed happily. “ Like when I forgot my birthday that one time and when I forgot to make the turns wide enough for the wheelchairs. Rainbow Dash had to remind me both times!”
“ Of course, Pinkie.” Sunset sighed.
“ But I’m still not getting this multi-universe thing.” Lightning admitted, returning the topic back to its origins.
“ Me neither.” Indigo gladly took the opening that she was given.
“ Oh, that’s easy.” Pinkie Pie laughed. “ Just think that the universe had two baby worlds that are kind of like twins and then they had a baby Rainbow Dash each, making the two Rainbow Dashs cousins! Just like you two! Only something bad happened to one of the cousins and that’s why one of the Rainbow Dashs is in a wheelchair. But then something even worser happened and the two cousins had to swap worlds, so that’s why we have a wheelchair bound Rainbow Dash and not a walking Rainbow Dash.”
Silence followed the explanation as those present tried to comprehend what it was that had just been said. Even Applejack had stopped arguing with Rainbow Dash over the need to sit down so that she could take in the information as well. Unfortunately, that also included taking her eyes off of the rainbow haired girl as she turned to face her overenthusiastic friend. That then made it easy for Rainbow Dash to follow the sudden urge to move away from the wheelchair… which wasn’t really safe considering she was only just able to feel her feet for the first time in years.
“ You know, Pinkie. That was surprisingly-” Twilight started, breaking the silence, before being cut off by Applejack’s yell.
“ Rainbow Dash!”
It just went to show that even looking away for just a second could prove fatal for anyone. All eyes turned back to Rainbow Dash as her own eyes rolled into the back of her head and she finally collapsed. Thankfully, Applejack hadn’t moved from where she stood, so Rainbow Dash managed to topple right into her awaiting arms. At that moment, all thought of the argument disappeared and Applejack gently placed her friend in the awaiting wheelchair. But she was still concerned about what had caused Rainbow to faint like she had.
“ I knew something was going to happen as soon as I heard her slurring her words.” Twilight muttered under her breath.
“ I didn’t know that my Pinkie Sense was going to predict that!” Pinkie admitted, her hair deflating a little.
“ Maybe we should get her to the hospital.” Fluttershy suggested.
“ And risk the doctors finding out about our magic?” Sunset questioned. “ I really don’t want to explain that I come from a different world entirely.”
“ Then what do you propose we do?” Rarity asked.
Both Indigo Zap and Lightning Dust made their way over to the girl in the wheelchair, getting information from Applejack concerning the current situation. Compulsory attendance of first aid classes proved handy in times like this, especially when one was either an athlete or a working farmer. Finally, the trio decided on the best course of action for Rainbow Dash’s current predicament.
“ She needs to rest somewhere safe for a little while.” Lightning declared. “ But I can’t follow you. Indigo and I are needed at our grandparent’s place this afternoon.”
“ Yeah, massive family reunion.” Indigo added. “ Not looking forward to it though.”
“ And miss out on those cream-filled biscuits Grandma makes?”
“ Never! That’s the only reason why I’m going… other than mum and dad forcing me to.”
“ I can accept that.”
“ Uh, gals. We ‘ave a situation ‘ere.” Applejack butted in, quickly reminding the cousins of the unconscious Rainbow Dash.
“ Right.” Indigo said.
“ Like I said earlier, Rainbow’s going to need rest… even though I’m sure she won’t like it. Best get her home. In the meantime, Indi and I have to run. Let us know when this other race is one… if there is another race, that is.” Lightning said.
At that, Sunset offered a small smile. “ Trust me. There will be another race. This is Rainbow Dash we’re talking about after all.”
“ She’s got a point, Dusty.” Indigo smirked. “ Anyways, see ya folks later.”
With a wave from both girls, Indigo Zap and Lightning Dust made their way out of the carpark and down the road, leaving behind six girls who were quite worried about their unconscious friend. Apparently, the attempt to walk as well as stand had proven too much for her body because, not long after the cousins left, Rainbow Dash gave off a snore that sounded more like it was trying to be a hiccup. Trust Rainbow Dash to fall asleep like that.
The good thing about it, though, was that she was now oblivious to the whispered argument that now surrounded her; where she was going to spend her resting period.
“ Well, we can’t head back to the farm now.” Applejack whispered. “ It’s too far away off an’, magic or not, if it turns out Rainbow does need ta see one of them doctors in the hospital, then Ah wanna be near to the hospital.”
“ But the only home accessible for a wheelchair and that is close by is Rainbow Dash’s house.” Rarity pointed out. “ And she has said herself that she doesn’t yet want to see our world’s versions of her family.”
“ Well, there has to be somewhere we can go. We can’t stay here.” Twilight said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Sunset Shimmer tried not to wince at those words, or shrink back, but it was very hard to keep the others from noticing. It probably didn’t help that they were all watching each other for signs that one of them knew something the others didn’t. Even biting one’s lip was bound to gain attention… which Sunset found out thanks to her failed attempts at keeping herself from talking.
“ Of course there is, isn’t there Sunny!” Pinkie Pie announced rather excitedly, forgetting for a minute that Rainbow Dash was asleep, as she noticed the look on her friend’s face.
All eyes turned to the girl in question, this time visibly making her shy away from them.
“ You don’t want to go there.” Sunset tried to deter them.
“ An’ where is that exactly?” Applejack asked.
“ Um… a place.”
“ It is close by, though… right?” Rarity asked.
“ I guess. But it has stairs though.”
“ How many?” Applejack asked once more.
Sunset was tempted to lie and say there were a whole heap of staircases. But before she knew it, her mouth had already betrayed her. “ Only a couple. Out the front.”
“ An’ how far away is this place?”
Again, Sunset thought about lying and again her mouth betrayed her brain. “ A couple of blocks away. Just off Starswirl Crescent.”
“ Take us there.”
“ We’ll start packing up.” Twilight offered, leading Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie away from the other three.
“ But you really don’t want to go there.” Sunset tried again to deter the thought from their minds.
Applejack couldn’t help but sigh. It was clear that Sunset Shimmer was talking about her house… or where she lived, anyway. She just didn’t understand why her friend was so reluctant about going there. Though she did have a bit of an idea.
“ Sunset, ya know ya can talk ta us if’n things are getting ta be a problem fer ya, right. We don’t judge. Why won’t ya let us over?” she asked, placing her hand on her friend’s shoulder.
Again, Sunset hesitated with an answer before finally letting out a sigh. “ I guess I should have know this day was going to come.”