//------------------------------// // Plunge // Story: One Wish // by Scribblestick //------------------------------// Two days before Cloudwing's scheduled visit, the Academy began to prepare for her arrival. It started with a visit from her case worker and medical team, who brought with them a detailed list of accommodations Cloudwing would need. A team to ensure gentle weather. An escort to guarantee she wasn't knocked around by a sudden gust, and to catch her if needed. An examination of the performance area to minimize the risk of accidental falls. It took Winter Gust most of the morning to work through the checklist, but nopony complained. It was, after all, an honor to grant the first wish. Fluttershy arrived mid-day to see how things were progressing, and to deliver the funds Twilight had promised. The safety precautions weren't cheap, after all. Once she'd seen to business, she set out to find Rainbow Dash and learn if Cloudwing's wish would, indeed, be granted. Dash wasn't hard to find. She practically had her own team of handlers watching as she practiced. Her Rainboom Squad flew alongside her as she ran agility drills, pushing her wings to their limits. A few other Wonderbolts followed along, ready to swoop in if needed. Her physical therapist observed her drills, and assistants made sure her muscles were properly stretched after each run. “Hello,” Fluttershy said as she landed beside the therapist. “How's she doing?” “Better than expected,” the therapist answered. “It's been a long time since I saw coach this determined.” “Me too,” Fluttershy replied as Dash and her entourage whizzed by, leaving a blast of air in their wake. “She's certainly improved since I last saw her.” The therapist nodded. “She’s definitely pushing the limits of what a mare her age can do.” “Not pushing too hard, I hope.” Fluttershy winced as Dash pulled out of a steep bank. Just watching made her wings hurt. “You’re sure she won’t hurt herself?” “In this line of work, there’s never a guarantee,” the therapist replied. Rainbow Dash flared her wings and came in for a gentle landing. “All we can do is minimize risk and hope for the best.” Dash stretched her wings as the Rainboom Squad landed around her, congratulating her on her efforts. Dash tried to brush off the compliments, but her blush betrayed her true feelings. Her crooked smile faded a little when she saw Fluttershy. “Hey,” she said. “Hello,” Fluttershy answered. “Your performance looked wonderful.” “Heh. Thanks. I hope it's enough.” Fluttershy took a deep breath, trying to calm her jitters. “So, have you done a Rainboom yet?” Dash shook her head. “I'm close. I can feel it. They're not letting me fly tomorrow, but I'll have one more chance to try this afternoon.” She grinned. “Don't sweat it, Fluttershy. I won't leave you or Cloudwing hanging.” “Well, as long as you're safe,” Fluttershy said. “Of course!” Dash said with a wink. “Like I said, you don't have anything to worry about.” Celestia, I hope this works. The mid-afternoon breeze had settled in, ruffling the feathers on Dash's wings. Her flight suit clung to her body, still as snug as the day she'd hung it up. She worked her way through her stretches, both the familiar ones from her performing days and the new ones mandated by her physical therapist. She flapped her wings a few times, then took a few lazy circles through the sky. The Rainboom Squad was warming up as well. Winter Gust insisted they accompany her during every practice, but especially any time she attempted to pull off a Sonic Rainboom. On the one hoof, it gave them extra practice, and on the second, it gave her another safety net. On the third hoof, though, it was a stark reminder that she was, in a way, being foalsat. Her fourth hoof, however, didn't care about the embarrassment. She accepted the terms out of necessity; it was either that, or give up completely. She landed on the cloud again and waited for her entourage to join her. Fluttershy and Winter Gust approached her. “How you feeling, coach?” the commander asked. “I'm feeling good about this one,” Dash answered. Fluttershy was trying to look calm, but Dash knew her too well to be fooled. “I'll get it this time.” “We're all rooting for you,” Winter Gust said, “but I stand by what I said before. I don't want to have to sideline you when this is over.” The Rainboom Squad finished their warm-ups and joined them on the cloud. “Don't worry about that, commander,” Gale said. “Coach here is in top condition. She'll pull through.” “You have my full confidence,” Fluttershy said with a smile. Dash noted the slight quaver in her voice, and the way the corners of her mouth twitched. “Just... be safe.” “You got it.” Rainbow Dash secured her goggles. This is it. The moment of truth. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She felt the wind rushing around her and subconsciously noted the subtle shifts and eddies in the current. A lifetime of performing, and it all comes down to this. She peered over the edge. Dive fast. Break through the wall. Get out. It sounded so simple when she put it like that. She shook her left hind leg to stave off the ache. “Diving on three,” she said. “One... two... three!” The four pegasi sprang from the cloud and dove. Rainbow Dash's wings beat furiously; already she was traveling faster than she had a month ago, when she nearly tore her wing off. She pushed that thought aside. A month's worth of work ensured that wouldn't happen again. The wind rushed by, its roar building with her velocity. The clouds were white blurs as she descended. Only the forms of the three ponies diving with her stayed solid. They blasted by the first checkpoint, a bright green flag mounted on a cloud. Two more, she thought. It was another of Winter Gust's precautions. If she couldn't pull off a Rainboom by the third flag, she was supposed to abort the maneuver. She gritted her teeth and flapped harder. Her wings began to ache, but she ignored it. She would have a whole day to rest off whatever happened now. The second flag, a yellow streak out of the corner of her eye. One more. She wasn't going fast enough. She glared at the air in front of her, which seemed so determined to thwart all her effort. She stretched her body and pointed her hooves. Her speed edged closer to that breaking point. She saw the beginnings of the familiar Mach cone forming around her. Come on. She pumped her wings yet harder. Come on! “Red flag approaching,” Gale shouted. “It's now or never, coach!” She saw it in the distance, nearing far too quickly. She stretched her body so far, she thought her spine might snap. Her forelegs strained under the stress of maintaining her hoof form. Her wings pumped. Her lungs heaved. The Mach cone intensified, but not enough. The red flag blew by. The last checkpoint—her last chance, gone. “That's it,” Skypuff said. “Pull up, coach.” Dash ignored her and pumped even harder. Everything was a blur now, as the wind whipped streams of water from her eyes. “It's over, coach,” Stratus said. He sounded more distant than before, but Dash didn't dare turn to look. The edges of her vision began to fade to black as the ground rushed up to meet her. She was there. She was right there. If only she could find a little more strength, a little less resistance. “Coach! Pull up, now!” Panic rose in Gale's distant voice, and still she flew down, down, ignoring the pain, the blindness, the screaming in her heart and body. She was sure Fluttershy was having a heart attack, and Winter Gust was getting ready to fire her for good. Come on... come on... She forced Cloudwing's face to the front of her mind, her smile, the shimmer of mist from her signature trick. Blackness closed in around her. Come on! Her lungs gave out. Her wingbeats slowed. The Mach cone dissipated. She squeezed her eyes shut and, at last, flared her wings. The force of the curve popped several things deep within her body, but she pushed through the pain and redirected her momentum into a steep climb. She shot past Gale, Skypuff, and Stratus, who were still diving desperately to reach her. She punched through a cloud as gravity slowed her to a stop. For a moment, she hung in the air, wings still, chest heaving, tears running town her face. In the distance, she could see Ponyville, and beyond that, Canterlot Castle glittering in the sunset. It was the kind of view that made every flight worthwhile. Cloudwing... Gravity grasped her at last, and she fell, back-first, onto a cloud. She lay there, eyes closed, until the Rainboom Squad caught up. She heard their panting, but none of them said a word. None of them had the heart. The room was silent. Rainbow Dash sat at one end of the table, her goggles still resting against her forehead. Stratus and Skypuff sat to her right, and Gale to her left. None of them had spoken during the flight back to the Academy. Winter Gust sat at the other end, waiting to hear the field medic's verdict. Fluttershy sat beside him, quietly hyperventilating. Dash's medical team placed ice and heat packs on her wings at alternating intervals. She hardly felt them. A strange numbness had settled over her body and mind, the kind of numbness that left her feeling hollow. She replayed the attempt over and over, stretching each moment into an eternity, searching for something she could have done differently, something to take the blame for her failure. That would have been bearable. But she found nothing, and so nothingness gnawed at her soul. The medic finished his examination and broke the silence. “She's certainly strained every muscle in her body, but she suffered no serious injuries,” he said. To Dash, he added, “You won't be racing any time soon, and you certainly won't be doing stunts, but your daily mobility shouldn't be severely affected.” He began to pack up his things. “Let me know if anything feels off over the next few days,” he said. “We'll want to make sure nothing else surfaces.” “Thank you,” Winter Gust said. The medic exited the room, as did his team. The commander took a deep breath. “Rainbow Dash,” he said. Dash was too busy staring at the table to respond. “What you did was reckless and dangerous,” he continued. “If it were anypony else, I’d have you removed from the Academy immediately, but frankly, I don’t think I even have it in me to yell at you about this.” “Well, I do!” Fluttershy spluttered, slamming a hoof on the table. Dash winced at the sound. “Do you have any idea what you put me through today? How do you think I could live with myself if my best friend got herself killed for my idea?” Dash closed her eyes and sank lower into her chair. “She just wanted to help,” Gale said in her defense. “I know what she wanted to do,” Fluttershy snapped. “I told her from the start her safety was more important. That we’d find another way to help Cloudwing.” Her voice cracked. “Why did you do it, Rainbow Dash? Why didn’t you stop?” Rainbow Dash sucked in a deep breath. When she spoke, it was a miserable whisper. “I wanted to make a kid happy. And maybe I wanted to prove to myself that I could still do it, too. I’m sorry I scared you.” There was a pause, and the Dash heard Fluttershy sit down. “I'm just as much to blame," she said softly. "I should have told Cloudwing you couldn't do it before things got this far out of hoof.” She sighed deeply. “I'm sorry.” “You gave it your best. Nopony can say otherwise,” Winter Gust said. The others muttered in agreement. “Now, that doesn’t change the fact that Cloudwing will be here in two days. What are we going to do?” Dash didn’t listen as the others discussed contingency plans. Whatever they were, she knew she wouldn’t have much of a part to play. She looked out a window and saw Canterlot’s lights glowing in the distance. An idea took root in her mind, and she grasped it like it was her last lifeline. In a way, it was. There was one more thing to try. It was crazy, but after everything else, it seemed like the most sane idea she’d had in a while. It’s time to pay Twilight a visit.