Thought swam back into Dash's head as consciousness began to take hold once more. The buzzing in her mind began to clear as she realized she was lying down. Blackness stretched before her, and she couldn't be sure if her eyes were open or not. She attempted to blink. No change in color or light. Were her eyes even open? She fiddled with her reflexes a bit. They had to be. They felt like they were open. Why did she feel so woozy? Her body felt so numb as if it were barely connected to the rest of her brain. The last thing she remembered was falling out of the sky toward a lamp at the race course. Then everything had stopped.

Well if the eyes could be felt maybe the rest could too? Best give it a shot. She flexed the muscles in her right foreleg, feeling a small tinkle of pain arc up from her hoof to her shoulder. Pain? Pain is a good thing. She relaxed and flexed the left leg. Less pain coming from this one. Feels a lot less stiff too. She slowly put her hoof to her face and felt....something strange. Soft and worn and dimpled. Like a cloth. Some sort of thinner cloth was wrapped around it going to the back of her head, like a blindfold. These must be bandages, or gauze, or whatever they call that stuff these days. She began to pull it off her face, a flash of white suddenly entering her vision making her realize that she could see.

There was white everywhere. It hurt slightly. Well actually it hurt a whole bunch. Dash began to regret pulling the bandage off as her retinas throbbed. Pulling off the bandages had also freed her ears which had been pulled against the sides of her head. Achingly they stood upright, adjusting painfully to the sensation of being awake like her eyes had. There was a quiet gentle humming coming from somewhere ahead of her. Dash lifted her head slowly, colors and forms beginning to take shape in the brightness. The humming was coming from a pink shape not far in front of her. Something short and curvy was moving lightly side to side in front of something grey, all surrounded by white. The shapes came into focus slightly more. She could vaguely make out the shape of a pony, very pink, swaying its hips lightly as it hummed.

"Am I dead?" She coughed out, surprised at how small her voice sounded. "Is this heaven?"

The pink form spun fast, seeming to ooze across the room and in moments Dash found herself staring into a familiar sight. Two sky blue eyes, clear and friendly and enormous, peering right into her scarlet ones. It was Pinkie Pie the entire time.

"She's awaaaaaaaaaaaake!" Pinkie's shrill voice shattered the gentle quiet of the room. She eagerly shoved her face closer to Dash, their noses almost touching as small tears formed in her eyes. "Don't you ever scare me again like that Rainbow Dash! And don't you ever crash into a bunch of chairs ever ever again!"

"Two days, dear." Rarity shuffled into view, appearing as a white and blue blob in Dash's vision. "We were wondering if you were going to be stuck in a coma forever. Thank goodness you've awaken. You really scared us, Dash."

The blob approached, putting a gentle hoof on the top of Dash's head, giving her a comforting stroke.

"We've barely been able to function, wondering if you were alright." Rarity's voice was trembling, causing Dash to feel a pang of guilt that she had worried her friends this much.

"Well looky who's up!" Applejack's voice came from somewhere behind Dash. "How ya feelin, partner? Mighty awful I'd imagine."

"Your eyes got burnt in the crash, Dash." Twilight's voice from somewhere to the left. "As did the rest of you. Real badly. Half of your dermis was burned off in the explosion."

"EXPLOSION!? HALF!?" Dash tried to bolt upright but quickly found she couldn't move, wriggling uncomfortably.

"Yes, but it's fine now. Most of your injuries are.....well not fixed. But better than they were."

"Dash you were.....really really messed up." Twilight's voice was starting to tremble now like Rarity's had. "You were just....so...mangled and crushed when you pulled yourself out."

There was a quiet sniffle in the room. Dash suddenly felt two forelegs wrap themselves around her neck, the gentlest possible hug enveloping her.

"No it's me, Rainbow." Fluttershy's voice cooed, barely above a whisper. "We're all here. We've been waiting for you to wake up."

A quiet heartbreaking wail suddenly peeped out as Fluttershy began to weep. Dash wished she could comfort her childhood friend, thank them all for being by her side, anything. But she presently seemed stuck.

"I'm sorry, pal. Please don't cry for me." Dash whispered. "I'm sorry I worried you all so much."

"Don't worry about it, really." Rarity said. "I'm just glad you're doing alright."

There was a quiet rustling noise. Dash could feel the bandages and gauze being lowered before her eyes. But they weren't covered entirely. Just enough to shut out the painfully bright light so Dash could sleep. She could still make out the colorful blobs of her friends.

"Yeah. It's real late. Pinkie was just about to make me n' her a midnight snack." Applejack chimed. "You want any? You ain't eaten in two days."

"Oh yeah!" Pinkie's eyes were suddenly filling Dash's vision yet. "The doctor guys gave us some medicine to feed you. We've been sticking it into your mouth since you couldn't chew. It's supposed to make your ouchies go away but it also makes you sleepy I think. Now that you're awake we aren't allowed to give you as much."

"Hmm. Well I guess I'll go back to sleep for now, then." Dash mumbled. She shivered slightly. There was a question she'd been wanting to ask once she had realized she was in the room with her friends. But she feared the answer. Her entire life's hopes and dreams rested on the outcome of this question and Dash found it very difficult to summon up the willpower to ask it. Her eyes began to tear up as she shuddered, drawing in a deep breath.

"Hey, can I....ask you guys a...... question real quick?" Dash cursed herself quietly. She was crying and she didn't want to be. Not now, not like this, when she was powerless to hide it.

"Are......are my wings, ok?" Dash could barely utter the words. Her wings meant everything to her. And pegasus wings, much like the wings of a bird, are anything but hardy. They were easy to break and easy to lose. The very thought of living without them terrified her. For an agonizing second she lay, trying to hold in a sob, hoping for the answer to be positive.

"Yes, Dash." Twilight replied softly. Dash could feel the tears being wiped away. "Celestia paid special attention to your wings when she brought the doctors here. You won't be able to use them properly for a little while. You might even need physical therapy but she and I are both confident you'll be able to fly again. Once your injuries are recovered."

"Oh good." Dash let out a long exhale, relief washing over her. It was a wonderful feeling. "I don't know what I'd do if...."

"Don't ya worry about that stuff, sugarcube." Applejack tousled Dash's hair gently. "Yer gonna be just fine. Now you should try to sleep. If you need anythin' you just ask alright?"

"Cause me' n Pinkie are sleepin' right here next to your bed. And Shy and Rare and Twi are all just a room away if you need 'em. So don't you worry about nothin' alright?"

"Have a nice sleep, Dashie." Pinkie said quietly, leaning down to give Dash a small kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite."

Dash gave a small snort and tried to pull away from the kiss. "Heh. Goodnight guys."

The light became a sliver and then it was gone, as Dash closed her eyes and let her ears droop. It had already required great strength to keep her eyelids open. Her energy reserves had been taxed beyond their limit and she soon felt her mind ebbing away into darkness and dreams, as sleep overtook her. The throbbing in her body slowly fading into a calm mist.

*****************************

It was in the wee early hours of the morning when Dash awoke. It had been a very fitful sleep. Her mind had been conjuring up images of her last moments on the racecourse, playing them over and over before her eyes. It was almost relieving to be awake now, able to escape those memories with some sort of distraction. The slowly throbbing pain of her body certainly wasn't helping. Dash groggily pushed her body up off her bed with her good leg, using her hoof to remove the bandages on her eyes. Her vision was still a bit blurrier than usual, but at least now she could recognize where she was. She was in her bedroom. Lying on top of her favorite bedsheet, now covered in numerous dark stains. She slowly turned her head backwards, feeling the the disorganized bones in her neck clicking as she chanced a view at herself. A large portion of her torso was wrapped in gauze. A dark red gash started at her belly, snaking up to her chest and she assumed ending somewhere on her neck. Small pale yellow stitches were holding the hideous wound together, the cyan fur around the gash being mostly shaved off. The rest of her was bruised and wrapped up for the most part. Red and purple shapes clearly showing through the her short hairs. Her wings were bound tightly in white cloths, dark pink stains showing through the fabric. The end of the wooden splints holding her bones in place jutted out the end closest to her head. She made a small attempt to move her right wing. There was a pang of pain and a click as two pieces of the wood splint clicked together. Whoever had wrapped these had made extra sure the wings couldn't move. Even involuntary movements were unable to occur.

Dash glanced at her backside. It was difficult to see, her neck was very stiff. She could vaguely make out more stitches along her back, along with more purple bruises and bandages around her back legs. She was amazed to see that her back legs weren't wrapped in casts. But both did have a long red crease going up from her hoof to her ulna. More stitches there too. Dash wondered if maybe someone had surgically set her bones back in place through those holes. She turned to get a good look at her forelegs. The right one was wrapped tightly with a loose sling bundled around her shoulder. She gave it an experimental wiggle, feeling a strange unnatural sensation as her nerves flares up. This leg was clearly still busted. But at least she could move it a bit.

The throbbing pain was slowly getting worse. She wondered if the pain pills her friends had talked about were somewhere nearby. Oh, yeah her friends were here! Dash slowly pushed herself to the side of her bed. Applejack was curled underneath a small quilt, snoring quietly. What a crazy looking quilt it was, too. Red and white checkers with weird runes in the white parts. And little red gemstones in the corners of each square. Rarity must've made it for her. But where was everyone else? Dash shifted her torso to look at the rest of her bed, her eyes falling on Pinkie. The pink mare was asleep, the tip of Dash's tail clutched greedily in her arms. Dash grinned and shook her head, lightly freeing her tail. Pinkie was such a silly pony. Both Pinkie and Applejack had clearly been through a lot of stress. Dark bags from all the stress hung under their eyes. Dash made a mental note to figure out a way to thank her buddies for being here. But for now, she needed a distraction. Something to keep her mind off of the crash and the slowly increasing pain. It was getting to where she couldn't just ignore it.

Dash winced as she slid off the bed and slowly walked across the floor. She could feel her body parts moving in strange ways. It wasn't hurting anymore to walk, but it certainly felt weirder. Like her bits and pieces were sliding around inside of her, not quite tethered together by her muscles anymore. Like a machine that had a screw loose, threatening to fall out and cause it all to fall apart. Probably not the best idea to walk down the stairs like this. Dash bit into the wall, freeing a large chunk of cumulus cloud. She slid on top of it and pushed lightly against the bannister, sending the cloud floating down the stairs like a makeshift elevator. She smiled as she saw her favorite place to nap: the couch. Maybe she'd have better sleep here instead of her bed that she rarely used. But it was not to be, Twilight Sparkle was currently sleeping there. Rarity slept next to her, snoring quietly. Fluttershy was cocooned in a pink sleeping bag a few feet away on the floor. Dash checked the clock. It was only 5:30 am. Much too early to try waking her friends.

With her good hoof she pushed open the front door. She cringed as it squeaked on its hinges, turning back to make sure her noise hadn't woken her friends. Trotting on three legs was something earth ponies were quite good at, when they needed to carry something but had no saddlebags to do so. But for a pegasus who used her wings to get everywhere, it felt clumsy and awkward. She breathed a sigh of relief as she sat outside, inhaling the brisk early morning air. Now she could watch the sun rise. Normally this was the time of day she'd begin her daily training regimen. But from the looks of her body, that wouldn't be happening for quite a while. She glanced at her mailbox. Quite a few rolls of newspaper were peeping out from the vent.

Reading! Dash had recently come to the discovery that she quite enjoyed reading. Twilight had opened her eyes with the entertaining, though infantile, DARING DO book series. Technically it was written with kids in mind but the humor and storytelling were just so good. Ponies all over Equestria had fallen in love with the series. The newspaper probably wasn't even a fraction as interesting as the novels she enjoyed, but it was better than just throwing them out as she usually did. Dash gripped the pile in her teeth and pulled them out onto the cloud behind her. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at the frontpage articles from the newspapers from the last few days.

THE PONYVILLE GAZETTE
"Tragedy at the Track"
Being in a race as wild as the Wonderbolts Derby has always been considered dangerous. The controversial race, which has remained a popular attraction for more than a century, brings crowds of all ages and types every year. However, few think about how dangerous it is to be in attendance at such a race. The low safety regulations continue to haunt the owners as yet another terrifying crash this weekend has left 16 ponies injured, with 3 in critical condition. (more on page 2)

The Neigh York Times
"Royalty Showing Favoritism at the Derby?"
As quite a few ponies at the Wonderbolts Show in Cloudsdale made note of last Saturday, when the violent accident occurred, chaos and pandemonium quickly took hold of the crowd as the royal family worked its magic to clear the air. While several ponies were injured, many have noted that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were first to help Rainbow Dash, their appointed Element of Harmony, before any of the innocent injured bystanders. Many are calling for the Princesses to step down from... (continued on page 2)

The Pegasus Post
SHOULD SPITFIRE STEP DOWN? an exposé by Mary Contrary
In a move that surprised no ponies on Sunday, commissioner of safety for the Pegasus Sports Association, the one and only Spitfire, stepped down today amongst the controversy surrounding last weekends accidents. However many others, and that includes myself, have been saying that's simply not good enough. But there's a silver lining; a little birdy has told me that many of us may be getting what we wanted after all. The rumor mill, and a reliable source of mine, has claimed that Spitefire's position as head of the Wonderbolts may soon be ending as well. Good riddance, I say! An end to a rather ridiculous chapter in the history of this once well-respected organization.

THE TROTTINGHAM TRIBUNE
MORE THAN HEALTH AND SAFETY
from columnist Shoe Shackles
"It's a shame it's had to come to this, folks. I haven't felt so frightened in decades. And I truly understand the grief, I do. My heart goes out to the victims of this tragedy. I know a lot of issues about courtside safety, netting, walls, and other longstanding problems with the Derby have been brought up. But one important issue has been overlooked. Performance enhancing substances. I don't know who this Rainbow Dash is, but I do know this: no pony should have survived that crash. Unless this girl is a superhero, she should be gone. We need to start testing our athletes, folks. The adrenaline, the chemicals that are making these young fillies go crazy. It has to stop. We have to draw the line and it needs to start with Rainbow Dash. When the safety commission tests her and finds her blood positive for substances, and they will, there needs to be more than a fine. There needs to be a ban. A permanent lifetime ban from all..." (more on page 6)

Equestrian Enquirer
The Day that Changed Sports
When little foal Cinnamon Breeze went to the racecourse this weekend, she was hoping to be entertained. Hoping to see and meet her idols, Soarin and Spitfire. To meet the racers, some of whom are quite popular and famous around the country. However all that came to an end this weekend when a large piece of marble was dislodged during the fiery crash at the racecourse, striking young Cinnamon in the head. Now the little filly is lying in a hospital bed, with a severe concussion. (more on page 3)

Page after page, paragraph after paragraph, the sheer magnitude of what had happened slowly struck Dash. Her injuries, how she had appeared when she emerged from the rubble, all the equipment that had been destroyed in the process, the centuries-old relics that had been ruined permanently and worst of all, the innocent bystanders who had been hurt. Many severely injured by the accident she caused. SHE caused. Dash felt her stomach convulse, the gag reflex trying desperately to stop the nausea that was overtaking her, the throbbing pain of her injuries becoming unbearable as the medication began to wear off. She gasped loudly, trying not to suffocate as she continued to cough and gag, crying loudly as she read the articles. This was her legacy now. This could all have been prevented. Her mind went back to that morning a few days back. So similar to the morning she was experiencing now. Her friends had told her not to race. They'd warned her that something bad could happen, their concerns had been for HER safety. Dash cursed herself for not listening to them, for thinking she was in any condition to race that day. She swore and swore loudly as a trickle of spit oozed from her mouth as her body attempted to vomit over and over. This was her fault. These ponies lives could be ruined. The Wonderbolts would probably be ruined. Ponies were upset at the princesses for the first time in ages. And it was all because of her. Because she had been too confident.

Hate filled the young mare as she rose to her hooves, swaying with the pain as she stumbled to the small waterfall on the cloudbank of her house. She peered into the pool of glittering water, still dark but flecked with orange from the rising sun. She could barely see her reflection, but she could feel her eyes looking back at her from the surface. She ground her teeth angrily as the tears fell, falling on her haunches and looking at her body. Stitches, bandages, staples, everything possible had been done to her to keep her alive. To make her better. And she didn't even deserve it. She didn't deserve any of this. Dash bit at the stitches angrily, tasting blood. A thought entered her mind. A terrible truly awful thought, that spread its black claws over her consciousness as she gazed up at the sky, seeking answers.

She couldn't go back in time. She couldn't go back and stop this event from happening. But she could make sure it never happened again. She could make sure that she could never hurt any other pony again with her high speed antics and tricks. Remove the one thing that made her special and set her apart. The reason she was ever able to race in the first place. Dash staggered as quickly as she could back inside the house, pushing herself into the bathroom as quietly as possible. The light flickered on and briefly she saw the pony she hated the most, staring back at her in the mirror. She turned away and decided now was the time. Now was the time to take action and ensure she could never cause harm to any pony ever again. And with that thought, Dash craned her neck and pulled out the wooden splints tied to her wings, feeling a sharp pang as the bandages unraveled, the offending limbs drooping limply off her sides, making nearly no noise as the tips slowly brushed against the floor.

*******************************

It was a lovely dream, the kind one wished could last forever. Pinkie was sitting in a small rowboat, that was floating lazily down the small river near Fluttershy's cabin. The willows were all in bloom, their small soft periwinkle flowers cascading into the water, making small ripples that disappeared long before they reached the shore. It was an overcast sort of day, the clouds blocking the sun, giving the landscape a dark and mysterious tone. But it was still bright and cheerful, the lack of sun making the air nice and cool. The clouds weren't their usual tones of white and grey, but instead had chosen this day to be a myriad of colors. A whole spectrum of the white fluff was coursing over the sky, creating colorful shadows across the land as they floated. Normally on a day like this, Pinkie would be doing something fun. Like running around the meadows with her friends or helping Mr. and Mrs.Cake organize a birthday party for some lucky child in the town. But right now those things were the furthest from her mind. She was in a boat with her favorite person in the world.

Pinkie turned to look at Rainbow who had found the boat ride rather boring at first. The cyan mare yawned and Pinkie had to contain the urge to squeak happily. Rainbow was so cute when she yawned. Pinkie shifted over so she could press the sides of their bodies together, softly laying her head on Dash's shoulder. She fully expected Dash to pull away, as she usually did whenever Pinkie tried to be affectionate. But Dash reacted positively, leaning her cheek against Pinkie's as they made their way down the river. Pinkie frowned, as she usually did when such dreams came. She knew it was a dream at this point. Things like this never happened. She was never so lucky.

"Yeah, it'd be nice huh?" the dream Dash agreed. "Too bad you're too much of a wuss to admit you like me in reality."

"I'm not a wuss! I just haven't found a way to do it yet." Pinkie's ears drooped. The dream specter was hitting pretty close to home.

"Yeah, whatever." the dream Dash snorted into Pinkie's hair, causing her to giggle. "You're a bigger fraidy-cat than Fluttershy at a dragon convention."

They continued to drift across the water listening to all the sounds of the birds and the wind, intermingling into a natural chorus. Pinkie closed her eyes as she felt Dash's warmth on her skin. If only this were real. All at once suddenly the warmth went cold and Pinkie felt the Dash in her dream pulling away from her, a look of concern on it's face.

"Pinkie, listen up. We have a problem." the dream Dash suddenly turned with a very serious look on it's beautiful features, causing Pinkie to sit up immediately. "Your Pinkie Sense is acting up. It's telling me that something really bad is about to happen. Is happening right now. Might have happened already."

"I don't know, Pinks. I'm part of your dream, remember? But your Pinkie Sense hasn't reacted like this in a long time. This is serious because....I think.....I think it has to do with me. The real me."

"I don't know how to wake up on my own! I just sort of wake up when I'm done being sleepy! Or if I hear a loud sound! Or if I smell Mrs.Cake baking chocolate chip fudge cookies downstairs. I can't just tell myself to wake up! Heck if ponies could do that, why would we need alarm clocks!"

The dream specter of Rainbow Dash suddenly rushed forward, its lips puckered, going in for a kiss. Pinkie closed her eyes, feeling anticipation for what she hoped would be something wonderful. But it was not to be. She was never so lucky. There was a flash of light and then all at once she was awake.

Pinkie sat up in the bed. True to her dream's word, something was awry. Pinkie's tail and ears were twitching madly. A sign of disaster in most cases. She couldn't explain her Pinkie Sense, but it was reliable, that much was true. She looked around the room, shivering from the cold. Why was the door open? Where was Dash? Pinkie suddenly felt a small splinter of fright make its way out of the pit of her stomach and arc across her body. Why would Dash be out of bed? Why was it so quiet if she was out of bed?

Pinkie bounced out of bed, hitting the floor with a sound like that of a rubber duck. She trotted around the room, looking for signs of her friend. Nothing. Applejack was still asleep on the floor. She pondered if she should wake Applejack up. But what if nothing was wrong? Applejack would be so upset if Pinkie had frightened her and it was all for nothing. Better to figure this out solo el mono. Pinkie trotted down the stairs. Her eyes went wide. The front door to the house was open. A few newspapers were trailing in from the doorstep. Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy apparently hadn't noticed. Pinkie stuck her head out the door. No Dash in sight. How strange. Then she heard it, a quiet tearing noise, followed by a grunt. A high pitched kind of grunt. Like someone was trying to hide great physical anguish behind clenched teeth. Pinkie whirled around to see a sliver of golden light appearing from under the bathroom door at the end of the hall. She trotted forward, feeling more and more frightened as the grunts and yelps of pain grew louder. She placed her pink hoof on the door and gave it a small push, feeling her heart break as she took in what stood before her.

Rainbow Dash was standing next to the bathtub, blood dripping freely down her body. Many of her stitches lay on the floor, soaking in a pool of blood. Piles of blue feathers were at the mare's feet, as she bit deeply into her mangled wings, letting out a muffled scream as she pulled back. There was a tearing noise, and soon another group of feathers was set free, floating down to the floor to join their brethren in the puddles. Dash's face was a mixture of anger and pain as she bit into her wings with gusto. The quiet crack of her bones becoming quite audible as she spent all her energy destroying her wings as much as she could. She glanced up to see Pinkie Pie standing in the doorway, a look of terror on her face as her eyes welled up with tears. Dash would never forget that scream. But it would not deter her. Nor would the strength of her friend. It would end up take the entire group to stop Dash from destroying herself.

Vaguely Familiar.

by Reptilicus

Pease porridge in the pot .