//------------------------------// // The Strongest Magic of all, Part Two. // Story: A Dash of Fire // by Johnfreemanwepon //------------------------------// Spitfire woke up again. Her entire body was covered in sweat- the only thing keeping her awake was the adrenaline. She looked over at the bed across from her where Rainbow Dash was laying. She sighed in relief, seeing that the vitals were normal. Spitfire tried to get out of the bed- her ribs were still broken, so she didn't get very far. She powered through the pain until she reached the bedside of Rainbow Dash, who still remained unconscious. There was a chair, and Spitfire fell into it gasping from pain. She wouldn't be moving from here again. For now, she just stared at the peaceful look on Rainbow's face, before succumbing to the pain and passing out. *** Rainbow woke up, her eyes fluttering open and eliciting a yawn from the mare. The sharp pain she felt in her side ended it with a heavy gasp. She saw Spitfire, blacked out on the chair next to her bed. Ignoring the pain, she yelled “NURSE! COME QUICK!!!” A nurse bust through the doors and saw the injured mare on the chair before picking her up and carrying her back to the bed. The magic healing spells, while powerful, were not instant and needed the patient to stay still until the injuries were healed. The nurse sighed, seeing that was not going to happen with these two. “Thanks, nurse. She looked like she was in a lot of pain.” “Just stay in bed, Rainbow. Make sure she does, too,” the nurse responded, giving Spitfire a shot of pain medication. Her face eased up, switching from a contorted look of pain to a soft look of slumber. Rainbow nodded, and the nurse accepted this. Rainbow was fully awake now, the restraints of sleep lifted from her mind. She asked Twilight to bring books to her, surprisingly- it was better than doing nothing. Now that she was stable and awake, they took the IV feeding her nutrients off and began easing her back into solid foods. Mostly, she stuck to daisy sandwiches and apple juice, but sometimes she would get something strange- coffee with liquid rainbow in it and sometimes nothing at all. Spitfire slipped in and out of consciousness less and less frequently and the nurses came in more and more as this happened. This piqued Rainbow's curiosity. “Nurse, what is going on? Is Spitfire alright?” “No- she's in a coma. She might not come out of it for a while. Don't worry, though- she's safe. Her vital signs are all stable and nominal, and her ribs are healing normally and at an accelerated rate.” Rainbow was relieved, before asking “How long am I going to need to stay in bed?” “Only a few more days. They'll go by in a flash.” They did, really- Rainbow enjoyed watching Spitfire peacefully dream, and talking to her on occasion. Even in a coma, Spitfire talked in her sleep. Every once in a while, Soarin would come in and talk to the both of them. He would inform Spitfire of how the Wonderbolts were doing, and he would talk to dash about what happened the day of the incident that put Spitfire where she was today. Rainbow Dash still felt guilty about what Spitfire did- she didn't want her to get hurt, and she ended up causing her more pain than any other pony in the world. As soon as Rainbow was able to move, she got up from her bed and sat in the chair next to Spitfire. She talked to her, remembering something about ponies still hearing you in a coma. She even read to her, making sure that she wasn't bored and had something to think about. Every night, before falling asleep, Rainbow would lean down and kiss Spitfire on the cheek, and every time she thought she saw Spitfire smile a little bit. Dash felt a little guilty that she was getting sleep at a time like this, but she knew Spitfire wouldn't want her to get hurt because Spitfire had hurt herself. Rainbow's friends visited frequently, asking her to come home and rest. She refused- she wouldn't let Spitfire, the mare who risked her own life for her, be alone when she woke up. They gave up and just brought food or more books every time they stopped by. “Hey, Twilight?” Dash asked when her friend stepped in the room “Yeah Dash?” “Do you think you could tutor me in math? Spitfire's a bit of a geek, and when she's talking I want to be able to understand more of what she's talking about.” Twilight smiled at her friend's affectionate gesture. “Sure. I'll find some math textbooks and see what we can do.” Rainbow's thoughts were cut short when Spitfire moved, groaning. “How l-long was I out?” Spitfire asked groggily, with a yawn on her lips. Rainbow jumped up and hugged her, crying. “Nearly two weeks now. You were in a coma.” Spitfire's stomach rumbled, and Dash laughed. “Let's go get you some real food.” Spitfire got up, her ribs healed as well as Dash's. They walked down to the cafeteria where they sat down to eat. Their lunch was simple, much like they always had when they were together. Spitfire ate ferociously, her empty stomach getting the better of her. “Hey Spitfire- I never found out; what happened to Nightmare when you came into Everfree? What did you do to stop it?” “Hasn't Twilight told you?” Spitfire responded. Looking slightly embarrassed, Dash told her “I never asked- it only really came to my mind when I saw you awake.” “I kissed you. I was crawling over to you after I was injured- Nightmare made THAT a living hell- and then I reached out to you, pulled you over and kissed you. Twilight said something about a spark, and then all of your necklaces started to glow. Nightmare was destroyed.” Dash looked at the mare in front of her, bewildered. She put her hoof on Spitfire's back, and was unsure what to do. “Dash, I love you with every fiber of my being. I needed to be near you if I died. I loved you from the day you amazed everyone with the sonic rainboom to the day I saw you in your gown at the gala. When I saw you on that cloud, I needed to act. I still loved you, Rainbow, when I went after you into that forest. If you'd like, we can talk about it somewhere more private. Your place. 7:30. I'll be there. Go get yourself ready.” Dash nearly jumped out of her seat. She was amazed at this spontaneous, heartfelt confession of Spitfire's feelings. Saying a quick goodbye, she rushed out of the hospital to go get ready. Life was good. At the date that night, Spitfire had gone all out in her appearances. She looked beautiful- her mane let down and combed in such a way that it almost looked wet. She was wearing some eyeliner, something that sport ponies like her and Rainbow never did aside from at formal events. Dash had Applejack prepare the dinner for them- Rainbow's meager cooking skills were not helped by the fact that she had been in the hospital for weeks. Dash had even cleaned her house out for the date, the normal squalor replaced by a romantic table setting and candlelight. Pouring some apple cider (also provided by AJ) for the both of them, she told Spitfire “You look fantastic.” Spitfire smiled, taking pleasure in the other mare's affectionate looks and wonderfully combed mane. “You don't look to bad yourself,” she retorted. Rainbow blushed; “Rarity helped me with it, she always was good with that frilly stuff. All our friends have been so supportive of us I have a hard time coming up with something romantic on our own. They really are happy for us.” Spitfire thought back, somehow remembering things Soarin had said to her during her sleep. Her friends were happy, too. Spitfire wasn't eating as much as earlier, hoping to maintain some dignity in front of her date. A lot of what happened over the past weeks was unknown to her, but some of it she could remember. She remembered Dash reading, in her stumbling fashion, and she remembered all the times Dash kissed her. She hoped she could return the favor tonight. “How about I stay here tonight, Dashie?” Spitfire asked, in between small sips of wine. Catching a seductive glance from Spitfire, Dash answered “Sure.” They walked up to Dash's bedroom around 9:30, Spitfire hiding a small black box in her pocket. It was going to be a big night. The end. (Authors Note: Damn, I like this ending.)