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Country Wildflowers
Spirit sat in his office, fixing and reconfiguring his prototype while nervously biting on his hoof. His unconscious…or possibly dead daughter lied on her bed in her room. After the incident, Spirit took her straight home. No hospital could fix what he had caused.
Just before entering his office, Spirit had stayed in Rainbow Dash’s room with her. He had moved some of her limbs, and felt around her joints to check for broken bones. Sure enough, her two front legs were broken, accompanied by a slight fracture on her skull. He did what he could to fix them by wrapping them in homemade casts, and her head in gauze.
Once he had this prototype fixed, it was definitely not going to be used. Rainbow Dash had better get used to being flightless for the rest of her life. That is, if there’s a life to continue.
Although she had disobeyed his orders to not do dangerous tricks, he still felt that it was his fault. What kind of careless father tests out a new prototype on his thirteen-year-old daughter? Now, because of him, Rainbow Dash could be dying about seventy years early.
…
Spirit stopped for a moment, and tried to think of something productive that he could be doing besides fixing something that he didn’t plan on using. After coming to a decision, he picked up the phone, and dialed the number of Rainbow Dash’s high school.
“Hello? This is Brave Spirit, the guardian of Rainbow Dash. I’m just calling in and saying that she won’t be present at school for roughly the next week. She’s injured.” He explained.
Once he knew that his call was received, he hung up, and sighed.
Suddenly, he heard a voice.
“Dad?”
…
Spirit gasped, and turned toward the sound of the voice. He saw Rainbow Dash standing on her hind legs at the entrance to his office, leaning on the doorframe for support.
“Hey, do you have an aspirin? My head hurts.”
“Dashie! Holy crap, I can’t believe you’re okay!”
Spirit ran over to Rainbow Dash as fast as he could, and gave her a big hug. Rainbow Dash flinched.
“Okay, that kind of hurts.”
Spirit let go. “Sorry, I forgot that you’re still injured.”
…
“That was the coolest thing to ever happen to me! I never knew flying could be so fun!” She eyed the repaired prototype sitting on Spirit’s desk. “Just let me put the baby back on and we can do it again!”
Spirit’s eyes went wide. “Oh no, you’re not putting this thing back on unless your life depended on it!”
Rainbow Dash gave him a confused look. “If I’m not allowed to wear it again, why did you repair it?”
“…Sentimental reasons…” He sheepishly responded.
“Well, to hell with that. I want to fly again!”
Spirit gasped. “Watch your language!”
“No! Why won’t you let me fly?”
“Because it’s too dangerous!”
“Too dangerous? Dad, I’m a pegasus. I was born to fly!”
“Dashie, you don’t understand…”
“No, I think I understand perfectly! If you really cared about me, you’d let me make my own choices! You’d let me be happy!”
“My wife was a pegasus too! She died from a flying accident almost exactly like yours! If you die too, I’d have absolutely nothing!” Spirit blurted out.
…
Rainbow Dash didn’t respond. The room was suddenly silent.
“You’re everything to me, Dashie. You’re all I have.” He added.
The silence continued for a few minutes. But to them, it felt like hours. Spirit lowered his head, and sobbed quietly.
After standing in place for a couple seconds, Rainbow Dash walked forward, and hugged her father without saying a word. Spirit returned the favor.
“I love you, Dashie.”
“I love you too, dad.”
…
After their embrace, Rainbow Dash quietly left the room, leaving Spirit alone to think for a while.
……………………………….
Later that night, while Spirit worked in the kitchen to make himself a snack, Rainbow Dash walked in the room. He glanced up at her, then looked back down as he continued his work.
“Hey, Rainbow Dash. What’s on your mind?” He asked.
“Dad, I’ve been thinking.”
“Ooh, that’s dangerous.” He joked.
“Well, it’s just that…” She paused. “Look, I don’t think my flight accident was your fault.”
Spirit stopped what he was doing, and looked up at her.
“Before the experiment, you warned me that the material used on the harness wasn’t sturdy, and that I shouldn’t do anything too extreme for risks of hurting myself.”
Spirit nodded. “Go on.”
“And, well…I was so enthusiastic…so pumped to finally get to fly freely among the clouds as the pegasus that I was born to be……that I carelessly ignored your strict warning. You took precautions, and I……I screwed up, dad.”
Spirit saw a few tears fall from his daughter’s eyes as she looked down.
He put a hoof on her shoulder. “Look Dashie, I completely understand why you did what you did. I’d probably do the same thing if I finally had the chance to fly after being quarantined on the ground for my entire life. I’m also sure that anypony else would forgive you as well.”
“I came in here to tell you two things. Mostly I just wanted to tell you that I’m not ready to give up.”
“Oh really? What do you mean by that?”
“Well, your invention was working perfectly until I pushed the limits. Since you know the right design now, I’m sure if you make one more version, it’ll be perfect. It would even have a sturdier material.”
“Well yes, but sturdier materials are often heavier, so I’d have to change the design a little bit to match the weight difference. But I think I see where you’re coming from.”
“And this time, I won’t do any dangerous tricks unless instructed to do so.”
Spirit smiled. “You sound like you understand and possess the responsibility needed to take on this task.” He paused for a moment. “Okay, I will continue working on a sturdier prototype.”
Rainbow Dash smiled happily. “I knew you’d understand!”
Spirit smiled. “By the way, what was that other thing you wanted to tell me?”
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you. I was in the bathroom earlier today, and…well…I think I’m on my period.”
Spirit’s smile instantly vanished.
“Excuse me……what?”
To be Continued…