//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 - Radiance (Part 1) // Story: Hearts Aflutter // by NotHereAnymoreProbably //------------------------------// Hearts Aflutter – Chapter 7 Radiance (Part 1) “It’s gonna be okay, ‘Shy.” “A-are you sure?” This made her pause. “…Yeah. I’m sure.” The room was cool – not cold, but chilly all the same. They hugged each other, not for warmth, but for comfort. There wasn’t much they could do at this point but wait – and there wasn’t a chance in the world that Rainbow Dash would let her wait on her own. Fluttershy was shaking a little – she held the mare tighter, kissed her cheek. “Hey, what’d I just say? You’ll be fine.” “But… last time…” Right. Last time. It made sense – of course she’d be scared. “Hey, remember that time when we put all the animals to sleep together?” she asked. “Oh, um yes. That was… really nice.” “Hay yeah, it was! Man, it seems like forever ago that that happened…” “Um, well, it was only a couple of nights ago, actually.” “Oh. Right.” Dash chuckled, faking embarrassment. They both knew it was just a front to take Fluttershy’s mind off of it – to stop her being afraid. She’d been so afraid... “What do you think I should do?” She promised to support her no matter what decision she made, but didn’t realise what she was actually asking. The mare in front of her – the mare she loved – was scared, frightened out of her wits, being asked to make a decision that would change her life. “I love you, Rainbow, and I need your help. What do you want me to do?” What do I want you to do? ...It was hardly a contest. Of course she should fix her wings. Every pegasus likes flying, whether they do it much or not – and pegasi make terrible earth ponies. She remembered a sunset above the clouds, so many months ago, before all of this. "You're my best friend… It’s just me and you, ‘Shy." But...would it be fair to tell her to do the operation and everything just because of something like that? Heck no – that’d just be selfish. How could she possibly tell Fluttershy to put herself through so much pain just because Dash liked flying with her, or liked watching sunsets together? Fluttershy wanted her to choose. She trusted her to make the right decision – however hard that might be. The thing was, she had no idea what the right decision was. There was Fluttershy, close to tears from the stress of the decision, waiting for an answer that was far too difficult for one mare... or was it? “What would you do, ‘Shy?” she asked, laying a hoof around her marefriend. “What would you do, if you do go through with this – if you do get your wings back? Or if you don't?” It was like she'd suspected - Fluttershy didn't seem to have really thought that far ahead. If there was anything Rainbow had ever learned, it was that it’s never enough to focus just on a decision – you always have to think about its consequences. That was one of the first rules of flying, too. If you yaw to the right, but don’t notice the library window in the way, you clearly weren’t thinking far enough ahead. ...So I’m not too good at it myself. But it still applied to everything else - cause and effect, cost versus quality. Fluttershy had to figure out her reasons for going through with this – or otherwise – or else there wouldn’t be a point to the hardships she might face. “...Okay.” There was a long pause. “...Okay,” Fluttershy repeated to herself. “Did you figure it out?” “Yes, I did,” she said. “I’m going to do it.” She leaned over, nuzzling her, before she blushed and moved back again. “Oh, um... was that too much?” “Aw, come on!” she laughed. “We’ve kissed already, why would that be too much?” “Oh, um...” They laughed. “So uh... Why? What’s in it for you?” “You are.” Huh-what-but-wh- “…Huh?” “Oh, um, I mean… Well, I... I did mean that. You’re my best friend too, Rainbow Dash. When I’m with you, I always feel like I can do better at things, like I can work my way through anything, just like you do. When we’d go flying, it wasn’t just something I could do anymore – it was something I enjoyed, because you were there with me. When we watched that sunset together… I was so happy.” “Those are things I could never do again without my wings. These memories that I treasure, I’d never be able to experience again - simply because I couldn’t put up with a little pain? I’ve always tried my hardest to be stronger than that. I want to be wherever you are Rainbow, and your place is the sky – it always has been. And I want to be there with you again someday, no matter how hard I have to try to get there.” “Wow… Are you sure, though? It isn’t just a little pain.” “… If it fixed my wings, I’d go to sleep for another three months. I’m doing this, Rainbow – I’m sure.” They simply sat, holding each other for a while. “...Will you help me?” ‘Shy whispered. She kissed her forehead, holding her close. “You know I will.” Fluttershy was scared to death - which was entirely understandable, considering how much pain she’d been in the first time they’d operated on her. Not even mentioning the fact that last time she’d gone under, she hadn’t come back up for a large part of a year. She’d taken a couple of potions, made to lessen the pain as much as possible – they couldn’t just put her to sleep for this operation. Something about the ‘nature of magic involved’ needed the patient to be conscious, or else... well, bad things would happen, they said. It was probably a whole bunch of unicorn mumbo-jumbo, but it was probably best not to question it. Unicorns tended to be right about these things. They both rested on Fluttershy’s new hospital bed – temporary, of course – waiting for the potions to kick in. When they did, she’d be wheeled off to the operating room, where Dash would have to leave her. They wouldn’t let her watch this time, but that was okay. She knew they’d take care of 'Shy properly. She knew they’d make it as painless as they possibly could. She knew that by the end of it, Fluttershy’s wings would be back. After a while, Nurse Tenderheart trotted in, carrying a clipboard. She was followed by Redheart, who Dash had requested to be part of the whole operation. Redheart was like a close friend now, after all she’d done to help her during in her hospital-hobo days – despite trying to kick her out every night, she’d always been nice... enough. “Hey, ‘Shy – they’re here. It means I’ve got to go, okay?” “Oh... uhmmm... okhay,” the mare replied – the potion’s effects had taken, and her speech was heavily slurred. “It’s time,” Nurse Tenderheart said tenderly. “We’re going to have to ask you to take your leave, Rainbow Dash.” “Okay, okay. Just gimme a sec.” She kissed Fluttershy right on the lips. “You’ll be fine,” she said, after breaking away. “You’ll be better than ever!” “Ohkhay... Were you kisshing me...? Becaushe I didn’t feel a thing.” --- Okay, maybe it had been a little too early to be laughing. Yeah, it definitely was. She knew now that she’d been trying to convince herself it’d be okay, not Fluttershy... But they’d been in there for ages! And there hadn’t been so much as a peep! What if something’s gone wrong? What if they can’t actually fix it? What if they got the medication wrong and she’s in a lot of pain and now they can’t do the operation right and her wings end up not working an- Stop. Just stop. She resumed pacing the waiting room – there was nothing else to do but wait. Had she ever been so anxious before? Maybe at the Best Young Fliers Competition or something – she tried not to remember that. Besides, you know, the Sonic Rainboom, because it was awesome. The same thing that had gotten them all into this whole mess in the first place, because- NO. Bad Dashie. Bad. Yeah, bad Dashie. We’re here because of- She growled, headbutting the wall beside her – colouring slightly at the confused glances of the other ponies in the waiting room. This had to stop. --- Pain. No, not pain. Utter, mind-numbing agony. The wind in her mane, billowing around her as she soared through the skies for the first time with her- A searing hot needle of magic was being repeatedly jabbed into her at a rapid pace - thousands of tiny, singular points of terrible, tingling, itching pain being sent directly into all of her senses at once. Her feathers swaying in the airflow, the miniscule adjustments she needed to send her higher or lower, side to side, or straight to the side of a rainbow maned- The horrific pain spread out from her wing joints, where they were operating, into the wing itself and all the way up her spine and into her head. Before, when she’d just woken up, she’d only ever felt a dull ache, or nothing at all – but now it was nothing but torture. Her body was filled with nothing but pure, scathing torture. Orange, yellow, purple, red- She didn’t scream, gritting her teeth against the gauze they’d given her to bite on. She didn’t cry, holding onto the happiest memories she had. Stormclouds far below, the occasional boom of thunder roaring up towards them. A fluffy white one served as their- It hurt. It hurt so much - but this wasn’t the bad kind of pain. This pain meant that the operation was working – that soon, when it died down, her wings would be able to feel.And soon after that, they’d be able to move. The hues of her friend's mane flowed easily into one another, the full spectrum of the rainbow swaying in the high-altitude winds. The beautiful violet of her eyes, reflecting the orange sunlight, gazing right into her- And soon after that, she’d be able to fly. --- “Oh, Rainbow Dash! What a surprise – you know, you’re just in time, the latest-” “Twilight, I need everything you’ve got on pegasus physiology and anatomy and physiotherapy and stuff.” The librarian blinked. Rainbow Dash had just used big words, while simultaneously asking for books with more big words in them. “Twilight, come on! Books! Big books!” Why would she want things about physiotherapy...? Unless... “So Fluttershy’s going through with it?” “Yep. And I’m helping her.” She seemed frantic and nervous, flitting randomly about the library – far more than normal, at least. “They’re operating now, aren’t they.” “Yep – now get finding! I want those books!” Twilight giggled – more words she’d never have expected to hear from Dash, before the ‘Egghead Incident’ that while back... But this wasn’t Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone she was asking for, either. Nevertheless, she got to work sorting through the shelves, picking out the occasional book to be added to a slowly growing pile. “So... If you don’t mind me asking, why is Fluttershy going through with it? I know about the magic they’re using in this operation, and it’s no simple thing. Why is she putting herself through so much?” Dash paused, looking out the window. “I guess...” She told Twilight everything she and Fluttershy had spoken about the few nights before – as much as she remembered at least. It was hard to think when she was so worried, but talking about it seemed to help a little. “Wow,” Twilight breathed. “That’s… really brave of her. I’m glad.” “Hehe, yeah – she was still shaking like a leaf in the hospital – well, at least she was until those potions kicked in – but anyway…” It was quiet for a while, as Dash floated around the room aimlessly, while Twilight added more books to her compilation. “You know, if you’re looking at coaching Fluttershy through her therapy, you have a lot of work to do – you’ll have to work together with the doctors to put together a proper routine for Fluttershy’s recovery, as well as learn all of the massages and therapies that relate to Fluttershy’s condition - maybe the spa ponies could help with that.” She paused to catch her breath - she’d been dragging on a little. “You need to know basically everything about her, and everything that you can do to help her through this – especially if something goes wrong. It’s a big responsibility.” “You sayin’ I can’t handle it?” Dash said, eyeing Twilight suspiciously. “I didn’t say that.” “Good,” she replied. “Because ‘Shy asked for my help herself. I’m not gonna let her down.” “That’s definitely good to hear,” Twilight said as she dropped an enormous stack of books in front of Rainbow. “Because you’ll have to know all of this by about the end of the week.” Dash dropped to the ground, her mouth agape, her eyes boggled, and her expression showing absolute despair. And then her boggled eyes got reading. --- They tingled. They itched. They ached. They twitched. They hurt, so badly. ...And they felt, so strongly. She could feel them swaying in the air, held up loosely by a wiry scaffold. It was a little humiliating, but the hyper-sensitive nerves were apparently making up for three months of lost time. When every breath of air sent pins-and-needles tearing through her entire nervous system, she didn’t want to imagine what an actual touch would feel like. The doctor had thought similarly, using a simple adhesive spell to tie the support wires to her wings without actually touching them. It would die down in a few hours, they’d said, before giving her something to help her sleep - but it wasn’t working. While the operation had taken most of the afternoon, and most of her energy, the irritating pain was still keeping her awake. Nurse Redheart had been right about the operation. But it was worth it. It was so worth it. --- “Uh, Twilight?” “Yes?” she replied cheerily. Considering how dedicated Dash was to all of this, she was happy to help however she could. “What’s a ‘palpation?’” Oh, that one is a little tough. “That’s when you feel for abnormalities in the skin, or muscles, or bones, or... anyway, things like cramps, knots in the muscle, or a crack in the bone - you feel around for it, because often you can’t see it. You’ll actually be doing a lot of that.” “Right.” As Dash read, Twilight wandered around, swishing two dusters around the shelves while rearranging the odd out-of-place book. Occasionally, she looked over to where Dash lounged on the stairs, eyes flitting back and forth across the pages swiftly. She was really into it. “Twilight?” “Yes?” “What’s Hydrotherapy?” Okay, I’ll give her this one... “That’s when you use water to assist in rehabilitation exercises - like, if you were working on a regimen designed to strengthen Fluttershy’s wings, you might take her to the lake near her house and perform some exercises in the water. It helps, because water’s about ten times denser than air, so the added resistance-” “Right, thanks.” Twilight sighed. If she wanted help, she could at least wait until she’d finished explaining... Finally done with her chores – it was Spike’s night off - Twilight chose a book from her own collection, sitting down at her reading desk. It was nearly perfect - two friends, reading books, nice and... “Twilight?” ...quiet. “...Yes, Dash?” “Why’s this talking about rice?” Wasn’t there an explanation of that earlier in the same book? “You mean R.I.C.E? That stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. It’s for things like sprains, to help reduce the swelling and assist recovery. Uh... just hope you won’t have to use that, though it will be necessary to learn.” Over the next hour or two, to Twilight’s growing agitation, there was far less peace and quiet than she would have liked. Every so often - far too often, really, Twilight was interrupted from her studies by a question that, more often than not, was about a concept already explained in the book, or even something that should just be self-explanatory. Finally, something snapped. She readied her secret weapon, waiting for the next time she heard... “Twili-” “Here! Use this!” she cried, telekinetically throwing a large book at Rainbow. Dash looked at the cover: A Mule’s Guide to Therapeutic Terminology. “Hey!” “Oh, for the love of Celestia, Dash - It’s like a dictionary for the words in those books. You won’t always have me around to help.” “Alright, fine... you could have just said so...” --- “Alright, Fluttershy,” said the Doctor. “I’ll be taking away the support wires now, unless you have any objections.” Objections? How could she possibly object? The pain had gone hours ago – her sleep had been shallow and broken all night, due to the agonising tickling sensations – but then it had died down... and returned later, just slightly different. Her wings had been extended for far too long – despite being held up by the wires, they were burning from overexertion and a tiny bit numb from a lack of circulation. The instant the wires came loose, her wings contracted and fit snugly into her sides – which was weird, because she couldn’t have done that by herself. She noticed then the magical aura around them, tucking them nicely into place. “Does that feel alright?” the Doctor asked, casting a curious gaze towards her. “Oh, um, yes – it’s fine.” “Are you sure? You know what can happen if your wings aren’t sitting right.” “Well, maybe the left one could go up just a little...” As the adjustments were made, something struck her. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking, why are you only using magic to move my wings?” “That’s easy. Right now, you’re all nice and happy, right? All that pain’s gone, no more pins-and-needles – everything’s back to normal, at least until we get your therapy underway.” “But isn’t that true?” “Well... Not exactly, no. How can I explain it... Have you ever tried to tickle yourself?” Fluttershy nodded, slightly confused. “Just doesn’t work, does it? No matter how hard you try, if you use a hoof or a feather, or anything – it just doesn’t work. That’s what's happening to you – it’s the reason you aren’t writhing in pain right now, because of the tip of that feather touching the bed-sheets. It’s not a perfect analogy, but it’ll do.” “You mean... if anypony touches my wings...” “Think of the most ticklish you’ve ever felt, multiply it by ten and add the words 'Horrible, terrible pain!' in a slightly dramatic voice.” Fluttershy blinked. “Um, how long will this last?” “Hmm...” He put a hoof up to his muzzle, staring absently out the window. “It’s hard to say. It could be a week, or it could be months from now – though it’s quite likely that the effects will die down somewhat as time passes.” “Oh, okay. Thank you for taking the wires off.” “Just doing my job- speaking of which, I’d better be going. There’s a fair few other patients to see before the day’s over, and I should be getting over to them soon.” As soon as he left, she occupied her thoughts with a familiar - but somehow entirely new - feeling. She could feel her wings tucked snugly up against her side. That tip of a feather the Doctor had mentioned was flitting softly against the sheets still, in time with her breathing. The breeze from the window swept over her, and she felt it. Curious, she tried to move them, but she it was hard to actually find them. They were there, she just couldn’t quite figure out how to actually do anything. It was a weird feeling, but that was alright. She couldn’t have expected things to move that quickly - that was the entire point of the therapy. Still, that didn’t stop her thinking about all of the things she’d do when she could move them again. There were so many things – cradling Angel Bunny and the other animals while floating through the air, or the simple joy of flight itself. One memory in particular kept coming back, again and again and again - a sunset above the clouds, a Rainbow Dash right beside her, the feeling of laying a wing over her and falling asleep together. --- “Hey Doc’,” Dash said, entering the hospital. “Good morning, Rainbow Dash. I’m sure I can guess who you’re here to see.” “Okay – so where is she?” “June Bug is over this way,” he said – he was unable to keep from laughing at the look on her face. “I really hate you,” she grumbled, but then laughed as well. She’d kinda walked into that one. Although, she had been trying all morning not to just smash straight through Fluttershy’s window to see her. Those days were over, however, and she’d merely waited – very anxiously – for visiting hours to begin. “Lucky for you, I’m just heading past her again.” As they walked up to Fluttershy’s ward, the Doctor asked, “So, Rainbow Dash, tell me - what’s with all the books?” She turned to look - her saddlebags were stuffed absolutely full of them. “It’s for Fluttershy.” He turned to her, confused. “You know she won’t be here that long, right? She’s just here so we can make sure that everything’s in order after the operation, and-” “No, not for her, for her – I meant they’re for me, so I can help her out.” She dug out one of the titles and handed it to him. He took a long, sceptical look at it, saying, “You don’t think this is a little... advanced for you?” “Well, yeah – that’s why Twilight said I should work with you and you guys and the spa ponies to make sure I’m doing it right, and I’m working really hard to know all this stuff so that I can help out.” She stopped to take a breath. “Oh, and because Fluttershy wants me to help her. So I am.” “That’s very astute of you, Rainbow, but there are some things that should really be left to the professionals.” “Oh yeah? Ask me stuff.” “Stuff?” “Yeah – like, things that ‘Shy has to do to get better.” The Doctor took a moment to think of a few questions. “Okay, how’s this – will Fluttershy have to change any of her eating habits to help her recovery?” “Well duh – we’ll be trying to get back all the strength she lost while she was asleep, both in her wings and the rest of her, and for that we need lots of protein as well as her normal food. Stuff like nuts and berries and fruits and things, because grass and flowers aren’t nutritious enough to gain back the proper muscle mass. And drinks – lots of drinks. Like apple juice and stuff, because they’re healthy and good hydrators. Need to keep her hydrated, right?” The Doctor eyed her suspiciously, and then looked around for anything she might have gotten help from – Celestia knew how many posters the hospital had up about these sorts of things – but there was nothing. “Alright... What’s the main barrier between Fluttershy and flying at this point?” “Well right now, it’s because she’s stuck in a hospital bed,” she said flatly. The doctor laughed. “Actually, it isn’t a matter of strength as much as it is one of dexterity – a three-month long coma on its own might have shafted her flying a little bit, but taking into account her injuries and the damage to the nerves, she’ll actually have to learn to fly from scratch, and that’s after learning to move her wings properly again. They’re different things. I’m helping with that, too. You can’t stop me.” “I’m not sure I want to – You’ve surprised me. Those answers were quite satisfactory. Have you been studying up?” “Yeah, since last night. How’d you guess?” She kept walking, not noticing the Doctor falling behind in surprised paralysis. --- “Fluttershy!” she cried, charging into the room. The bed-ridden mare looked around from the window, smiling warmly as she saw Rainbow in the doorway. “Oh, hello Rainbow Dash.” “Are you okay? Did it hurt? Was it as bad as they said, or worse? How are you?” She took a moment to look her over. She’d been fretting so much over the operation, wondering if it had been as bad as they’d thought, or maybe even worse. She’d expected ‘Shy to have at least a couple of bandages, something to show that she’d just been operated on - but there wasn’t a mark on her. She just sat in bed, beaming happily at her rainbow maned visitor. “Uh... They did do the operation, right?” “Oh yes,” she replied, her eyes narrowing a little at the memory – but she snapped out of it quickly. “It hurt a little, but it wasn’t as bad as they said it would be.” Dash sighed heavily in relief, not noticing the ever-so-slight wince that betrayed Fluttershy’s little white lie – but it was better that way. “Guess what?” Dash said. “The Doc said he’s ‘seriously considering’ letting me help out with your therapy, because I started hitting the books like Twilight does – man, she’s like, the best teacher. Would you ever have guessed? Anyway, that means I might be able to help you learn how to fly again!” “Oh my, that’s wonderful!” “Well, he only said he was considering it, so I dunno... but look at all the books I still have to get through – and this is only half of everything Twilight gave me. The half I haven’t read yet. I’m not even sure if I’ll be good enough in time.” Fluttershy looked at Rainbow’s saddlebags, overflowing with books on physiotherapy. She’d already read this much? That in itself was pretty unbelievable... but it was only half? It suddenly struck her that she’d never seen Rainbow reading once since she’d woken up. When had she started all of this? “I think you’ll be fine,” she said, edging sideways and patting the sheets next to her. Rainbow shuffled out of her bags, jumping up onto the bed and snuggling in next to her. Fluttershy made sure to keep her wing away, just in case. Closer up, she realised that Rainbow didn’t actually look too good – she was a little pale, and she looked fairly downbeat. “Are you alright?” “Yeah, I’m just tired. I was up all night studying – who’d ever have guessed, huh? The Dash, studying? Now I really am an egghead.” “Oh, that’s not good at all!” she laughed. They giggled, but she noticed that there was something still on Rainbow’s mind – she knew her friend enough to tell when she’d avoided a question. “What’s wrong, really?” she asked. “Um, it’s okay if you don’t want to say, but...” Dash sighed. “Are you sure you want my help?” “Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?” “But what if I screw up, or I’m not good enough? I could just make it worse.” Fluttershy paused, wondering how she could make Dash realise... The books! Maybe if I show her how hard she’s been working, she’ll see. “Rainbow, you said you brought half of the books Twilight gave you to read, right? The half you hadn’t read yet.” “Uh, yeah. What about it?” “And you said you were studying for all of last night?” she continued. “Yep. I started reading up last night, while you were... you know. In here. I needed something to get my mind off it.” She’d only started last night? She repeated the question, receiving an affirmative nod from Rainbow. “Oh, don’t you see? Look how many you’ve read in just one night!” “Well, yeah – the Doc’ was testing me about it just a little while ago. He said I was good, but I still don’t believe him.” “Oh, you should! I mean, maybe... No, you really should believe him. Twilight has probably given you everything in the whole library that might help, and you’re almost done already!” “...Yeah. Yeah, maybe you’re right. Maybe I can get this done in time!” “In time for what?” Dash blinked. “Your therapy, of course. That’s why I’m studying – so I can help you properly. I think we probably have about a week before it really starts. You should have a couple of days when you don’t move your wings because of the operation – that’s today and tomorrow – and then you just start off with some simple stretches and things before we really start to get you back into shape.” Fluttershy giggled. “See? How can you say you aren’t ready, when you already know so much? I thought we’d be starting right after we got out of hospital.” They sat quietly for a while, happy that that had been sorted out. Something still bugged Fluttershy though. How did Dash actually finish so many books in just one night? When asked, she replied, “I’m a fast reader.” “Oh, but so is Twilight. I don’t think I’ve seen her read so many at once though...” “Come on, you know I do everything fast. One time, I tested myself on one of the Daring Do books, and I got through like, all six hundred pages in about an hour and a bit, and still remembered most of what happened. I was reading these from yesterday afternoon ‘til about an hour before I came here, so I probably finished like... Twenty of them, maybe? A couple weren’t as big.” “That’s amazing!” “Yeah... I’m so tired now though...” Dash wiggled a little further down the bed, laying her head on the pillow – she was asleep the moment she did. Fluttershy watched her for a while. It wasn’t sunset yet, but the bed was pretty poofy, just like a cloud. It was... nice. If only she could move her wings... no. No, there would be other chances for moments like that – and so many more besides. Content, she snuggled up with Dash – careful of her wings, of course - and she too fell asleep.