//------------------------------//
// Shattered Dreams 
// Story: One By One 
// by Hodd 
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Well... tomorrow's the day, Rainbow Dash thought to herself, a giddy smile manifesting itself on her face. Tomorrow I get to show the Wonderbolts what I can do! The Wonderbolts Rooky Exhibition only came every other year, and she had no intentions of having to train for another 2 years. Despite the excitement that she clearly exhibited, Rainbow Dash was still very worried about the absence of Rarity, but after well over 2 weeks, Rainbow had assumed she had abandoned her friends. There was, however that slight paranoia she had, as the ponies liked to call it, that there was something more to it. "I can't believe she would up and leave like that! How could she abandon her last friends?" The question was aimed at Applejack. "Uh... yeah," Applejack replied plainly, but with a more than slight hint of sadness in her voice. "Applejack?" Rainbow Dash asked the clearly bothered orange earth pony. "What's going on?" Applejack simply couldn't meet her gaze. I've had just about enough of this, the rainbow colored pegasus thought to herself. "I'm going to Rarity's house. Something doesn't add up here," Rainbow Dash announced, clearly disbelieving what her dear friend had told her. "No, wait!" Applejack exclaimed, trying to stop her friend from discovering the truth. It was too late. Before she could even utter the last word, Rainbow Dash was out of view. Applejack was in a near full panic as she raced after her towards the carousel boutique. She couldn't let the news reach Rainbow Dash. She couldn't let her find out less than 24 hours before her big day. She had to stop her.

When Applejack finally skidded to a stop just outside the large purple door that opened up into the old carousel boutique, she knew Rainbow had beat her there. She was, after all the fastest flier in Equestria. She darted inside and instinctively raced upstairs. I just hope I'm not too late. These thoughts resonated in her head, amplifying with each passing second. What if Rainbow found the note? She'd be devastated! There was no way Applejack could let that happen to her friend. She sped up, clinging to the hope that Rainbow hadn't found it. The hallway leading to Rarity's study seemed infinite, as Applejack sped violently to it, desperately trying to catch up to her dear friend. She skidded around the corner only to find Rainbow dash reading a letter. Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach, and her face burned with guilt. "When...?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Just exactly when the hell did you plan on telling me what happened!?" To say that Rainbow Dash was angry would be a massive understatement. The fury that burned in her eyes was more intense than Applejack had ever seen, and, to be honest, was terrifying. "You knew the whole time! You never told me!? How could you, Applejack!? I thought you were the element of honesty! I though you were my friend!" Rainbow was crying now, anguish and betrayal gnawed at her mind. "I guess I was wrong," she whispered. Those last words cut like a razor into Applejack. She felt as if she were going to vomit. She had lost three of her friends already. She couldn't bear losing another. "Rainbow..." she explained, "I was going to tell you eventually, but I couldn't tell you now! I couldn't tell you just before your big break! That'd ruin your chances." Rainbow Dash, with tears in her eyes, responded, "Well it doesn't matter now. Tomorrow is the Exhibition. I'm going home to train." She was clearly trying to hide her emotions. She always trained when she wanted to block something out, or put it off until later. Applejack shook her head, partly in sorrow, partly in guilt, and partly in pity, as her friend exited the dark room, leaving Applejack alone with her thoughts.

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It was the Big Day. It was the day Rainbow Dash had been waiting for, for her entire life. It was the day that she would get to show her skill to the Wonderbolts, and be chosen as their next Rookie Flier! She was dead set on earning her spot in the ranks of the Wonderbolts! But what then? she found herself asking. What do I do after this? Do I leave Twilight and Appleja- Her thought was cut off by a sudden surge of bitterness towards her once dear friend. "Ugh, I'll figure it out later," she found herself grumbling under her breath. She fidgeted and twitched in the locker room, unable to fixate herself on 1 single emotion. She was bitter at Applejack, sorrowful for Rarity, excited for the Wonderbolts; it was too much. She pressed her hooves against her head and groaned, trying desperately to escape the mental fraying that she was experiencing. Rainbow spent the next hour drowning out the world, alone to think. When she finally opened her eyes from their locked position, she knew what she had made up her mind.  She would join the Wonderbolts, even if it meant leaving her friends. After she'd lost so much, Rainbow Dash had become emotionally calloused, and was used to being for the most part alone. The rather obnoxious broadcast interrupted her concentration, and she let out an annoyed sigh as she listened to the announcer. "Racers Cloud Runner, Jet Stream, Sky Skier, and Rainbow Dash, take your positions at the block." Well... This is it.

Rainbow Dash had trained her entire life for this, and was in the most concentrated state she'd ever been in. Rainbow Dash approached the starting block, and without hesitation, took her position in the "#3" slot. The starting block was rather small, only large enough for one pegasus pony to squeeze into. She dismissed these thoughts, determined to stay focused on the race. Ok. I can do this. A red light flashed. Then a yellow light. When the green illuminated, all four racers shot out at tremendous speed. Rainbow Dash pumped her wings as hard as she could, pushing herself farther than she usually had. This put her into a clear lead ahead of the other three racers by at least 50 feet. Ok, it's only a five lap race. Easy peasy. The first two laps were over in nearly an instant, as Rainbow Dash screamed around corners, and ripped across the straightaways. Another two laps passed before Rainbow Dash even knew it. As she rounded the corner into the final lap, she glanced up at the stands. She had half-expected Rarity to be there, cheering her on. What she saw was emptiness. She saw not Applejack, nor Twilight, nor Rarity. A sudden pang of sadness struck her chest, as she searched for her friends. This sudden deceleration gave the other three fliers a chance to swoop in, and overtake her. One of them sped past at frightening pace, a small groan of dissatisfaction emanating from the audience. Rainbow Dash immediately bolted after him, but something was wrong. Tears started to form in her eyes, as she realized that, for the first time, none of her friends were watching. As she failed to hold back the weeping that overpowered her, her goggles quickly became impossible to see through. She shook her head, trying to somehow rid the goggles of their liquid. She started to panic. She was going far to fast to simply stop, and risk colliding with another racer, and she certainly didn't intend on waiting 2 more years. Instead, she focused all her energy on following the blurred figure that had passed her. With one last burst of energy, she slammed her wings hard against the sky, rocketing her forward. She was doing it. She was winning! These thoughts were cut short as an explosion of pain that originated in her right wing traveled down her spine, and rocked her to the core. She let out a loud yelp, as she had no choice but to spiral out of control and slam into the hard ground below. She didn't feel the first impact. The shock was far too great to allow her that, but the second and third impacts sent massive waves of pain burning through her. Each impact blurred her vision, and distorted her hearing further. When she'd finally come to a rest just passed the checkered line, she began to fade in and out of reality.

"Rainbow Dash!!!" The voice belonged to someone familiar, but she was in no condition to try and discern who it was. She simply laid there, letting shock numb her pain. A purple unicorn sprinted to her best friend's side. "Are you ok!?" The sight before here was simply sickening. Rainbow's right wing was snapped halfway to the middle joint, and hung loosely by the muscle tendons. A massive laceration stretched from her back to her flank, and bled furiously. Her right hind leg was twisted and distorted, clearly either broken, or severely dislocated. "Oh Celestia, no," Twilight let out. "Hang in there, Rainbow, Just hang in there. Stay with me. No, don't close your eyes, please, please, PLEASE!!" Rainbow Dash cracked her eyes open to see Applejack kneeling before her, reassuring her it would be ok. "Applejack..." Rainbow said in a raspy voice. "You came." 
"Yeah, Sugar Cube," Applejack replied, tears in her eyes obvious. "I'm sorry I got so mad," choked out Rainbow Dash between sobs. "I'm so sorry." Applejack put a hoof to her mouth. "Rainbow, don't be. Just stay calm while help gets here. We can talk about this soon, I promise." Rainbow nodded slowly, lulling in and out of consciousness as tear flowed openly from her eyes

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Rainbow Dash's eyes cracked open, letting stinging rays of light sting her vision. "Oh, Celestia..." She said, groaning. She was in a hospital. So it wasn't a dream. "Rainbow Dash," said a doctor, who was standing just off to the side of her bed. "You suffered massive damage to both of your wings. Full recovery is unlikely." The statement hit Rainbow Dash harder than a speeding train. "Wh- what do you mean?" The Doctor sighed. "What I mean is that your wings have been damaged severely, and will never be back to 100%." Rainbow Dash's stomach churned. She felt as if she were going to throw up. So much time, wasted. I spent my entire life dreaming, training to become a Wonderbolt... for nothing. "I'm sorry," the Doctor added, half-heartedly. "Just get out!" Screamed Rainbow Dash, furious at the indifference of the doctor. He obliged, and trotted outside, leaving Rainbow Dash alone in the plain, white-washed room. Her entire being ached, whether it be from physical or emotional injury. She tried to ruffle her wings, but found that they were in bloodied bandages, binding them to her body. She felt ill, and reached for the nearby trashcan. Wave after wave of retching ensued, the pegasus unable to come to grips with her situation. It was after this that she glanced over at the end table, and saw an envelope. With a certain terror in the pit of her stomach, she ripped open the envelope, and read its contents. It read;

     We regret to inform you that you have been disqualified due to injuries sustained during the exhibition, and will not be eligible until all injuries sustained are recovered from. Thank you for your cooperation.

Those two sentences... Those two sentences ended Rainbow Dash's dream to become a Wonderbolt. She let out a yell of pure anguish, as the consequences of the letter sank in. She would never be a Wonderbolt. She had spent her entire life training to be something that she can now never become. She covered her head with her hooves, once again trying to drown out the world. When her hooves finally fell from her face, she bore an expression of complete defeat. All that time. All those years... for nothing.