//------------------------------// // The Hardest Day, Part 1 // Story: What Comes Next // by Rocket Blaze //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash awoke feeling rested and oddly at peace. She placed her hooves on the satin bed dressing that Rarity had made for her, feeling its softness and listening to the bird chorus assembled outside her window. For the first time since she awoke the week prior, she did not miss her wings. At least not immediately. Had Dream Luna truly banished her nightmares? Or was this just the calm before the storm? Dash decided to not worry about that right now. An envelope rested at her bedside next to a bushel full of apples and a vase full of fresh flowers. Though still sore, she was more than able to reach the letter and open it with her teeth. It was a card: A picture of Discord set against a field of pastel blue, wearing a full body cast and a perfectly bewildered expression. The caption read "So, I heard you're in a bind..." On the inside, Discord had turned the cast into white, puffy clouds spread all across the page and declared "...So we're wishing you nothing but clear skies ahead!" It was signed by all four of her friends, with stylized impressions of their cutie marks. Rainbow Dash couldn't not smile to that. As she munched on one of the apples she could only assume were from the most recent harvest at Sweet Apple Acres, she realized that she had never once in her life tasted an apple as delicious. Her face brightened and even the flowers smelled better. If it only gets better from here, I think I can handle that. Dash thought as she swallowed the last bite. Twilight had left the latest Daring Do book at her bedside, but Dash had barely been able to open it when voices down the hall broke her concentration. Straining to listen, she overheard the conversation in bits and pieces: "Patient #3 has healed faster than we could have possibly hoped for." and "Recommend immediate release into the care of her friends." were the only things she could hear clearly and understand. Slumping back down into her hospital bed, Rainbow Dash decided to wait. It was only minutes before Doctor Horse clopped through the open door. "Good morning Rainbow Dash! Nurse Redheart tells me your stumps have healed and your coat has graciously accepted the new hide grafts." Rainbow Dash peeked under her covers to see that her flanks looked normal except for a faint circular scar around the blank patch where her cutie mark used to be. "Unfortunately, we were unable to restore your cutie mark. I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, but I'm afraid only magic can do that." He hanged his clipboard on the bedside hook and gave Dash a reassuring smile. "Now don't you fret! You're in tip-top shape and we're letting your friends come and take you home in about an hour or so." He turned to leave, but Rainbow Dash wanted to know one thing. "Uh, Doc?" "Yes?" "Where is home for me now? I can't fly. Not any more." The doctor saw her face dropping, and attempted to counter her mood with beaming confidence. "Now, I'm just a unicorn and I've never been to Cloudsdale, but you're still a pegasus Rainbow Dash. I'm certain any of your friends could take you there, and you can still walk among the clouds! Go be with them. I'm certain everything will be fine for you." Then he turned and left. Why is everypony telling me to get over it then walking away? It's not fair... She shook the negativity out of her mind. "My friends will come by soon. They'll know what to do!" *** It was longer than soon, but eventually there was a knock at the door. It was Nurse Redheart. "Can you walk on your own? Or shall we lend you a wheelchair to use until you are at full strength again?" Rainbow Dash honestly didn't know, but she knew how to find out. "Let me try..." Rolling over, she gingerly placed one of her forelegs onto the soft carpet below her bed, followed by the other. Then came her hind leg, which buckled as soon as it had to bear any weight sending a shaft of sharp pain up along Rainbow's spine. "YEEOW!" Nurse Redheart was quick to help, but Rainbow Dash brushed off the advance. "I got it!" Slowly, she stood back up, putting more weight on her front legs to give her back legs a rest. She walked with an uneasy shuffle; a limp, even. But she was walking, and that was more than she'd done in days! "You can put that wheelchair away, miss Redheart. I got this!" she said, smirking confidently. Dash limped her way down the hall to the waiting room, tailing Nurse Redheart. "Rainbow Dash!" she heard Rarity cheer. The hug was tight and heavy, but it made Rainbow Dash happy to know her friend had missed her so. "Rarity! I missed you. Thanks for the linens, they were so cozy!" "Oh it was no trouble at all darling, I simply could not let you wrap yourself in that... What do they call it cloth? Well, you deserved better Dashie!" That made Rainbow Dash smile. "So, uh. Where is everypony else?" "Oh, well Applejack couldn't make it. She came by to visit you last night but you were fast asleep. She has to finish harvesting her crop this season or there won't be enough cider to quench the town come fall. Twilight's at home looking through all her spell books to see if she can find anything that helps you with your recovery, and Fluttershy... Well..." "Rarity? What is it? What about Fluttershy?" "Well, with the, uh... wing situation and all, she didn't want to make you feel self-conscious, so she decided it'd be best if you visited her when you are ready. So that left me to come bring you from the hospital. I figured you and I could go on stroll through the town. I bet you're dying to stretch your legs after being couped up for so long!" Rainbow Dash forced a smile, even though she was a little dismayed that Fluttershy couldn't make it. It's not like what happened changes anything between us, right? "Uh, thanks Rarity! I'd like that a lot." "Fantastic! I thought we might go stop by the school at recess and see how Sweetie Belle is doing. Should be in about 30 minutes or so. More then enough time to get there!" With that, they were off. The sun was just about at the top of the sky, with not a cloud to block it. The air was cooler than it was yesterday, so fall was definitely around the corner. The pegasi must have been working overtime to make enough clouds for the upcoming winter. How Dash longed to see- "What are you thinking Dashie?" Rarity asked, concerned. "Just admiring the weather." "I know how you must miss it, oh, if I ever lost my horn darling why I'd... Oh... How rude of me. I'm so sorry." She blushed at the faux pas. "No, Rarity. It's okay. I don't want to be treated any different now than I was before. I'm still the same pony I was!" "Of course Dashie, I didn't mean to offend. What I meant to say was that, if I had ever gone through such an ordeal I probably would not have come out the other side of it so strong." Rainbow Dash felt her face turn red, which coaxed a smile from Rarity despite her efforts to hide it. "Rarity I just couldn't stop thinking about you, and Twilight, and Applejack, and Fluttershy. It did hurt, a lot... Physically I mean, but not as much as the thought of you not knowing where I had gone." She paused, remembering the strange dream she had, and the message it had brought. There wasn't any point in keeping it to herself. "Last night I saw something amazing." "Oh do tell!" "It was a nightmare. A bad one. But I couldn't wake up, I was just so tired. And you know what happened? Princess Luna came and visited me. Me! In my Dream! I was probably just dreaming of her, but it didn't feel like that. It felt like it was actually her. She saved me from my nightmares, and told me to never let my friends go, so I promise I never will." Rarity looked genuinely shocked. "That's... That's really lovely! Oh look, we're almost at the school." They heard the school bells ringing at the end of the block, signalling the start of recess. As the little fillies and colts filed out into the yard, the sounds of their running and playing filled the town with joy. But colts will be colts and fillies just as cruel. As usual, Sweetie Belle and her friends Apple Bloom and Scootaloo found themselves hounded by the dynamic duo that was Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. The self-styled "Cutie Mark Crusaders" had pulled themselves away from the din, seeing Sweetie Belle's big sister approaching with Rainbow Dash in tow. "Big sis!" she called out as she dashed to the fence. As Scootaloo caught up with her, she caught sight of Rainbow Dash and very noticably began to strut. "Oh." she said, trying to sound cool. "Hey Rainbow Dash!" "Heya Scoots! How's it goin'?" she said, putting stars into the young filly's eyes. "Oh, you know. Just... Bein' awesome is all!" "Being LAME is more like it!" called a filly voice from off near the edges of the playground. It was Diamond Tiara. "Heh. Just ignore her." Rainbow Dash encouraged, lowering her voice to just above a whisper. "Ya know, I hear her dad is Filthy." That made the CMC gang laugh. Even Rarity smiled. "So I heard you have a talent show coming to start off Fall. Can you let us in on your... act?" Apple Bloom smiled "Well, it's top secret but we'll let you in on it since ya know my sister." she wiggled her hoof for them to come closer. "We're going to be acrobats!" she said far too loudly. Both Rainbow Dash and Rarity uncomfortably rubbed the back of their heads in unison. "Well as long as you're, uh... Careful! About it. Ha ha." said Rarity. "It's okay big sis! We've been practicing. I'm gonna levitate a hoop and Scootaloo is gonna do a double backflip on her scooter, before catching Apple Bloom as she bounces off a trampoline." Scootaloo chimed in next "Yeah! What's the worst that could happen?" Rainbow Dash admired their spunk, but that sounded dangerous even by her standards. "Well... Have fun!" she laughed. "Hey Blank Flanks!" taunted Silver Spoon. "I hope you don't think you can actually win the talent show... Without any talent!" "Yeah, Blank Flanks! You should just give up your time so Spoons and I can go twice!" "Hehe. Blank Flanks! Blank Flanks! Blank Flanks!" they taunted in unison. Oh, Fillies. Rainbow Dash thought. One day they'll grow out of it. Rainbow Dash remembered being late to get her special talent. "Rainbow Crash" they called her, well. She showed them, with her sonic rainboom. And then she got her cutie mark. And then lost it she remembered. She looked down at her own flanks. Still gone. Not sure what I expected. "Blank Flanks! Blank Flanks! Blank Flanks!" was all she heard. Those fillies and their awful chants. Didn't they realize that a pony was more than their cutie mark? Didn't they realize how valuable a pony could be without it? Was that the only true measure of worth to them? What had their parents been teaching them!? Out of nowhere, Rainbow Dash felt a rage well up inside her. It wasn't fair that her friends were insulted for not knowing where they belonged yet. That was better than Rainbow Dash. She'd had her place and then she lost it in a moment of weakness. Rainbow Dash didn't deserve her cutie mark, but she would not let her friends be mocked. "Dash? Are you okay?" Rarity asked. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash lept over the fence and tried to bare her wings at the offending children. Blinded by anger she roared "BACK OFF!" Taking a step forward, she could hear the other children running away. "Didn't your parents ever teach you any manners!? You think that a cutie mark is all that matters in life!? Well I had mine and it was TAKEN from me!" She turned to her side, revealing her scarred haunches for all to see. "I still matter! I'm the SAME AS I EVER WAS... And what's more, If you EVER call ANYPONY a 'Blank Flank' EVER AGAIN then I WILL come back, and I WILL! TAKE! YOURS!" There was a stunned silence that fell across the yard. Nopony dared to move - Not Diamond Tiara, not the Cutie Mark Crusaders, not even Rarity. It took several seconds for Rainbow Dash to realize what she'd just said, and several more before Rarity tentatively broke the quiet. "I... I think we should go, Rainbow Dash..." Dash dropped her shoulders and retreated, jumping back over the fence. She felt the emotion welling up inside her again and knew she would cry if she spent another second around such cruel children. "You go on Rarity... I'll... I'll catch you later..." Before Rarity could respond, Dash was cantering away towards... Well, she didn't actually know where she was going anymore.